With GitHub’s recent changes, passwords are no longer allowed for authentication when performing actions like git push or git pull.

Step 1: Generate a Personal Access Token

  1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
  2. Click Generate new token
  3. Select scopes: at minimum check repo
  4. Click Generate token and copy it immediately (you won’t see it again)

Step 2: Clear Old Credentials on macOS

git credential-osxkeychain erase
host=github.com
protocol=https
# Press Enter twice

Or via Keychain Access app: search for github.com and delete the entry.

Step 3: Use Token on Next Push

git push origin main
# Username: your GitHub username
# Password: paste your personal access token here

macOS will offer to save it to Keychain — say yes to avoid entering it again.

That’s it! Your GitHub authentication is now updated to use a personal access token.