Username and password authentication not working with MinGit

[pratikpc]

1. I am using MinGit so bash is not shipped by Git-For-Windows itself.
2. If we get rid of the bash.exe executable probably linked to WSL2, the issue still continues to exist
3. With bash.exe of System32 present, our code gets stuck at the prompt. I could type infinitely but it would still not move ahead for some reason
4. With bash.exe of System32 moved out of harms way, we get the no such file or directory error. At least we don't get stuck

My guess is the origin of the issues potentially has to do with

1. Rebase to v2.49.0 #5487
2. Specifically c565315
3. The shell_prompt function
   https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/blame/7a18c63e175adab427fa2824f3de07c7e02efd93/compat/terminal.c#L426

Why it might not be right?

1. Same issue exists in 2.48
   So what I tried instead was to go to a version older than 2.49, specifically 2.48.
2. To verify it was not a setup issue tried the same test in Windows Sandbox
3. The entire functionality was introduced in 2.49. https://github.com/git-for-windows/git/blob/978fa72cf8e33cad188fe316e44653497a7ce4a9/compat/terminal.c does not contain it.

Replicating the issue without MinGit

1. Simply delete all instances of bash.exe

Using GIT_TRACE=1, the command of importance is:-

run-command.c:929       trace: start_command: bash -c 'cat >/dev/tty && read -r line </dev/tty && echo "$line"'

[pratikpc]

Its not problematic to my workflows though as setting askpass provides a temporary resolution

https://git-scm.com/docs/gitcredentials#_requesting_credentials

[dscho]

MinGit is a minimal subset of Git for Windows that is not intended for interactive usage but instead for bundling with 3rd-party applications. As such, you're safely outside of supported MinGit scenarios. Please use regular Git for Windows instead if you plan on using it interactively yourself (rather than using it via, say, GitHub Desktop).

[pratikpc]

Yes but username and password not working and having a dependency on Bash is certainly an issue right?

With Regular Git also not working if Bash is deleted @dscho

EDIT:

Meant Regular Git/Portable Git not just Git

[dscho]

Yes but username and password not working and having a dependency on Bash is certainly an issue right?

It is only an issue when using Git interactively, where it asks you for a username and/or password. Which is, as I have already pointed out, not supported with MinGit.

[dscho]

With Regular Git also not working if Bash is deleted

If you delete parts of Git nilly-willy, yes, it will totally stop working as intended. I did not think that it was necessary to document that randomly deleting parts of Git for Windows will interfere with its intended operation.

[pratikpc]

Sure

But ideally it should not break right?

[dscho]

@pratikpc yes, it will break if you deliberately delete files that you have no business deleting.

[pratikpc]

But having a dependency on bash just for username and password does not make much sense right?

That is the only dependency on bash in that entire pathway

Its something that could be theoretically gotten rid of

[pratikpc]

I am willing to work on it if say a workaround would be okay?

[dscho]

But having a dependency on bash just for username and password does not make much sense right?

Git has much, much more of a dependency on Bash than that. Any call to an editor, hook, filter, etc will be called via a Unix shell by Git.

Take-home lesson: If you deliberately interfere with the inner function of a piece of software, you will break it. It's like taking off the pedals of a bike to save weight: You can do that, it's just that you've broken the thing in the process. Don't break Git and then complain that it is broken!

[pratikpc]

It does not make much sense to depend on bash here.

Git for Linux for example does not invoke bash in this scenario.

So I am a bit curious why Bash would for example be needed here?

[dscho]

It does not make much sense to depend on bash here.

This is not a Windows-specific issue. Please take it to the Git mailing list (send plain-text messages, HTML messages are dropped silently).

[dscho]

Git for Linux for example does not invoke bash in this scenario.

If you are referring to authentication, which by now has been amply pointed out to be a pilot error in the MinGit context, you are correct.

However, if you stop ignoring what I said about editors, hooks, filters, your will realize that your assessment is incorrect.