GitHub Authentication
Glint connects to GitHub to provide issue tracking, pull requests, releases, Actions, and other features. You can connect multiple accounts, including GitHub Enterprise instances.
Adding an Account
Click Accounts in the menu bar, then Add Account…
You’ll be prompted to choose an authentication method:
OAuth Device Flow (Recommended)
- Select OAuth in the dialog
- Glint displays a user code and opens GitHub in your browser
- Enter the code on the GitHub page and authorize Glint
- Glint detects the authorization automatically and completes setup
A countdown timer shows how long you have to enter the code. If it expires, click Try Again to restart.
Scopes requested: repo, read:user, project
Personal Access Token
- Select Personal Access Token in the dialog
- Follow the instructions to create a token on GitHub:
- Go to GitHub Settings > Developer settings > Personal access tokens
- Click Generate new token (classic)
- Select the repo scope (and project if you use GitHub Projects)
- Paste the token into the field and click Connect
Glint validates the token format (must start with ghp_, github_pat_, or gho_) and checks it against the GitHub API to confirm it has the required repo scope.
GitHub Enterprise
Toggle Using GitHub Enterprise? in the Add Account dialog to connect to an enterprise instance.
- Enter your enterprise URL (e.g.,
github.enterprise.com— withouthttps://) - OAuth: You must also provide the Client ID from an OAuth App created in your enterprise GitHub settings
- PAT: Create the token on your enterprise instance, not github.com
Multiple Accounts
You can connect multiple GitHub accounts — different users, different enterprise instances, or both. Each account is listed in the Accounts dropdown in the menu bar.
Click any account in the dropdown to view its details: provider, server, auth method, and granted scopes.
Image Upload Sessions
Separately from token authentication, Glint can sign into a browser session for uploading images in issue and PR comments. The account info dialog shows the session status and provides Sign In / Sign Out buttons.
Disconnecting an Account
- Click Accounts in the menu bar
- Click the account you want to remove
- Click Disconnect Account (red button)
- Confirm the prompt
This removes the token from your OS keychain and deletes the account metadata.
Token Storage
Tokens are stored securely in your operating system’s native keychain:
- Windows — DPAPI (Data Protection API)
- macOS — Keychain
- Linux — Secret Service or pass
Account metadata (username, avatar URL, auth method) is stored in accounts.json in the app data directory. This file does not contain tokens.
Token Refresh
OAuth tokens with expiration dates are refreshed automatically in the background. PAT tokens do not expire unless revoked manually on GitHub.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Device code expired | Click Try Again to restart the OAuth flow |
| ”Token missing required scopes: repo” | Regenerate your PAT with the repo scope selected |
| ”Invalid token or token has been revoked” | Create a new token on GitHub |
| Can’t connect to enterprise | Verify the URL format (no https:// prefix), and ensure your Client ID is from the enterprise instance |
| Image uploads not working | Sign into the browser session separately from the account info dialog |