mcpbeat

Github Auth

hezaohezao/github-auth

GitHub auth setup: HTTPS tokens, SSH keys, gh CLI.

968 tokens
context cost
the whole folder, loaded on every use
1
files
instructions only
0
copies elsewhere
how many repositories repackaged it
117
stars on the repo
on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository 
npx skills add https://github.com/HezaoHezao/poirot --skill github-auth

The instruction itself

9 sections, as written by the author

GitHub Authentication Setup

Sets up authentication so the agent can work with GitHub repositories, PRs,

issues, and CI.

Detection Flow

When a user asks to work with GitHub, run this check first:

git --version
gh --version 2>/dev/null || echo "gh not installed"
gh auth status 2>/dev/null || echo "gh not authenticated"
git config --global credential.helper 2>/dev/null || echo "no git credential helper"

Decision tree:

  • If gh auth status shows authenticated → use gh for everything
  • If gh installed but not authenticated → use "gh auth" method
  • If gh not installed → use "git-only" method

Method 1: Git-Only (No gh)

HTTPS with Personal Access Token (Recommended)

Step 1: Create a token at https://github.com/settings/tokens (classic)

or https://github.com/settings/personal-access-tokens (fine-grained). Scope:

repo, workflow, read:org.

Step 2: Configure git credential helper:

# Store credentials (plaintext, dev machine only)
git config --global credential.helper store

# Or use a credential cache (timed, more secure)
git config --global credential.helper 'cache --timeout=3600'

Step 3: First push triggers prompt:

# Username: your GitHub username
# Password: paste your token (not your GitHub password)
git push origin main

Step 4 (optional): Set token as env var for API calls:

export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxx"
# Add to .env for persistence

SSH Keys

# Generate key (if no existing key)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github

# Start ssh-agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github

# Copy public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github.pub
# Paste at https://github.com/settings/keys

# Test
ssh -T [email protected]

# Set remote to SSH
git remote set-url origin [email protected]:owner/repo.git

Method 2: gh CLI

# Install gh (if not present)
# macOS: brew install gh
# Linux: see https://github.com/cli/cli#installation
# Windows: winget install GitHub.cli

# Authenticate
gh auth login
# Follow prompts: choose HTTPS or SSH, authenticate via browser or token

# Verify
gh auth status

# Use gh for everything
gh repo clone owner/repo
gh pr create
gh issue list

Verification

# Test git auth
git ls-remote origin

# Test gh auth
gh api user --jq '.login'

# Test API token
curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" https://api.github.com/user | python3 -c "import sys,json; print(json.load(sys.stdin)['login'])"

Common Auth Setup Block

Many skills need owner/repo. Use this reusable block:

# Determine auth method
if command -v gh &>/dev/null && gh auth status &>/dev/null; then
  AUTH="gh"
else
  AUTH="git"
fi

# Extract owner/repo from remote
REMOTE_URL=$(git remote get-url origin)
OWNER_REPO=$(echo "$REMOTE_URL" | sed -E 's|.*github\.com[:/]||; s|\.git$||')
OWNER=$(echo "$OWNER_REPO" | cut -d/ -f1)
REPO=$(echo "$OWNER_REPO" | cut -d/ -f2)

Pitfalls

  • 2FA: HTTPS with password no longer works (GitHub requires token). Use

personal access token, not password.

  • Token expiry: fine-grained tokens expire. Check gh auth status or

curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" https://api.github.com/user.

  • SSH on Windows: use ssh-keygen in Git Bash or PowerShell (OpenSSH

client built into Windows 10+).

  • Credential helper on Windows: `git config --global credential.helper

manager` uses Windows Credential Manager.

  • Rate limits: unauthenticated API calls limited to 60/hour. Use token for

5000/hour.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take hezaohezao/github-auth from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.

Install what it needs

The instructions reference brew. Without those the skill loads but fails at the first command.