Changelog

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Secret scanning supports user namespace repositories for Enterprise Managed Users

Enterprise Managed Users can now enable secret scanning on their user namespace repositories. Owners of user repositories will receive secret scanning alerts when a supported secret is detected in their repository. User namespace repositories can also enable push protection.

In the enterprise level list of secret scanning alerts, enterprise owners can view all secrets detected in user namespace repositories. Enterprise owners can temporarily access user namespace repositories to view the secret details.

User namespace repositories are included in the security risk and coverage pages.

Secret scanning will also be supported on Enterprise Server personal repositories starting on GHES 3.13.

See more

New limits on scoped token creation for GitHub Apps

As a proactive measure to protect Github.com availability, GitHub Apps that attempt to create high-complexity scoped installation tokens will receive failures if they would individually reference too many repositories. At the time of release, no GitHub App is above these limits – the limit is approximately 8 times higher than what any app is consuming. See below for details on how complexity is calculated.

Scoped tokens allow a GitHub App to create an installation token that has just a subset of the privileges that the app has within an organization – both a reduced set of repositories, as well as permissions.
In this way, an application with many permissions and access to many repositories can still safely request a token that’s good for just the access that’s currently required, a useful least-privilege feature.

When requesting a scoped token, applications can indicate both the permissions and repositories that are desired. Both parameters are optional, and if either is omitted the full corresponding access will be given to the token, either all granted permissions or all accessible repositories.

The first limit being added is when the repositories are included in the token request – now, no more than 500 individual repositories can be listed.

The second limit is if the repositories are not listed but permissions are, and the application is installed on some repositories in the organization – as in, it has not been explicitly granted access to all repositories in the organization.
In that case, the limit is based on the number of permissions being requested and the number of repositories the application has access to. If the complexity limit is exceeded, the application will recieve an error: Too many repositories for installation, and provides the maximum number of repositories the application can have access to in order to succeed, as well as other options to reduce the complexity of your token, which are provided here as well.

To reduce the complexity of your token request, you can do one of the following:
1. Reduce the number of repositories that the application has access to in the organization.
2. Reduce the number of permissions requested for the token.
3. Set the application to have access to “all” of the organization’s repositories.
4. Not request a scoped token at all, and instead request a standard installation token.

Any of these options will reduce the complexity of the token and allow the application to fetch tokens for that organization once again.

To learn more about GitHub App scoped token issuance and installation, see our documentation:

  • “Generating an installation access token for a GitHub App”
  • “Reviewing and modifying installed GitHub Apps”
  • REST API: “Create an installation access token for an app”

    • See more

    CodeQL 2.16.2: New Android queries and improved precision

    CodeQL 2.16.2 is now available to users of GitHub code scanning on github.com, and all new functionality will also be included in GHES 3.13. Users of GHES 3.12 or older can upgrade their CodeQL version.

    Important changes in this release include:

    We added two new Java / Android queries (java/android/sensitive-text and java/android/sensitive-notification) to detect sensitive data exposure via text fields and notifications.

    We have improved the precision of several C/C++ queries.

    We now recognize collection expressions introduced in C# 12 (e.g. [1, y, 4, .. x]).

    For a full list of changes, please refer to the complete changelog for version 2.16.2

    See more

    Secret scanning adds validity checks for Mailgun and Mailchimp

    Secret scanning is extending validity check support to Mailgun (mailgun_api_key) and Mailchimp (mailchimp_api_key) API keys.

    Validity checks indicate if the leaked credentials are active and could still be exploited. If you’ve previously enabled validation checks for a given repository, GitHub will now automatically verify validity for alerts on supported token types.

    Validity checks are available for repositories with GitHub Advanced Security on Enterprise Cloud. You can enable the feature at both organization and repository levels from the “Code security and analysis” settings page by checking the option to “automatically verify if a secret is valid by sending to the relevant partner.”

    Learn more about secret scanning or our supported patterns for validity checks.

    See more

    The GitHub Enterprise Server 3.12 Release Candidate is available

    The GitHub Enterprise Server 3.12 release candidate is here

    GitHub Enterprise Server 3.12 gives customers more fine-grained control over deployment requirements, enhanced security controls, and some . Here are a few highlights:

    • Restrict your deployment rollouts to select tag patterns in Actions Environments.
    • Enforce which Actions workflows must pass with organization-wide repository rulesets.
    • Scale your security strategy with Dependabot Alert Rules. This public beta allows customers to choose how to respond to Dependabot alerts automatically by setting up custom auto-triage rules in their repository or organization.
    • Automate pull request merges using Merge Queues. Previously developers needed to manually update their pull requests prior to merging, to ensure their changes wouldn’t break the main branch. These updates would initiate a round of continuous integration checks that needed to pass before a pull request could be merged. But with merge queues, this process is automated by ensuring each pull request queued for merging is tested with other pull requests queued ahead of it.
    • Enhance the security of your code with a public beta of Secret Scanning for non-provider patterns, and an update to Code Scanning’s default setup to support all CodeQL languages.
    • GitHub Project templates are available at the organization level, allowing customers to share out and learn best practices in how to set up and use projects to plan and track their work.
    • Updated global navigation to make using and finding information better, as well as improve accessibility and performance.
    • Highlight text in markdown files with accessibility aspects in mind with the alerts markdown extension, which gives you five levels to use (note, tip, important, warning, and caution).

    Release Candidates are a way for you to try the latest features early, and they help us gather feedback to
    ensure the release works in your environment. They should be tested on non-production environments.
    Read more about the release candidate process.

    Read more about GitHub Enterprise Server 3.12 in the release notes,
    or download the release candidate now.
    If you have any feedback or questions, please contact our Support team.

    See more

    Secret scanning’s push protection will soon be enabled for all free accounts on GitHub

    Developers with free accounts on GitHub could enable secret scanning’s push protection at the user level since last August. This automatically protects you from accidentally committing secrets to public repositories, regardless of whether the repository itself has secret scanning enabled. On February 27, this feature will be start to be enabled automatically for all free accounts across GitHub.

    If a secret is detected in any push to a public repository, your push will be blocked. You will have the option to remove the secret from your commits or, if you deem the secret safe, bypass the block.

    You can enable this feature now in your user settings. After February 27, you can opt out of push protection and disable it. Disabling push protection may cause secrets to be accidentally leaked.

    See more

    Repository Custom Properties GA and Ruleset Improvements

    repository custom properties banner image

    We’re excited to announce the general availability of Repository Custom Properties, a major enhancement to how repositories are managed and classified across GitHub organizations.

    Properties offer a flexible way to add meaningful metadata to your repositories that simplifies repository classification, enhances discoverability, and seamlessly integrates with rulesets.

    Check out this video from our own Jon Peck for a walk through of a common scenario.

    New organization repositories list public beta

    Starting today the new repositories list view moves to public beta.

    Improvements to Repository Rulesets

    Repository Rules now support adding Dependabot to bypass lists. This enables you to let Dependabot merge changes to a repository’s protected branch.

    Learn more about managing custom properties for your organization and managing rulesets for your organization.

    Head over to community discussions for feedback.

    See more

    Deprecation notice: v1 and v2 of the artifact actions

    On December 14, 2023, GitHub Actions released v4 of the actions to upload and download artifacts. This version improves upload/download speeds by up to 98%, addresses long-standing customer feedback requests, and represents the future of artifacts in GitHub Actions.

    With the introduction of v4, we will be deprecating v1 and v2 of actions/upload-artifact, actions/download-artifact, and related npm packages on June 30, 2024. We strongly encourage customers to update their workflows to begin using v4 of the artifact actions.

    In order to prevent issues for customers using GitHub Connect, the tags for v1 through v2 will not be removed from the actions/upload-artifact and actions/download-artifact project repositories. However, attempting to use a version of the actions after the announced deprecation date will result in a workflow failure. This deprecation will not impact any existing versions of GitHub Enterprise Server being used by customers.

    This announcement will also be added to actions/upload-artifact and actions/download-artifact. Please visit the documentation to learn more about storing workflow data as artifacts in Actions.

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    Dependabot support for pub private repositories and registries

    If you use private hosted pub repositories or registries to manage your Dart dependencies, Dependabot can now automatically update those dependencies. By adding the details of the private repository or registry to dependabot.yml, Dependabot will be able to access and update these dependencies.

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    Secret scanning adds webhook support for validity checks

    The secret_scanning_alert webhook is sent for activity related to secret scanning alerts. Secret scanning webhooks now support validity checks, so you can keep track of changes to validity status.

    Changes to the secret_scanning_alert webhook:

    • A new validity property that is either active, inactive, or unknown depending on the most recent validity check.
    • A new action type, validated, which is triggered when a secret’s validity status changes.

    Note: you must enable validity checks at the repository or organization level in order to opt in to the feature. This can be done from your secret scanning settings on the Code security and analysis settings page by selecting the option to “automatically verify if a secret is valid by sending it to the relevant partner.”

    Learn more about which secret types are supported or the secret scanning webhook.

    See more

    Enhanced Codespaces Connection

    We’re excited to announce an important upgrade to the Codespaces connection infrastructure. Our team has been working to enhance the security, reliability, and overall performance of both the main connection and port forwarding features.

    What’s Changing

    To support these enhancements, we require the addition of *.visualstudio.com to be allowlisted for your firewall rules. This is a crucial step to ensure a seamless and secure experience with Codespaces.

    Release Plan

    Today we are going to enable you to opt into this new connection system through the Feature Preview section on github.com. This feature flag will be an opt-in flag for two weeks to enable you to test these changes against your own firewalls.

    In two weeks we will turn on these changes as a default. Users can opt out of using this new connection system for 30 days under the same feature flag. Customers who need more time will be able to request extra time through GitHub Support.

    After 30 more days we will move everyone over to our new connection system.

    Your Action Needed

    Ensure that *.visualstudio.com is allowlisted under your firewall rules.

    Enable the feature flag under github.com to test these changes out yourself, as well as to ensure these domains are added to your firewall rules promptly to maintain uninterrupted access and optimal functionality of Codespaces.

    If you’re having any issues, read our firewall troubleshooting guide.

    We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we continue to improve your experience with Codespaces. If you have any questions or need assistance, our support team is here to help.

    Thank you for being a valued member of the Codespaces community.

    See more

    GitHub Issues & Projects – Projects without Limits Private Beta

    When we first introduced GitHub Projects, we set a limit of 1,200 items per project to keep projects snappy and encourage tracking of only active work. Your feedback over the years has been invaluable, and we heard you loud and clear – sometimes, 1,200 items just isn’t enough for those growing, scaling projects. That’s why today, we’re excited to announce the private beta of Projects without Limits, which will enable unlimited issue limits on your projects.

    While this feature is still under development, the private beta currently supports the table, board, and roadmap layouts. Stay tuned for upcoming support for other beloved features such as slice by, swimlanes, mobile support, Projects API, and insights.

    If you’re a project admin and your project is nearing the item limit while exclusively using our supported features, this banner will appear over your project.

    To join the private beta waitlist, click the Join waitlist button. If space is available, your project will be granted beta access.

    For questions and feedback, please visit our Community Discussion.

    See more

    VS Code Copilot Chat January 2024 (version 0.12)

    Copilot enhancements in Visual Studio Code

    We have introduced several features to the Copilot Chat extension in Visual Studio Code. These updates, available in Visual Studio Code 1.86 and the latest Copilot Chat extension 0.12, aim to provide a more streamlined and interactive coding experience. From new context variables that offer more control over the context you provide to Copilot, to expanded voice control capabilities, these updates are designed to improve your interaction with Copilot. Let’s take a closer look at these new features.

    Context variables

    You can use context variables to provide additional context to your questions in chat by using the # symbol. We have introduced two new context variables: #file and #editor to give you more control to specify that context.

    The #file variable lets you reference specific files from your workspace in your chat prompt. This helps make the answers from Copilot Chat more relevant to your code by providing context about the file you are working with. You can ask questions like “Can you suggest improvements to #file:package.json?” or “How do I add an extension in #file:devcontainer.json?”. By using the #file variable, you can get more targeted and accurate responses from Copilot.

    image

    With the #editor context variable, you have control over whether to include the visible code of the active editor in your prompt to Copilot Chat. Previously, this information was automatically included when you hadn’t selected text in the editor. Now, you can choose to explicitly add the visible code to the context or omit it for more general questions.

    image

    The #selection context variable already enabled you to focus Copilot’s suggestions on the specific code you select in the editor. By combining the #file, #editor, and #selection variables, you have full control over the context you provide to Copilot Chat, ensuring that you receive the most relevant and helpful answers.

    Inline chat

    We also added several features, such as Copilot Code Actions and an updated live mode, to make your Copilot inline chat experience more productive.

    As you’re writing and iterating over your code, you can now invoke Copilot through Code Actions (light bulb) on a specific line in the editor. This functionality gives you direct and targeted access to Copilot to improve your code. When there is an error in the code, you can use the sparkle Code Action to let Copilot explain the error or propose a fix.

    Image

    With the updated inline chat live mode, you can now see and evaluate the suggested code modifications in-place in the editor. Additionally, you have the option to drill through to the inline diff editor to compare the proposed changes against the original code.

    Responsible AI

    We emphasize responsible usage of AI, especially when it comes to source code. We’ve added a new setting that asks users for confirmation before saving code that was generated by Copilot. This ensures that users have control over the code generated by Copilot and can review it before saving.

    This setting, inlineChat.acceptedOrDiscardBeforeSave, is enabled by default. When the setting is enabled, a file save will wait for the user to accept or discard any pending inline chat session. This also applies when Auto Save is enabled, which will be temporarily turned off until inline chat has ended.

    Image

    Enhancing voice interactions

    We have further enhanced voice interactions in VS Code by giving you more flexibility and options for initiating voice interactions.

    Now, you can use the “Hey Code” voice command to start a voice session with Copilot Chat. You can choose whether you want this voice command to open the Chat view, inline chat in the editor, quick chat, or choose dynamically based on where the focus is.

    To enable this voice command, make sure to install the GitHub Copilot Chat and VS Code Speech extensions. Once installed, you can enable the “Hey Code” voice command in the accessibility.voice.keywordActivation setting.

    In addition, you can accelerate voice input for chat by using the “hold to speak” mode: press and hold the keybinding for inline chat and voice recording automatically starts. As soon as you release the keys, the request is sent to Copilot.

    Besides these main features, you can also explore our other exciting new preview features.

    See more

    Copilot in GitHub Support (GA)

    We are excited to announce the GA release of Copilot in GitHub Support, a faster way to find answers to your GitHub-related questions! Copilot in GitHub Support is an AI-powered assistant that answers questions based on our official GitHub documentation.
    It will help you get instant answers to some of your basic questions without needing to create a support ticket.

    This tool is part of our ongoing efforts to make GitHub the best place for all developers to collaborate, innovate, and ship great software. We believe that Copilot in GitHub Support will enhance your experience and productivity.

    We look forward to hearing from you and learning from your feedback. Try out Copilot in GitHub Support today!

    See more

    Secret scanning adds validity checks for Stripe, Telegram, SendGrid, and more

    Secret scanning is extending validity check support to several additional token types.

    Validity checks indicate if the leaked credentials are active and could still be exploited. If you’ve previously enabled validation checks for a given repository, GitHub will now automatically verify validity for alerts on supported token types. In addition to token types announced in our previous changelogs, you will now see validity checks for the following token types:

    Provider Token
    Dropbox dropbox_short_lived_access_token
    Notion notion_integration_token
    OpenAI openai_api_key
    OpenAI openai_api_key_v2
    SendGrid sendgrid_api_key
    Stripe stripe_api_key
    Stripe stripe_test_secret_key
    Telegram telegram_bot_token

    Validity checks are available for repositories with GitHub Advanced Security on Enterprise Cloud. You can enable the feature at both organization and repository levels from the “Code security and analysis” settings page by checking the option to “automatically verify if a secret is valid by sending to the relevant partner.”

    Learn more about secret scanning or our supported patterns for validity checks.

    See more

    Code scanning can now be enabled on repositories before they contain CodeQL supported languages

    Code scanning can now be enabled on repositories even if they don’t contain any code written in the languages currently supported by CodeQL. Default setup will automatically trigger the first scan when a supported language is detected on the default branch. This means users can now enable code scanning using default setup, for example on empty repositories, and have confidence that they will be automatically protected in the future when the languages in the repository change to include supported languages.

    This also takes effect from the organization level so you can bulk-enable code scanning on repositories without CodeQL supported languages.

    Enabled on repo without supported languages

    This change is now on GitHub.com and will be available in GitHub Enterprise Server 3.13. For more information, see “About code scanning default setup.”

    See more

    Support ticket priority for GitHub Enterprise

    Support tickets created for GitHub Enterprise are assigned a priority based on the circumstances and impact of the issue.

    Enterprise members with support entitlements were able to suggest the initial priority of a support ticket when contacting GitHub Support. To ensure that support requests are handled in order, and according to their circumstances and impact, GitHub Support will set the initial priority of all support tickets.

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    Gradle starter workflows now automatically submit transitive dependencies

    If you’re using starter workflows to prepare the build and release steps for your Java projects that use Gradle, these projects will now have more comprehensive dependency graph information in GitHub. The Gradle starter workflows have been updated to automatically submit transitive dependencies to GitHub, improving the quality of dependency graph data and Dependabot updates for these apps.

    Learn more about the action these starter workflows use by checking out the Build with Gradle action on the GitHub Marketplace. Thank you Gradle for making these updates!

    Join the discussion within GitHub Community.

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    Code faster and better with GitHub Copilot’s new features in Visual Studio

    We have introduced two new powerful features to the latest Visual Studio Copilot Chat extension: slash commands (/) that allow you to direct Copilot to perform specific tasks, and context Variables (#) that allow you to specify a file for Copilot to focus its answer on. These features are available on the latest Chat extension that is compatible with Visual Studio 2022 version 17.8 and higher.

    Slash Commands

    Slash commands are special commands that you can use in chat to receive targeted assistance, including explanations, documentation, test creation, and various other forms of support related to your code. For example, you can use:

    • /doc to add a documentation comment
    • /explain to explain the code
    • /fix to propose a fix for the problems in the selected code
    • /generate to generate code to answer your question
    • /help to get help with Copilot Chat
    • /optimize to analyze and improve the running time of the selected code
    • /tests to create unit tests for the selected code

    VS Code Slash Commands

    Context Variables

    The context variables feature enables you to add files from your solution into your questions using the # symbol. By referencing a file in this way, you allow Copilot to access the content of the file and provide more targeted answers about it. For example, you can ask “How does the #file:’Main.cs’ file work?” or “What is the purpose of the #file:’Calculator.cs’ file?” and get relevant answers from Copilot Chat. You can add multiple files to one question.

    VS Code Context Variables

    Besides these main features, you can also explore our other exciting new preview features

    Join the discussion within GitHub Community.

    See more

    GitHub Actions: macOS 14 (Sonoma) is now available

    The macOS 14 runner image is now available for GitHub hosted runners. Workflows executed on this image will run exclusively on the 3 vCPU M1 runner announced earlier today. To use the runner, simply update the runs-on: key in your YAML workflow file to macos-14, macos-14-xlarge, or macos-14-large.

    The macOS 12 runner image will remain latest until migration of the latest YAML workflow label to macOS 14 in Q2 FY24 (April – June 2024). While macOS 13 is now generally available under the macos-13 label, this image will not be migrated to latest. Following this announcement, macOS 11 runner image will begin deprecation immediately with retirement expected to complete by June 2024.

    The full list of software available for all macOS runner images can be found here. If there is software you require that is not installed on the image, please create an issue in the runner-images repository.

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