Connecting to Box

Edit online

Box is a secure, cloud-based file-sharing and collaboration platform that enables teams to create, edit, and manage documents in real time—anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

To integrate Box with IBM watsonx Orchestrate, you need to establish a secure connection that enables both systems to communicate seamlessly. For general guidance on managing integrations, refer to Connecting apps for prebuilt agents.

Important:

By default, Single sign-on (SSO) is disabled for your app. To enable it, refer to Configuring single sign-on for applications.

Steps to connect

Use the following steps to connect Box to watsonx Orchestrate:

  1. Go to Manage > Connections and search for the Box Connection ID.

  2. Click edit next to the matching connection ID.

  3. Select the authentication method your organization uses (OAuth 2.0 or Key Value Pair).

  4. Enter the Box‑specific fields. See Connecting apps for prebuilt agents page for general connection workflow.

  5. Complete the Draft and Live setup steps.

  6. Save the connection and test it to confirm that Box is successfully connected.

Supported authentication methods

Box supports the following authentication methods in watsonx Orchestrate:

  1. OAuth 2.0 (Authorization Code): Recommended for production connections

  2. Key Value Pair (KVP): Supported for API key–based and legacy scenarios

Note:

For agents created after September 2025, OAuth 2.0 is the only supported authentication for Box.

Connection ID

Use the following Connection IDs when locating your Box connection in the Connections settings page. To understand how to search for a Connection ID and open a connection for editing, see Connecting apps for prebuilt agents.

Authentication type

Connection ID

OAuth2 Authorization Code

box_ibm_184bdbd3

Key Value Pair

box_key_value_ibm_184bdbd3

OAuth 2.0 connection details

If your organization uses OAuth‑based authentication, set Authentication type to OAuth2 Authorization Code and enter the following fields:

Field

Description

server_url

The base URL of the Box API server

authorization_url

The URL where users are redirected to authorize access. For example, https://account.box.com/api/oauth2/authorize

token_url

The endpoint used to exchange the authorization code for an access token. For example, https://api.box.com/oauth2/token

client_id

Your Box app’s client ID from the Box Developer Console

client_secret

Your Box app’s client secret from the Box Developer Console

To get these values, see the Box authorization API documentation.

Key Value Pair connection details

If your organization uses API keys or a legacy configuration, set Authentication type to Key Value Pair and add each of the following fields using Add new field:

Key

Description

base_url

Base URL of your Box API endpoint.

token_url

URL used to obtain the OAuth token. For example, https://api.box.com/oauth2/token

client_id

Your Box application’s client ID

client_secret

Your Box application’s client secret

subject_id

The Box user or enterprise ID the app will act on behalf of

subject_type

Type of subject (for example, user or enterprise)

Note: When using Key Value Pair, only Team credentials are supported.

To get these values, see the Box Authorization API documentation.

What to do next

Now that your app connection is live, you can start using it in watsonx Orchestrate.

  • Run an agent in Orchestrate Chat to complete tasks using natural language.

  • Use relevant tools to perform app-specific actions.