---

name: hootsuite-security-basics description: 'Apply Hootsuite security best practices for secrets and access control.

Use when securing API keys, implementing least privilege access,

or auditing Hootsuite security configuration.

Trigger with phrases like "hootsuite security", "hootsuite secrets",

"secure hootsuite", "hootsuite API key security".

' allowed-tools: Read, Write, Grep version: 1.6.0 license: MIT author: Jeremy Longshore jeremy@intentsolutions.io tags:

• saas
• hootsuite
• social-media compatibility: Designed for Claude Code

---

Hootsuite Security Basics

Credential Inventory

Credential	Scope	Rotation
Client ID	App-level	Never (app identifier)
Client Secret	App-level	Rotate if compromised
Access Token	User session	Auto-expires (~1 hour)
Refresh Token	User session	Rotate on each refresh

Instructions

Step 1: Secure Token Storage

# .env (never commit)
HOOTSUITE_CLIENT_ID=app_client_id
HOOTSUITE_CLIENT_SECRET=app_secret
HOOTSUITE_ACCESS_TOKEN=current_token
HOOTSUITE_REFRESH_TOKEN=refresh_token

Step 2: Token Refresh Security

// Always use HTTPS for token exchange
// Store refresh tokens encrypted at rest
// Rotate refresh tokens on each use (Hootsuite returns new ones)
async function secureRefresh(refreshToken: string) {
  const res = await fetch('https://platform.hootsuite.com/oauth2/token', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
      'Authorization': `Basic ${Buffer.from(`${process.env.HOOTSUITE_CLIENT_ID}:${process.env.HOOTSUITE_CLIENT_SECRET}`).toString('base64')}`,
    },
    body: new URLSearchParams({ grant_type: 'refresh_token', refresh_token: refreshToken }),
  });
  const tokens = await res.json();
  // Store new refresh_token, discard old one
  return tokens;
}

Step 3: Security Checklist

• Client secret in secrets vault, never in code
• Access tokens never logged or exposed
• Refresh tokens stored encrypted
• HTTPS for all OAuth requests
• Pre-commit hook blocks HOOTSUITE_ credential leaks
• Separate OAuth apps for dev/staging/prod

Overview

Public publishing is a high-impact boundary: credentials, profile scope, audience selection, approval state, copy, and media must all be protected. This guidance keeps draft and publication paths distinct and auditable.

Prerequisites

• A threat model naming credential custodians, account owners, approved profiles/audiences, incident owner, and secret manager.
• Low-privilege sandbox credentials, draft-only fixtures, and tested revoke/disable/cancel procedures.

Output

Return a security receipt with environment, profile scope, reference version, approval/audience validation, revocation state, correlation ID, and rollback action. Never include tokens, copy, media, or account identities.

Error Handling

Stop for unknown profile/audience, absent approval, failed signature/validation, or public-post attempt from an unapproved path. Revoke credentials or disable scheduling when integrity is uncertain.

Examples

env=staging; profile=sandbox-brand; reference_version=version-12; approval=pass; audience=approved; public_posts=0; rollback=scheduler-disabled is an auditable control result.

Resources

• Hootsuite OAuth 2.0

Next Steps

For production, see hootsuite-prod-checklist.