This message (or its variants: "Reconnect to GA4", an empty report noting missing access) is the most common "problem" in GA4audit - quotation marks intended, because it's not a malfunction but a normal feature of secure access to Google.
Why the session expires
When you connect your Google account, Google issues us an access token valid for about an hour. That's the standard OAuth security mechanism: a short-lived token means that even if it were intercepted, the window for abuse is minimal. After an hour the token expires - and the next time we try to read data from GA4, you'll see a reconnection prompt.
In practice you'll meet this message in two places:
How to reconnect
That's all. No data was lost: projects, audit history and reports are untouched - we merely refreshed the "pass" for reading GA4.
Common questions around this message
Do I have to reconnect every hour?
Usually not while you're working. As long as you're signed into Google in your browser and have already granted consent, the app can refresh access silently in the background - you mostly won't notice a break. You'll see the reconnect prompt mainly when you return after a longer break, or when a silent refresh isn't possible (e.g. you've signed out of Google or revoked consent).
Every checkpoint in my report shows "no access" - is the report gone?
No. If a freshly completed audit shows nothing but missing access, the token most likely expired mid-scan - run a rescan; the wizard will ask you to reconnect and the audit will complete correctly. Historical reports stay stored regardless of the session state.
Does the message mean someone removed my GA4 access?
Usually not - it's just an expired token. But if reconnecting ends with an error, check that your account still has a role on the property (Admin → Property access management) - an administrator may have changed it.
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