How to Test OAuth2 Authentication in Zapier CLI App Integration

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1

Problem

I’m working on integrating my Rails application with Zapier using OAuth2 authentication. I set up an OAuth provider and can successfully get tokens through browser redirects, but I’m struggling with testing this setup using the command line.

Current Setup

My Rails app uses an OAuth2 provider that generates JWT tokens. The authorization flow works fine when users go through the browser redirect process. However, when I try to test the integration through the console, I run into authentication issues.

Testing Code

Here’s my current test setup:

it('should retrieve access token successfully', (done) => {
  const testBundle = {
    inputData: {
      authorization_code: 'temp_auth_code',
      tenant: 'birds'
    },
    environment: {
      APP_ID: process.env.APP_ID,
      APP_SECRET: process.env.APP_SECRET
    }
  };

  appTester(MyApp.authentication.oauth2Config.getAccessToken, testBundle)
    .then((response) => {
      response.access_token.should.eql('valid_token');
      response.refresh_token.should.eql('valid_refresh_token');
      done();
    })
    .catch(done);
});

Error Output

The test fails with this error:

1) oauth2 integration should retrieve access token successfully:
   Received 401 from POST https://birds.<mysite>.com/oauth/token, auth refresh needed.
Details:
  POST request sent to https://birds.<mysite>.com/oauth/token
  Got 401 response from https://birds.<mysite>.com/oauth/token after 1200ms
  Response body: "{\"error\":\"invalid_request\",\"error_description\":\"Missing required parameter\"
  Received 401 from POST https://birds.<mysite>.com/oauth/token, auth refresh needed.

Main Question

The 401 error seems to happen because there’s no authenticated user session in the console test environment. Should I modify my test approach or is there a way to simulate user authentication for these tests?

2

check ur oauth2 config first - that 401 usually means your client credentials aren’t being sent properly. I had the same issue with my zapier app and it turned out my app_id didn’t match what i’d registered with the oauth provider. also make sure ur test auth code is valid - ‘temp_auth_code’ won’t work unless it’s a real code from your rails app.

3

This looks like a malformed OAuth token request, not a session issue. I’ve hit this exact problem with Node.js OAuth before - it’s usually the request format or missing Content-Type headers.

Your Rails OAuth provider probably wants application/x-www-form-urlencoded with specific parameter names. Log what your getAccessToken function actually sends to see what’s hitting the endpoint.

OAuth providers can be really picky about parameters. Some want code instead of authorization_code, or need redirect_uri to match exactly what you used in the initial auth request. Also check that your test environment variables loaded properly and temp_auth_code is in the right format for your Rails provider.

4

This isn’t a session auth issue - it’s your OAuth2 flow parameters. Your Rails OAuth endpoint is missing a required parameter based on that error message. Most OAuth2 setups need grant_type, client_id, and client_secret along with the authorization code. I hit the same problem testing my Laravel OAuth integration. Check that your test includes these parameters in the request body, or make sure your getAccessToken function formats the request correctly. Also verify whether your Rails OAuth provider wants credentials in the Authorization header vs the request body - implementations vary and this can trigger that “missing required parameter” error even when everything looks right.