git-https-push-with-token

name	git-https-push-with-token
description	Git push to HTTPS remote using token authentication — avoids SSH setup, works in CI/automated environments.
triggers	["git push fails with \"authentication failed\"","HTTPS token embedded in URL but push still asks for credentials","git credential.helper interfering with URL-embedded auth"]

Git HTTPS Push with Token Authentication

The Problem

Git push to an HTTPS remote fails even when the token is embedded in the URL:

remote: authentication failed
fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/user/repo.git'

Key Insight (Gotcha)

Setting credential.helper overrides URL-embedded credentials.

Git's credential helper runs before the URL-embedded token is used. If credential.helper is configured, git uses that instead of the token in the URL.

Correct Approach

# 1. Set remote URL with token embedded (no trailing spaces or special chars)
git remote set-url origin "https://github.com/USER/REPO.git"
# Actually embed token:
git remote set-url origin "https://[e-mail]/USER/REPO.git"

# 2. CRITICAL: Remove/override any credential helper that would override URL token
git config --unset credential.helper    # Remove global/default helper

# 3. Now push will use the URL-embedded token
git push origin main

Alternative: Store credentials persistently

# Store credentials in a file (note: writes token in plain text)
git config credential.helper "store --file ~/.git-credentials"
echo "https://[e-mail]" > ~/.git-credentials
chmod 600 ~/.git-credentials

git push origin main

Checklist When Push Asks for Password

• Token has correct permissions (repo scope for private repos)
• Token not expired or revoked
• URL is correct (not truncated, no extra chars)
• credential.helper is unset or points to a store that has the right credentials
• git remote -v shows the expected URL with token

Debug

# See what git thinks the remote URL is
git remote -v

# See what credential helper is configured (global + local)
git config --list --show-origin | grep credential

# Test if credential helper is interfering
GIT_TRACE=1 git push origin main 2>&1 | grep -i credential