Overview
Ramp API authority is layered. Build an effective-access matrix rather than treating an OAuth scope as the whole permission decision, and verify both allowed and denied operations per business entity.
Prerequisites
- Identify the Ramp application, environment, business entities, affected data and workflows, accountable owner, and rollback boundary.
- Read
references/official-docs.mdand re-check endpoint schemas, scopes, limits, and support status before a live operation. - Use synthetic fixtures or Ramp sandbox until production access and business effects are explicitly approved.
- Prepare approved secret storage and a sanitized evidence location.
Current Contract
- Client Credentials represents an internal backend acting with application authority; Authorization Code represents an authorizing user and is required for third-party multi-tenant apps.
- Tokens are scope-bound and environment-bound, and scopes cannot be expanded after issuance.
- Only appropriately privileged users, typically Admin or Business Owner, can authorize Developer API applications.
- Resource behavior also depends on business entity, user role, object ownership, spend controls, and endpoint-specific permissions.
Instructions
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Inventory applications, environments, grant types, redirect URIs, client owners, scopes, authorizing or service principals, entities, subscriptions, and credential rotation.
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Map each business operation to exact endpoint, HTTP verb, scope, entity, role, spend approval, data class, and accountable owner.
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Remove unused scopes and stale clients, then issue new tokens because existing tokens do not acquire changed scopes.
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Run positive tests for intended reads/writes and negative tests across an ungranted endpoint, entity, role, and environment using sandbox or approved production reads.
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Schedule recertification and immediate review on owner departure, role change, integration expansion, credential incident, or new entity onboarding.
Tool Discipline
- Use Glob to locate candidate code, manifests, fixtures, and evidence without widening scope.
- Use Grep to find relevant endpoints, fields, permissions, identifiers, errors, and stale assumptions.
- Use Read to inspect the smallest required local files and authoritative evidence.
- Use Write only for a new approved local draft, test, configuration, or evidence artifact.
- Use Edit only for a bounded approved change with a known rollback.
- Local file tools do not authorize a Ramp operation or replace owner approval.
Approval Boundaries
Business owners approve application authorization; security approves grants and secrets; finance/data owners approve entity and spend/data authority. No audit step grants itself more access.
Output
An effective-access matrix, client and token inventory, scope deltas, positive/negative test receipts, exceptions with expiry, and recertification ownership.
Error Handling
| Condition | Response |
|---|---|
| A 403 remains after adding a scope | Check token reissuance, grant type, authorizing user, entity, role, and endpoint authority before broadening access again. |
| One client serves unrelated workflows | Split clients by trust boundary and lifecycle so scopes and rotation can be independently governed. |
| An owner leaves | Reassign ownership, revoke or rotate affected credentials, and repeat negative tests. |
Examples
Example 1
Prove an accounting client can read one entity's sync-ready objects but cannot manage cards or access a second entity.
Example 2
Replace a broad shared client with separate read-only analytics and controlled accounting-write applications.
Validation
- Every scope and effective permission maps to a current business operation and owner.
- New tokens are issued after scope changes and old credentials are revoked.
- Negative tests cover endpoints, entities, roles, and environments.
- Exceptions have compensating controls, approvers, and expiration.
Resources
- Official documentation and contract notes
- Re-check the dated contract and current OpenAPI schema before any live request.
- Treat unresolved vendor behavior, authority, or financial state as a stop condition.