Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-03

How to Fix: Password authentication is temporarily disabled as part of a brownout. Please use a personal access token instead

GitHub has temporarily disabled password authentication due to a brownout. Use a personal access token instead.

Quick Answer: Try generating a new personal access token on the GitHub settings page.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🔍 Why This Happens
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The 'Password authentication is temporarily disabled as part of a brownout. Please use a personal access token instead' error message indicates that GitHub has temporarily disabled password-based authentication due to a security update or maintenance. This issue affects users who rely on username and password combinations for accessing their repositories.

This situation can be frustrating, especially if you're not familiar with using personal access tokens. However, don't worry; we'll guide you through the process of replacing your password with a personal access token to regain access to your repository.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason for this error is that GitHub has implemented a security update that requires users to use personal access tokens instead of username and password combinations. This change aims to enhance the overall security of the platform.
  • An alternative reason could be that your Git client or IDE is not configured correctly, causing it to send the password in plain text, which is no longer allowed by GitHub's new security policy.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Generating a Personal Access Token

  1. Step 1: Open the GitHub settings page by clicking on your profile picture or avatar in the top right corner of the screen, then select 'Settings' from the dropdown menu.
  2. Step 2: Click on 'Developer settings' and then click on 'Personal access tokens'.
  3. Step 3: Create a new token with the necessary permissions (e.g., 'repo', 'read:org') and copy the generated token.
  4. Step 4: Replace your existing username and password with the personal access token in your Git client or IDE.

Using GitHub's Token Generator

  1. Step 1: Go to the [GitHub Token Generator](https://github.com/login/oauth/access_token) page.
  2. Step 2: Select the necessary permissions (e.g., 'repo', 'read:org') and click on 'Generate token'.
  3. Step 3: Copy the generated token and replace your existing username and password with it in your Git client or IDE.

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Password authentication is temporarily disabled as part of a brownout. Please use a personal access token instead' error message and regain access to your repository using a personal access token.

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