SourceTree has started prompting for login but login isn't needed

[Jeremy Bishop]

SourceTree has started prompting for credentials but after some testing found that I didn't have to actually enter in credentials. However, it's really frustrating to keep closing the box when I have multiple projects I need to check and update each time I run fetch, pull, push, or clone.

I mainly use git bash but use SourceTree for the visuals. However, this problem affects me when I'm in command line even after uninstalling SourceTree from programs as well as the appdata file locations. 

Is there a clean uninstall app provided to completely remove SourceTree so I can investigate if bash works properly without getting the Atlassian prompt?

I still get the Atlassian login request from git like I did in SourceTree. Is there something else that I need to uninstall that is actually causing the Atlassian login box to pop up?

Below are examples of what is going on. Thanks for any info you can provide!

Here I'm cloning from command line, I leave it blank and close out:

It says the login fails but then proceeds:

[Steven Smith]

We use the OAuth for credentials, but Sourcetree will ignore the active account and prioritize what is in %AppData%\Local\Atlassian\SourceTree\passwd instead. No matter how many times you enter your credentials, it will continue to ask for them because of the passwd file.

Try deleting it and see if the prompts stop appearing.

[Jeremy Bishop]

@Steven Smith thanks for the reply.


Unfortunately removing the passwd file in that location does not resolve the problem. I should've mentioned I've tried everything listed in the community for past similar problems to no avail. As noted in original post, I don't have to enter in credentials when I get prompted. I just close out of the box and good to go but it's still an annoyance.

Some more in-depth details regarding working with the passwd file:

If I enter in a password it keeps prompting as you have stated. After removing the passwd file it gives me two different prompts.  If I try to enter in credentials on the first one it just keeps looping. So I skip the first one and enter in credentials at the second prompt. (First prompt being what you see a screenshot of in my original post.)

This then creates a new passwd file again. If I close out of the second prompt after removing the passwd file then it will not allow me access at all.  However, it will only prompt once if I leave the box blank and close out of it. From there it is able to process the command.

[Steven Smith]

I'm afraid all I can offer you is sympathy. That feels like a bug more than a support issue to be handled by the community.

[Steven Smith]

The issues with the passwd file feel like a bug too, but here we are a year later and it still causes problems.

[Jeremy Bishop]

Haha thanks for the condolences. I'll just keep clicking away and troubleshooting until an update or bug fix happens.

[Steven Smith]

If anyone from Atlassian ever reads this, I've noticed it prompt for SSH password on the console even if you're accessing a repo via HTTPS. Sometimes we need to use the console for merges because a merge will never complete in the GUI. It'll get to 100% and then just hang. This is on the newest version of ST.

[Jeremy Bishop]

In this case confirmed that downgrading to Git 2.13 works for my environment. Still investigating why Git Forums. Need to investigate the script in choco a lot more among other things. As you will see this is using https which should prompt unless using SSH which didn't work previously.

Step 1: Install choco, see https://chocolatey.org/docs/installation

Step 2: run choco git install --version 2.13 in elevated PS prompt:

Need to investigate why this install applies all Windows options although I've tried through the git install and still had issues. However, no desktop icons auto so you have to search:

Next, clone your repo or copy in your backups and then try to push, pull or fetch:

In this case I'm pulling in my test repo. I also copied in my personal functions and profile options to test if they were the issue:

This is what is different. I get this prompt, instead of the Atlassian prompt while connecting to bitbucket as posted above. Which is why I conclude this is a Git issue now. Also notice it's using https but after this prompt automatically getting me setup for SourceTree and beyond.

Finally, No more prompts:

[Jeremy Bishop]

Reached the max pics I could in the above post but wanted to add hope this helps out. I still have to study why Git says I should always be prompted for creds if I use HTTPS but with this install it looks like everything is good. Still need to investigate more but so far I see this and one other in Windows Cred Manager:

Of course, the other includes my username with @Bitbucket.org.

My config in git is also very clean so still searching why this was so simple.

[Jeremy Bishop]

I've got more testing to do but believe I have found the issue and it appears to be a Git issue. Sorry for posting in Atlassian but maybe this will help others out.

I have been able to confirm that Git 2.18 prompts with the Atlassian login without having anything Atlassian installed thus the confusion on where the issue was coming from while not knowing if Atlassian ever truly cleanly uninstalled. Could be that it's connecting to Bitbucket and going from there.

What I've done so far:
Installed Git 2.18 on a VM. This is the same version that my computer is on currently.

Result: Same issue! Without SourceTree installed it gives me the prompt shown in the screenshot and same result of not having to enter in the password. Yet prompting any time when interacting with the repo.

Solution so far via VM:

Installed Chocolatey (to avoid navigating githubs releases page)

Ended up installing Git version 2.13 with:

choco install git --version 2.13 

Once installed, was prompted once by Git for credentials but this time no Atlassian prompt just a normal windows prompt.

Once I entered in my credentials, just that once, everything was back the way it was.

I haven't got to install SourceTree and everything else or try this in a non VM environment but it's looking up. After all, in the VM environment I had the same exact issue with git 2.18.

[Steven Smith]

Could it be related at all to issues with the Git credential manager? https://github.com/Microsoft/Git-Credential-Manager-for-Windows/issues/695

[Jeremy Bishop]

That looks like it could be it! I had looked over my logs from before and they seem to be doing the same thing. When I have time I'll have to mess it up again and try it from that article to see if I can fix it.