GitHub Connection
The GitHub connection type enables automations to interact with GitHub repositories — reading commits and pull requests, triggering workflows, and managing issues. It supports both GitHub Cloud and GitHub Enterprise Server.
Connection Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type ID | GITHUB |
| Category | Version Control Systems |
| Testable | Yes |
Friendly Example
| What you enter | Example |
|---|---|
| Connection name | GitHub - Automation Repo |
| Used for | Reading pull requests, commit status, and triggering workflow runs |
| Main details to collect | Personal access token and owner/organization name |
| Best person to provide it | Repository or organization administrator |
After it is saved, workflow builders select GitHub - Automation Repo in a node instead of entering these details again.
Mandatory Fields
| Field | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
token | GitHub personal access token (classic or fine-grained). Encrypted at rest. | ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx |
owner | The GitHub username or organization that owns the repositories the automation will access. | acme-corp |
Advanced Fields
| Field | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
apiUrl | Base URL for the GitHub API. Only required for GitHub Enterprise Server. Leave blank for GitHub Cloud. | https://github.yourcompany.com/api/v3 |
Token Type Reference
| Token Type | When to Use | Required Scopes |
|---|---|---|
| Classic PAT | Broad repository access across an organization | repo, read:org |
| Fine-grained PAT | Scoped access to specific repositories with granular permissions | Select repositories and enable relevant permissions (Contents, Pull requests, Actions) |
Fine-grained tokens offer better security because they are scoped to specific repositories and expire on a set date. Use them when the automation targets a known set of repositories.
Setup Instructions
-
Sign in to GitHub and click your profile picture in the top-right corner, then select Settings.
-
Navigate to Developer settings (bottom of the left sidebar) and then select Personal access tokens.
-
Choose the token type:
- For a classic token: select Tokens (classic) → Generate new token (classic). Under Scopes, check
repoandread:org. Set an expiry and click Generate token. - For a fine-grained token: select Fine-grained tokens → Generate new token. Choose Resource owner (your org or account), set Repository access to the specific repositories the automation needs, and grant the required permissions under Repository permissions.
- For a classic token: select Tokens (classic) → Generate new token (classic). Under Scopes, check
-
Copy the token immediately. GitHub only displays it once.
-
Create the connection in the Global Configurator, pasting the token into the
Tokenfield and entering the owner name. For GitHub Enterprise Server, also fill in theAPI URLfield.
Tokens with repo scope have read and write access to all private repositories owned by the account. Prefer fine-grained tokens with the minimum necessary permissions for production automations.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause |
|---|---|
401 Unauthorized | The token has expired, been revoked, or was entered incorrectly |
404 Not Found on a private repository | The token does not have repo scope, or the fine-grained token was not granted access to that repository |
403 Forbidden on organization resources | The read:org scope is missing, or the organization requires OAuth app approval |
| Connection test fails for GitHub Enterprise | The API URL is wrong or the server's TLS certificate is not trusted by the platform |