Authored by sayytoabhishekkumar, this post explores an ‘InvalidAuthenticationToken’ issue encountered during Azure REST API calls from a CI-CD pipeline—even though the equivalent request functions as expected in Postman.

Problem Overview

The author describes an authentication issue when calling the Azure Management API as part of a CI/CD pipeline. Despite using a token and URI that work flawlessly in Postman, invoking the same request through PowerShell in the pipeline results in an InvalidAuthenticationToken error.

PowerShell Script Used

$baseUrl = "https://management.azure.com"
$token = (Get-AzAccessToken -ResourceUrl $baseUrl).Token
$RId = (Get-AzResource -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -Name $queryPackName).ResourceId
$restAPi = "$baseUrl$RId/savedSearches?api-version=2025-12-01"
$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $restAPi -Method Get -Headers @{Authorization = "Bearer $token"}

Issue Details

  • In Pipeline: Running the above code in a CI-CD pipeline results in an InvalidAuthenticationToken error from Azure.
  • Manual (Postman): Extracting the $restAPi URL and $token value and using them directly in Postman works, returning the expected results.

Analysis & Context

  • The code assembles an Azure Management REST API endpoint and retrieves an access token with Get-AzAccessToken.
  • The token is inserted into the authorization header for a GET REST call.
  • The disparity suggests either a difference in token scope, environment variables, identity context, or how the CI pipeline is configured versus the interactive environment used for Postman.

Solutions and Troubleshooting Steps (Implied)

  • Check if the identity used in the pipeline matches the one used for generating the token manually.
  • Ensure that the Service Principal (or Managed Identity) running in the CI/CD environment has sufficient permissions on the Azure resources.
  • Compare token contents (claims, audiences) between those obtained in the pipeline and in your local environment/postman for discrepancies.
  • Double-check that Get-AzAccessToken in the pipeline is not returning a cached, expired, or otherwise invalid token.
  • Validate that the base URL and resource IDs are formed correctly and consistently in both environments.

References

Summary

The main challenge lies in inconsistent authentication behaviors between automated CI/CD pipeline runs and manual attempts through Postman, likely stemming from environmental, identity, or token configuration differences.

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