How I Use AI to Solve OAuth (Without Losing My Mind)

OAuth looks scary—not because it’s impossible, but because too many variables change at once: dashboards, SDKs, redirects, and vague error messages.

When you're working with React Native + Expo, the complexity doubles because of deep links and environment differences. I now have refined a workflow that turns AI into a high-level pair programmer rather than a source of noise.

Here is how I used AI to finally found the solutions.

1. Map the Architecture Before Touching Code

Before asking AI how to fix a "Redirect URI" error, it's crucial to understand who is talking to whom. In a mobile flow, think of OAuth as a relay race:

1. The App: Initiates the request.
2. The Broker (e.g., Clerk/Supabase): Coordinates the logic.
3. The Identity Provider (e.g., Google/GitHub): Verifies the user.
4. The Keychain: Securely stores the resulting tokens.

Pro-Tip: Once I see it as a relay, I stop looking for "app bugs" when the problem is actually a "handshake" configuration in a dashboard.

2. Give the AI "Full Context"

Never assume the AI knows about the stack. OAuth behaves differently on every version of a library. Always include:

• Core Stack: Library name + version (e.g., expo-auth-session v8.x).
• Routing Strategy: Expo Router vs. React Navigation.
• Environment: iOS Simulator vs. physical device.
• Build Type: Development Client vs. Expo Go vs. Production build.

Example Prompt Starter: "I am building an Expo Router app using Clerk. I am testing on a physical iOS device using a Development Build..."

3. Keep Code Simple

When debugging, remove everything that isn't OAuth.

• Remove complex navigation guards.
• Create a "Sandbox Page": A single button that says "Sign In" and a console.log for the result.

4. Leverage Ecosystem-Specific AI

Not all LLMs are created equal for specific tasks...

• For Google Cloud/Firebase Console: Use Gemini. It is trained more deeply on Google’s evolving UI labels and "Consent Screen" quirks.
• For Code Snippets: Use GPT or Claude. They tend to follow React Native's hook-based patterns more cleanly.

5. Use the "Screenshot Loop" 📸

Error messages in OAuth are often generic (e.g., "Error 400: invalid_request"). Try to debug using only the messages often lead to many confusing paths. The real answer is usually hiding in a checkbox on a dashboard you haven't seen.

1. Screenshot your dashboard settings.
2. Ask AI: "Based on my code, what is missing in this UI?"
3. Apply the change.
4. Screenshot again and ask AI to validate.

6. Take Small Steps (The 15-Minute Rule)

OAuth is conceptually dense. My rule is: Configure one thing, then stop. If you try to set up Google, Apple, and Facebook login all at once, you’ll never find the root cause of a failure. Get one provider working, take a 5-minute break to let your brain reset, and then move to the next.

7. Don't Let Dashboard "Hide and Seek" Stop You

Platforms like Clerk or Google Cloud change their layouts constantly. I used to spend forever looking for a specific "API Key" or "Redirect" field that had been moved or renamed in a recent update.

Now, I’ve adopted a "click-and-explore" mindset:

Explore Every Menu: If I can't find a setting, I click through every tab—even the ones that don't sound relevant. I realized that as long as I don’t hit "Save," I can't break anything.

Combined with the "Screenshot Loop" from step 5, this turned the dashboard from a maze into a map I could actually read.

Final Thought: AI is an Amplifier

AI doesn’t replace your understanding; it amplifies it. When you provide clean context, isolated code, and visual data (screenshots), AI becomes a powerful debugging partner.

If OAuth ever felt impossible, it’s not necessarily you — it’s often the complexity. Having tools described helped me to navigate myself out of the maze and learnt to make it work.