auth-user

Identify Authenticated User

This skill helps identify which user account is authenticated for GitHub CLI (gh) and Git operations. Use this to troubleshoot authentication issues, verify the correct account is in use, or understand how credentials are configured.

Quick Reference

Method	Command	Shows
GitHub CLI	gh auth status	Active gh account, auth method
HTTPS credentials	git credential fill	Stored username/password for HTTPS
SSH connection	ssh -T git@github.com	SSH key owner
Token verification	GH_TOKEN=... gh auth status	Token owner

GitHub CLI (gh)

Check Current Authentication Status

gh auth status

Example output:

github.com
  ✓ Logged in to github.com account octocat (/home/user/.config/gh/hosts.yml)
  - Active account: true
  - Git operations protocol: https
  - Token: ghp_************************************
  - Token scopes: 'gist', 'read:org', 'repo', 'workflow'

Check Specific Hostname (GitHub Enterprise)

gh auth status --hostname github.example.com

View gh Configuration

gh config list

Shows settings like git_protocol, editor, and prompt.

Identify Token Owner

To see who a specific token belongs to:

GH_TOKEN="your_token_here" gh auth status

This is useful when you have a token (e.g., from environment variables or CI) and need to verify which account it authenticates as.

Get Just the Token

gh auth token

Returns the raw token for the current account.

Git Credentials (HTTPS)

Check Stored HTTPS Credentials

echo "protocol=https
host=github.com" | git credential fill

Example output:

protocol=https
host=github.com
username=octocat
password=ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Check Credentials for Other Hosts

echo "protocol=https
host=gitlab.com" | git credential fill

Using URL Format

echo "url=https://github.com" | git credential fill

Where Credentials Are Stored

Credentials may be stored in different locations depending on the credential helper:

Helper	Storage Location
store	~/.git-credentials (plaintext)
cache	In-memory (temporary)
osxkeychain	macOS Keychain
manager	Windows Credential Manager
manager-core	Git Credential Manager

Check configured helper:

git config --get credential.helper

SSH Authentication

Test SSH Connection to GitHub

ssh -T git@github.com

Successful output:

Hi octocat! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

The username shown is the GitHub account associated with your SSH key.

Test with Verbose Output

ssh -vT git@github.com

Shows which key file is being used for authentication.

Test Other Git Hosts

# GitLab
ssh -T git@gitlab.com
# Output: Welcome to GitLab, @username!

# Bitbucket
ssh -T git@bitbucket.org
# Output: authenticated via ssh key.

Check SSH Credentials via Git

echo "protocol=ssh
host=github.com" | git credential fill

Note: SSH typically uses key-based auth, so this may not return credentials.

Common Troubleshooting

Multiple Accounts

If you have multiple GitHub accounts:

# List all authenticated accounts
gh auth status

# Switch between accounts
gh auth switch

Credential Conflicts

When HTTPS and SSH credentials point to different accounts:

1. Check which protocol Git is using:

   git config --get remote.origin.url
   

2. URLs starting with https:// use HTTPS credentials

3. URLs starting with git@ use SSH keys

Token Scopes

To see what permissions a token has:

gh auth status

Look for "Token scopes" in the output.

Process

Based on the argument ($ARGUMENTS), check the relevant authentication method:

1. gh or no argument: Run gh auth status and gh config list
2. git or https: Run the git credential fill command for HTTPS
3. ssh: Run ssh -T git@github.com
4. all: Run all checks and summarize which accounts are configured

After running commands, summarize:

• The authenticated username(s)
• The authentication method (token, SSH key, etc.)
• Any mismatches between different auth methods