I’m trying to programmatically start a recording for an active call using the Genesys Cloud API, but I keep hitting a wall.
We have a New Relic integration that triggers on specific conversation events. When a certain threshold is breached, my Python script attempts to start a recording using the POST /api/v2/conversations/calls/{conversationId}/recordings endpoint. The goal is to capture the rest of the interaction for quality analysis.
Here is the relevant snippet from my script:
url = f"https://api.mypurecloud.com/api/v2/conversations/calls/{conv_id}/recordings"
payload = {
"name": "SLA_Breach_Recording",
"description": "Auto-started due to SLA breach"
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
The headers dict includes a valid OAuth Bearer token with the conversation:write scope. The conversation ID is definitely correct and the call is active.
The response is a 403 Forbidden with the message: User does not have permission to perform this action.
I’ve checked the user’s role in the admin UI and it has full recording permissions. Is there a specific API permission or a different endpoint I should be using to initiate recordings externally? Or does the token need an additional scope beyond conversation:write?
You’re hitting a 403 because the OAuth token you’re using likely lacks the call:recording:write scope. It’s a common gotcha. Most people assume call:write covers everything, but recording control is strictly separated in the permissions matrix.
Check your service account’s OAuth client configuration. You need to ensure the call:recording:write scope is explicitly enabled. If you’re using the Python SDK (genesyscloud-python), double-check how you’re initializing the PlatformClientV2. The default auth flow might be pulling a token with limited scopes if you’re not passing the full list of required scopes during the client credentials grant.
Here’s how to verify the scopes in your Python setup:
from genesyscloud import PlatformClient
# Ensure you are requesting the correct scopes
config = {
'clientId': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID',
'clientSecret': 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET',
'scopes': [
'call:write',
'call:recording:write', # This is the missing piece
'call:center:read'
]
}
platform_client = PlatformClient(config)
# Now ceed with your recording request
try:
result = platform_client.conversations.create_call_recording(
conversation_id=conversation_id,
body=RecordingRequest(body_type='recording')
)
except Exception as e:
print(f"Failed: {e}")
If the scopes are correct and you’re still getting a 403, check the user’s role. The service account needs a role that includes the “Manage Call Recordings” permission. The default “Agent” role won’t cut it. You might need to assign a custom role or a higher-level admin role to the service account used by your New Relic integration.
Also, make sure the conversation is actually in a state that allows recording. You can’t start a recording on a call that’s already ended or in a pre-dial state. The API will reject it. Verify the conversation state before firing the request.