Set up BigQuery OAuth
This guide describes a feature of the dbt Cloud Enterprise plan. If you’re interested in learning more about an Enterprise plan, contact us at sales@getdbt.com.
dbt Cloud supports developer OAuth with BigQuery, providing an additional layer of security for dbt enterprise users. When BigQuery OAuth is enabled for a dbt Cloud project, all dbt Cloud developers must authenticate with BigQuery in order to use the dbt Cloud IDE. The project's deployment environments will still leverage the BigQuery service account key set in the project credentials.
To set up BigQuery OAuth in dbt Cloud, a BigQuery admin must:
- Create a BigQuery OAuth 2.0 client ID and secret in BigQuery.
- Configure the connection in dbt Cloud.
To use BigQuery in the dbt Cloud IDE, all developers must:
- Authenticate to BigQuery in the their profile credentials.
Creating a BigQuery OAuth 2.0 client ID and secret
To get started, you need to create a client ID and secret for authentication with BigQuery. This client ID and secret will be stored in dbt Cloud to manage the OAuth connection between dbt Cloud users and BigQuery.
In the BigQuery console, navigate to APIs & Services and select Credentials:

On the Credentials page, you can see your existing keys, client IDs, and service accounts.
Set up an OAuth consent screen if you haven't already. Then, click + Create Credentials at the top of the page and select OAuth client ID.
Fill in the application, replacing YOUR_ACCESS_URL
with the appropriate Access URL for your region and plan:
Config | Value |
---|---|
Application type | Web application |
Name | dbt Cloud |
Authorized Javascript origins | https://YOUR_ACCESS_URL |
Authorized Redirect URIs | https://YOUR_ACCESS_URL/complete/bigquery |
Then click Create to create the BigQuery OAuth app and see the app client ID and secret values. These values are available even if you close the app screen, so this isn't the only chance you have to save them.

Configure the Connection in dbt Cloud
Now that you have an OAuth app set up in BigQuery, you'll need to add the client ID and secret to dbt Cloud. To do so:
- go to Settings by clicking the gear in the top right.
- on the left, select Projects under Account Settings
- choose your project from the list
- select Connection to edit the connection details
- add the client ID and secret from the BigQuery OAuth app under the OAuth2.0 Settings section

Authenticating to BigQuery
Once the BigQuery OAuth app is set up for a dbt Cloud project, each dbt Cloud user will need to authenticate with BigQuery in order to use the IDE. To do so:
- Click the gear icon at the top right and select Profile settings.
- Select Credentials.
- choose your project from the list
- select Authenticate BigQuery Account
Authenticating to BigQuery
You will then be redirected to BigQuery and asked to approve the drive, cloud platform, and BigQuery scopes, unless the connection is less privileged.

Select Allow. This redirects you back to dbt Cloud. You should now be an authenticated BigQuery user, ready to use the dbt Cloud IDE.