Patreon Access

Standalone Patreon membership and tier checking for Unreal Engine, via in-game loopback OAuth.

• No backend required. The token exchange runs client-side against Patreon's public OAuth endpoints.
• No client secret ships. Patreon's token exchange works with client_id alone; the secret field exists only as a documented-optional hedge and should stay blank in shipped builds.
• Project-agnostic. A single Runtime module with no game-side dependencies.

Supported platforms

Win64, Mac, Linux. The loopback flow requires a system browser and the ability to bind a localhost port, so the plugin is desktop-only by design.

How it works

UPatreonAccessSubsystem::BeginLogin() opens the player's system browser on Patreon's consent page with a 127.0.0.1 redirect. A temporary local HTTP listener catches the redirect, exchanges the auth code for tokens, fetches the member's identity (entitled tiers with cents amounts), broadcasts the result, and caches it in a plugin-owned save slot for offline grace.

sequenceDiagram
    participant Game
    participant Browser as System browser
    participant Patreon
    Game->>Game: BeginLogin() — start loopback listener on 127.0.0.1:6167
    Game->>Browser: Open consent URL (client_id, scope, state nonce)
    Browser->>Patreon: Player approves access
    Patreon->>Game: Redirect to http://127.0.0.1:6167/auth?code=...&state=...
    Game->>Game: Validate state nonce (RFC 8252 CSRF guard)
    Game->>Patreon: Exchange auth code for tokens (client_id only)
    Game->>Patreon: Fetch identity (entitled tiers, cents amounts)
    Game->>Game: Cache membership, broadcast OnMembershipUpdated

The flow is OAuth 2.0 authorization-code with a loopback redirect (the RFC 8252 native-app pattern), including the RFC's CSRF safeguard: each login carries a single-use random state nonce that the callback must echo. Forged or spurious localhost requests can neither complete nor cancel a pending login.

Token storage

Tokens are the player's own and are stored locally on-device only — there is no server-side storage. Token values are never written to logs.

Quick start

1. Register an OAuth client at patreon.com/portal → Clients & API Keys.
   • Redirect URI: http://127.0.0.1:6167/auth — must match LoopbackPort + CallbackPath if you change them.
2. Set the Client ID in the editor: Project Settings → Game → Patreon Access → OAuth → Client Id. Leave Client Secret blank.
3. Log in: call BeginLogin() (Blueprint or C++) from your UI, or use the Patreon.Login console command in a non-Shipping build.
4. Gate content with the pure query functions.

Recommended gate

Use HasEntitledAmountAtLeast(Cents) rather than tier-title matching. Cents thresholds survive tier renames on the Patreon page; titles don't.

C++ example

#include "PatreonAccessSubsystem.h"

void UMyMenuWidget::OnPatreonLoginClicked()
{
    UPatreonAccessSubsystem* Patreon =
        GetWorld()->GetGameInstance()->GetSubsystem<UPatreonAccessSubsystem>();

    Patreon->OnMembershipUpdated.AddDynamic(this, &UMyMenuWidget::HandleMembershipUpdated);
    Patreon->OnMembershipFailed.AddDynamic(this, &UMyMenuWidget::HandleMembershipFailed);
    Patreon->BeginLogin();
}

void UMyMenuWidget::HandleMembershipUpdated(const FPatreonMembership& Membership)
{
    // e.g. gate a $15 tier
    const bool bPremium = Membership.HighestEntitledAmountCents >= 1500;
    RefreshLockedContent(bPremium);
}

Blueprint example

Get the Patreon Access Subsystem from the Game Instance, bind On Membership Updated / On Membership Failed, then call Begin Login. Gate content anywhere with the pure nodes (Has Entitled Amount At Least, Is Active Patron, etc.).

API reference

All API lives on UPatreonAccessSubsystem, a UGameInstanceSubsystem — resolve it via the Game Instance from either Blueprint or C++.

Actions

Function	Behavior
BeginLogin()	Starts the loopback listener and opens the browser consent page. Results arrive via the delegates. 120 s timeout.
RefreshMembership()	Re-fetches membership with the stored token; one silent refresh-token retry on 401. Fails via delegate if not logged in.
Logout()	Clears tokens, cached membership, and the cache file; broadcasts an empty membership so listeners drop granted state.

Delegates (BlueprintAssignable)

Delegate	Signature	Fires
OnMembershipUpdated	(const FPatreonMembership& Membership)	After any successful login/refresh, and at boot from cache/auto-refresh.
OnMembershipFailed	(EPatreonLoginResult Result, bool bAuthExpired)	On failure. bAuthExpired = true means stored tokens no longer work — prompt a re-login.

Queries (BlueprintPure)

Function	Returns
GetMembership(bool& bValid)	Cached FPatreonMembership; bValid = fetched within CacheLifetimeDays.
IsActivePatron()	true when patron status is ActivePatron.
GetHighestEntitledAmountCents()	Highest entitled tier amount in cents.
HasEntitledAmountAtLeast(int32 Cents)	Recommended gate. true when the member's highest entitled tier meets the threshold.
HasTierTitled(const FString& Title)	Convenience title match — prefer the cents check.
IsLoggedIn()	true when an access token is stored.
IsRequestInFlight()	true while a login/refresh request is running.

Types

FPatreonMembership

Field	Type	Meaning
UserId	FString	Patreon user id.
FullName	FString	Member display name.
PatronStatus	EPatreonPatronStatus	See enum below.
EntitledTiers	TArray<FPatreonTier>	All currently entitled tiers.
HighestEntitledAmountCents	int32	Highest AmountCents among entitled tiers — the recommended gate value.
FetchedAtUtc	FDateTime	When this membership was fetched (drives the offline-grace window).

FPatreonTier

Field	Type	Meaning
TierId	FString	Stable Patreon tier id — use this for entitlement mappings.
Title	FString	Display title (can be renamed by the creator at any time).
AmountCents	int32	Tier price in cents.

EPatreonPatronStatus

Unknown · NoPatron · ActivePatron · DeclinedPatron · FormerPatron

EPatreonLoginResult

Success · Cancelled · ListenerFailed · TokenExchangeFailed · IdentityFetchFailed

Settings

Project Settings → Game → Patreon Access. Values persist to DefaultGame.ini.

Property	Default	Notes
ClientId	(empty)	From your Patreon client registration. Public by nature.
ClientSecret	(empty)	Optional; leave blank in shipped builds.
LoopbackPort	6167	Must match the registered redirect URI. Range 1024–65535.
CallbackPath	/auth	Must match the registered redirect URI.
Scope	identity identity.memberships	OAuth scopes requested.
AuthorizeURL	Patreon's endpoint	Advanced override.
TokenURL	Patreon's endpoint	Advanced override — point at your own proxy if Patreon ever requires a confidential client, with zero code changes.
IdentityURL	Patreon's endpoint	Advanced override.
UserAgent	PatreonAccess/1.0	Sent on all requests.
CacheLifetimeDays	40	Offline grace window — outlives a monthly billing cycle so patrons aren't nagged; lapsed members age out naturally.
bAutoRefreshOnBoot	true	Silently re-fetch membership at startup when tokens exist.

Keep the client secret out of shipped builds

Patreon's token exchange is documented to work with client_id alone. ClientSecret exists only as a hedge against a future policy change — anything you put there ships in plaintext config, so leave it blank and use a TokenURL proxy instead if a confidential client ever becomes mandatory.

Console commands

Compiled out of Shipping builds.

Command	Effect
Patreon.Login	Runs the full browser login flow.
Patreon.Refresh	Re-fetches membership with stored tokens.
Patreon.Status	Logs the cached membership — status, tiers, amounts. Useful for grabbing real tier IDs while wiring up an entitlement mapping.
Patreon.Logout	Clears tokens and cache.

Caching and offline behavior

• Membership is cached in the plugin-owned save slot "PatreonAccess", separate from any game save.
• A cached membership keeps granting for CacheLifetimeDays (default 40) without a network connection, so patrons aren't re-prompted every launch. Lapsed members age out naturally when the cache expires.
• With bAutoRefreshOnBoot enabled, the subsystem silently re-fetches membership at startup whenever tokens exist and broadcasts OnMembershipUpdated on success.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause
Browser opens but the game never receives the callback	Redirect URI on the Patreon client doesn't exactly match http://127.0.0.1:<LoopbackPort><CallbackPath>, or another process holds the port (ListenerFailed).
OnMembershipFailed with bAuthExpired = true	Stored tokens were revoked or expired past refresh — prompt the player to log in again.
Login silently ignored requests to the callback URL	The state nonce didn't match — by design, mismatched callbacks neither complete nor cancel a pending login. Re-run BeginLogin().
Nothing happens after 120 s	Login timeout — the player closed the browser or never completed consent. OnMembershipFailed fires with Cancelled.

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