# Internal server error when logging in with Google OIDC

- Updated on May 6, 2026
- Published on Oct 29, 2024

- 1 minute(s) read

## Issue

Sometimes, a user authenticating with Google OIDC sees a 500 error message when logging in to the application.

An example error appears below, which is logged in the `the_gunicorn_` container logs.

```plaintext
[2022-05-16 12:46:41.640 | INFO | hs.oidc:184 | 3c029b56-d516-11ec-b1e9-12fd3d8d8023 :\
\
AnonymousUser : GET : /oidc/callback/ : 127.0.0.1 : 0.195684] constructred username: firstname.lastname@example.com

[2022-05-16 12:46:41.649 | INFO | hs.oidc:52 | 3c029b56-d516-11ec-b1e9-12fd3d8d8023 :\
\
AnonymousUser : GET : /oidc/callback/ : 127.0.0.1 : 0.205099] Creating google svc object with credential file
/etc/nginx/certs/hyperscience-343015-2969910942f8.json and user welcome@example.com

[2022-05-16 12:46:41.651 | ERROR | common.signals:75 | 3c029b56-d516-11ec-b1e9-12fd3d8d8023 :\
\
AnonymousUser : GET : /oidc/callback/ : 127.0.0.1 : 0.207201] Request failed. Handled by None.

[2022-05-16 12:46:41.660 | ERROR | MainThread | django.request:230] Internal Server Error: /oidc/callback/

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/core/handlers/exception.py", line 47, in inner

response = get_response(request)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/core/handlers/base.py", line 181, in _get_response

response = wrapped_callback(request, *callback_args, **callback_kwargs)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/views/generic/base.py", line 70, in view

return self.dispatch(request, *args, **kwargs)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/views/generic/base.py", line 98, in dispatch

return handler(request, *args, **kwargs)

File "/var/www/forms/forms/user_profile/openid.py", line 316, in get

return super(OIDCAuthenticationCallbackView, self).get(request)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mozilla_django_oidc/views.py", line 101, in get

self.user = auth.authenticate(**kwargs)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/views/decorators/debug.py", line 42, in sensitive_variables_wrapper

return func(*func_args, **func_kwargs)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/django/contrib/auth/__init__.py", line 76, in authenticate

user = backend.authenticate(request, **credentials)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mozilla_django_oidc/auth.py", line 289, in authenticate

return self.get_or_create_user(access_token, id_token, payload)

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/mozilla_django_oidc/auth.py", line 328, in get_or_create_user

user = self.create_user(user_info)

File "/var/www/forms/forms/user_profile/openid.py", line 200, in create_user

return self._sync_user(user, claims)

File "/var/www/forms/forms/user_profile/openid.py", line 156, in _sync_user

group_names = get_google_groups(user.username)

File "/var/www/forms/forms/user_profile/openid.py", line 72, in get_google_groups

google_directory = get_google_directory_service_object()

File "/var/www/forms/forms/user_profile/openid.py", line 57, in get_google_directory_service_object

subject=user_email,

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/google/oauth2/service_account.py", line 226, in from_service_account_file

filename, require=["client_email", "token_uri"]

File "/var/www/venv/lib/python3.7/site-packages/google/auth/_service_account_info.py", line 73, in from_filename

data = json.load(json_file)

File "/opt/hs/python/lib/python3.7/json/__init__.py", line 296, in load

parse_constant=parse_constant, object_pairs_hook=object_pairs_hook, **kw)

File "/opt/hs/python/lib/python3.7/json/__init__.py", line 348, in loads

return _default_decoder.decode(s)

File "/opt/hs/python/lib/python3.7/json/decoder.py", line 337, in decode

obj, end = self.raw_decode(s, idx=_w(s, 0).end())

File "/opt/hs/python/lib/python3.7/json/decoder.py", line 353, in raw_decode

obj, end = self.scan_once(s, idx)

json.decoder.JSONDecodeError: Invalid control character at: line 5 column 205 (char 338)
```

## Affected versions

All versions

## Affected configurations

All configurations with Google OIDC authentication

## Causes

The JSON decoder cannot decode the JSON object. In most cases, this issue is due to the JSON not being in a valid format.

## Solution / Workaround

Validate the JSON’s formatting and fix the error.

To learn more about configuring Google OIDC, see “External Authentication Providers” for your version of Hyperscience ( [v38](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v38/docs/external-authentication-providers) | [v39](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v39/docs/external-authentication-providers) | [v40](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v40/docs/external-authentication-providers) | [v41](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v41/docs/external-authentication-providers) | [v42](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v42/docs/external-authentication-providers) | [v43](https://help.hyperscience.ai/v43/docs/external-authentication-providers)).