OAuth 2.1 Authentication

FLTR uses OAuth 2.1 with PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) to provide secure authentication for MCP clients like Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, and web applications.

Overview

OAuth 2.1 provides:

15,000 requests/hour rate limit (15x more than API keys)
Scope-based permissions for fine-grained access control
PKCE security to prevent authorization code interception
Automatic token refresh for seamless user experience
Native MCP support for AI development tools

Quick Start for MCP Clients

Configure Claude Desktop

Add FLTR to your Claude Desktop MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fltr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@fltr/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "FLTR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "FLTR_AUTH_URL": "https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authorize Access

Restart Claude Desktop
Click “Connect to FLTR” when prompted
Log in and authorize the requested scopes
Return to Claude Desktop - you’re connected!

Start Using FLTR

Query your datasets directly from Claude:

Search my "Product Docs" dataset for information about authentication

OAuth Flow

FLTR implements the Authorization Code flow with PKCE:

Implementation Guide

1. Register Your Application

Log in to www.tryfltr.com
Navigate to Settings → OAuth Applications
Click Create OAuth App
Fill in the details:
- Name: Your application name
- Redirect URI: Where users return after authorization
- Scopes: Permissions your app needs
Save your Client ID and Client Secret

Store your Client Secret securely. Never commit it to version control or expose it in client-side code.

2. Generate PKCE Parameters

Before starting the OAuth flow, generate PKCE parameters:

import secrets
import hashlib
import base64

# Generate code_verifier
code_verifier = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(secrets.token_bytes(32)).decode('utf-8')
code_verifier = code_verifier.rstrip('=')

# Generate code_challenge
code_challenge = hashlib.sha256(code_verifier.encode('utf-8')).digest()
code_challenge = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(code_challenge).decode('utf-8')
code_challenge = code_challenge.rstrip('=')

print(f"code_verifier: {code_verifier}")
print(f"code_challenge: {code_challenge}")

3. Authorization Request

Redirect the user to FLTR’s authorization endpoint:

https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize?
  response_type=code&
  client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&
  redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI&
  scope=datasets:read datasets:write mcp:query&
  state=RANDOM_STATE&
  code_challenge=CODE_CHALLENGE&
  code_challenge_method=S256

Parameters:

Parameter	Required	Description
`response_type`	Yes	Must be `code`
`client_id`	Yes	Your OAuth client ID
`redirect_uri`	Yes	Where to redirect after authorization
`scope`	Yes	Space-separated list of scopes
`state`	Recommended	Random string to prevent CSRF
`code_challenge`	Yes	SHA256 hash of code_verifier
`code_challenge_method`	Yes	Must be `S256`

Available Scopes:

datasets:read       Read datasets and documents
datasets:write      Create and modify datasets
datasets:delete     Delete datasets and documents
mcp:query          Use MCP query endpoints
mcp:batch_query    Use batch query endpoints
webhooks:manage     Create and manage webhooks
account:read        Read account information

from urllib.parse import urlencode

params = {
    'response_type': 'code',
    'client_id': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
    'redirect_uri': 'https://yourapp.com/callback',
    'scope': 'datasets:read datasets:write mcp:query',
    'state': secrets.token_urlsafe(32),
    'code_challenge': code_challenge,
    'code_challenge_method': 'S256'
}

auth_url = f"https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize?{urlencode(params)}"
print(f"Redirect user to: {auth_url}")

4. Handle Callback

After the user authorizes, FLTR redirects back to your redirect_uri with an authorization code:

https://yourapp.com/callback?
  code=AUTH_CODE&
  state=RANDOM_STATE

Verify the state parameter matches what you sent to prevent CSRF attacks.

5. Exchange Code for Token

Exchange the authorization code for an access token:

POST https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/token
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

grant_type=authorization_code&
code=AUTH_CODE&
client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&
client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET&
redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI&
code_verifier=CODE_VERIFIER

import requests

token_response = requests.post(
    'https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/token',
    data={
        'grant_type': 'authorization_code',
        'code': auth_code,
        'client_id': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
        'client_secret': 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
        'redirect_uri': 'https://yourapp.com/callback',
        'code_verifier': code_verifier
    }
)

tokens = token_response.json()
access_token = tokens['access_token']
refresh_token = tokens['refresh_token']
expires_in = tokens['expires_in']  # Seconds until expiration

Response:

{
  "access_token": "fltr_at_abc123...",
  "refresh_token": "fltr_rt_def456...",
  "token_type": "Bearer",
  "expires_in": 3600,
  "scope": "datasets:read datasets:write mcp:query"
}

6. Make API Requests

Use the access token to make authenticated API requests:

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {access_token}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

response = requests.get(
    'https://api.fltr.com/v1/datasets',
    headers=headers
)

7. Refresh Tokens

Access tokens expire after 1 hour. Use the refresh token to get a new access token:

POST https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/token
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

grant_type=refresh_token&
refresh_token=REFRESH_TOKEN&
client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&
client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET

def refresh_access_token(refresh_token):
    response = requests.post(
        'https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/token',
        data={
            'grant_type': 'refresh_token',
            'refresh_token': refresh_token,
            'client_id': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
            'client_secret': 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET'
        }
    )

    tokens = response.json()
    return tokens['access_token'], tokens['refresh_token']

# Automatically refresh when token expires
if time.time() >= token_expires_at:
    access_token, refresh_token = refresh_access_token(refresh_token)
    token_expires_at = time.time() + 3600

MCP Server Configuration

For MCP clients (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor), use the FLTR MCP server:

Claude Desktop

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fltr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@fltr/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "FLTR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "FLTR_AUTH_URL": "https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Cursor

.vscode/settings.json or Cursor settings:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "fltr": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@fltr/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "FLTR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "your_client_id",
        "FLTR_AUTH_URL": "https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security Best Practices

PKCE

Always use PKCE (code_challenge + code_verifier): ✅ Do:

Generate a cryptographically random code_verifier (43-128 characters)
Use SHA256 for code_challenge_method
Store code_verifier securely until token exchange

❌ Don’t:

Skip PKCE (it’s required)
Reuse code_verifier across sessions
Use MD5 or other weak hashing

State Parameter

Use the state parameter to prevent CSRF:

# Generate state
state = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
session['oauth_state'] = state

# Verify state in callback
if request.args.get('state') != session.get('oauth_state'):
    raise SecurityError("Invalid state parameter")

Token Storage

Server-side applications:

Store tokens in encrypted database
Use HTTP-only cookies for refresh tokens
Never expose tokens to client-side JavaScript

Client-side applications:

Use secure storage (Keychain on macOS, Credential Manager on Windows)
Never store tokens in localStorage
Consider using httpOnly cookies with a token proxy

Redirect URI Validation

Register exact redirect URIs (no wildcards)
Use HTTPS in production (required)
Validate redirect_uri in both authorization and token requests

Error Handling

Authorization Errors

{
  "error": "invalid_scope",
  "error_description": "The requested scope is invalid or unknown"
}

Common errors:

access_denied - User denied authorization
invalid_scope - Unknown or unauthorized scope
invalid_request - Missing required parameters
server_error - Temporary server issue

Token Errors

{
  "error": "invalid_grant",
  "error_description": "The provided authorization code is invalid or expired"
}

Common errors:

invalid_grant - Expired or invalid authorization code
invalid_client - Invalid client credentials
unauthorized_client - Client not authorized for this grant type

Handle token refresh failures:

try:
    access_token, refresh_token = refresh_access_token(refresh_token)
except Exception as e:
    # Refresh failed - re-authenticate user
    redirect_to_authorization()

Complete Example

Here’s a complete Flask application with OAuth:

from flask import Flask, redirect, request, session, url_for
import requests
import secrets
import hashlib
import base64

app = Flask(__name__)
app.secret_key = 'your-secret-key'

CLIENT_ID = 'your_client_id'
CLIENT_SECRET = 'your_client_secret'
REDIRECT_URI = 'http://localhost:5000/callback'
AUTH_URL = 'https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/authorize'
TOKEN_URL = 'https://www.tryfltr.com/oauth/token'

@app.route('/')
def index():
    if 'access_token' in session:
        return 'Logged in! <a href="/datasets">View datasets</a>'
    return '<a href="/login">Login with FLTR</a>'

@app.route('/login')
def login():
    # Generate PKCE parameters
    code_verifier = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(secrets.token_bytes(32)).decode('utf-8').rstrip('=')
    code_challenge = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(
        hashlib.sha256(code_verifier.encode('utf-8')).digest()
    ).decode('utf-8').rstrip('=')

    # Store for later use
    session['code_verifier'] = code_verifier
    session['oauth_state'] = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)

    # Build authorization URL
    params = {
        'response_type': 'code',
        'client_id': CLIENT_ID,
        'redirect_uri': REDIRECT_URI,
        'scope': 'datasets:read mcp:query',
        'state': session['oauth_state'],
        'code_challenge': code_challenge,
        'code_challenge_method': 'S256'
    }

    from urllib.parse import urlencode
    auth_url = f"{AUTH_URL}?{urlencode(params)}"
    return redirect(auth_url)

@app.route('/callback')
def callback():
    # Verify state
    if request.args.get('state') != session.get('oauth_state'):
        return 'Invalid state', 400

    # Exchange code for token
    code = request.args.get('code')
    code_verifier = session.get('code_verifier')

    token_response = requests.post(TOKEN_URL, data={
        'grant_type': 'authorization_code',
        'code': code,
        'client_id': CLIENT_ID,
        'client_secret': CLIENT_SECRET,
        'redirect_uri': REDIRECT_URI,
        'code_verifier': code_verifier
    })

    tokens = token_response.json()
    session['access_token'] = tokens['access_token']
    session['refresh_token'] = tokens['refresh_token']

    return redirect(url_for('index'))

@app.route('/datasets')
def datasets():
    headers = {
        'Authorization': f"Bearer {session['access_token']}"
    }

    response = requests.get('https://api.fltr.com/v1/datasets', headers=headers)
    return response.json()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

Next Steps

MCP Query Endpoint

Use OAuth tokens to query datasets

Scopes Reference

Understand OAuth scope permissions

Rate Limits

OAuth rate limit details

Security Guide

OAuth security best practices

Getting Started

Authentication

Integrations

Support

OAuth 2.1

OAuth 2.1 Authentication

Overview

Quick Start for MCP Clients

OAuth Flow

Implementation Guide

1. Register Your Application

2. Generate PKCE Parameters

3. Authorization Request

4. Handle Callback

5. Exchange Code for Token

6. Make API Requests

7. Refresh Tokens

MCP Server Configuration

Claude Desktop

VS Code / Cursor

Security Best Practices

PKCE

State Parameter

Token Storage

Redirect URI Validation

Error Handling

Authorization Errors

Token Errors

Complete Example

Next Steps

MCP Query Endpoint

Scopes Reference

Rate Limits

Security Guide

Getting Started

Authentication

Integrations

Support

​OAuth 2.1 Authentication

​Overview

​Quick Start for MCP Clients

​OAuth Flow

​Implementation Guide

​1. Register Your Application

​2. Generate PKCE Parameters

​3. Authorization Request

​4. Handle Callback

​5. Exchange Code for Token

​6. Make API Requests

​7. Refresh Tokens

​MCP Server Configuration

​Claude Desktop

​VS Code / Cursor

​Security Best Practices

​PKCE

​State Parameter

​Token Storage

​Redirect URI Validation

​Error Handling

​Authorization Errors

​Token Errors

​Complete Example

​Next Steps

MCP Query Endpoint

Scopes Reference

Rate Limits

Security Guide

OAuth 2.1 Authentication

Overview

Quick Start for MCP Clients

OAuth Flow

Implementation Guide

1. Register Your Application

2. Generate PKCE Parameters

3. Authorization Request

4. Handle Callback

5. Exchange Code for Token

6. Make API Requests

7. Refresh Tokens

MCP Server Configuration

Claude Desktop

VS Code / Cursor

Security Best Practices

PKCE

State Parameter

Token Storage

Redirect URI Validation

Error Handling

Authorization Errors

Token Errors

Complete Example

Next Steps