Twitch Bot or Extension Stopped Working After Password or 2FA Change

Is this your situation?

The short answer

What you see, and why

Check these first

• Check whether the tool returns an authorization error. Look for an error in the bot console or extension log.Verify: Invalid token requests return HTTP status code 401 Unauthorized.
• Check when the password or 2FA change happened relative to the failure.Verify: Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the user changes their password.
• Check if the third-party tool keeps an active OAuth session.Verify: Apps that maintain an OAuth session must call the /validate endpoint to verify the access token is still valid.

How Twitch handles this

• Access tokens, refresh tokens, and client secrets should be treated like a password and safeguarded.
• Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the token expires.
• When a token becomes invalid, a new access token must be obtained using the appropriate flow for the app.
• Third-party apps that maintain an OAuth session must call the /validate endpoint to verify that the access token is still valid.

Which path applies to you?

1. Did the failure start right after a password change? Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the user changes their password.
2. Is the tool returning a 401 error? API requests return HTTP status code 401 Unauthorized when a token becomes invalid.
3. Is the tool missing from your connections list? Tokens can become invalid if the user disconnects the app by going to the account's connections page and clicking Disconnect next to the app's name.
4. Has the tool reconnected but still fails? A new access token must be obtained using the appropriate flow for the app.

Step by step: finding the cause

1. Confirm the error type the tool is reporting. Look in the bot console or extension log for an authorization error.Confirm: API requests made with an invalid token return HTTP status code 401 Unauthorized.
2. Check the account's connections list. Open your account's connections settings.Confirm: Check the Other Connections list for the tool's name and status.
3. Note whether the token expired on its own. Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the token expires.Confirm: Check the tool's documentation for the token's expected lifetime.
4. Rule out a deliberate disconnect. Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the user disconnects the app from the connections page.Confirm: Check whether the app still appears with an active status.
5. Rule out a Twitch-side revocation. Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if Twitch revokes the token.Confirm: Check the tool's error log for a revocation message.
6. Get a new access token. When a token becomes invalid, a new access token must be obtained using the appropriate flow for the app.Confirm: Check that the tool's reconnection flow completes without error.
7. Re-authorize the tool through its own sign-in flow. After getting an access token, it is used to set an API request's Authorization header.Confirm: Check that the tool resumes posting or loading normally.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the tool is broken. You wonder why a tool that worked before now fails.Why it happens: Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the user changes their password.
• Treating an expired token as a permanent failure. You assume the tool can never be reconnected.Why it happens: Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the token expires.
• Re-entering credentials in the tool instead of reconnecting it. You type your password into the tool again, expecting that to fix it.Why it happens: A new access token must be obtained using the appropriate flow for the app.
• Forgetting the tool was manually disconnected earlier. You blame the password change for a break that happened earlier.Why it happens: Access and refresh tokens can become invalid if the user disconnects the app from the connections page.

Quick reference

Keeping track of who has access