Cause (Documented platform behavior): Documented: Owner/Contributor are control-plane roles and do not grant inference access; Cognitive Services OpenAI User covers only OpenAI models; token scope must be https://ai.azure.com/.default; role propagation takes ~5 minutes.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Misleading approaches:
- Assigning Owner or Contributor (does not grant data-plane inference access).
- Assigning Cognitive Services OpenAI User when calling non-OpenAI models (Claude, DeepSeek, Grok) in Foundry.
Limitations:
- Older docs and samples use the https://cognitiveservices.azure.com/.default scope; see existing atlas record for that audience message.
Other error fragments:
- 401 HTTP/1.1 401 PermissionDenied
- 401 Unauthorized. Access token is missing, invalid, audience is incorrect, or have expired.
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/azure-ai-docs/blob/main/articles/foundry/foundry-models/includes/configure-entra-id/troubleshooting.md (official_docs, 2026-09, documented_behavior): Entra ID troubleshooting table lists these 401 variants, root cause (principal lacks data-plane permission / wrong audience), and the role + scope + 5-minute wait fix.
Search phrasings: azure foundry 401 Principal does not have access to API/Operation; azure openai entra id 401 PermissionDenied owner contributor; ai.azure.com/.default scope 401 audience is incorrect
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- Token-authenticated inference call returns 401 even though the user is Owner or Contributor on the resource.
- Context
- Product: Microsoft Foundry Models Component: Entra ID (keyless) inference auth Operation: inference call with DefaultAzureCredential / bearer token Affected versions: unknown Environment: unknown HTTP status: 401 Trigger: Principal lacks the data-plane role; or Cognitive Services OpenAI User assigned but calling non-OpenAI Foundry models; or token requested with the wrong scope; or calling within minutes of the role assignment.
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- 401 Principal does not have access to API/Operation
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [Microsoft Foundry Entra ID] '401 Principal does not have access to API/Operation' / 'PermissionDenied' although the identity is Owner/Contributor
Recommended action: Assign Cognitive Services User on the Foundry resource, wait at least 5 minutes, and request the token with scope https://ai.azure.com/.default.
Option: Assign data-plane role and correct scope [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Applies when: Microsoft Foundry Models / Entra ID (keyless) inference auth
Steps:
1. az role assignment create --role "Cognitive Services User" on the Foundry resource
2. Wait >= 5 minutes
3. Use get_bearer_token_provider(cred, "https://ai.azure.com/.default")
Expected: Inference call authenticates
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- a38ae917-19d0-4c7c-ab1a-cec230f7622e
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Assign Cognitive Services User on the Foundry resource, wait at least 5 minutes, and request the token with scope https://ai.azure.com/.default. Option: Assign data-plane role and correct scope [evidence: official_recommended_action] Applies when: Microsoft Foundry Models / Entra ID (keyless) inference auth Steps: 1. az role assignment create --role "Cognitive Services User" on the Foundry resource 2. Wait >= 5 minutes 3. Use get_bearer_token_provider(cred, "https://ai.azure.com/.default") Expected: Inference call authenticates
- Applicability
- Applicability is not yet established (unknown)
- Limitations
- Limitations have not been established (unknown)
- Success criteria
- Not supplied
- Risk notes
- Not supplied
- Lifecycle
- active
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Sources and related records
No source relations recorded.