How to Connect Your Social Media Accounts

Connecting your social media accounts is the very first step to unlocking PostDart's full potential. Once connected, you can publish, schedule, and manage content across all your platforms from a single, unified dashboard — eliminating the need to log in and out of multiple apps throughout the day.

PostDart uses the official OAuth 2.0 protocol for every platform. This means we never see or store your social media passwords. Instead, each platform grants PostDart a secure access token that allows us to publish, read analytics, and manage engagement on your behalf.

Why Connecting Accounts Matters

Without connected accounts, PostDart is just a dashboard. But the moment you link your first platform, everything comes alive: you can compose and publish posts, view real-time engagement metrics, read and reply to DMs and comments, and access AI-powered insights based on your actual performance data.

Each connected account unlocks platform-specific features. For example, connecting a Facebook Page gives you access to Page-level analytics, inbox messaging, and comment management. Connecting YouTube enables video uploading with custom thumbnails, descriptions, and privacy settings.

Step 1: Navigate to the Connect Page

Open your PostDart dashboard and click Connect in the sidebar navigation. You'll see a clean grid of platform cards — one for each supported platform: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Each card shows its current status: a green checkmark if you have accounts connected, or a blue Connect button if you haven't linked any accounts yet. You can also see how many accounts are connected per platform at a glance.

Step 2: Start the OAuth Flow

Click the Connect button on the platform card you want to add. PostDart will redirect you to that platform's official login and authorization page.

For Facebook and Instagram, you'll be taken to Meta's Business login page. For YouTube, you'll see Google's OAuth consent screen. For TikTok, you'll visit TikTok's developer authorization page.

This is a completely secure process. The entire OAuth flow happens on the platform's own servers — PostDart never touches your credentials. All we receive back is an access token that the platform generates for us.

Step 3: Grant Permissions

Each platform will ask you to approve specific permissions. These are necessary for PostDart to function correctly. Here's exactly what each platform requires and why:

Facebook: Pages access (to see your Pages), post management (to publish content), messaging (for the unified inbox), and engagement metrics (for the leaderboard). PostDart requests `pages_show_list`, `pages_manage_posts`, `pages_messaging`, and `pages_read_engagement` permissions.

Instagram: Business account access (Instagram must be a Business or Creator account linked to a Facebook Page), content publishing (to post images and videos), comment management (to read and reply to comments), and direct messaging (for the unified inbox).

YouTube: Channel access (to identify your channels), video uploading (to publish videos), comment reading (to sync comments to your dashboard), and analytics access (for view counts and engagement data).

TikTok: Basic user info (to display your profile) and comment access (to read comments on your videos). TikTok's API currently supports comment reading but publishing is handled through a separate content posting flow.

Step 4: Select Your Pages/Channels

For Facebook and Instagram, you may have multiple Pages or Business accounts associated with your profile. After authorizing, PostDart will present a selection screen showing all available options.

Select the specific Pages you want to manage — you can choose one, several, or all of them. Each selected Page becomes a separate connected account in PostDart, with its own publishing, inbox, and analytics capabilities.

You can always come back to the Connect page later to add more Pages or channels. There's no limit to how many times you can re-authorize to pick up additional accounts.

Step 5: Verify the Connection

Once the OAuth flow completes, you'll be redirected back to PostDart. Your newly connected account will appear on the Connect page with a green checkmark and the account name displayed.

At this point, PostDart immediately begins syncing your data in the background. Within a few minutes, your inbox messages, comments, and recent post metrics will start appearing in the dashboard.

You can test the connection by navigating to the Post page and checking if the platform appears in the "Publish To" section. If you see a toggle for the platform with your account name, everything is working correctly.

Connecting Multiple Accounts Per Platform

PostDart supports connecting multiple accounts on the same platform. This is perfect for agencies managing multiple client Pages, or businesses that operate separate social media profiles for different brands or products.

Simply click Connect again on the same platform card and authorize a different account. Both accounts will appear in your dashboard, and you can choose which ones to publish to on a per-post basis.

Understanding Token Expiration

OAuth tokens have a limited lifespan. Facebook tokens typically last 60 days, while others may vary. When a token expires, PostDart can no longer publish or sync data for that account.

You'll see a warning indicator on the Connect page when a token is nearing expiration. Simply click Reconnect to re-authorize and get a fresh token. This is the most common reason why a scheduled post might fail — so it's worth checking your connection status periodically.

PostDart stores all OAuth tokens using Fernet encryption — an industry-standard symmetric encryption scheme. Your tokens are encrypted at rest in our database and only decrypted when needed to make API calls on your behalf.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Connection expired? This is the #1 issue users encounter. OAuth tokens expire over time, especially Facebook tokens (60-day limit). Click Reconnect on the Connect page to refresh your token. Always reconnect if you notice posts failing or inbox not syncing.

Missing permissions? If a specific feature isn't working — like you can't publish to a Page or inbox messages aren't appearing — the most likely cause is missing permissions. Disconnect the account and reconnect it, making sure to grant ALL requested permissions during the OAuth flow.

Instagram not showing? This is a common confusion. Instagram requires a Business or Creator account that is linked to a Facebook Page. Personal Instagram accounts cannot be connected to third-party tools. To switch: go to Instagram Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account, then link it to a Facebook Page.

YouTube channel not found? Make sure you're authorizing with the Google account that owns the YouTube channel. If your channel is under a Brand Account, you may need to select it specifically during the Google OAuth flow.

TikTok login issues? TikTok's API requires accounts to be verified and in good standing. If you're experiencing issues, make sure your TikTok account has a verified email and phone number.

Security & Privacy

PostDart takes your account security seriously. All OAuth tokens are encrypted using Fernet encryption and stored in an isolated database. We use cookie-based JWT authentication with HttpOnly and Secure flags to prevent token theft. Rate limiting prevents abuse: 100 requests/hour for anonymous users, 1,000/hour for authenticated users, and 5/minute for auth endpoints.

You can disconnect any account at any time from the Connect page, which immediately invalidates PostDart's access token for that account. If you ever suspect unauthorized access, disconnecting and reconnecting your accounts is the fastest way to rotate credentials.