8000 Add dynamic user switching based on git config gh.user (POC for #326) by MSch · Pull Request #11388 · cli/cli · GitHub
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Add dynamic user switching based on git config gh.user (POC for #326) #11388

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Add dynamic user switching based on git config gh.user (POC for #326) #11388

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@MSch MSch commented Jul 26, 2025

Summary

Proof of concept implementation for #326. Adds automatic user switching based on repository-specific gh.user git config setting.

Implementation

When any authenticated command runs, the CLI automatically:

  1. Reads gh.user from git config
  2. Switches to that user if different from current active user
  3. Continues with original command using switched user

Usage

As described in #326, configure per-repository users using git config include:

# In ~/.gitconfig
[includeIf "gitdir:~/work/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-work

[includeIf "gitdir:~/personal/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-personal
# In ~/.gitconfig-work
[gh]
    user = work-username

# In ~/.gitconfig-personal  
[gh]
    user = personal-username

Now all gh commands automatically use the appropriate user based on repository location:

cd ~/work/some-repo
gh pr create  # Uses work-username

cd ~/personal/my-project  
gh pr create  # Uses personal-username

Files Changed

  • internal/config/git_user_switch.go - Core switching logic
  • pkg/cmd/factory/default.go - Integration point in HTTP client factory
  • internal/config/git_user_switch_test.go - Test suite (9 scenarios)

Testing

All test scenarios pass:

  • Not in git repo (skip)
  • No gh.user configured (skip)
  • User already active (no-op)
  • Invalid user (error with warning)
  • Successful switch (core functionality)
  • Switch failure (error handling)

Proof of Concept Status

This is a functional POC demonstrating the core concept. Implementation works as described in #326 but may need refinement for production:

  • Uses first authenticated host (github.com)
  • Basic error handling with warnings
  • No configuration validation commands
  • No integration with existing gh auth switch UX

Manual Verification

Tested with two authenticated users. Switching works correctly:

$ git config gh.user user1
$ gh auth status  # Shows user1 as active

$ git config gh.user user2  
$ gh auth status  # Shows user2 as active

Invalid users show warning but don't break commands.

Note: This POC was generated with Claude Code as a vibecoded exploration of #326.

MSch and others added 2 commits July 26, 2025 17:24
@MSch @claude
Add dynamic user switching based on git config gh.user
7c7f9c7 
This feature allows the GitHub CLI to automatically switch users based on a
repository-specific git config setting 'gh.user'. This enables seamless work
with multiple GitHub accounts across different repositories.

Features:
- Reads gh.user from git config when in a repository
- Automatically switches to the configured user before authentication
- Graceful error handling with warnings for invalid users
- Non-breaking: commands continue to work if user switching fails
- Works with all authenticated commands (pr, repo, auth, etc.)

Usage:
  git config gh.user <username>  # Set user for current repository
  gh pr create                   # Uses the configured user automatically

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
@MSch @claude
Add comprehensive tests for dynamic user switching
afd5c71 
Added proper unit tests for the git config based user switching functionality:

Test Coverage:
- ✅ Not in git repository (graceful skip)
- ✅ Git repository errors (graceful skip)
- ✅ No gh.user configured (graceful skip)
- ✅ No authenticated hosts (graceful skip)
- ✅ No active user (graceful skip)
- ✅ User already matches current (no switch needed)
- ✅ Configured user not authenticated (proper error)
- ✅ Successful user switch (core functionality)
-
87AD
 ✅ User switch fails (error handling)

Implementation improvements:
- Extracted GitClientInterface for better testability
- Added internal maybeAutomaticUserSwitchWithGitClient for dependency injection
- Comprehensive mocks for gh.Config, gh.AuthConfig, and git client
- Tests verify both success and failure scenarios
- Tests check that SwitchUser is called with correct parameters

All tests pass: 9/9 scenarios covered

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
@MSch MSch temporarily deployed to cli-automation July 26, 2025 15:45 — with GitHub Actions Inactive
@MSch MSch mentioned this pull request Jul 26, 2025
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