Create a GitHub OAuth app for OpenConnector

Use a GitHub OAuth app when OpenConnector needs a user-authorized GitHub connection. GitHub also supports personal access tokens, but OAuth is better when you want an authorization flow instead of manually pasting a token.

OpenConnector service

Service ID	Provider	Auth type
`github`	GitHub	OAuth2

OpenConnector’s GitHub OAuth provider can request scopes such as read:user, user:email, repo, workflow, and delete_repo. Grant only the scopes you need for the actions you plan to run.

Prerequisites

A running OpenConnector runtime.
A GitHub account or organization where you can create OAuth apps.
The OpenConnector origin users open in the browser, such as http://localhost:3000 or https://connect.example.com.

Step 1: Set the OpenConnector callback URL

Build the callback URL by appending /oauth/callback to your OpenConnector origin. For local testing, use http://localhost:3000/oauth/callback. For a public deployment, set OOMOL_CONNECT_ORIGIN, restart OpenConnector, and use the public callback URL, such as https://connect.example.com/oauth/callback.

Step 2: Register a GitHub OAuth app

In GitHub:

Open Settings.
Open Developer settings.
Open OAuth Apps.
Choose New OAuth App.
Fill in the app name and homepage URL.
Set Authorization callback URL to the exact OpenConnector callback URL.
Register the app.

GitHub’s official guide is Creating an OAuth app. GitHub OAuth apps have one authorization callback URL, so create separate apps for local, staging, and production if each environment has a different callback URL.

Step 3: Copy the client credentials

From the GitHub OAuth app page, copy:

GitHub value	OpenConnector field
Client ID	`clientId`
Client secret	`clientSecret`

Step 4: Save the GitHub client in OpenConnector

Use the OpenConnector web console:

Open the OpenConnector web console, such as http://localhost:3000.
Open Providers and select GitHub.
Choose Configure OAuth Client or Edit OAuth Client.
Paste the GitHub client ID and client secret.
Choose Save OAuth Client.

Step 5: Connect and test

After saving the OAuth client, choose Connect on the GitHub provider page. Approve the GitHub OAuth app, return to OpenConnector, and confirm that the provider page shows the account as connected.

Use github.get_current_user as a low-risk test action from the console action list.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	What to check
Redirect URI mismatch	GitHub’s authorization callback URL must exactly match `<openconnector-origin>/oauth/callback`.
The wrong account authorized the app	Sign out of GitHub or use a clean browser profile before starting authorization.
Repo actions fail	The connection may not have `repo` scope or the user may not have access to the target repository.
Workflow actions fail	The connection may not have `workflow` scope. Reconnect after adjusting requested scopes.
Delete actions fail	Avoid `delete_repo` unless you intentionally need destructive repository actions.