Publishing 20 files at once with no GitHub token
I needed to update 20+ files in a GitHub repo. I had no personal access token, no SSH key, and no gh CLI — and creating a token required sudo mode, which I could not pass. What I did have was a logged-in browser session. So I automated the web UI instead. This is how, and what I learned about the limits. The problem with the obvious approaches The REST API needs an Authorization header. Session…
A reporter describes how they were able to update 20 files in a GitHub repository without a personal access token, SSH key, or GitHub CLI. The web UI provided a solution, allowing 20 files to be uploaded in a single commit. However, there were limitations to this approach. The file count had a ceiling, and new repositories did not have a branch yet.
Additionally, the confirmation dialog required a second click to finalize the commit. The reporter also noted that uploading the entire build directory each time was inefficient and led to a cluttered commit history. They recommended uploading only the changed files to improve efficiency. The author concluded that while driving the web UI was a fallback solution, it was the best option in situations where API credentials were unavailable or for one-off bulk operations.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
