ESHOPMANESHOPMAN Logo
Our Blog

Decoding HubSpot OAuth 2.0: Finding Your Scopes After Token Generation

Decoding HubSpot OAuth 2.0: Finding Your Scopes After Token Generation

Diving into HubSpot's OAuth 2.0 can sometimes feel like navigating a maze. One common question that pops up in the HubSpot Community revolves around the absence of the 'scope' field in the token response after implementing the OAuth flow. Let's break down why this might happen and how to ensure you're getting the scope information you need.

The Case of the Missing Scope

The original poster in the HubSpot Community was experiencing a situation where the OAuth token response—containing the access token, refresh token, expiration details, and token type—wasn't including the expected 'scope' field. This raised a few key questions:

  1. Is the 'scope' field still expected in new OAuth app token responses?
  2. Under what conditions might the 'scope' be omitted or empty?
  3. Is there a reliable way to confirm granted scopes at install time, other than relying solely on the initial authorization URL?

Solutions from the Community

Fortunately, the HubSpot Community offered some helpful insights. Here's a synthesis of the suggested approaches:

1. Retrieving Refresh Token Metadata

One respondent suggested making a second API call to the Retrieve refresh token metadata endpoint. This endpoint specifically returns scope information associated with the refresh token.

The GET request looks like this:

https://api.hubapi.com/oauth/v1/refresh-tokens/{token}

And the response will include details such as:

{
  "client_id": "",
  "hub_id": 123,
  "scopes": [
    ""
  ],
  "token": "",
  "token_type": "",
  "user_id": 123,
  "hub_domain": "",
  "user": ""
}

This method provides a definitive way to confirm which scopes have been granted.

2. Defining Scopes During App Creation

Another community member suggested pre-defining all necessary scopes during the app creation process. By including all required scopes in the app configuration and then using the app ID, client ID, and client secret to obtain the access token, you can ensure that the necessary permissions are requested upfront. This approach can streamline the process and reduce potential issues related to missing scopes.

Choosing the Right Approach

Both solutions offer viable ways to handle the missing scope in the initial token response. The best approach depends on your specific needs and workflow.

  • If you need to dynamically verify scopes after installation or refresh, the refresh token metadata endpoint is the way to go.
  • If you have a well-defined set of scopes known in advance, pre-defining them during app creation can simplify the process.

ESHOPMAN Team Comment

We at ESHOPMAN find the refresh token metadata approach to be the most robust and flexible. Relying solely on pre-defined scopes during app creation can lead to issues if you need to adjust permissions later. Plus, making that extra API call ensures you always have an accurate picture of the granted scopes, which is crucial for maintaining secure and functional integrations, especially if you're building something like an online grocery store builder integrated with HubSpot.

Ultimately, understanding these nuances of HubSpot's OAuth 2.0 flow empowers you to build more reliable and secure integrations. By utilizing the refresh token metadata endpoint or carefully pre-defining your scopes, you can confidently manage permissions and ensure your application has the necessary access to HubSpot data.

Share: