Unable to clone personal repo using github token (classic)

[the1Riddle]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Question

Body

Hello y'all
I've been trying to clone one of my repos in this format:

git clone http://$MY-CLASSIC-TOKEN@github.com/my-username/my-reponame.git new-name

But instead of cloning normally as it should, I am requested to input my username and password

Cloning into 'new-name'...
warning: redirecting to https://github.com/my-username/my-reponame.git/
Username for 'https://github.com': user-name
Password for 'https://the1Riddle@github.com':
error: RPC failed; HTTP 401 curl 22 The requested URL returned error: 401
fatal: expected flush after ref listing

which, in most instances, fails since GitHub does not allow password auth.

How can I go about this?

[LeandroCustodio2002]

Two things are breaking it:

1. Bash variable names can't have hyphens. $MY-CLASSIC-TOKEN is read as $MY (empty) followed by the literal text -CLASSIC-TOKEN, so the token never gets into the URL:

   echo "http://$MY-CLASSIC-TOKEN@github.com/x/y.git"
   # http://-CLASSIC-TOKEN@github.com/x/y.git

2. You're using http://. GitHub redirects to https:// (that's the warning: redirecting line), and git drops the credentials from the URL when it follows the redirect, so it falls back to asking for a username/password.

Rename the variable and use https:

export MY_CLASSIC_TOKEN=ghp_xxx
git clone https://${MY_CLASSIC_TOKEN}@github.com/my-username/my-reponame.git new-name

Also make sure the classic token has the repo scope if the repo is private.

One heads-up: this saves the token in .git/config as part of the remote URL. After cloning you can clean it up with:

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/my-username/my-reponame.git

and use gh auth login or a credential helper from then on.

[the1Riddle]

Hello @LeandroCustodio2002

I have tried it with https://token-instead-of-var@github...

But still getting the same thing

[heychandu]

The 401 error suggests GitHub isn't receiving valid authentication credentials. Since you've already tried changing the URL, I'd check these things next:

1. Confirm the token is valid. If it's a classic personal access token, make sure it hasn't expired or been revoked. For a private repository, it needs the appropriate repo scope.
2. Avoid putting the token directly in the clone URL. Shells can interpret special characters, and the token may also be saved in your Git remote or shell history.
3. Check for cached credentials. Git Credential Manager may be reusing an old username/token. Remove the saved GitHub credential from your operating system's credential manager, then retry and sign in with the correct token when prompted.
4. Try the normal HTTPS URL:

   git clone https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git

   When prompted, enter your GitHub username and use the personal access token as the password.

If it still fails, could you share your OS, Git version (git --version), and whether the repository is public or private? Please never share the token itself.

[yashganorkar005]

Solution: Fixing GitHub Clone Authentication (HTTP 401)

The problem is with how the token is supplied to Git. Your command uses http:// and places the token before @github.com, which treats it as the username rather than using it as the password.

Here is how to fix it.

Step 1: Use the correct HTTPS clone URL

Instead of:

git clone http://$MY-CLASSIC-TOKEN@github.com/OWNER/REPO.git new-name

Use:

git clone https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git new-name

Replace OWNER and REPO with the actual repository owner's username or organization and repository name.

Step 2: Authenticate using your personal access token

If the repository is private, Git will prompt you for credentials.

• Username: Enter your actual GitHub username.
• Password: Paste your personal access token, not your GitHub account password.

The token is used for authentication even though Git asks for your username.

If the repository is public, you can normally clone it without a token.

Step 3: Check your token permissions

If you still receive HTTP 401, check the following:

• The token has not expired or been revoked.
• A classic personal access token has the required repo scope for private repository access.
• A fine-grained token has access to the correct repository and the necessary permissions.
• If the repository belongs to an organization, check whether organization SSO authorization is required.

Step 4: Recommended approach — use GitHub CLI

You can avoid manually inserting tokens into clone URLs by using GitHub CLI.

First, install GitHub CLI if it is not already installed: https://cli.github.com/

Then run:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate with GitHub, preferably using the browser.

After authentication, clone the repository into your desired local folder:

gh repo clone OWNER/REPO new-name

This clones the repository into a directory named new-name.

Step 5: Keep your token secure

Avoid putting your personal access token directly into a clone URL. Tokens in URLs can be exposed through shell history, logs, or other local configuration. Use GitHub CLI or a credential manager instead.

In summary: Use the HTTPS clone URL, authenticate with your GitHub username and personal access token, and use GitHub CLI for a more convenient workflow.

Official references:

• https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/keeping-your-account-and-data-secure/managing-your-personal-access-tokens
• https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_repo_clone

[TanyaRod22]

One other thing to check is whether the token has the correct repository permissions. Even if the token is passed correctly, GitHub will return a 401 if it’s expired, revoked, or lacks access to the repository. For a personal access token, private repository access generally requires the repo scope. Make sure the specific repository is selected and the required permissions are granted, and you can verify that the environment variable is actually set without printing the token itself:

test -n "$MY_CLASSIC_TOKEN" && echo "Token is set" || echo "Token is missing"

If the variable is set and the permissions look correct but authentication still fails, try signing in with 'gh auth login' and cloning with 'gh repo clone OWNER/REPO'