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
1.0.7
- Fixed the sidebar Remove button so it uses the same VS Code delete confirmation flow as
GHAS: Delete GitHub Account.
- Removed the webview
window.confirm dependency that could block UI deletion in some environments.
1.0.6
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Written by Saqib Hussain
