403 error

[GavinReid82]

Hi, I'm new to GitHub and programming in general. I'm working through a Codecademy vid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNw8MgguLsQ) but am unable to push a new branch to my repository, getting the following error:

'''
(base) gavinreid@MacBook-Air-3 gitPractice % git push --set-upstream origin print_changes
remote: Permission to GavinReid82/gitPractice.git denied to GavinReid82.
fatal: unable to access 'https://github.com/GavinReid82/gitPractice.git/': The requested URL returned error: 403
'''

I changed my password in keychain to a new token I just generated (following other discussions), but still can't get access.

Any help would be appreciated.
Gavin

[Sbiswas001]

The error message "Permission to GavinReid82/gitPractice.git denied to GavinReid82" typically indicates that there's an authentication problem.

Here are steps to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

1. Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT):
   Ensure that you have generated a new personal access token from GitHub. Follow these steps if you haven't done this yet:

   • Go to your GitHub Settings.
   • Navigate to Developer settings > Personal access tokens.
   • Click on Generate new token.
   • Select the necessary scopes, such as repo for full control of private repositories.
   • Copy the generated token.

2. Update Git Credentials:
   Use the token as your password when performing Git operations that require authentication.

   • Open your terminal and run the following command to set the token as your credential:

     git config --global credential.helper store

   • Then, try to push again. When prompted for a username, use your GitHub username. For the password, use the personal access token.

3. Clear Previous Credentials:
   If you previously stored credentials that might be incorrect, you can clear them and re-enter the correct credentials.

   • On macOS, you can clear stored GitHub credentials using the following command:

     git credential-osxkeychain erase

   • When prompted, enter the following:

     protocol=https
     host=github.com
     

4. Use HTTPS with the Token:
   Ensure that your GitHub repository URL is set to use HTTPS:

   • Check your remote URL:

     git remote -v

   • If it shows an SSH URL, you need to change it to HTTPS:

     git remote set-url origin https://github.com/GavinReid82/gitPractice.git

5. Verify Token in Keychain:
   Since you mentioned updating your keychain, double-check that the personal access token is correctly stored in your keychain and associated with GitHub.

6. Re-clone the Repository:
   If all else fails, sometimes re-cloning the repository with the new token can resolve any lingering issues:

   • Backup your changes.
   • Remove the current repository.
   • Clone the repository again using HTTPS and your new token:

     git clone https://github.com/GavinReid82/gitPractice.git

After following these steps, try to push your changes again:

git push --set-upstream origin print_changes

[GavinReid82]

That worked after the second step! Thank you so much for your helpful and detailed response, I really appreciate it!