Skip to main content

​
Prerequisites

Before installing OAuth Init, ensure you have one of the following package managers installed:
  • Node.js 18+ (for npm)
  • Bun 1.0+ (recommended for best performance)
  • pnpm 8+
For Google OAuth setup, you’ll also need the gcloud CLI installed and authenticated. This is not required for GitHub or Discord providers.

​
Install OAuth Init

Choose your preferred package manager to install OAuth Init globally: 
npm install -g oauth-init
The -g flag installs the CLI globally, making the oauth-init command available from anywhere in your terminal.

​
Verify Installation

Confirm that OAuth Init was installed successfully by running: 
oauth-init --help
You should see the help output: 
Usage: oauth-init [options]

Options:
  -h, --help     Show this help message
  -q, --quiet    Reduce output verbosity
  -n, --no-open  Don't open browser URLs automatically

Examples:
  oauth-init              # Run interactive setup
  oauth-init --quiet       # Run with minimal output
  oauth-init --no-open     # Get URLs but don't open them

​
Provider-Specific Setup

​
Google OAuth Requirements

To set up Google OAuth, you need the gcloud CLI installed and authenticated:
1

Install gcloud CLI

Download and install the Google Cloud CLI for your operating system
2

Authenticate with Google Cloud

Run the following command and complete the browser authentication flow:
gcloud auth login
3

Verify Authentication

Check that you’re authenticated by listing your active account:
gcloud auth list
You should see your Google account marked as ACTIVE:
       Credentialed Accounts
ACTIVE  ACCOUNT
*       [email protected]
OAuth Init will automatically check for gcloud CLI and authentication status when you select Google as a provider. If not authenticated, you’ll receive clear instructions on what to do.

​
GitHub OAuth Requirements

No special setup required! OAuth Init will:
  • Open GitHub pages in your browser for authentication
  • Guide you through creating either a GitHub App or OAuth App
  • Automatically exchange credentials (for GitHub Apps)
For GitHub App setup (one-click method), OAuth Init starts a temporary local server on port 3004 to receive the OAuth callback. Make sure this port is available.

​
Discord OAuth Requirements

No special setup required! You just need: OAuth Init will guide you through the entire application creation process.

​
CLI Flags

OAuth Init supports several command-line flags to customize behavior:

​
--help or -h

Display help information and exit: 
oauth-init --help

​
--quiet or -q

Reduce output verbosity for minimal logging: 
oauth-init --quiet
In quiet mode:
  • Step messages are suppressed
  • Info messages are hidden
  • Only critical prompts and errors are shown
Quiet mode is useful when you’re familiar with the flow and want a more streamlined experience.

​
--no-open or -n

Prevent OAuth Init from automatically opening browser URLs: 
oauth-init --no-open
Use this flag when:
  • Running in a headless environment
  • Using a remote server via SSH
  • Configuring OAuth in CI/CD pipelines
  • You prefer to manually copy and paste URLs
In --no-open mode, you’ll need to manually copy the displayed URLs and open them in your browser.

​
Update OAuth Init

To update to the latest version of OAuth Init: 
npm update -g oauth-init

​
Uninstall

If you need to uninstall OAuth Init: 
npm uninstall -g oauth-init

​
Troubleshooting

If oauth-init is not found after installation, ensure that your global package binaries are in your PATH:
  • For npm: Check that npm config get prefix/bin is in your PATH
  • For bun: Ensure ~/.bun/bin is in your PATH
  • For pnpm: Check that pnpm’s global bin directory is in your PATH
You may need to restart your terminal or shell after installation.
If you encounter permission errors with npm:
# Use sudo (not recommended)
sudo npm install -g oauth-init

# Or configure npm to use a different directory (recommended)
npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH
npm install -g oauth-init
Consider using nvm (Node Version Manager) to avoid permission issues.
If OAuth Init reports that gcloud CLI is not found:
  1. Install gcloud CLI from https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install
  2. Initialize it by running: gcloud init
  3. Authenticate by running: gcloud auth login
  4. Verify installation: gcloud version

​
Next Steps

Now that OAuth Init is installed, you’re ready to configure your first OAuth provider:

Quickstart Tutorial

Follow our step-by-step guide to set up Google, GitHub, or Discord OAuth in minutes

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us