> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.aohwv.dev/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.aohwv.dev/core-concepts/machine-identities.md).

# Machine Identities

A **Machine Identity** is a non-human account — such as a service account, shared mailbox, automation user, or application identity — that AOH Sync tracks alongside your human Identities.

## Why Machine Identities matter

In most environments, non-human accounts outnumber human ones and are frequently overlooked by identity governance processes. A service account with excessive permissions or no assigned owner is a common security gap. AOH Sync surfaces these accounts explicitly so your team can assess their risk, assign ownership, and keep them in scope for your identity program.

The key question for a Machine Identity is different from the one you ask for a person: instead of "should this person still have access?", you ask "who is responsible for this account — and what happens to it when that person leaves?"

## How Machine Identities relate to Identities and Accounts

Every account record pulled from a Source System starts as an **Account**. When an Account is identified as non-human — either by your [Machine Identity Rules](/feature-reference/connectors/machine-identity-rules.md) or by a manual flag from the [Accounts screen](/feature-reference/browsing-identities/accounts.md) — AOH Sync reclassifies it as a Machine Identity.

Machine Identities can be linked to a human **Identity** as the responsible owner. This creates an accountability chain: you know who is responsible for each service account, even if the account itself has no human user.

| Concept              | What it is                                                                                         |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Account**          | A raw account record from a Source System. May belong to a human or a non-human.                   |
| **Identity**         | AOH Sync's unified record for a single real person, aggregating accounts from multiple sources.    |
| **Machine Identity** | A non-human Account that has been classified separately, with its own risk score, type, and owner. |

## Ownership and inheritors

Every Machine Identity has an **owner** — a human Identity accountable for it. AOH Sync can also track **inheritors**: the people who would take ownership next if the current owner is unavailable. This makes the accountability chain visible before any transfer is needed.

When an owner goes through a [Leaver event](/core-concepts/provisioning-lifecycle.md), AOH Sync runs an ownership transfer: the Machine Identity is identified, ownership moves to the next party in the chain (typically a manager fallback), and the transfer is recorded in the audit trail. A Machine Identity is never left without accountability.

## Detection

AOH Sync identifies Machine Identities using configurable rules defined per Connector — naming patterns, account types, and source-system flags. Rules are per Connector, so a service account in one system can be detected differently than in another.

## Risk scores and classification

Each Machine Identity carries a **risk score** between 0 and 1, displayed with a color-coded bar. AOH Sync assigns a **type** to each Machine Identity — such as application, automation, service account, or system — based on how it was classified.

## Related

* [Machine Identities (feature screen)](/feature-reference/browsing-identities/machine-identities.md)
* [Identities, Accounts & Users](/core-concepts/identities-accounts-users.md)
* [Machine Identity Rules](/feature-reference/connectors/machine-identity-rules.md)
* [Provisioning & Deprovisioning Lifecycle](/core-concepts/provisioning-lifecycle.md)


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