🔍 Overview
If every External API call — including the token/validate endpoint — returns an HTTP 403 error with the message "Invalid scope provided. Check API Key permissions on your Press Releases account!", your API key is missing the press-release scope required by the Search Atlas External API (used by Signal Genesys). This article explains what causes the error and walks you through the steps to fix it.
⚠️ Understanding the Error
The 403 response is a permissions error, not an authentication failure. Your API key is recognized, but it has not been granted the scopes needed to access press release endpoints. Common reasons this happens include:
- The API key was created before the press-release scope was added to your plan.
- The key was generated with default or limited permissions.
- Your account plan does not currently include External API / press-release access.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: Check and Update Your API Key Permissions
- Log in to your Search Atlas account and navigate to your Account Settings (click your profile icon in the top-right corner).
- Go to the API Keys or Integrations section within Account Settings.
- Locate the API key you are using for your External API or Signal Genesys integration.
- Click Edit or Manage Permissions on that key.
- Look for the press-release scope (sometimes listed as External API or Press Releases) and ensure it is enabled.
- Save your changes.
- Re-run your API call to confirm the 403 error is resolved.
If you do not see a press-release or External API scope option on the key, proceed to the next section.
📋 If the Scope Option Is Not Available
The press-release scope may not be visible if it is not included in your current subscription plan. In that case, the scope cannot be enabled from within the API key settings alone — it must be unlocked at the account or plan level first. Here is what to check:
- Plan eligibility: Confirm that your Search Atlas plan includes External API and Press Release access. Refer to your plan details in Account Settings under Billing or Subscription.
- Regenerate the key: If the plan is correct but the scope is still missing, try deleting the existing API key and generating a new one. Newly created keys inherit the latest permissions tied to your account.
- Existing keys: Keys created before a plan upgrade may not automatically receive new scopes. A fresh key should resolve this.
🔗 Reconnecting Signal Genesys After Fixing Permissions
Once the correct scopes are in place, update the API key in your Signal Genesys configuration so the integration uses the updated credentials:
- Copy your updated or newly generated API key from Search Atlas Account Settings.
- Open your Signal Genesys settings and navigate to the Search Atlas API or External API connection section.
- Replace the old API key with the new one.
- Save and test the connection using the token/validate endpoint to confirm a successful 200 OK response.
✅ Verifying the Fix
After updating your key and permissions, verify that the integration is working correctly:
- The token/validate endpoint should return HTTP 200 instead of 403.
- Press release submissions and other External API actions should complete without scope-related errors.
- If you still receive a 403 after following all steps, the issue may require a backend scope assignment on your account that cannot be self-served.
💬 Still Seeing the 403 Error?
If you have completed all the steps above and the error persists, the press-release scope may need to be manually enabled on your account by our team. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.