If you are unable to connect your Sciwheel / Lean Library Workspace account using OpenAthens, or OpenAthens authentication previously worked but has recently stopped working, this may be related to the migration from Sciwheel to Lean Library Workspace.
This article explains what changed and what you or your OpenAthens administrator should check.
Why has my Sciwheel OpenAthens access stopped working?
On 6 July 2026, Sciwheel migrated from Sage to Lean Library. As part of this change, the OpenAthens resource previously known as Sciwheel was replaced by the new Lean Library Workspace resource.
OpenAthens advised existing Sciwheel customers that it would migrate organisations to the new Lean Library Workspace resource, including allocating the new resource to their OpenAthens catalogue and permission sets.
No action should normally have been required from institutions for this part of the migration.
However, institutions that were using older Sciwheel WAYFless links may need to update those links. If OpenAthens authentication is not working, it is also worth confirming that the resource migration was completed successfully for your organisation.
1. Confirm that Lean Library Workspace was migrated successfully in OpenAthens
As part of the migration from Sciwheel to Lean Library Workspace, OpenAthens advised existing customers that it would allocate the new Lean Library Workspace resource to their catalogue and permission sets.
If OpenAthens authentication is not working, we recommend asking your OpenAthens administrator to confirm that this migration was completed successfully for your organisation.
Please check that:
- Lean Library Workspace appears in your institution's OpenAthens catalogue.
- The resource has been allocated to the appropriate permission sets.
- Where applicable, the affected users are associated with the relevant permission sets
If Lean Library Workspace is missing from your OpenAthens catalogue or has not been allocated correctly, please contact your OpenAthens support provider, as OpenAthens was responsible for this part of the migration.
2. Check whether your institution is using an old Sciwheel WAYFless link
Some institutions previously provided users with a Sciwheel OpenAthens WAYFless link beginning with:
https://sciwheel.com/openathens/wayfless?entity=...
OpenAthens advised customers using these links that they needed to be updated following the migration on 6 July 2026.
If your institution provides users with a WAYFless link to access Sciwheel, an older Sciwheel WAYFless link may no longer work correctly following the migration.
If you normally access Sciwheel by signing in directly and selecting OpenAthens/Shibboleth from within your account, this step may not apply to you.
3. Replace legacy WAYFless links with an OpenAthens Redirector link
OpenAthens recommends using an OpenAthens Redirector link instead of the older Sciwheel WAYFless links.
OpenAthens Redirector links normally begin with:
https://go.openathens.net/...
Your OpenAthens administrator can generate the appropriate Redirector link using the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator.
If your institution was already using a Redirector link beginning with go.openathens.net, OpenAthens advised that you do not need to update that link as part of this migration.
4. Try connecting your Lean Library Workspace account again
Once your institution has confirmed the OpenAthens configuration:
- Sign in to your Sciwheel / Lean Library Workspace account.
- Open your account or subscription settings.
- Select OpenAthens/Shibboleth as the authentication method.
- Search for and select your institution.
- Complete your institution's OpenAthens sign-in process.
If authentication still does not complete successfully, try again in a private or incognito browser window.
You may also need to temporarily allow third-party cookies, as browser privacy settings can sometimes interfere with authentication redirects.
Still unable to connect Sciwheel or Lean Library Workspace to OpenAthens?
If your OpenAthens administrator has confirmed that:
- Lean Library Workspace is available in your OpenAthens catalogue.
- The resource is allocated to the correct permission sets.
- The affected users have access through those permission sets.
- Any legacy Sciwheel WAYFless links have been replaced where applicable.
- You are using an OpenAthens Redirector link where required.
and authentication is still not working; please contact Lean Library Support.
When contacting us, please include:
- Your institution's name.
- A screenshot showing the complete error message or page you see.
- Confirmation of whether other users at your institution experience the same issue.
- Confirmation that your OpenAthens administrator has checked the Lean Library Workspace resource and permission settings.
- Your institution's OpenAthens Entity ID, OpenAthens ID or Scope, if available.
We can then check your institution's Lean Library Workspace configuration and investigate the OpenAthens authentication issue further.