GHAS — GitHub Account Switcher
Written by Saqib Hussain
A VS Code extension that lets you save multiple GitHub accounts and switch the active authentication context in seconds — no more logging out and back in, no more broken git clone after a switch.
Features
- Add multiple accounts — store as many GitHub identities as you need, each with a memorable label (e.g. Personal, Work, Client).
- One-click switch — selecting an account logs out the previous session, logs in with the stored token, and re-wires the git credential helper so that
git clone, push, and pull all use the correct identity immediately.
- Clone Repo — pick any saved account, browse its repositories from the GitHub API, select a target folder, and clone directly — no URL typing required.
- Refresh token — re-authenticate any account through VS Code's GitHub sign-in flow without recreating the entry.
- Remove accounts — delete saved accounts individually from the sidebar panel.
- Sidebar Account Manager — a built-in webview panel shows all saved accounts, highlights the active one, and provides action buttons for every operation.
Requirements
| Requirement |
Notes |
VS Code 1.110.0+ |
Uses the built-in GitHub authentication provider |
GitHub CLI (gh) |
Must be installed and on your PATH (or configured via ghas.ghasPath) |
| GitHub Authentication extension |
Ships with VS Code; required for OAuth sign-in |
Getting Started
- Install the extension (
.vsix or from the marketplace).
- Click the GHAS icon in the Activity Bar to open the Account Manager.
- Click Add Account, enter a label, and complete the GitHub sign-in flow in VS Code.
- Repeat for each GitHub account you want to save.
- Click Switch on any card to activate that account for all
git and gh operations.
Extension Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
ghas.githubScopes |
["repo", "read:org"] |
OAuth scopes requested when authenticating a GitHub account. |
ghas.ghasPath |
"gh" |
Path or command name for the GitHub CLI executable. Change this if gh is not on your PATH (e.g. C:\Tools\gh.exe). |
Commands
All commands are available in the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) under the GHAS category.
| Command |
Description |
GHAS: Open Account Manager |
Reveal the sidebar Account Manager panel. |
GHAS: Add GitHub Account |
Authenticate a new GitHub account and save it. |
GHAS: Switch GitHub Account |
Switch the active gh / git session to a saved account. |
GHAS: Refresh GitHub Account |
Re-authenticate a saved account and update its token. |
GHAS: Delete GitHub Account |
Remove a saved account from the extension. |
GHAS: Clone Repository with Account |
Browse an account's repos from GitHub and clone the selected one. |
How It Works
When you Switch to an account the extension:
- Runs
gh auth logout --hostname github.com to clear any existing session.
- Pipes the stored token into
gh auth login --hostname github.com --with-token.
- Runs
gh auth setup-git to update the git credential helper so every subsequent git command uses the new account.
Tokens are stored in VS Code's encrypted secret storage (SecretStorage API) — they are never written to disk in plain text.
Token expiry is not artificially enforced. GitHub personal access tokens and OAuth tokens remain valid until you revoke them in GitHub → Settings → Developer settings. If a token stops working, use Refresh Token to obtain a fresh one.
Troubleshooting
"gh not found" — Install the GitHub CLI and ensure it is on your PATH, or set ghas.ghasPath to the full path of the executable.
"Switch succeeded but clone still fails" — Run git credential reject for the failing URL to clear any cached credentials, then retry. The gh auth setup-git step should prevent this in most cases.
"forceNewSession not supported" — Older versions of the GitHub Authentication extension may not support forcing a new OAuth session. Update VS Code and its bundled extensions, or sign in to the desired account manually in VS Code's Accounts menu before using Add Account.
Release Notes
1.0.6
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Written by Saqib Hussain
