Git Providers

Git Providers give Forkline authenticated access to your repositories. Forkline supports GitHub, GitLab, and Forgejo, including self-hosted instances.

Overview

When you connect a git provider, Forkline can:

Clone repositories into runners with the right authentication
Push changes back to branches and create pull requests
Receive webhooks for automation triggers
Call provider APIs for repository operations

Info: Each git provider connection is user-specific. Your git providers only access repositories you can already view.

Connector models

GitHub App

Best default when available

Forkline handles repository installation, webhook setup, and permission scoping through the GitHub App flow.

Auto webhooksAuto permissionsBetter rate limits

GitLab PAT

Flexible for hosted or self-managed

Connect with an API token when you need project or group access across GitLab.com or private instances.

Self-hostedManual webhooksPAT rotation

Forgejo Token

Works with Forgejo, Gitea, Codeberg

Use a scoped token when you need compatibility with community-hosted or self-hosted Forge ecosystems.

Self-hostedManual webhooksToken rotation

The main tradeoff is how much setup Forkline can automate versus how much you manage yourself.

Git Providers page with GitHub connected

GitHub

The GitHub integration is the lowest-friction option because the GitHub App handles repository installation and webhook setup for you.

Go to Git Providers
Click Connect Provider or Add Provider
Select GitHub
Choose the GitHub installation
Select the repositories to grant access
Authorize the application

Git provider selection modal

Why teams prefer it

Repository-level access control
No token rotation burden
Better rate limits
Organization-level installation support

Important: The GitHub App requests a fixed permission set. You cannot reduce individual permissions during installation.

App Permissions

Permission	Access Level	Purpose
Contents	Write	Clone repositories, push commits, create PRs
Issues	Write	Read issues, create comments
Pull requests	Write	Create PRs, read PR details, comment
Checks	Read	Read CI status for auto-fix
Actions	Read	Read workflow logs

Webhook Events

The GitHub App automatically subscribes to these events:

Event	Use Case
Issues	Bot mentions on issues
Issue comment	Bot mentions on issue comments
Pull request	CI auto-fix, auto review, merge conflict detection
Pull request review comment	Bot mentions on PR review comments

These subscriptions are fixed by the app and cannot be customized per installation.

GitLab

Use a GitLab git provider when you need GitLab.com or self-managed GitLab support.

Go to Git Providers
Click Connect Provider
Select GitLab
Enter your GitLab instance URL
Enter a GitLab PAT
Save the connector

Optional: set an Automation Actor Username if you want Forkline to treat a specific service account as the actor for assignments, review requests, and bot-authored checks.

Self-Hosted GitLab

For self-hosted GitLab instances:

Make sure the instance is reachable from Forkline
Create a dedicated automation user or service account
Grant it access to the project or group you want Forkline to manage
Create a PAT with api, read_repository, and write_repository

# Example GitLab service-account PAT setup
Account: forkline-bot
Scopes: api, read_repository, write_repository

Forgejo

Forkline also supports Forgejo, Gitea, and Codeberg instances.

Go to Git Providers
Click Connect Provider
Select Forgejo
Enter your Forgejo, Gitea, or Codeberg instance URL
Enter a scoped access token
Save the connector

Optional: set an Automation Actor Username if the service account username you want Forkline to match differs from the token owner.

Required Scopes

Scope	Purpose
`write:repository`	Push branches and update pull requests
`write:issue`	Comment on issues and PRs
`read:issue`	Read issues and pull request comments
`read:user`	Validate connector identity
`read:repository`	Clone repositories
`read:organization`	Check organization membership for the collaborators trigger policy on organization-owned repositories

Important: The read:organization scope only reveals memberships of organizations the token account itself belongs to. If the token owner is not a member of the repository-owning organization, Forgejo may return only public memberships and private org members will not be recognized. The connector token must be owned by an account that is itself a member of the repository-owning organization for the org-membership fallback to work.

Self-Hosted Setup

# Forgejo/Gitea access token configuration
# Navigate to: Settings > Applications > Access Tokens

Token Name: Forkline
Scopes: read:user, read:repository, write:repository, read:issue, write:issue, read:organization

Managing Git Providers

Viewing Git Providers

All your git providers appear on the Git Providers page. Each card shows:

Provider type and instance URL
Connected username
Repository access scope
Webhook configuration status

Disconnecting

To remove a git provider connection:

Find the provider card
Click the trash icon on the card
Confirm the action

Warning: Disconnecting a git provider stops runners that depend on repositories from that provider, and related webhooks stop working.

Webhook Secrets

For GitLab and Forgejo providers, you can add a webhook secret for secure verification:

Click the link icon on the provider card
Enter a secret
Configure your git provider with the same secret

# Generate a secure webhook secret
openssl rand -hex 32

On GitLab and Forgejo, a webhook acts only on the repositories registered under its own connector, so each owner adds their own webhook.

Troubleshooting

Repository Not Found

If Forkline cannot find your repository:

Verify the git provider has access to it
For GitHub, confirm the installation includes the repository
On GitLab and Forgejo, add your own webhook: tasks no longer arrive through another owner’s webhook

Authentication Failed

If authentication fails:

Reconnect the git provider
Verify the required scopes are granted