GitHub App to have dynamic callbacks after user install it

[yoav-hizki]

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Hi,

When a user installs my GH App, I want them to be redirected to the page they came from. That is possible by setting the callback field, but I have multiple domains where I expect my users to install the app from, and I would like to redirect each of them back to the domain they came from.

Is that possible? From what I understand, the multiple callbacks feature only works on authentication, not installation.
Can you guys help out here, please?

Thanks in advance

[agace]

Hi @yoav-hizki,

You've stumbled upon a pretty common snag when building GitHub Apps, it's a real "gotcha" moment for a lot of developers. You want a smooth experience for your users, sending them right back to where they started, and it feels like the system should just allow that.

Well, you’re spot on about the limitation. The multiple callback feature is, unfortunately, a perk reserved for OAuth apps. For installations, that single, static setup_url in the settings is all we have to work with. It's a bit rigid, for sure.

Now, here's the good news: while the feature isn't built-in, what you want is completely achievable with a clever little workaround. The trick involves a handy tool called the state parameter. It might sound like jargon, but think of it as giving GitHub a sticky note to hold onto for you. It’s simpler than it sounds.

Here’s how we can make it work:

First, before you even send the user to GitHub, you need to do a couple of quick things on your page. Let's say the user is on client-a.com/activate.

1. Jot down their return address: Grab the current URL of the page they're on. This is where we'll need to bring them back to.
2. Create a unique ticket: Generate a random, hard-to-guess code (a state token). This is our secret handshake to ensure everything is secure and matches up later.
3. Stash that info: Temporarily store that URL in your database or server session, using that unique code as its key.

Then, when you create the link to send them to GitHub to install the app, you just attach that unique code to the URL.

Next, GitHub takes over. The user goes through the installation process. The great part is that GitHub will hold onto your state parameter like a trusted courier.

Finally. After the installation is complete, GitHub sends the user back to your single, predefined setup_url. But crucially, it gives back your state parameter.

So, on your server, in that setup_url endpoint, you:

• See the state code in the incoming request.
• Use it to look up the original URL you stashed away moments ago.
• Immediately redirect the user to that very page.

And just like that, they’re seamlessly dropped right back at client-a.com/activate as if nothing happened. It’s a beautifully simple process once it’s in place.

It involves a few extra steps on your end, but it’s the standard, rock-solid way to solve this exact problem.

[thenitishmind]

@yoav-hizki I think You can’t register multiple installation callbacks, but you can pass context via state and handle redirection logic yourself on your backend. This is the standard workaround for multi-domain GitHub App installs.

[ikrishanaa]

You can’t set truly dynamic callbacks for installation flows.
GitHub Apps only support one static callback URL for installs. Multiple callbacks only work for authentication, not installation.
Workaround:

• Use a single callback endpoint on your server.
• From there, redirect the user to the correct domain/page they came from.

So you’ll need to handle the routing logic yourself after GitHub sends them back.

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