Fix · GitHub and Git

Git says authentication failed (password no longer works)

Blocks your workNot checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

Git asks for my password and then says it failed
It says password authentication was removed
It used to work and now every push asks me to sign in again

Most likely cause

GitHub does not accept your account password for Git any more; it needs a personal access token, a saved sign-in from its command line tool, or an SSH key.

Check first (about two minutes)

Run git remote -v: does the address start with https:// or git@ ?
Open the repository in your browser and check you are signed in to the same account that owns or can edit it.

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a patient senior engineer who knows Git and GitHub very well and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Git says authentication failed (password no longer works)

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
GitHub does not accept your account password for Git any more; it needs a personal access token, a saved sign-in from its command line tool, or an SSH key.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. Run git remote -v and git config --global credential.helper and show me the output.
2. Explain the three ways to sign in (GitHub command line tool "gh auth login", a personal access token, an SSH key) and recommend the simplest for me.
3. Guide me through the one you recommend. If a token is needed, tell me where on GitHub to create it with the smallest permissions, and have me paste it only into the system prompt, never into this chat or a file in the project.
4. Test with git ls-remote origin (it reads only).
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- git ls-remote origin lists branches without asking again, and git push works.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not put a token inside the remote address (https://user:token@...).
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

Run git remote -v and git config --global credential.helper and show me the output.
Explain the three ways to sign in (GitHub command line tool "gh auth login", a personal access token, an SSH key) and recommend the simplest for me.
Guide me through the one you recommend. If a token is needed, tell me where on GitHub to create it with the smallest permissions, and have me paste it only into the system prompt, never into this chat or a file in the project.
Test with git ls-remote origin (it reads only).

Do not do this

Do not paste your token into chat, into a file in the project, or into a screenshot.
Do not make a token with every permission "to be safe".
Do not put a token inside the remote address (https://user:token@...).

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