Usethis: New GitHub PAT Causing Error in validate_gh_pat(new_gh_pat(x))

[atheobold]

I accidentally changed my PAT while demonstrating how gitcreds::gitcreds_set() works. I then decided the best plan was to regenerate a new PAT. However, upon trying to work through the process of having my PAT recognized, I've come across some major issues.

When I run gitcreds::gitcreds_set(), I select option 2, replacing the current credentials for https://github.com. I see the following output:

-> Removing current credentials...

? Enter new password or token: NEW_PAT_ENTERED
-> Adding new credentials...
-> Removing credetials from cache...
-> Done.

However, when I then run gh::gh_whoami(), I get the following output:

gh::gh_whoami()
#> Error in validate_gh_pat(new_gh_pat(x)): A GitHub PAT must consist of 40 hexadecimal digits

^{Created on 2021-05-18 by the reprex package (v2.0.0)}

[malcolmbarrett]

Have you tried updating gh? See this thread for some suggestions on this error: https://twitter.com/JennyBryan/status/1394824309554630656

[atheobold]

@malcolmbarrett -- This completely fixed it! You are a life saver!

[jennybc]

For anyone else who stumbles here:

1. Make sure you have the most recent version of the gh package, which knows about the new GitHub PAT format (>= v1.2.1 at the time I write this)
2. More generally, read https://usethis.r-lib.org/articles/articles/git-credentials.html

[atheobold]

@jennybc -- I love the Git Credentials set-up you linked! In fact I reference it every time I teach version control. That being said, after spending hours pouring over this and the documentation for the credentials and gitcreds packages, I'm a bit disappointed that there was no indication that I needed to update gh.

Could a sentence be added to the Put your PAT into the Git credential store section, suggesting how to troubleshoot this issue? I'm happy to put in a PR for this change, especially since I can use the pr_XXX() functions again!

[jennybc]

Sure a PR is welcome. By way of explanation, GitHub announced that change in early March and implemented it less than a month later. So we hustled to re-release gh. And all of that happened well after that article was first written.

[ijlyttle]

Sorry to glom onto a closed issue (I had this problem today), but would it be worth updating the minimum version of gh to 1.2.1, as a way to avoid the behavior?

Currently:

https://github.com/r-lib/usethis/blob/486ed15e93c0d2421a623249441aa0685a124733/DESCRIPTION#L40

[jennybc]

@ijlyttle Sure that is a good idea. Not sure how soon usethis will have a release, but that's neither here nor there.