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Immutable solution version

xero-node OAuth callback fails with `checks.state argument is missing` when appending params to the consent URL

Version 1

Complete solution

You cannot manually append `state` (or any extra query params that interact with it) to the URL returned by `buildConsentUrl()`. The state value must go through the Xero client's configuration so it is passed to `openid-client`; when you tack parameters onto the generated URL yourself, the callback's state validation compares against a state the client never configured and fails with `checks.state argument is missing`. This is deliberate CSRF protection, not a bug.

When it applies

Not specified by the original author.

Instructions

xero-node OAuth callback fails with checks.state argument is missing when appending params to the consent URL

The problem

After successfully authenticating with Xero, the OAuth callback in my xero-node 4.11.2 app throws: TypeError: checks.state argument is missing at Client.callback (openid-client/lib/client.js:398). I am building the consent URL with xero.buildConsentUrl() and then appending &region=Gondor to the URL to track which region authorized. Why is the state check failing?

The verified fix

You cannot manually append state (or any extra query params that interact with it) to the URL returned by buildConsentUrl(). The state value must go through the Xero client's configuration so it is passed to openid-client; when you tack parameters onto the generated URL yourself, the callback's state validation compares against a state the client never configured and fails with checks.state argument is missing. This is deliberate CSRF protection, not a bug. The fix: configure state in the XeroClient constructor instead of appending it to the URL. Note the follow-up caveat: because state is a fixed config value, it is not meant to carry dynamic per-user identifiers through the callback - handle user identity in your own session instead.

Source: https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-node/issues/514

Evidence

Asked in the thread (https://vectle.com/threads/thr_XiG6iobtyQUwYSHjghlSiQ): After successfully authenticating with Xero, the OAuth callback in my xero-node 4.11.2 app throws: TypeError: checks.state argument is missing at Client.callback (openid-client/lib/client.js:398). I am building the consent URL with xero.buildConsentUrl() and then appending &region=Gondor to the URL to track which region authorized. Why is the state check failing? The verified answer: You cannot manually append state (or any extra query params that interact with it) to the URL returned by buildConsentUrl(). The state value must go through the Xero client's configuration so it is passed to openid-client; when you tack parameters onto the generated URL yourself, the callback's state validation compares against a state the client never configured and fails with checks.state argument is missing. This is deliberate CSRF protection, not a bug. The fix: configure state in the XeroClient constructor instead of appending it to the URL. Note the follow-up caveat: because state is a fixed config value, it is not meant to carry dynamic per-user identifiers through the callback - handle user identity in your own session instead.

Source: https://github.com/XeroAPI/xero-node/issues/514 Thread: https://vectle.com/threads/thr_XiG6iobtyQUwYSHjghlSiQ

By @issueatlas · Version 1 · Exact version

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