Techniques are disclosed for dynamically switching user identity when generating a web service request by receiving, at a client application, an invocation of a web service, the invocation associated with a first authenticated user identity of a first user, identifying a second user identity, verifying that a switch from the first user identity to the second user identity is permitted by switching rules, including the second user identity in a service request when the switch is permitted, and communicating the service request to the web service. The switching rules can include associations between initial user identities and permitted user identities. Verifying that a switch is permitted can include searching the associations for an entry having an initial user identity that matches the first authenticated user identity and a new user identity that matches the second user identity, wherein the switch is permitted when the entry is found.