Trying to build a custom chat UI using the WebSocket-based Guest API instead of the standard widget. We need more control over the UI components than the widget provides.
The connection logic looks like this:
const token = await getToken();
const ws = new WebSocket(`wss://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/guest/conversations/webchat`);
ws.onopen = () => {
ws.send(JSON.stringify({
type: 'connect',
token: token
}));
};
The handshake fails immediately. The browser console shows WebSocket connection to 'wss://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/guest/conversations/webchat' failed: Error during WebSocket handshake: net::ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED followed by a 403 Forbidden in the network tab.
I’ve verified the token is valid by using it to fetch user profile data via the REST API. That works fine. The issue seems specific to the WebSocket endpoint. Is there a specific header required for the initial HTTP upgrade request? The docs don’t mention any beyond the standard WebSocket headers. Tried adding Authorization: Bearer <token> to the WebSocket constructor options, but that doesn’t work for the initial handshake.
Checked the Genesys documentation for the Guest API. Nothing about pre-authentication requirements for the socket. Just says to send the token after connection. But the connection never opens.
Docs state: “The WebSocket endpoint requires a valid guest token obtained via POST /api/v2/guest/conversations/webchat/token.”
You’re sending the token in the message payload. That’s not how the handshake works. The server rejects the connection before it even looks at your onopen message because the URL doesn’t contain the token.
You need to append the token as a query parameter to the WebSocket URL. The endpoint validates the token during the HTTP upgrade request. If it’s invalid or missing, you get the 403.
Here’s the correct flow:
// 1. Get the guest token first
const tokenResponse = await fetch('https://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/guest/conversations/webchat/token', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': `Bearer ${yourServiceAccountToken}`,
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({
// required fields for your org
name: 'Guest User',
email: 'guest@example.com'
})
});
const { token } = await tokenResponse.json();
// 2. Connect using the token in the URL
const wsUrl = `wss://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/guest/conversations/webchat?token=${token}`;
const ws = new WebSocket(wsUrl);
ws.onopen = () => {
console.log('Connected');
// No need to send a connect message with the token here
// You can start sending chat messages now
};
Also check your scopes. The service account generating the guest token needs guest:read and guest:write. If you’re using an OAuth2 client credentials grant, make sure the scope array includes those.
The 403 is almost certainly the URL structure. The server expects the token in the handshake headers or query params, not in the first frame.