CMS channel list using Youtube API with onBehalfOfContentOwner

Question

I am using the Youtube Data API to do targeted queries (like this example) for a few CMS accounts in an MCN. I enabled the proper APIs and set up an oAuth for an installed app on Google's developer console. I made sure to call the right scopes:

YOUTUBE_SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtube.readonly",
                  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/yt-analytics-monetary.readonly",
                  "https://www.googleapis.com/auth/youtubepartner"]

Authentication has no qualms...

(youtube, youtube_analytics) = get_authenticated_services(args)

Until a sanity check to list the channels associated with the CMS:

youtube.channels().list(
    part='snippet,contentDetails', 
    managedByMe=True, 
    maxResults=50, 
    onBehalfOfContentOwner=CONTENT_OWNER_ID
  ).execute()

returning a 403 "Access Forbidden" Error. I am wondering if this is because I don't have admin privileges with my CMS account?

Answer 1

One of two things is probably at work here:

1. You are authenticating with the account which grants access to the CMS, but the CONTENT_OWNER_ID you provided in your youtube.channels().list() method is incorrect.
2. You are providing the correct CONTENT_OWNER_ID, but authenticating with the wrong account.

Case 1

You may simply need to include the correct CONTENT_OWNER_ID for the onBehalfOfContentOwner parameter in your youtube.channels().list() method (although, you may have left this blank in your post for privacy).

To double-check, you can find the value for CONTENT_OWNER_ID by invoking the API through this form. Make sure that you are authenticated correctly (ie., using the account with access to the CMS you want), and you'll receive a JSON response, something like this:

{
 "kind": "youtubePartner#contentOwnerList",
 "items": [
  {
   "kind": "youtubePartner#contentOwner",
   "id": CONTENT_OWNER_ID,
   "displayName": DISPLAY_NAME
   etc.
  }
 ]
}

Simply include whatever CONTENT_OWNER_ID you want from this response in your channels().list() method (making sure, again, that you are properly authenticated), and voila.

Case 2

If that doesn't solve your problem, then you may be providing the correct CONTENT_OWNER_ID, but you are authenticating with the wrong account.

Before running your script again, double-check that you delete the file containing your temporary access token (it will have a filename like "YOUR_FILENAME-oauth2.json"). Then, run your script again; making sure that, when prompted to select an account for authentication, you select the one that corresponds with the CONTENT_OWNER_ID you set.

tl:dr;

Basically, there must be agreement between the account with which you authenticate, and the CONTENT_OWNER_ID you provide.

Finally, you do not need an API key to invoke the API in this way; you either need an API key or a properly-authenticated OAuth 2.0 access token. Here are the docs.