> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chift.eu/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Activation links and redirects

Reference for the activation link returned by [connection creation](/unified-apis/guides/end-user-connection), and for where your end-user lands afterwards.

## The activation link

Creating or updating a connection returns one field, `url`. Properties worth knowing:

* Secured by a token that expires **30 minutes** after generation.
* Single purpose: it activates one connection for one consumer.
* Safe to email, but generate it close to when the end-user will click it. If it expires, `PATCH` the connection to get a fresh one.

## The two parameters

Two settings control redirect behaviour, and they are easy to confuse:

| | Set where | Controls |
| - | - | - |
| `redirect` | Body of the connection `POST` / `PATCH` | **Whether** Chift redirects the end-user after the flow. Default `false`. |
| `redirect_url` | On the consumer, or account-wide | **Where** the end-user is sent. |

`redirect_url` can be set per consumer (at creation or update) or once for the whole account — see [Configure account](/platform/getting-started/configure-account#default-redirection-url). **When both are set, the consumer-level value wins.**

<Note>
  `redirect` is ignored when you pass `integrationid`. With a connector already chosen, Chift always redirects to `redirect_url` on success. There is no marketplace page left to return to.
</Note>

## On connection creation

| Request | Behaviour after activation |
| - | - |
| `integrationid` provided | Redirects to `redirect_url`. |
| `integrationid` omitted, `redirect = true` | Redirects to `redirect_url` after the end-user completes the flow on Chift's marketplace. |
| `integrationid` omitted, `redirect = false` (default) | The end-user stays on Chift's marketplace page. |

## On connection update

| Request | Outcome | Behaviour |
| - | - | - |
| `redirect = true` | Success | Redirects to `redirect_url`. |
| `redirect = true` | Error or end-user cancels | Stays on the page so the end-user can retry. **Cancel** or **Back to \[account name]** sends them to `redirect_url`. |
| `redirect = false` | Success | Redirects to Chift's marketplace page. |
| `redirect = false` | Error or end-user cancels | Stays on the page so the end-user can retry. **Cancel** or **Back to \[account name]** sends them to `redirect_url`. |

## URL parameters on return

When a redirect happens, Chift can append query parameters describing the result:

| Parameter | Value |
| - | - |
| `consumerid` | The consumer that was being connected. |
| `connectionid` | The connection that was created or updated. |
| `connectionstatus` | `active` or `inactive`. |
| `error` | Present only on failure. |
| `isexpirederror` | Present only on failure, when the cause was an expired link. |

<Warning>
  This must be switched on for your account — see [Configure account](/platform/getting-started/configure-account#redirect-url-parameters). Until it is, your callback receives a bare `redirect_url` with no parameters.
</Warning>

These parameters are convenient but **not a reliable completion signal**: an end-user who abandons the flow never returns, and a browser can be closed mid-redirect. Pair them with a webhook or a periodic check — see [Monitoring & updating connections](/unified-apis/guides/monitor-connections).

## Related

* [Create a connection](/unified-apis/guides/end-user-connection)
* [Monitoring & updating connections](/unified-apis/guides/monitor-connections)
* [Configure account](/platform/getting-started/configure-account)


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