From b257feb0b9fe9f8a40ec88e3120b7e0e91e913d0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Yassin Kortam <yassin@berri.ai>
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2026 15:16:03 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] refactor(identity): use PyJWT directly in
 extract_jwt_principal

---
 litellm/identity/extractors/jwt.py            | 14 ++++++-------
 .../identity/extractors/test_jwt.py           | 21 +++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 28 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/litellm/identity/extractors/jwt.py b/litellm/identity/extractors/jwt.py
index 0c882b070e4..441a170864c 100644
--- a/litellm/identity/extractors/jwt.py
+++ b/litellm/identity/extractors/jwt.py
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 """JWT principal extraction.
 
-Uses ``JWTHandler.is_jwt`` for shape detection and
-``JWTHandler.get_unverified_claims`` for claim peek. Signature
+Decodes claims without verifying the signature (PyJWT direct). Signature
 verification and DB-backed claim mapping live in ``JWTHandler.auth_builder``;
 that path runs from the resolver when DB access is available.
 """
 
 from typing import Optional
 
+import jwt
+
 from litellm.identity.jwt import parse_jwt_scopes
 from litellm.identity.principal import JWTPrincipal
 
@@ -22,13 +23,12 @@ def extract_jwt_principal(token: Optional[str]) -> Optional[JWTPrincipal]:
     if not token:
         return None
 
-    from litellm.proxy.auth.handle_jwt import JWTHandler
-
-    if not JWTHandler.is_jwt(token=token):
+    try:
+        jwt.get_unverified_header(token)
+        claims = jwt.decode(token, options={"verify_signature": False})
+    except jwt.PyJWTError:
         return None
 
-    claims = JWTHandler.get_unverified_claims(token=token) or {}
-
     aud = claims.get("aud")
 
     return JWTPrincipal(
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/identity/extractors/test_jwt.py b/tests/test_litellm/identity/extractors/test_jwt.py
index 43cabc607a7..a8970ef69cc 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/identity/extractors/test_jwt.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/identity/extractors/test_jwt.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import base64
 import json
 import os
 import sys
+from unittest.mock import patch
 
 sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath("../../.."))
 
@@ -63,3 +64,23 @@ def test_raw_claims_preserved():
     p = extract_jwt_principal(token)
     assert p is not None
     assert p.claims["custom"] == {"groups": ["g1"]}
+
+
+def test_extract_jwt_principal_uses_pyjwt_not_jwt_handler():
+    token = _build_unverified_jwt({"sub": "u-pyjwt", "scope": "read write"})
+
+    with (
+        patch(
+            "litellm.proxy.auth.handle_jwt.JWTHandler.is_jwt",
+            side_effect=AssertionError("extractor must not call JWTHandler"),
+        ),
+        patch(
+            "litellm.proxy.auth.handle_jwt.JWTHandler.get_unverified_claims",
+            side_effect=AssertionError("extractor must not call JWTHandler"),
+        ),
+    ):
+        p = extract_jwt_principal(token)
+
+    assert p is not None
+    assert p.sub == "u-pyjwt"
+    assert p.scopes == ("read", "write")