git-credential-manager

Git Credential Manager (GCM) is a tool that handles sign-in for Git when you push or pull code from a remote hosting service. Without something like GCM, Git would ask you for your username and password every time, or would rely on simpler credential helpers that only support basic username-password logins and cannot handle modern two-factor authentication flows.

GCM works silently in the background. Once installed, it intercepts Git's authentication requests and opens a browser window or dialog when you connect to a service like GitHub, Azure DevOps, Bitbucket, or GitLab. You complete the login there, including any two-factor step, and GCM stores the resulting token securely in your operating system's credential store. Future Git operations in the same repository reuse that stored token automatically, so you are not asked again until it expires.

It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and supports the native credential storage mechanism on each platform. On Windows that means the Windows Credential Manager, on macOS the system Keychain, and on Linux one of several compatible secret stores. The README includes a comparison table showing which features are available on each operating system, with most features covered across all three.

GCM replaces two older tools: one that was Windows-only and one that was Java-based for Mac and Linux. This unified version is written in C# on .NET, which lets a single codebase run on all three platforms without maintaining separate projects.

Installation is done through the standard installer for your operating system; the README links to the install guide rather than listing steps inline. After installing, no additional configuration is required for common workflows. The project is MIT-licensed and accepts contributions through GitHub.