# Clarification on Monthly Active User (MAU) Count Triggers **URL:** \ **Category:** Get Help\ **Tags:** login-experience, new-universal-login-experience\ **Created:** [August 28, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190 "2025-08-28T01:56:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pukukyunu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/pukukyunu/32/72904_2.png) [@pukukyunu](https://community.auth0.com/u/pukukyunu)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/1 "2025-08-28T01:56:54Z")
Hello, I have a general understanding of what triggers the MAU count based on the documentation I’ve read. [https://community.auth0.com/t/what-is-counted-as-monthly-active-users-mau/122564](https://community.auth0.com/t/what-is-counted-as-monthly-active-users-mau/122564) However, I have a specific question for clarification. The logs indicate that a “Successful login” (log type `s`) triggers the MAU count. Is the _actual_ trigger for the count the moment of token issuance/exchange, rather than the successful login event itself? I am particularly concerned about the following scenarios, as they directly impact our operational costs: - If I use an Auth0 Action to deny a user’s access with `api.access.deny()` _after_ they have successfully authenticated but _before_ tokens are issued, will this user be counted towards our MAU? - More specifically, is the MAU count triggered at the moment of successful authentication, just before the flow transitions to the Post Login Action? - When a new user signs up via the Universal Login page, they are automatically logged in. If I use an Action with `api.access.deny()` to block this specific _initial_ login, I assume that no tokens are issued. Can you confirm that this user would **not** be counted towards the MAU for that month, even though a login attempt was made? As this is a critical issue for managing our costs, we would greatly appreciate a prompt response. Best regards, ---
**Author:** ![teodor.andrei](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/teodor.andrei/32/75320_2.png) [@teodor.andrei](https://community.auth0.com/u/teodor.andrei)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 7:25am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/3 "2025-08-28T07:25:57Z")
Hi @pukukyunu and welcome back to the Auth0 Community! Thank you for your question! I will do some research and get back to you with information as soon as possible. Have a great day! Teodor. ---
**Author:** ![teodor.andrei](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/teodor.andrei/32/75320_2.png) [@teodor.andrei](https://community.auth0.com/u/teodor.andrei)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/5 "2025-08-28T16:00:46Z")
Hi again @pukukyunu, and thank you for your patience! Neither a Login nor a Sign Up will trigger a MAU count increment if the `api.access.deny()` is called using an action, as no tokens are issued. The best way to confirm this is to observe your usage data. You can monitor your MAU count in your Auth0 Dashboard by navigating to **Settings \> Subscription** , or you can find it [here](https://support.auth0.com/reports/quota). You will notice that login attempts that are blocked by your Action do not cause the MAU count to increase. You will still see a “Successful Login” event in your logs for a user who is subsequently blocked. This is expected and simply means the user successfully provided valid credentials. The key is that you will _not_ see a successful token exchange event following it. Instead, you’ll see the log from your Action detailing the denial. Please test first to confirm this behavior. Have a great day! Teodor. ---
**Author:** ![pukukyunu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/pukukyunu/32/72904_2.png) [@pukukyunu](https://community.auth0.com/u/pukukyunu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/6 "2025-09-02T00:59:51Z")
@teodor.andrei Thanks for the clarification. So, what you’re saying is that even though the number of logins increased, the user wasn’t being counted in the MAU because the token issuance, which is the trigger for MAU, was being blocked by `api.access.deny()`. The high number of users made it hard to figure this out, but solving this issue has given me a much deeper understanding. ---
**Author:** ![teodor.andrei](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/user_avatar/community.auth0.com/teodor.andrei/32/75320_2.png) [@teodor.andrei](https://community.auth0.com/u/teodor.andrei)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2025, 7:36am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/7 "2025-09-02T07:36:22Z")
Hi again @pukukyunu! Yes, if there was a call to `api.access.deny()` in an action as part of your flow, then the users did not trigger a MAU increment but were `logged` as successful logins. Have a great day! Teodor. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/auth0/original/3X/b/5/b560f266932fcce5d57f09a6595bd50518cae3f3.jpeg) [@system](https://community.auth0.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2025, 7:37am UTC](https://community.auth0.com/t/clarification-on-monthly-active-user-mau-count-triggers/191190/8 "2025-09-16T07:37:16Z")
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