Invalid grant when accessing Google API

Question

I'm trying to invoke any of the Google API using "Service account" authorization access. I have downloaded ".pk2" file and activated "URL Shortener API" in Services tab of Google API console. Whenever I try to invoke any API (URL shortener or Adsense). I've got following exception -

com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.TokenResponseException: 400 Bad Request
{
  "error" : "invalid_grant"
}
    at com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.TokenResponseException.from(TokenResponseException.java:105)
    at com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.TokenRequest.executeUnparsed(TokenRequest.java:303)
    at com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.TokenRequest.execute(TokenRequest.java:323)
    at com.google.api.client.googleapis.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredential.executeRefreshToken(GoogleCredential.java:345)
    at com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.Credential.refreshToken(Credential.java:526)
    at com.google.api.client.auth.oauth2.Credential.intercept(Credential.java:287)
    at com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequest.execute(HttpRequest.java:836)
    at com.google.api.client.googleapis.services.AbstractGoogleClientRequest.executeUnparsed(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.java:412)
    at com.google.api.client.googleapis.services.AbstractGoogleClientRequest.executeUnparsed(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.java:345)
    at com.google.api.client.googleapis.services.AbstractGoogleClientRequest.execute(AbstractGoogleClientRequest.java:463)

Below is code snippet -

    HttpTransport HTTP_TRANSPORT = new NetHttpTransport();
    JsonFactory JSON_FACTORY = new JacksonFactory();
    File privateKey = new File(ReportAdsense.class.getResource("mykey.p12").toURI());
    GoogleCredential credential = new GoogleCredential.Builder().setTransport(HTTP_TRANSPORT)
            .setJsonFactory(JSON_FACTORY)
            .setServiceAccountId("[email protected]")
            .setServiceAccountScopes(UrlshortenerScopes.URLSHORTENER)
            .setServiceAccountPrivateKeyFromP12File(privateKey)
            .build();
     Urlshortener service = new Urlshortener.Builder(new NetHttpTransport(), JSON_FACTORY, null).setHttpRequestInitializer(credential).build();
     UrlHistory history = service.url().list().execute();

Answer 1

First of all "Service account" will not work for Adsense, since it requires user authorization. Hence for Adsense you should use Oauth 2.0. When you are authorized first time using URL https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/token, copy-paste and hardcode your refresh token. Than you can use it to get access token, specify client_id, client_secret and your refresh_token to get new access token. Now access token can be used in your application.

Regarding your error, I have faced with similar issue and spent plenty of time to resolve it. First of all, make sure that you are using valid ServiceAccountId - it should point to email which finishes with "developer.gserviceaccount.com". Make sure, that you specified account scopes and activated services in Google Console API.

I fixed this issue by synchronizing system clock in my machine.

There are a lot of topics with similar error without answers. Even more, some people says, that sometimes it works, sometimes it returns invalid grant. It could work on one machine and fail on another. I don't know if it is system clock issue, but I would avoid using Service Account API, since looks like there are bugs and support would not help you