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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:

  1. Select OAuth in the dialog
  2. Glint displays a user code and opens GitHub in your browser
  3. Enter the code on the GitHub page and authorize Glint
  4. 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

  1. Select Personal Access Token in the dialog
  2. 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)
  3. 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 — without https://)
  • 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

  1. Click Accounts in the menu bar
  2. Click the account you want to remove
  3. Click Disconnect Account (red button)
  4. 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

ProblemSolution
Device code expiredClick 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 enterpriseVerify the URL format (no https:// prefix), and ensure your Client ID is from the enterprise instance
Image uploads not workingSign into the browser session separately from the account info dialog