I’m working on connecting my automation workflow to Google People API through n8n but keep running into a 403 forbidden error. My Google Cloud project is set up properly with all the required APIs enabled and OAuth scopes configured. I’ve added myself as a test user since the app is still in development mode.
The weird part is that other Google services like Gmail, Sheets, and Drive work perfectly fine with the same setup. Only the People API (for contacts) throws this 403 error. I’ve double-checked the permissions and API settings multiple times.
Has anyone faced this specific issue with Google People API returning 403 while other Google APIs work normally? What could be causing this selective permission problem?
That 403 error usually means your OAuth scopes don’t match what the People API needs. Even if you’ve set up OAuth, the People API wants specific scopes like https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts.readonly or https://www.googleapis.com/auth/contacts - these are different from Gmail or Drive scopes. I hit the same issue during a workflow migration and fixed it by updating the scopes, then regenerating the OAuth token. Your existing token won’t pick up new permissions automatically. Also double-check that you’ve enabled the People API in your Google Cloud project.
i had the same issue, just check if u enabled the People API in your google console, it’s easy to skip that step. also, make sure your consent screen has the right scopes set up for accessing contacts.
The People API domain verification requirement caught me off guard here. Gmail and Drive APIs work fine without it, but People API gets picky about unverified domains in dev mode. Make sure your OAuth consent screen has domain verification done properly. I’ve also seen People API demand explicit approval for contact scopes even when testing. Try removing yourself as a test user, then re-add after you’ve got all the contact scopes configured right. The order matters - if you add test users before setting scopes, you’ll sometimes get 403 errors.