Connect APIs with Make.com OAuth2

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Connect OAuth2 Web Services to Make.com

This guide explains step by step how to connect any OAuth2-based web service to make.com by creating and configuring a custom app in the platform.

By following this tutorial, you will learn how to gather the correct credentials, set your scopes, define redirect URLs, and configure access and refresh tokens so that your scenarios can interact securely with external APIs.

Before you start with Make.com OAuth2

To integrate a new OAuth2 service into make.com, you first need a few details from the target platform. Typically, these are obtained in that platform's developer or API settings section.

Collect the following information:

  • Authorization Base URL
  • Access Token URL
  • Client ID
  • Client Secret
  • Required scopes
  • Whether a refresh token is supported

You also need access to your make.com account with permissions to create and edit custom apps in your organization.

Create a custom app in Make.com

The foundation of any OAuth2 connection in make.com is a custom app. This app stores the OAuth2 configuration used by your modules and scenarios.

Open the Make.com Apps section

  1. Log in to your make.com account.
  2. Go to the organization where you want to create the connection.
  3. Open the Apps section from the main navigation.

Create a new Make.com custom app

  1. Click Create new app or a similar option in the Apps area.
  2. Enter a clear name and description so other users in your team understand what the app is for.
  3. Select OAuth2 as the authorization type for this app.

After this, you can begin configuring the OAuth2 flow that make.com will use to authorize access to the external service.

Configure OAuth2 settings for Make.com

The next step is to configure all required OAuth2 endpoints and parameters in your new make.com app so that the authorization process works correctly.

Authorization and token URLs in Make.com

In the app's OAuth2 configuration, fill in the key URLs provided by the external service:

  • Authorization URL – Used to redirect the user for consent.
  • Access Token URL – Used by make.com to exchange the authorization code for an access token.
  • Refresh Token URL – Often the same as the Access Token URL if the service supports refresh tokens.

Most platforms document these endpoints in their API or developer documentation.

Client ID and Client Secret for Make.com

Next, add the credentials that identify your integration:

  • Client ID – Public identifier of your OAuth2 application on the external service.
  • Client Secret – Private key that must be stored securely in make.com and never shared publicly.

These values are usually generated when you register your app in the external service's developer console.

Set redirect URLs for Make.com

To complete the OAuth2 flow, the external service must redirect the user back to make.com after authorization. For this to work, you must configure redirect URLs correctly on both sides.

  1. In your make.com custom app, locate the Redirect URL or Callback URL value generated by the platform.
  2. Copy this URL.
  3. Open the developer settings of the external service.
  4. Paste the redirect URL into the list of allowed or whitelisted redirect URIs.

If the redirect URL does not match exactly (including protocol, path, and trailing slashes), authorization requests will fail with redirect or mismatch errors.

Scopes and parameters in Make.com OAuth2

Scopes define the level of access that make.com will have to the external account. Each service provides its own list of supported scopes.

Define scopes for Make.com integrations

  1. In the external service's API documentation, locate the list of OAuth2 scopes.
  2. Choose only the scopes necessary for your use case.
  3. Enter these scopes into the Scopes field in your make.com app configuration, usually separated by spaces.

Requesting unnecessary scopes may cause users to hesitate when granting access. Keep them as minimal as possible while maintaining functionality.

Additional authorization parameters

Some APIs require extra query parameters during authorization, such as:

  • Audience
  • Access type
  • Prompt
  • Response type

If needed, you can configure these in the advanced OAuth2 settings of your make.com app. Always refer to the external provider's documentation for exact parameter names and allowed values.

Token handling in Make.com

Once a user approves access, the external service returns an authorization code that make.com exchanges for an access token. This token is then used for subsequent API calls.

Access tokens

In your custom app configuration, verify the following:

  • Token type – Usually Bearer.
  • Token location – Typically in the Authorization header.
  • Token format – Often provided as JSON with fields like access_token, token_type, and expires_in.

Make sure the field names in your app match the actual response structure defined by the external service.

Refresh tokens

If the service supports refresh tokens, make.com can automatically renew expired access tokens without requiring the user to reauthorize.

  1. Confirm that the token endpoint returns a refresh_token value.
  2. Ensure the Refresh Token option is enabled in the app configuration.
  3. Confirm the refresh grant type is set correctly (usually refresh_token).

This ensures your integrations continue running even when tokens expire after a short lifetime.

Use your OAuth2 app in Make.com scenarios

After saving the custom app configuration, you can start using it in your scenarios within make.com.

Create a connection in Make.com modules

  1. Open or create a scenario in make.com.
  2. Add a module that uses your new custom app, typically via an HTTP or custom app module.
  3. Click Add or Create a connection.
  4. Complete the authorization flow in the browser window that opens.

Once the flow completes successfully, the connection is stored and can be reused in other modules and scenarios.

Test your OAuth2 integration

Before relying on the integration in production, run a controlled test:

  • Use a simple scenario with one or two modules.
  • Trigger the scenario with test data.
  • Inspect the output bundles to verify that the external API responds as expected.
  • Check logs for any authorization or token errors.

If you encounter issues, compare error messages with the external service's documentation and confirm that the URLs, scopes, and redirect settings match exactly.

Advanced Make.com OAuth2 tips

For complex APIs, you may need to adjust additional settings in your make.com custom app.

  • Configure custom headers required by the API.
  • Map non-standard token response fields.
  • Handle special grant types or PKCE if supported.
  • Use environment-specific apps for staging and production.

When in doubt, always test each change with a fresh authorization attempt.

Resources for Make.com and OAuth2

For deeper technical details on connecting APIs with OAuth2 in make.com, review the official documentation at this OAuth2 connection guide.

If you need expert consulting, automation design, or scenario optimization around these integrations, you can also visit Consultevo for professional support and implementation services.

By carefully configuring your OAuth2 custom app, validating scopes, and confirming redirect URLs, you can reliably connect almost any modern web API to make.com and unlock powerful automation across your tools.

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