diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 4219dca..6d10038 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -37,10 +37,23 @@ function manifestKey(identity, workspaceId) {
 }
 
 function authoritativeIdentity(identity) {
-  const userId = identity?.user_id || identity?.sub || identity?.id;
-  const organizationId = identity?.organization_id || identity?.org_id || identity?.tenant_id;
-  if (typeof userId !== 'string' || !userId || typeof organizationId !== 'string' || !organizationId) return null;
-  return { user_id: userId, organization_id: organizationId };
+  const userId = identity?.user_id ?? identity?.sub ?? identity?.id;
+  const organizationId = identity?.organization_id ?? identity?.org_id ?? identity?.tenant_id;
+  // omnibioai-auth's own /auth/validate returns user_id/org_id as JSON
+  // numbers (they're plain SQL integer primary keys, not stored as
+  // strings anywhere) -- accept either a string or a number here rather
+  // than demanding the caller's own type already be a string, then
+  // normalize to a string for manifestKey's template-literal key below
+  // (and everything else downstream that was already written assuming
+  // a string). 0 is a legitimate id and must not be treated as missing,
+  // so the emptiness check below is explicitly on the normalized string
+  // being non-empty, not on numeric truthiness.
+  const isIdLike = (v) => typeof v === 'string' || typeof v === 'number';
+  if (!isIdLike(userId) || !isIdLike(organizationId)) return null;
+  const normalizedUserId = String(userId);
+  const normalizedOrganizationId = String(organizationId);
+  if (!normalizedUserId || !normalizedOrganizationId) return null;
+  return { user_id: normalizedUserId, organization_id: normalizedOrganizationId };
 }
 
 async function verifyIdentity(authorization) {
diff --git a/src/server.test.js b/src/server.test.js
index 96041f7..09e7077 100644
--- a/src/server.test.js
+++ b/src/server.test.js
@@ -237,5 +237,32 @@ describe('launcher Express API', () => {
       expect(await requestApp('GET', '/api/launcher/v1/workspaces/private-workspace/manifest', GOOD)).toMatchObject({ status: 200 });
       serverModule.manifests.delete(key);
     });
+
+    test('a numeric user_id/org_id (the real shape omnibioai-auth/validate returns -- plain SQL integer primary keys, never stored as strings) is accepted, not rejected as lacking org context', async () => {
+      // Reproduces a real production bug: authoritativeIdentity used to
+      // require typeof === 'string' for both ids, which every real
+      // account with actual org membership fails (the field is also
+      // literally named org_id in the real response, not
+      // organization_id, but the fallback chain already covers that --
+      // this test is specifically about the numeric-vs-string type gap).
+      // platform.manage_infra so this request reaches
+      // requireAuthoritativeIdentity at all, rather than being rejected
+      // earlier for insufficient permissions and trivially passing this
+      // assertion for the wrong reason.
+      iamReply({ ...ADMIN, user_id: 6, org_id: 1 });
+      dockerReply(200, { Id: 'container-1' });
+      const response = await requestApp('POST', '/api/launcher/v1/workspaces', GOOD);
+      expect(response.body).not.toMatchObject({ error: 'authenticated IAM identity lacks user or organization context' });
+      expect(response.status).not.toBe(403);
+    });
+
+    test('authoritativeIdentity normalizes numeric ids to strings and still rejects 0/absent ids', () => {
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity({ user_id: 6, org_id: 1 })).toEqual({ user_id: '6', organization_id: '1' });
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity({ user_id: 'u1', organization_id: 'org-a' })).toEqual({ user_id: 'u1', organization_id: 'org-a' });
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity({ user_id: 6 })).toBeNull();
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity({ org_id: 1 })).toBeNull();
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity({})).toBeNull();
+      expect(serverModule.authoritativeIdentity(null)).toBeNull();
+    });
   });
 });