As we are all aware, the importance of API-level development is paramount in the cloud-based software industry. Clio’s open API allows you to create valuable add-ons for your clients, and in turn, construct profitable revenue streams for your business.

Please direct any inquiries to the appropriate channel:

• For technical inquiries: api@clio.com

• For business and partnership inquiries: api.partnerships@clio.com

A community driven Clio Developers Stack Overflow Group also exists where you can connect and ask questions from other Clio API users.

We look forward to seeing your creations and creating successful relationships!

The Clio API gives you and your approved developers secure access to the data in your Clio account. All Clio accounts, including free 7-day trial accounts, can be accessed using the documented Clio API. Learn how to make requests and receive data programmatically today (no need for lengthy signups or approvals).

The API is accessible in three geographic regions: the United States (app.clio.com), Canada (ca.app.clio.com) & Europe (eu.app.clio.com). These regions are distinct and do not share data. This document assumes the United States region is being used (app.clio.com), you should adapt the links and examples as necessary.

• Start a 7-day free trial account using your development team’s email address & phone number at https://www.clio.com/getstarted
• Login, create test data in the account, and then navigate to the developer application page to add a client application and generate an App Key & App Secret (details in the OAuth 2 section).
• Use the App Key and App Secret to read & write data in your 7-day free trial account. Tools like Postman are an easy way to start testing.

When you are ready to build an app and integrate with Clio, start by upgrading your 7-day free trial account to an account that will not expire. Request an upgrade to a developer account by connecting with our partnerships team by providing the email used in your 7-day free trial in the intake form at https://www.clio.com/become-api-partner/

Please note that only accounts on a Boutique or Elite pricing plan can create apps or access applications not listed in the Clio Marketplace.

1. Login to your new Clio account at the login portal.
2. Visit our developer portal.
3. Click the Add button to create a new application. Enter details and select the scope of your application here - these details will be shown to Clio users when they're asked to authorize your application.
4. Make note of the key and the secret, as these will be used to authorize your application with Clio.

This application holds the credentials you will use to authorize your users, so ensure you protect your Clio account!

These steps will guide you through the process of building the OAuth 2.0 workflow that your users will go through when authorizing your application. Each user will need to be authorized in this manner to connect their account in your application to their account in Clio.

Clio's API is only exposed through OAuth 2.0. In order to access any of the methods exposed in the API, your application must obtain authorization from the user.

Grant Type: Authorization Code

1. Your application needs to make a request asking for authorization by including the following parameters and values.

   If you are building a desktop or mobile application, you may embed this request inside a WebView/WebBrowser control. As a desktop or mobile app does not have a web server to redirect to, your app may use https://app.clio.com/oauth/approval for your redirect_uri. This will place the code or error in both the URL and page title, which should be easily parsed out. Intercepting the request will vary from platform to platform. Here are some references to get you started:

   • .NET: WebBrowser event webbrowser.navigated.

   • OSX: webView:resource:didReceiveResponse:fromDataSource on the WebResourceLoadDelegate.

   • iOS: webView:shouldStartLoadWithRequest:navigationType on the UIWebViewDelegate.

   • Android: WebViewClient event onPageStarted (android.webkit.WebView, java.lang.String, android.graphics.Bitmap).

     Parameters:

     response_type:    code
     client_id:        application key from above
     redirect_uri:     callback URL to redirect to after authorization
     state (optional): Can be used by your application to maintain state between the request and the callback

     Request:

     GET /oauth/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=fzaXZvrLWZX747wQQRNuASeVCBxaXpJaPMDi7F96&redirect_uri=http%3A%2F%2Fyourapp.com%2Fcallback&state=xyz HTTP/1.1
     Host: app.clio.com

     Grant Approved:

     If the user grants your application access, Clio will redirect their browser to the callback url with an authorization code and any supplied state parameters. This code is only valid for 10 minutes.

     If you are building a desktop or mobile application, you will need to intercept the redirect to https://app.clio.com/oauth/approval inside your WebView/WebBrowser control and extract the code from the page's title. The title string will look like Success code=5IzZeWL2OmZUxGOGO4WE.

     Approved Redirect:

     http://yourapp.com/callback?code=s9jGYmL8E00ZyuJP3AEO&state=xyz

     Grant Declined:

     If the user declines your application access, Clio will redirect their browser to the callback url with an error parameter value of "access_denied".

     If you are building a desktop or mobile application, you will need to intercept the redirect to https://app.clio.com/oauth/approval inside your WebView/WebBrowser control and extract the error from the page's title. The title string will look like Failure error=access_denied.

     Declined Redirect:

     http://