credential-store Git Command Guide

The git credential-store command provides a credential helper that stores Git credentials in plain text format in the user’s home directory. It’s a simple persistent storage mechanism, but stores credentials unencrypted, so use only on trusted machines.

git credential-store Syntax:

git credential-store <action>

Actions:

Action	Description
get	Retrieve credentials for given parameters
store	Store given credentials for future retrieval
erase	Remove stored credentials

Options:

Option	Description
—help	Display help information
—file	Use specified file instead of default ~/.git-credentials

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
Input from stdin for get/store actions:	protocol, host, path, username, password

git credential-store Command Samples:

Enable credential store globally

git config --global credential.helper store

Configures Git to use store helper for all repositories.

Store credentials manually

echo "protocol=https
host=github.com
username=your-username
password=your-password" | git credential-store store

Saves credentials to ~/.git-credentials file.

Retrieve stored credentials

echo "protocol=https
host=github.com
username=your-username" | git credential-store get

Outputs stored credentials for given parameters.

Erase stored credentials

echo "protocol=https
host=github.com
username=your-username" | git credential-store erase

Removes credentials from store for specified parameters.

Use custom credential file

git config --global credential.helper 'store --file ~/.git-private-credentials'

Specifies custom location for credential storage.

How do I set up Git credential store?

To set up Git credential store, use:

git config --global credential.helper store

How can I view stored credentials?

To view stored credentials, read the file:

cat ~/.git-credentials

How do I store credentials manually?

To store credentials manually, run:

echo "protocol=https\nhost=example.com\nusername=user\npassword=pass" | git credential-store store

Is credential store secure?

Credential store saves credentials in plain text, making it suitable only for secure, personal environments.

How do I erase stored credentials?

To erase stored credentials, use:

echo "protocol=https\nhost=example.com\nusername=user" | git credential-store erase

Applications of the git credential-store command

Permanent credential storage for personal development machines
Simplifying authentication in trusted development environments
Supporting automation scripts with persistent credentials
Integrating with password management tools for plain text export
Enabling seamless Git workflows on secure workstations
Managing multiple repository credentials across different services