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github-auth

Configures GitHub authentication via HTTPS tokens, SSH keys, and gh CLI login.

1|Updated Jun 1, 2026
Search Tags:#authentication#github#setup#gh cli#ssh keys#personal access token#git credentials
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/Araara7/hermes-skills --skill github-auth-araara7
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: github-auth
Source: https://github.com/Araara7/hermes-skills/tree/main/github/github-auth
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Araara7/hermes-skills --skill github-auth-araara7

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Setting up GitHub authentication on a new machine or headless server is error-prone: password auth is disabled, HTTPS tokens often fail for git push, and SSH connections fail without host key verification. This Skill walks through a detection flow and configures working credentials for git and the GitHub API. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Authentication Detection: Checks for gh CLI, existing auth status, credential helpers, and stored tokens before choosing a setup path. - Multiple Auth Methods: Supports HTTPS personal access tokens, SSH key generation and registration, and gh CLI login (browser or token-based) for headless environments. - API Access Without gh: Extracts tokens from git credentials or environment files to make authenticated curl calls against the GitHub REST API. - Use Case: On a fresh Linux server without sudo, use this Skill to generate an ed25519 SSH key, add GitHub's host key, configure git identity, and verify push access to a repository. ## Quick Start Set up GitHub authentication on this machine so I can clone, push, and use the GitHub API.

Frequently Asked Questions about github-auth

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I authenticate git with GitHub without a password?▼

GitHub disabled password authentication, so use a personal access token as the password with the credential.helper store, or switch to SSH keys. SSH is the recommended method for git push since HTTPS tokens frequently fail with invalid username or token errors.

How to set up SSH keys for GitHub on a headless server?▼

Generate an ed25519 key with ssh-keygen, add the public key at github.com/settings/keys, then run ssh-keyscan github.com to add the host key to known_hosts. Test with ssh -T git@github.com before configuring git to rewrite HTTPS URLs to SSH.

Why does git push fail with invalid username or token?▼

HTTPS personal access tokens frequently fail for git operations even with full repo scope, a known GitHub issue. The token may work for API calls but not push. Use SSH key authentication for git push and reserve tokens for curl API calls.

Can I use the GitHub API without installing gh CLI?▼

Yes, use curl with a personal access token in the Authorization header against api.github.com. The token can be exported as GITHUB_TOKEN or extracted from the ~/.git-credentials file if git credentials are already stored.

How do I fix Host key verification failed for github.com?▼

Run ssh-keyscan github.com and append the output to ~/.ssh/known_hosts before the first SSH connection. Without this step, both ssh -T and git push over SSH fail with host key verification errors.

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