Persistent 403 Access Forbidden for YouTube Data API channels.list (managedByMe) with Content Manager Account

Question

Body:

I am developing a Node.js application to interact with the YouTube Data API v3. I am trying to list channels managed by my YouTube Content Owner account. Despite extensive troubleshooting, I consistently receive a 403 Access forbidden error.

Problem: When calling youtube.channels.list({ part: 'id,snippet,statistics', managedByMe: true }), the API returns: Error fetching channel list: Access forbidden. The request may not be properly authorized.

API Error Details: {
  code: 403,
  message: 'Access forbidden. The request may not be properly authorized.',
  errors: [
    {
      message: 'Access forbidden. The request may not be properly authorized.',
      domain: 'youtube.common',
      reason: 'forbidden'
    }
  ]
}

Context & Steps Taken:

Authenticated Account Permissions: My Google account ([email protected]) has confirmed "Content Manager" access for the "MovieBox Record Label" Content Owner within the YouTube Studio UI. I can manually log in and manage content for this Content Owner.

OAuth Scopes: My Node.js application is configured to request the following scopes, and the OAuth consent screen confirms they are granted:

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics.readonly

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly

https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner A recent authentication log shows the access_token and refresh_token were successfully acquired with all these scopes.

Authentication Flow: I am using the google.auth.OAuth2 client in Node.js. My process involves:

Generating an auth URL.

Opening it in the browser for user consent.

Handling the oauth2callback to exchange the code for tokens.

Saving tokens.json.

Setting oauth2Client.setCredentials(tokens) before making API calls.

I have repeatedly deleted tokens.json and re-authenticated to ensure fresh tokens with all scopes are obtained.

API Call: The relevant part of my Node.js code for the API call is:

const { google } = require("googleapis");
const oauth2Client = /* ... initialized oauth2Client ... */ ; // (credentials set from tokens.json)

const youtube = google.youtube({
    version: "v3",
    auth: oauth2Client,
});

try {
    const responseManagedByMe = await youtube.channels.list({
        part: "id,snippet,statistics",
        managedByMe: true,
        maxResults: 50,
    });
    // ... handle successful response ...
} catch (error) {
    // ... logs the 403 error above ...
}

Given that the [email protected] account has Content Manager access in the YouTube UI and my application is successfully acquiring tokens with the youtubepartner scope, why am I still receiving a 403 Access forbidden error for the channels.list call with managedByMe: true? Is there a specific project-level approval, whitelisting, or a different API method/parameter combination required for Content Owners to list managed channels via the API?

Saminathan K · Accepted Answer · 2025-08-01 06:35:33Z

How I Solved the 403 'Access Forbidden' When Using `youtube.channels.list` with `managedByMe: true`

After running into this issue myself and thoroughly troubleshooting, I finally resolved it. Here's what I learned:
Even with valid OAuth scopes and confirmed Content Manager access, a call to:

youtube.channels.list({
  part: 'id,snippet,statistics',
  managedByMe: true,
})

...can still return a 403 Forbidden if either:

The onBehalfOfContentOwner parameter is missing (required when using managedByMe: true), or
The OAuth token was generated from a non-linked YouTube CMS account or the API client lacks sufficient permissions.

Solution

You must provide the onBehalfOfContentOwner parameter along with managedByMe: true.

Here’s a working example:

const { google } = require("googleapis");

const youtube = google.youtube({
  version: "v3",
  auth: oauth2Client, // previously authorized using proper scopes
});

const contentOwnerId = "YOUR_CONTENT_OWNER_ID"; // e.g. 'JpuVTLwbAz2D0q2E4Sb6kA'

const response = await youtube.channels.list({
  part: "id,snippet,statistics",
  managedByMe: true,
  onBehalfOfContentOwner: contentOwnerId,
  maxResults: 50,
});

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How I Solved the 403 'Access Forbidden' When Using `youtube.channels.list` with `managedByMe: true`