The Problem:
You’re experiencing authentication errors when pushing code to GitHub from your CI environment, even though you’re using a personal access token. The curl command seems to work, but git push fails with the error: remote: Anonymous access to myusername/project-repo.git denied. fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/myusername/project-repo.git/'. This indicates that your Git commands aren’t properly using your access token for authentication.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
The problem lies in how you’re handling GitHub authentication within your Git commands. While your curl command successfully uses the token, your git clone and git push commands don’t. Git uses the initial remote URL set during cloning; if this URL doesn’t contain your access token, subsequent git push operations will default to anonymous access, which is denied for private repositories. Setting the token globally with git config is insufficient for this situation. The token needs to be directly integrated into the Git URL.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Step 1: Clone the Repository with the Access Token:
The crucial step is to include your access token directly within the git clone URL. This ensures that Git uses the token for all subsequent operations on that repository. Replace placeholders with your actual values:
git clone https://myusername:[email protected]/myusername/project-repo.git main-branch
Step 2: Verify Token Scope and Expiration:
Ensure your personal access token has the necessary “repo” scope. Without this, even if the token is correctly used in the URL, you won’t be able to push. Also, check the token’s expiration date. If the token has expired, you’ll need to generate a new one in your GitHub settings.
Step 3: Avoid Using git config --global for Authentication in CI/CD:
Avoid setting authentication credentials globally using git config --global user.email and git config --global user.name. For CI/CD environments, embedding the token directly into the repository URL (as done in Step 1) is the best practice for security and maintainability. Global configuration can lead to unintentional exposure of credentials.
Step 4: Push Your Changes:
After successfully cloning with the token embedded in the URL, pushing your changes should work correctly:
cd main-branch
# ... your code changes and commits ...
git push origin main
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
- Incorrect Token: Double-check that you’re using the correct access token and that it hasn’t expired. Regenerate if necessary.
- Insufficient Scopes: Verify that your token has the “repo” scope. Go to your GitHub settings to review and modify your token’s scopes.
- Incorrect Repository URL: Ensure the repository URL in your clone command is accurate. A simple typo can prevent authentication.
- Network Connectivity: Confirm that your CI environment has a stable internet connection.
- Rate Limiting: GitHub might be rate-limiting your requests. If you’re pushing frequently from the CI, consider using a more robust authentication method or adjusting the rate limits in your GitHub settings.
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!