Python SDK AuthClient token refresh not triggering automatically

General Discussion
1

We’ve been maintaining a custom agent desktop widget using the Genesys Cloud Python SDK for about two years now. The setup has been stable, but we noticed some agents getting logged out unexpectedly during long shifts. I dug into the code and realized we’ve been manually handling token refreshes.

The current implementation uses a background thread to check the token expiry every 5 minutes. If it’s close to expiring, it calls the refresh endpoint directly. It works, but it’s clunky. The SDK docs mention that AuthClient should handle this automatically if configured correctly.

Here is how we are initializing the client:

from gen_cloud_python_sdk.gen_cloud_python_sdk_client import ApiClient
from gen_cloud_python_sdk.auth import AuthClient

auth_client = AuthClient(
 client_id='our_client_id',
 client_secret='our_client_secret',
 api_base_uri='https://api.mypurecloud.com'
)

# We explicitly call this every 60 minutes in a loop
# auth_client.refresh_access_token()

I removed the manual refresh loop to test the automatic handling. I set the access_token and refresh_token manually after the initial login for testing purposes. The AuthClient has a get_access_token() method. I assumed it would check the expiry internally.

When the token expires, get_access_token() just returns the expired token. It doesn’t throw an error. It doesn’t refresh. I have to catch the 401 from the API call and then manually trigger a refresh.

Is there a specific flag or method on AuthClient that enables auto-refresh? Or is the Python SDK just not as smart as the JS one? I’ve looked at the source code on GitHub but the logic for AuthClient is buried deep in the base classes.

I want to avoid the complexity of maintaining that background thread if the SDK can do it. Any pointers on how to force the SDK to manage the lifecycle without manual intervention?

2

You’re overcomplicating this. The Python SDK handles token refreshes automatically if you configure the AuthClient correctly. You don’t need a background thread polling every five minutes. That’s just adding unnecessary complexity and potential race conditions.

The key is initializing the AuthClient with the correct storage mechanism and letting the SDK manage the lifecycle. If you’re using a simple client ID and secret, make sure you’re not overriding the default behavior. Here’s how you should set it up:

from platformclientv2 import Configuration, AuthClient, AuthSettings

# Initialize configuration
config = Configuration()

# Set up auth settings
auth_settings = AuthSettings(
 client_id="your_client_id",
 client_secret="your_client_secret"
)

# Create auth client with automatic refresh enabled
auth_client = AuthClient(
 config=config,
 auth_settings=auth_settings,
 refresh_token=None # Let the SDK handle this
)

# Initialize platform client
platform_client = PlatformClientV2(configuration=config, auth_client=auth_client)

The SDK will automatically refresh tokens before they expire. You just need to ensure you’re not manually interfering with the process. If you’re still seeing issues, check if you’re accidentally creating multiple AuthClient instances or not sharing the same configuration across your widget.

Also, make sure your OAuth client has the right scopes. Missing view:agent or view:user can sometimes cause unexpected auth failures that look like token issues.

This approach is cleaner and less error-prone. No need for background threads or manual expiry checks.