//nbkelley /homelab

Git Push Authentication

Calendar May 1, 2026
Git, Github, Authentication, Troubleshooting, Pat

Git Push Authentication#

What Was Established#

  • GitHub deprecated password authentication for Git over HTTPS. Even if passwords worked previously, they are now rejected with password not supported.
  • Personal Access Tokens (PAT) or SSH keys are required for authentication.
  • 403 Permission Denied errors typically indicate stale cached credentials or insufficient token scopes.

Key Decisions#

  • Use Personal Access Tokens (PAT) for HTTPS Git operations.
  • Classic tokens require the repo scope for private repositories.
  • Fine-grained tokens require Contents (Read and write) and Metadata (Read) permissions, explicitly scoped to the target repository.

Current Configuration#

  • GitHub Username: NK-Iluvatar
  • Target Repository: MBTADashboard
  • Remote URL: https://github.com/NK-Iluvatar/MBTADashboard.git

Historical Notes#

  • Password Deprecation: GitHub enforced its 2021 policy change retroactively, blocking account passwords for Git operations over HTTPS.
  • 403 Troubleshooting: Resolved by clearing cached credentials (git credential reject or OS credential manager) and verifying token scopes (repo for classic, Contents for fine-grained).
  • Token Testing: Verified token validity using curl -H "Authorization: token TOKEN" https://api.github.com/user.

Open Questions#

  • None.

Sources#

  • DeepSeek conversation (2026-02-18) regarding MBTADashboard push failures and PAT configuration.

Git Push Authentication

Calendar May 1, 2026
Git, Github, Development, Troubleshooting

Git Push Authentication#

What Was Established#

Patterns for resolving Git push authentication issues and handling divergent branches when working across multiple machines.

Key Decisions#

  • Multi-machine workflow: Always git pull before starting work; commit and push when done.
  • Divergent branch resolution: When local and remote have diverged, use git pull --no-rebase (merge) for safety or git fetch origin && git reset --hard origin/main to discard local commits for remote-only state.

Resolving Divergent Branches#

Symptom#

hint: You have divergent branches and need to specify how to reconcile them.
fatal: Need to specify how to reconcile divergent branches.

Option 1: Merge (preserves both histories)#

git pull --no-rebase
# Or set as default:
git config pull.rebase false

Option 2: Rebase (local commits on top of remote)#

git pull --rebase
# Or set as default:
git config pull.rebase true

Option 3: Discard local, use remote only#

git fetch origin
git reset --hard origin/main

Option 4: Fast-forward only (fails if diverged)#

git pull --ff-only

Multi-Machine Workflow#

When working from multiple machines on the same repo:

Hugo Git Submodule Extraction Pattern

Calendar May 1, 2026
Development, Hugo, Git, Submodules, Themes

Hugo Git Submodule Extraction Pattern#

What Was Established#

Hugo themes installed as Git submodules (e.g., git submodule add <url> themes/theme-name) carry their own Git history. When you want to customize the theme beyond configuration, extracting the submodule into the main repository gives you full control over theme files without managing a separate submodule repository.

The Pattern#

  1. Remove the submodule registration: 
    git submodule deinit themes/theme-name
git rm themes/theme-name
  2. Re-add the theme as regular files: 
    git clone <theme-url> /tmp/theme-temp
cp -r /tmp/theme-temp/* themes/theme-name/
git add themes/theme-name/
git commit -m "Extract theme-name from submodule into main repo"
  3. Result: Theme files are now tracked directly in the main repository.

When to Use#

  • You need to modify theme templates, layouts, or partials beyond what config allows
  • The upstream theme is stable and you don’t need to pull updates
  • You want simpler CI/CD without recursive submodule clones

When Not to Use#

  • The theme receives frequent updates you want to track
  • You only need CSS overrides (use assets/ or static/ instead)

Git Push Authentication, Ilmarë Website, Self-Hosted CMS Options & Landscape