diff --git a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-merlin-server-component.png b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-merlin-server-component.png
index 93a1fff..f274a4d 100644
--- a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-merlin-server-component.png
+++ b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-merlin-server-component.png
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
-oid sha256:3e3e3f02ad892bdf1270080ab1e81eea6db9ea2b90ed8db842cde6bd77d1e520
-size 79177
+oid sha256:d8070b6f2148c8d3889a8bc237e17c2499727b92769f476e934c0af174e6f590
+size 78837
diff --git a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-container.png b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-container.png
index a944894..c858480 100644
--- a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-container.png
+++ b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-container.png
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
-oid sha256:43eebec0e7e8d1762feb2157acd5b13e19c9de3f89405ebfd5dfbc60d96873f2
-size 211028
+oid sha256:8f4c79c2558368a673caf5130d60f2b9e77d96cb287c99fbfb7bd826f4fff704
+size 215625
diff --git a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.png b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.png
index e21d321..fc03334 100644
--- a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.png
+++ b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.png
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
-oid sha256:a04831ef6327cb1bda2a769f96435c67bbbcbb5b65fd78afff2ac078970f9cc2
-size 47460
+oid sha256:6a72f838df8072a539e7240cc3e261333fb7cb4a7b2f80943f884de667ec1244
+size 47457
diff --git a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.puml b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.puml
index f94c8e7..9b5e5a8 100644
--- a/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.puml
+++ b/docs/overview/design/assets/c4-plandev-context.puml
@@ -9,12 +9,12 @@ System(missionScheduler, "Mission Scheduler", "The mission scheduling logic syst
 
 System(plandev, "PlanDev", "Provides mission activity and sequence simulation and resource analysis")
 
-System_Ext(cam, "Common Access Manager", "Central authentication and authorization provider")
+System_Ext(cam, "Common Access Manager", "Central authentication and identity data provider")
 
 Rel_D(missionTool, plandev, "Query data")
 Rel_D(planner, plandev, "Views and edits plans, resource profiles, constraints")
 Rel_D(missionScheduler, plandev, "Query resource profiles and constraints, mutate plans")
 
-Rel_D(plandev, cam, "Get authentication/authorization")
+Rel_D(plandev, cam, "Get authentication/identity data")
 
 @enduml
diff --git a/docs/overview/design/software-design-document.mdx b/docs/overview/design/software-design-document.mdx
index 0331938..556d374 100644
--- a/docs/overview/design/software-design-document.mdx
+++ b/docs/overview/design/software-design-document.mdx
@@ -533,18 +533,23 @@ configuration file.
 
 ### Authentication and Authorization
 
-PlanDev provides authentication and authorization capabilities via the
-Common Access Manager. Currently, authentication requests from the
-PlanDev UI are proxied through the aerie-ui service. It is prudent that
-PlanDev not handle (proxy/store) any credential information, for any
-duration of time. As a result, PlanDev authentication will soon be
-amended so requests for an authentication token are made directly to a
-CAM server instance with the Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
-capability enabled.
-
-Authorization is provided by configuring CAM policies. The PlanDev
-GraphQL API Server manages authorization of API access and limits
-access based on user roles per API field granularity.
+The PlanDev Gateway service handles user authentication through a
+modular JavaScript adapter interface. Authentication requests from the
+UI are proxied through the `plandev-ui` service to the Gateway.
+Deployments can provide custom authentication adapters to integrate
+PlanDev with external identity providers or use a built-in adapter.
+
+PlanDev currently includes one built-in adapter for integration with
+Common Access Manager (CAM). CAM is an external identity provider that
+is deployed and managed separately from PlanDev. The adapter authenticates
+users against a deployment's CAM service and retrieves identity data,
+including group membership.
+
+When the CAM adapter is used, a user-provided JSON configuration,
+supplied through an environment variable, maps CAM groups to PlanDev
+roles and permissions. PlanDev services use these roles and permissions
+to authorize access to protected resources. The PlanDev GraphQL API
+Server enforces authorization at field-level granularity.
 
 ### Data Model