Rant about windows version

Question

Frankly it is beyond my understanding how simple login issues with native bitbucket account can be such a problem in Windows version of Sourcetree for so long. I was using Sourcetree on MacOs and Windows and while MacOs version is ok - Windows version is a constant disaster all the time since basic auth (login+password) was deprecated. Oauth constantly require "reconnect" and frequently - even after reconnect - it is not working anyway (asking for password, and ignoring it silently). I finally moved to use AppPassword (API tokens, to be correct, see below) and simply failed to make it work at all - after hours of reading threads and googling. Clearing caches, clearing keystores, reinstals, tweaking repo options to bitbucket account etc etc - nope, Sourtree still asks for login/password, makes trash records in keystore, ignores your input and still fails despite ANY password enetered (account/app). I tried full set of combinations of factors like some old-school Sierra quest. It simply not work.

Installed GitHub desktop - poof, instaworks with simple login/app password (api token) setup, zero questions asked. Goodbye Sourcetree, my expectation was not high but this is insane.

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For anyone googling "How to solve login problems in Windows version of Sourcetree" - for the sake of your sanity do not spend time "solving" it, switch to anything else (i switched to GihHub Desktop with zero problems). Clearing caches in LocalAppData, Resetting windows keystore, reinstalling and trying different passwords will not help you. As well as support will not help you - all their advices can be summed up to "turn off computer and turn on again and try over"

Tinker Fadoua · Answer

Welcome to the Community @search_facility

Anyone from Atlassian Support reached out to you?

Best,

Fadoua

Tomislav Tobijas · Answer

Insteresting @search_facility 👀

I usually didn't have auth problems, and I'm no expert in debugging this, but I'll ping someone from the Forum support team to take a look at this. Thanks for the detailed explanation of what you've tried (and what didn't work)!

What appears to get teams' attention is if you raise a bug (or suggestion) in JAC. As this isn't restricted, like, anyone can submit a bug, I'd maybe also recommend using that as a feedback channel 🫤

search_facility · Answer

1) Correction to my post - i did use API tokens indeed, not APP passwords (similar name and i already deleted Sourcetree to recheck the exact name)

2) I DID read exactly your post and created API token with all 45 scopes enabled (every click i just though why there is no "Select All" button). API tokens NOT WORK in latest release. At least i failed to make them work, and i tried and tried hard. Exactly the same login(email)+API token worked from the start in GitHub Desktop, with single entry in windows keychain (credential manager)

What i can say regarding login problems, i hope it will help dev team to fix it

- I was using OAuth for several years, but it is broken for me in latest release, any attempt to renew give error "Can't parse, wrong '<' char at position bla bla" - something like that, don't remember details. Looks like browser reply parsing problem, happens inside Sourcetree account auth dialog (where refresh button is placed), after succesful login in browser. That's how i started to think may be there are other methods, since Sourcetree constantly forgets OAuth on checkouts

- SSH not worked for me - i created pair, added to account in bitbucket, added in Sourcetree, still failed to pull updates from repository (auth error). having some experience with putty i moved on, not worth time to dive in

- API tokens turned out to be most frustrating.

First round: after entering API token, on pull attempt, sourcetree asks login-password twice. Tried to enter in all combinations (email/user name/usual password/api token) in both login popups - nothing works, each pull fails with auth error. Tried to set bitbucket account in repo settings (vs app settings), repeat logins - did not helped.

Tried to reinstall from scratch, repeat - did not helped.

Second round: found advices to reset caches/credential manager etc. After reset it asked TWICE for some credential helper with cryptic names (some names was duplicated several times), no hints. I choose something - and then all attempts to pull started to fail without asking and no cache resettings changed anything. no logins popups, no helpers popups - just fails all the time with auth error, while app account settings show everything ok, beautiful. and unlike previous attempts pull was failing many times (i suspect it tried all trash records in keychain - and mind you some of them contained proper password/API token)

After that i deinstalled that piece of unfriendly software. Hire a normal QA team, ffs, Sourcetree is mature enough to cure that lame problems long ago. Or put it into open source for others to fix, i dunno