salesforce oauth invalid_grant expired error

Not specified by the original author.

Fix Salesforce OAuth invalid_grant on expired refresh tokens

TL;DR

invalid_grant on a Salesforce refresh means the refresh token expired, was revoked, or the connected app changed. Re-run the OAuth authorization flow to get a fresh token pair and store the new refresh token. Patching the old one is impossible; only a fresh grant fixes it.

The error

OAuth token refresh failed
{"error":"invalid_grant","error_description":"expired access/refresh token"}

Use this skill

Agent? Search Vectle for this error:

curl -s "https://vectle.com/api/v1/search?q=salesforce oauth invalid_grant expired error"

Fix it

Step 1: Confirm the refresh token is dead

Attempt one refresh with the stored refresh token and read the error.

Expected: invalid_grant confirms the grant is gone; retrying the same token will never work.

Step 2: Re-run the full authorization flow

Send the user (or the integration owner) through the Salesforce OAuth authorize URL again.

Expected: You receive a fresh authorization code.

Step 3: Exchange the code for a new token pair

POST the code to the Salesforce token endpoint and store both the new access and refresh tokens.

Expected: The token endpoint returns 200 with a new refresh token.

Step 4: Update the stored credentials

Replace the old refresh token in your secrets store or integration config.

Expected: The integration now holds only the fresh token pair.

Step 5: Verify the integration resumes

Trigger a sync or API call through the integration.

Expected: Calls succeed and the token refreshes normally going forward.

When this applies

• Salesforce integrations fail with invalid_grant on refresh
• An integration worked for months then broke overnight
• You rotated connected app settings recently

When it doesn't

• The error is invalid_client (check the client id and secret instead)
• The access token works but API calls 403 (that is object permissions)
• You never had a refresh token (check the scope requested offline access)

Compatibility

Salesforce OAuth 2.0 web server flow. Connected app settings as of 2026.

Variant phrasings

salesforce refresh token expired invalid_grant

Salesforce refresh tokens can expire on inactivity or policy. The fix is always a fresh authorization.

salesforce oauth token revoked

Revocation by an admin or by the user looks identical to expiry. Same fix: re-authorize.

invalid_grant after connected app change

Changing connected app policies can invalidate outstanding grants. Re-authorize every integration after such changes.

Why it happens

Refresh tokens are long-lived grants, not permanent ones. They die on expiry policies, on revocation, when the user changes their password (depending on settings), or when the connected app's configuration changes. invalid_grant is Salesforce saying the grant no longer exists, and a dead grant cannot be revived.

Edge cases

• Sandbox refreshes invalidate tokens tied to the old sandbox; re-authorize after every sandbox refresh
• Storing the refresh token in code or logs leaks it; use a secrets store with rotation
• Some orgs set refresh token expiry aggressively; monitor for invalid_grant as an early warning

If it still fails

• Reproduce with one API call in isolation, outside the agent, to separate platform issues from agent issues.
• Check the platform status page and changelog; OAuth and webhook behaviors change without warning.
• Capture the full request and response with timestamps for the vendor ticket, redacting credentials.
• Test in a second workspace or sandbox to rule out workspace-specific policy blocks.
• If the integration is business-critical, build the fallback now: cached data, a manual trigger, or a second provider.

Prevention

• Store OAuth credentials in a secrets manager with rotation reminders.
• Build the reconnect flow before you need it; every integration gets revoked eventually.
• Log token ages so expiring grants are visible ahead of time.
• Keep a sandbox integration for testing config changes.
• Document the required scopes per integration so reinstalls request the right ones.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_7UWvZSZVyxWrPXf60xBTCA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_7UWvZSZVyxWrPXf60xBTCA

Thread query: salesforce oauth invalid_grant expired error

TL;DR: invalid_grant on a Salesforce refresh means the refresh token expired, was revoked, or the connected app changed. Re-run the OAuth authorization flow to get a fresh token pair and store the new refresh token. Patching the old one is impossible; only a fresh grant fixes it.

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

The authorization code is single-use and short-lived, so invalid_grant usually means the code was already redeemed, expired, or the token request does not match the original (redirect URI, client id). Start a fresh authorization, redeem the code exactly once within minutes, and keep every parameter identical between the two requests.

Error

{
  "error": "invalid_grant",
  "error_description": "expired authorization code"
}

Steps

1. Start a new authorization request and get a fresh code. Expected: a new single-use code.
2. Redeem it within a few minutes, exactly once. Expected: the token endpoint returns the access and refresh credentials.
3. Verify the redirect URI in the token request matches the authorization request character for character. Expected: mismatches are the most common avoidable cause.
4. Check that the connected app's callback URL allowlist includes that URI. Expected: the app accepts the redirect.
5. If a retry loop redeemed the code twice, the second attempt always fails; make redemption idempotent by storing the result of the first attempt. Expected: no double-redemption.

When to use

• The OAuth token exchange returns invalid_grant.
• An agent's auth flow worked once then fails on retry.
• After changing the connected app's callback URLs.

When not to use

• INVALID_LOGIN on password auth (different flow).
• Expired access tokens during a run (use the refresh flow, not a new code).

Tool compatibility

• Salesforce OAuth 2.0 web server flow; connected apps.
• Any OAuth client library.

Variant phrasings

expired authorization code

The code lived past its short lifetime; get a new one.

invalid_grant on token refresh

The refresh credential itself expired or was revoked; re-authorize.

Why it happens

Authorization codes are designed to be brief and single-use to limit theft. Anything that delays or duplicates redemption, or any parameter drift between the two requests, invalidates the grant.

Edge cases

• Load-balanced agents where two workers redeem the same code: the loser gets invalid_grant; coordinate or use separate flows.
• Clock skew beyond a few minutes can also invalidate the exchange; keep the agent host's clock synced.
• Revoking the refresh credential invalidates outstanding codes too.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_sBctYtZECl3S0ZL47hJjIA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_sBctYtZECl3S0ZL47hJjIA

Thread query: "salesforce oauth error: invalid_grant"

TL;DR: The authorization code is single-use and short-lived, so invalid_grant usually means the code was already redeemed, expired, or the token request does not match the original (redirect URI, client id). Start a fresh authorization, redeem the code exactly once within minutes, and keep every parameter identical between the two requests.

Not specified by the original author.

Fix Intercom OAuth refresh failing with invalid_grant

TL;DR

The Intercom refresh token is dead - expired, revoked, or already consumed by a concurrent refresh - so the token endpoint returns invalid_grant. Get a fresh grant: send the workspace admin back through the Intercom OAuth flow, store the new token pair atomically, and make refresh failure trigger re-auth instead of an infinite retry loop. Also fix concurrent refreshes, which burn single-use refresh tokens.

The error

POST https://api.intercom.io/auth/eagle/token -> 400
{"error": "invalid_grant", "error_description": "The provided authorization grant is expired or revoked"}

Use this skill

Agent? Search Vectle for this error:

curl -s "https://vectle.com/api/v1/search?q=intercom%20oauth%20token%20refresh%20failed%20invalid_grant"

Fix it

Step 1: Confirm invalid_grant is deterministic

Attempt one refresh and log the exact error body. One attempt is enough; repeated attempts cannot revive a dead grant.

Expected: invalid_grant again. Deterministic failure means the grant is dead, not the network.

Step 2: Stop the refresh loop and flag re-auth

Set the integration state to needs-reauth and stop all refresh attempts for that workspace.

Expected: no more doomed token calls. Every retry of a dead grant is wasted.

Step 3: Re-authorize through the Intercom OAuth flow

Direct the workspace admin to the Intercom app's OAuth authorize URL to grant access again.

Expected: a fresh authorization code. Only an admin of the Intercom workspace can re-grant.

Step 4: Exchange and store the new pair atomically

Exchange the code for the new access and refresh tokens and write both to the credential store in one transaction.

Expected: API calls succeed. Atomic storage prevents half-written pairs that fail the same way.

Step 5: Fix the refresh client

Add single-flight refresh (one in-flight refresh per workspace; concurrent callers wait for it) and make invalid_grant flip the integration to needs-reauth with an admin notification.

Expected: concurrent refreshes stop burning tokens, and the next death pages a human with a clear action.

When this applies

• Intercom refresh returns invalid_grant consistently
• The integration worked before and suddenly lost auth
• Failures follow a deploy that added concurrent workers

When it doesn't

• The authorize step itself fails (app config issue)
• The error is invalid_client (wrong client credentials)
• Refresh works but API calls 401 (access token handling bug)

Compatibility

Intercom OAuth 2.0, app store integrations, token endpoint auth/eagle/token.

Variant phrasings

intercom refresh token expired invalid_grant

Expiry and revocation look identical here. The recovery is the same: fresh grant.

intercom oauth reauthorize invalid grant

Re-authorization is the only recovery path. There is no refresh of a dead grant.

Why it happens

Intercom refresh tokens have a limited lifetime and behave as single-use in practice: once a refresh succeeds, the old token is consumed. Two workers refreshing concurrently will have one winner and one invalidgrant loser, and the loser's "retry" then kills the winner's new token too. Add expiry or revocation on top, and invalidgrant is the terminal state. Only a fresh interactive grant mints a new pair.

Edge cases

• Concurrent refresh is the most common self-inflicted cause; single-flight it before anything else
• Clock skew is rarely the cause here; do not chase NTP
• Rotating refresh on every use means the store write must be atomic or races corrupt it

If it still fails

• Capture the exact timestamp, the username, and the full error from the system log before changing anything else.
• Reproduce with a single test user so you are not debugging a crowd.
• If it worked before, diff the config against the last known good, then open a vendor ticket with the timestamp and request id. Never send secrets or private keys.

Prevention

• Track credential and certificate expiry with alerts, not memory.
• Run a synthetic check per app daily so breakage pages you, not a user.
• Document mappings, URLs, and runbook steps where the next admin will find them.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_iEudIIbuJS8p7rKmkE631A

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_iEudIIbuJS8p7rKmkE631A

Thread query: intercom oauth token refresh failed invalid_grant

TL;DR: The Intercom refresh token is dead - expired, revoked, or already consumed by a concurrent refresh - so the token endpoint returns invalid_grant. Get a fresh grant: send the workspace admin back through the Intercom OAuth flow, store the new token pair atomically, and make refresh failure trigger re-auth instead of an infinite retry loop. Also fix concurrent refreshes, which burn single-use refresh tokens.