Re: [PATCH] docs: discuss caching personal access tokens

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jan 10, 2025, 18:16 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqwmf27cvv.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <pull.1851.git.1736458019921.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

"M Hickford via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> From: M Hickford <mirth.hickford@gmail.com>
>
> Describe problems storing personal access tokens in git-credential-cache
> and suggest alternatives.

Show 11 quoted lines

> +PERSONAL ACCESS TOKENS
> +----------------------
> +
> +Some remotes accept personal access tokens, which are randomly
> +generated and hard to memorise. They typically have a lifetime of weeks
> +or months.
> +
> +git-credential-cache is inherently unsuitable for persistent storage of
> +personal access tokens. The credential will be forgotten after the cache
> +timeout. Even if you configure a long timeout, credentials will be
> +forgotten if the daemon dies.

Very true.

> +To avoid frequently regenerating personal access tokens, configure a
> +credential helper with persistent storage.

Like libsecret and osxkeychain, you mean? I am wondering if we want to be a bit more helpful by being explicit. I think there is a section in a maual page that has a list of known and often-used credential backends, so referring the readers to that section may be helpful.

> Alternatively, configure an
> +OAuth credential helper to generate credentials automatically. See
> +linkgit:gitcredentials[7].

Indeed.