v139 · Security · Web Authentication

Web Authentication Immediate UI mode

A new mediation: "immediate" option for navigator.credentials.get() — shows the browser sign-in UI only if a passkey or password is already known for the site, and rejects instantly with NotAllowedError if there is none.

concepts

  1. Immediate vs Conditional UI

    Side-by-side comparison of mediation: "immediate" versus mediation: "conditional" versus mediation: "required". Trigger each and observe how the browser responds when no credentials exist.

    Live API WebAuthn Passkeys
  2. Credential Availability Gate

    Demonstrates how to use "immediate" as a gate: try it first; if it rejects, fall through to a traditional sign-in form. Zero prompts for users with no credentials, instant for users who do.

    Interactive UX Pattern
  3. Three Mediation Modes

    One row for each of conditional, silent, and the new immediate — with the snippet, a one-click probe, the actual API result, and a matrix that explains UI / gesture / null / reject behaviour.

  4. Passkey Manager

    Register a passkey, then test all four mediation modes — immediate, conditional, required, and a register flow — against the real navigator.credentials API. Registered credentials appear in a list with remove buttons. Probes PublicKeyCredential.isConditionalMediationAvailable() on load with a support bar.

why it shipped

The Credential Management API offers mediation: "conditional" (fill autocomplete suggestions silently) and mediation: "required" (always show the picker). But sites needed a middle mode: "show the picker only if you have something to offer." Without it, every page had to choose between always annoying users with a picker, or never showing one at all. mediation: "immediate" fills this gap: it resolves if the browser has a matching passkey or password, and rejects with NotAllowedError otherwise — letting sites display a sign-in form only for users who have no credentials, while offering a frictionless one-tap sign-in for everyone else.

references