reCAPTCHA 401 Unauthorized Error in Chrome Console

[ipwsite]

I’m integrating Google reCAPTCHA v2 Checkbox into my web application to verify form submissions, but I’m encountering a 401 Unauthorized error in the Chrome Developer Console. The form submission (used to send emails) works, but the reCAPTCHA request fails, and I need help resolving this issue.

Issue Description

When submitting a form with reCAPTCHA, the following error appears in the Chrome Developer Console:

POST https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api2/pat?k=6LeguEMrAAAAAOvFCBJnPZv1hl0zVJYxg9jPiTI5 401 (Unauthorized)

This suggests the reCAPTCHA API request is unauthorized. I’ve verified that:

The reCAPTCHA site key is correct and matches the one in the Google Cloud Console.

The domain (localhost for testing) is listed in the reCAPTCHA settings.

The secret key is used for backend verification.

Despite the error, the form submission and email functionality work, indicating that reCAPTCHA verification might not be properly enforced.

Environment

reCAPTCHA Version: v2 Checkbox

Environment: Local development (localhost)

Browser: Chrome (latest version)

Backend: Node.js with Express

Error Details: The POST request to /recaptcha/api2/pat fails with a 401 status. No additional response details are visible in the Network tab.

Questions

What could cause a 401 Unauthorized error for a reCAPTCHA API request?

Are there specific settings in the Google Cloud Console or reCAPTCHA configuration I should check?

How can I debug this issue to ensure reCAPTCHA verifies correctly?

What I’ve Tried

Confirmed the site key and secret key are correct in the Google Cloud Console.

Added localhost to the allowed domains in reCAPTCHA settings.

Tested in an incognito window to rule out browser extensions blocking the request.

Verified that the reCAPTCHA script loads correctly in the browser.

I’d appreciate any insights or suggestions on resolving this error. Let me know if specific configuration details would help!

Additional Information: Here are the error screenshots for reference: https://ibb.co/fVC7sw4W https://ibb.co/Q7qdzzmF

Thanks, Ary

[julien-deramond]

Closing as not related to Bootstrap.