# Connect your identity provider

Your identity provider (IdP) is the anchor for identity correlation in Axiad
Mesh. Connecting it first lets Mesh resolve who your people are before you layer
on data from other systems.

## Prerequisites

- An administrator account in Mesh with permission to manage connectors.
- Administrative access to your IdP (for example, Microsoft Entra ID or Okta).
- The ability to register an application / grant API permissions in your IdP.

## Steps

1. In the Mesh dashboard, open **Admin → Connectors** and choose **Add
   connector**.
2. Select your identity provider from the **Identity Provider** category.
3. Register Mesh as an application in your IdP and grant the read permissions
   listed on the connector setup screen (typically directory and sign-in/audit
   read scopes).
4. Paste the resulting credentials (client ID, tenant/directory ID, and client
   secret) into the connector configuration. Secret fields are write-only and
   are never displayed back.
5. Save the connector and run an initial collection.

## Verify

- The connector status shows **Connected** and the first collection completes
  without errors.
- Identities from your IdP appear in the dashboard within a few minutes.

## Next step

With identities flowing in, connect your first source system:

➡️ [Set up your first connector](./first-connector.md)