# GIT/SSH_ASKPASS used for username input in https:// URLs

2 messages from 2019-05-06 to 2019-05-07. Participants: Andreas Krey, Jeff King.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/51042

## Andreas Krey, 2019-05-06 13:47

Subject: GIT/SSH_ASKPASS used for username input in https:// URLs
Message-ID: <20190506134718.GA12803@inner.h.apk.li>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20190506134718.GA12803%40inner.h.apk.li

```
Hi everyone,

there is an interesting wart around prompt.c -
PROMPT_ECHO isn't used in invoking an external helper program.

Thus, if I clone something on https (which requires auth for that),
and have SSH_ASKPASS set, I will get two GUI *password* prompts,
even though the first one will indicate in the title that it *is*
asking for the username.

But basically, given the trivial protocol of SSH_ASKPASS, there
doesn't seem to be any way to properly fix this without support
from any desktop environment that sets SSH_ASKPASS. :-(

The best I can currently tell my users is to use the
   [credentials "https:/..."]
configuration to fix the username.

But if we can't fix this, maybe we can at least point this out in the docs?

- Andreas

-- 
"Totally trivial. Famous last words."
From: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@*.org>
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:29:21 -0800

```

## Jeff King, 2019-05-07 07:36

Subject: Re: GIT/SSH_ASKPASS used for username input in https:// URLs
Message-ID: <20190507073608.GE28060@sigill.intra.peff.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20190507073608.GE28060%40sigill.intra.peff.net
In-Reply-To: <20190506134718.GA12803@inner.h.apk.li>

```
On Mon, May 06, 2019 at 03:47:18PM +0200, Andreas Krey wrote:

> there is an interesting wart around prompt.c -
> PROMPT_ECHO isn't used in invoking an external helper program.
> 
> Thus, if I clone something on https (which requires auth for that),
> and have SSH_ASKPASS set, I will get two GUI *password* prompts,
> even though the first one will indicate in the title that it *is*
> asking for the username.
> 
> But basically, given the trivial protocol of SSH_ASKPASS, there
> doesn't seem to be any way to properly fix this without support
> from any desktop environment that sets SSH_ASKPASS. :-(

Yep. If you haven't seen it, there's more discussion in this recent
thread:

  https://public-inbox.org/git/20190429234028.GA24069@sigill.intra.peff.net/

> The best I can currently tell my users is to use the
>    [credentials "https:/..."]
> configuration to fix the username.

Yes, that works. Or a credential helper could prompt with a better
interface (but AFAIK, the only one written that does so is the Windows
one).

> But if we can't fix this, maybe we can at least point this out in the
> docs?

Sounds like a good suggestion. Where would you look for it? In the
description of GIT_ASKPASS / core.askpass?

-Peff

```