Custom attributes for Okta SCIM applications

Configure custom user attributes in Okta so they are correctly sent to your SCIM application under the required extension namespace.

Overview

This SCIM integration supports custom user attributes only under this namespace:

urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:custom:2.0:User

If Okta sends custom attributes with any other namespace, provisioning can fail or the attributes will be silently ignored.

Namespace rules

When creating a custom attribute in Okta's Profile Editor, configure all of these fields:

⚠️

Common mistakes that cause provisioning failures:

• Omitting the Variable Name — Okta requires this field and it must be unique in the profile
• Using a non-URN value as the namespace (e.g., tessssssssss)
• Using a typo in the namespace (e.g., rn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:custom:2.0:User — note the missing u in urn)
• Including the full namespace path in the External Name field instead of the attribute key alone

Configure custom attributes in Okta

1. Open Okta Admin Console.
2. Navigate to Directory > Profile Editor.
3. Select your SCIM application profile.
4. Click Add Attribute (or edit an existing custom attribute).
5. Set the following fields:
   • Variable Name: Enter an internal Okta attribute key (e.g., customAttr1)
   • External Name: Enter the attribute key only (e.g., custom_attr_1)
   • External Namespace: Enter urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:custom:2.0:User
6. Click Save and publish the attribute mapping.
7. Re-run provisioning for a test user to verify the attributes are sent correctly.

Expected SCIM payload

After configuration, Okta sends custom attributes nested under the extension namespace object. Verify your test user's SCIM payload matches this structure.

Create User — POST /Users

{
  "schemas": [
    "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:core:2.0:User",
    "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:enterprise:2.0:User",
    "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:custom:2.0:User"
  ],
  "userName": "[email protected]",
  "name": {
    "givenName": "First",
    "familyName": "Last"
  },
  "urn:ietf:params:scim:schemas:extension:custom:2.0:User": {
    "custom_attr_1": "value-1",
    "custom_attr_2": "value-2"
  }
}

Key details in this payload:

• The schemas array includes the core SCIM schema, the enterprise extension schema, and the custom extension schema.
• Custom attributes appear as a top-level object keyed by the full namespace URN — not inline with standard user fields.
• Each attribute uses the External Name you defined in Okta (e.g., custom_attr_1).

Troubleshooting