apptoken

Generate and cache GitHub App installation tokens locally, then run gh or git with the token injected. The CLI stores your app config and encrypted private key so you can fetch short-lived tokens on demand.

Prerequisites

• Bun (runtime and build tool)
• GitHub CLI (gh) if you plan to use apptoken gh
• Git if you plan to use apptoken git

Install

npm install -g apptoken

Or run with npx:

npx apptoken --help

Quickstart

1. Initialize configuration and store your private key:

   apptoken init

2. Start the token daemon (optional, but speeds up repeated requests):

   apptoken daemon start

3. Run GitHub CLI with an injected token:

   apptoken gh repo list

4. Run Git commands against GitHub with an injected token:

   apptoken git fetch

Commands

• apptoken init - interactive setup (App ID, Installation ID, PEM key, password)
• apptoken daemon start|stop|status - manage background token daemon
• apptoken gh <args...> - run gh with a fresh installation token
• apptoken git <args...> - run git against GitHub with a fresh installation token

Create a GitHub App

1. Go to GitHub settings:
   • Personal: https://github.com/settings/apps
   • Organization: https://github.com/organizations//settings/apps
2. Create a new GitHub App.
3. Set permissions based on the gh commands you plan to run.
4. Generate and download a private key (PEM).
5. Install the app on your organization or account.
6. Collect the required identifiers:
   • App ID: shown in the GitHub App settings page.
   • Installation ID: visible after installing the app (or via gh api /app/installations).

Security Notes

• The private key is encrypted locally using your password.
• The daemon stores tokens in memory and fetches new ones when needed.
• Config and encrypted PEM are stored under the app config directory.

Troubleshooting

• Ensure Bun is installed and on your PATH.
• Ensure gh is installed if using the apptoken gh command.
• Ensure git is installed if using the apptoken git command.
• Run apptoken --help for usage details.