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Repository Access Issue #185262
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Hi everyone,I've been using GitHub Classroom for years, and for some reason, when I create a new assignment and share the assignment URL with students, they receive a "Repository Access Issue" message. They also receive an email invitation to the repository, and once they click it, they can access it. In the past, students didn't receive an email and could access the repo right away. Am I missing something here, or is this the new way GitHub Classroom works? Thanks in advance for your assistance. Bruce Elgort |
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Replies: 2 comments 2 replies
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You’re not missing anything — this behavior has changed for some setups. GitHub Classroom assignments now sometimes require students to explicitly accept the repository invitation via email, especially with newer permission and org security defaults. If students see the “Repository Access Issue” message first but can access the repo after accepting the email invite, that’s expected behavior. It helps ensure permissions are properly granted and tied to the correct GitHub account. That said, the experience isn’t always consistent and can be confusing for students. You might want to double-check the organization’s permission settings and whether email invitations are required for new collaborators. Hopefully GitHub clarifies or smooths this flow in the future. |
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@Sabari-Vasan-SM, thank you for this information. I guess I'm not going crazy :-) |
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This isn’t something you’re missing. GitHub Classroom behavior has changed recently. Students now often need to explicitly accept access to the repository, which is why they first see the “Repository Access Issue” message and then receive an email invitation. Once they accept the invite, everything works as expected. Earlier, GitHub used to auto-grant access when the assignment link was opened, but now the permission flow is more explicit, especially with newer organization security and privacy controls. So yes, this is basically the new normal. Nothing is broken on your end. |
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Thank you for this information @Archit086! It's very helpful. |
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You’re not missing anything — this behavior has changed for some setups. GitHub Classroom assignments now sometimes require students to explicitly accept the repository invitation via email, especially with newer permission and org security defaults.
If students see the “Repository Access Issue” message first but can access the repo after accepting the email invite, that’s expected behavior. It helps ensure permissions are properly granted and tied to the correct GitHub account.
That said, the experience isn’t always consistent and can be confusing for students. You might want to double-check the organization’s permission settings and whether email invitations are required for new collabo…