Private registries · Skillcrew docs

Skillcrew runs the system git and never stores credentials. Anything that works for git clone works for Skillcrew.

SSH

shell

skillcrew init git@github.com:acme/skills.git

Git uses your SSH agent and keys.

HTTPS

Configure a credential helper once, then use an HTTPS URL or the host/owner/repo shorthand:

shell

gh auth setup-git          # GitHub
glab auth setup-git        # GitLab
skillcrew init github.com/acme/skills

Any other credential helper works the same way, including on self-hosted Git servers and Azure DevOps.

Security

URLs with an embedded password (https://user:token@…) are refused, because the URL is stored in plain text in ~/.skillcrew/config.yaml. Use a credential helper instead.

When init cannot authenticate

If skillcrew init fails with could not read Username or Permission denied (publickey), Git has no credentials for the registry:

Set up the SSH key or credential helper above.
Check that git clone <registry> works in a terminal.
Run skillcrew init again.

Background syncs never prompt

Hooks and the timer run non-interactively: Git never prompts for a password. A failed fetch keeps the last fetched registry, so skills keep working:

terminal

$ skillcrew sync
Using the last fetched registry (offline), at 7f396e1a9c2d:
  ! offline: using the last fetched registry (git ls-remote origin -- refs/heads/main: fatal: Could not read from remote repository. …)

skillcrew doctor reports it under the fetch check. Run git -C ~/.skillcrew/registry.git fetch to see the full error, then fix your credentials or network.

Hooks never wait for the network: they start the sync in the background. After a failed fetch, background syncs skip the network for 10 minutes and use the last fetched registry, so session starts on a dead network do not pile up fetches.