Create repository on a user account using GH App

[yoav-hizki]

Select Topic Area

Question

Body

I created a new GitHub App that requires administration read-write permissions. I installed the app on my personal account, and I'm trying to use it to create a new repository. The app creates an "installation ID" that lacks the necessary permissions to create a new repository for my user account.

Am I correct here? Is there a way to create a repository for a user using the GitHub app?

Thanks in advance,
Yoav

[psupra22]

You are basically right. A GitHub App installation has access only to the resources it was granted on installation. And those resources differ depending on whether the installation is on an organization or a user account.

If you need to create repos in an organization:
Install the app on the org with administration:write, then use the Create a repository in an organization API with the installation token.

If you want to create repos in a personal account:
That’s not supported with GitHub App tokens. To do this, you’d need to fall back to an OAuth App or a personal access token (PAT) tied to the user account.

Workarounds
If the repo must live in your personal account, you’ll need to:

• Authenticate as yourself (via PAT or OAuth app) when calling the "Create repository for the authenticated user" endpoint.
• After creation, the GitHub App can manage the repo if it has been installed on it.

If you can move to an organization account, then you can let the App handle repo creation entirely.

So basically:
GitHub Apps cannot create user-owned repositories.
They can create organization-owned repositories (with the right permissions).
For user-owned repos, you’ll need OAuth or PAT.

[yoav-hizki]

Thanks!