FAQs

Token authentication

To manage your GitHub repositories from the command line, you may need to use token authentication. This essentially works as a password, but is not the same as you would use to access the GitHub site. Each token can have more limited access to your account and is unique to each device you use to access GitHub. For more details and advice on creating tokens see here.

If you install git for windows, you should be automatically prompted to create a token when you access a private repository for the first time (as long as your version is up to date).

For those using the command line on other devices, including Mac, Linux or HPC, you can consider installing a credential helper to avoid the need to enter your token every time.

If you install git using a different method, or you have an older version of git installed on your device (or HPC system), you may have to manually create a token. This process is described here.