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Looker SCIM guide

Connector Only

How to automate Looker user provisioning, and what it actually costs

Summary and recommendation

Looker (Google Cloud) does not offer native SCIM provisioning support on any plan. While a community-developed SCIM proxy (looker-scim-proxy) exists on GitHub, Google Cloud explicitly does not provide support for this tool, making it unsuitable for production environments where reliability and vendor accountability are critical. Organizations must rely on Google Cloud Identity integration for user management, which creates a dependency on Google's ecosystem and limits flexibility for companies using other identity providers as their primary source of truth.

This creates a significant operational gap for IT teams managing analytics access. Without native SCIM, user provisioning requires manual intervention every time analysts, data engineers, or business users need access to dashboards and data models. Since Looker pricing starts around $84,000-$120,000 annually for 50-100 users, the lack of automated provisioning means expensive per-seat licenses often remain active longer than necessary when employees leave or change roles, driving up already substantial costs.

The strategic alternative

Looker has no native SCIM. Automate offboarding, user access reviews, and license workflows across every app, including the ones without APIs. We maintain the integration layer underneath. You focus on judgment, not plumbing.

Quick SCIM facts

SCIM available?No
SCIM tier requiredN/A
SSO required first?No
SSO available?Yes
SSO protocolSAML 2.0, OIDC
DocumentationNot available

Supported identity providers

IdPSSOSCIMNotes
OktaVia third-partyNative Okta app does not support SCIM. Use looker-scim-proxy (unsupported) or Aquera Provisioning Connector for lifecycle management.
Microsoft Entra IDVia third-partyAzure AD SCIM via looker-scim-proxy. Not officially supported by Google Cloud.
Google WorkspaceVia third-partyNo native support
OneLoginVia third-partyNo native support

The cost of not automating

Without SCIM (or an alternative like Stitchflow), your IT team manages Looker accounts manually. Here's what that costs:

Source: Stitchflow aggregate data across apps with 2+ instances, normalized to 500 employees
Orphaned accounts (ex-employees with access)7
Unused licenses12
IT hours spent on manual management/year101 hours
Unused license cost/year$3,925
IT labor cost/year$6,088
Cost of compliance misses/year$1,741
Total annual financial impact$11,754

The Looker pricing problem

Looker gates SCIM provisioning behind premium plans, forcing significant cost increases for basic user management.

Tier comparison

PlanPriceSSOSCIM
Manual provisioningFree
Google Cloud support
Community SCIM proxyFree
Google Cloud IdentityIncluded
Limited to Google ecosystem

Provisioning options

MethodCostReliabilitySupport
Manual provisioningFreeManual errorsGoogle Cloud support
Community SCIM proxyFreeCommunity-maintainedNo official support
Google Cloud IdentityIncludedGoogle-dependentLimited to Google ecosystem

Market reality

Average Looker Enterprise cost
$84,000-$120,000/year (50-100 users)
No pricing tier unlocks native SCIM
it simply doesn't exist
Community proxy (looker-scim-proxy) is the only automated option

What this means in practice

Without native SCIM, IT teams face a stark choice:

Option 1: Manual provisioning

Every user addition requires manual account creation
No automated deprovisioning when employees leave
Dashboard permissions must be configured individually

Option 2: Community proxy (unsupported)

GitHub-hosted solution with zero SLA guarantees
Breaks can take days or weeks to resolve
Enterprise compliance teams often reject unsupported tools

Option 3: Google Cloud Identity dependency

Forces Google Workspace adoption for user management
Creates vendor lock-in beyond just the BI platform
Limited flexibility for multi-cloud identity strategies

Additional constraints

No official Google support
for SCIM provisioning issues
Okta integration requires third-party connectors
(Aquera or community proxy)
Enterprise security requirements
often prohibit unsupported tools
Data access controls
must be managed separately from user provisioning
Dashboard permissions
require manual configuration regardless of provisioning method

Summary of challenges

  • Looker does not provide native SCIM at any price tier
  • Organizations must rely on third-party tools or manual provisioning
  • Our research shows teams manually provisioning this app spend significant hidden costs annually

What Looker actually offers for identity

No Native SCIM Support

Looker (Google Cloud) does not provide native SCIM functionality. Instead, you have these options:

MethodSupport LevelProduction Ready?
Google Cloud Identity integrationOfficial✓ Yes
Community SCIM proxy (looker-scim-proxy)Unsupported⚠️ Community tool
Manual user managementOfficial✓ Yes

The reality: Google expects you to manage Looker users through Google Cloud Identity, not direct SCIM provisioning to Looker itself.

Community SCIM Proxy

The open-source looker-scim-proxy project provides SCIM endpoints:

GitHub project
Available but explicitly unsupported by Google Cloud
IdP compatibility
Works with Okta, Entra ID, and other SCIM clients
Production concerns
No SLA, no official support, community maintenance only
Setup complexity
Requires hosting and configuring your own proxy service

Many IT teams report the community proxy works for basic provisioning, but you're on your own when issues arise.

SSO via Google Cloud Identity

Looker's official identity approach:

FeatureDetails
ProtocolSAML 2.0, OIDC
JIT Provisioning✓ Supported
User ManagementThrough Google Cloud console
Group SyncVia Google Cloud Identity groups

This integration works well if your organization is already committed to the Google Cloud ecosystem, but creates a dependency on Google's identity stack rather than direct IdP integration.

Bottom line: Looker's lack of native SCIM means either accepting Google Cloud Identity as your user management layer or relying on unsupported community tools—neither ideal for organizations wanting direct IdP-to-app provisioning.

What IT admins are saying

Looker's lack of native SCIM support forces IT teams into workarounds that create operational risk:

  • No official SCIM support from Google Cloud, only community-built proxy
  • Community SCIM proxy is explicitly unsupported in production environments
  • Must rely on Google Cloud Identity integration for any automation
  • User lifecycle management requires manual processes or third-party tools

No native SCIM support. Open-source SCIM proxy available (looker-scim-proxy) but NOT officially supported by Google Cloud.

Looker SCIM documentation

Community proxy not production-ready for some

IT admin feedback on provisioning options

The recurring theme

For a Google Cloud product costing $84K-$120K annually, IT teams are surprised to find themselves managing user provisioning through unsupported community tools or complex Google Cloud Identity workarounds.

The decision

Your SituationRecommendation
Small analytics team (<10 users) with Google WorkspaceManual management via Google Cloud Identity
Growing BI team with frequent analyst onboardingUse Stitchflow: automation essential for scaling
Enterprise with complex data access controlsUse Stitchflow: automation essential for compliance
Technical team comfortable with unsupported toolsConsider community SCIM proxy (but expect maintenance overhead)
Multi-department analytics deploymentUse Stitchflow: automation strongly recommended

The bottom line

Looker's lack of native SCIM support forces teams to choose between manual provisioning through Google Cloud Identity or relying on an unsupported community proxy. For analytics teams that need reliable user lifecycle management without the risk of maintaining unofficial tools, Stitchflow provides production-ready automation at a fraction of Looker's enterprise licensing costs.

Make Looker workflows AI-native

Looker has no native SCIM. We build complete offboarding, user access reviews, and license workflows across every app, including the ones without APIs.

Covers apps without native SCIM, including the ones without APIs
Less than a week, start to finish (~2 hours of your time)
Built with your team; extend to anything else in the company
Book a Demo

Technical specifications

SCIM Version

Not specified

Supported Operations

Not specified

Supported Attributes

No native SCIM supportCommunity SCIM proxy is unsupportedMust use Google Cloud Identity for user managementLooker (Google Cloud core) has deeper Google integration

Plan requirement

Not specified

Prerequisites

Not specified

Key limitations

  • No native SCIM support
  • Community SCIM proxy is unsupported
  • Must use Google Cloud Identity for user management
  • Looker (Google Cloud core) has deeper Google integration

Documentation not available.

Configuration for Okta

Integration type

Okta Integration Network (OIN) app

Where to enable

Okta Admin Console → Applications → Looker → Sign On

Native Okta app does not support SCIM. Use looker-scim-proxy (unsupported) or Aquera Provisioning Connector for lifecycle management.

Use Stitchflow for automated provisioning.

Configuration for Entra ID

Integration type

Microsoft Entra Gallery app

Where to enable

Entra admin center → Enterprise applications → Looker → Single sign-on

Azure AD SCIM via looker-scim-proxy. Not officially supported by Google Cloud.

Use Stitchflow for automated provisioning.

Unlock SCIM for
Looker

Looker has no native SCIM. We still automate end-to-end workflows across every app, including the ones without APIs.

See how it works
Admin Console
Directory
Applications
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Looker
via Stitchflow

Last updated: 2026-01-11

* Pricing and features sourced from public documentation.

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