install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install git-credential-libsecret

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add git-credential-libsecret

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · git-credential-libsecret · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install git-credential-libsecret

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · git-credential-libsecret · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install git-credential-libsecret

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · git-credential-libsecret · source: download.opensuse.org

overview

Package summary

Git helper for accessing credentials via libsecret

Project links

Commands and aliases

git-credential-libsecret

history

Project history and usage

git-credential-libsecret is Git's Linux Secret Service credential helper. It lets Git store and retrieve HTTPS credentials through libsecret-backed wallets such as GNOME Keyring or KDE Wallet instead of keeping long-lived credentials in plaintext files.

Project history

The helper entered Git's contrib area in 2016. Its initial Git commit describes it as based on the earlier GNOME Keyring helper, replacing the deprecated, GNOME-specific libgnome-keyring library with libsecret and the XDG Secret Service API.

Later Git-side changes kept the helper aligned with Git's credential protocol. A 2017 change made it unlock locked secrets through the Secret Service interface, and 2023 changes added storage for password expiry and OAuth refresh-token attributes while preserving compatibility with older stored credentials.

Adoption history

Git's credential-helper documentation lists git-credential-libsecret alongside macOS Keychain and Windows Credential Manager as the Linux secure persistent storage option. That placement made it part of the standard Git credential-helper ecosystem rather than a standalone password-manager integration.

Linux package managers expose it as a separate package because the helper depends on libsecret and desktop secret-service libraries that are not always part of a minimal Git build.

How it is used

Practitioners configure it through Git's `credential.helper` setting, usually in `~/.gitconfig`, `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config`, or a repository `.git/config`. After configuration, Git invokes `git credential-libsecret` through the credential-helper protocol during HTTP authentication.

Its use case is workstation Git over HTTPS: the first authentication stores a username and password, personal access token, or generated token in the desktop secret service, and later fetch, pull, and push operations retrieve it without prompting.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, git-credential-libsecret is a small but important split from the main Git package. It is tied to desktop-secret-service dependencies, so distributing it separately keeps headless or minimal Git installs lean while giving Linux desktop users OS-integrated credential storage.

It also illustrates Git's extension model: a helper in `contrib/credential` can become a distro-facing executable without changing Git's core credential protocol.

Timeline

2016: Git adds `contrib/credential/libsecret` as a libsecret replacement for the GNOME Keyring helper.
2017: The helper learns to unlock locked Secret Service items when reading credentials.
2023: The helper stores Git credential attributes such as password expiry and OAuth refresh tokens in a backwards-compatible secret format.
2025: Git fixes compilation of the libsecret helper in contrib.

Related projects

git-credential-cache and git-credential-store are Git's built-in generic helpers; libsecret fills the Linux secure-storage role.
git-credential-osxkeychain and git-credential-wincred are the analogous platform-specific helpers for macOS and Windows.
Git Credential Manager and git-credential-oauth are related helpers that generate or manage credentials through broader authentication workflows.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 3 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ~/.gitconfig$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/git/config.git/config

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`git-credential-libsecret`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version2.55.0

manager updated2026-06-29

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://git-scm.com

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://git-scm.comnone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:git-credential-libsecret
Version	2.55.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/git-credential-libsecret
Homepage	https://git-scm.com
Repository	https://github.com/git/git
Upstream docs	https://git-scm.com/doc/credential-helpers
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.55.0.tar.xz
Last updated	2026-06-29T20:54:53Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	gettext, glib, libsecret
Build dependencies	pkgconf
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	git-credential-libsecret
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

apk95%

git-credential-libsecret 2.54.0-r0

libsecret-based credential helper

https://www.git-scm.com/

sudo apk add git-credential-libsecret

License: GPL-2.0-only
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: git
1 dependencies
normalized package name match
Matched by: Git Credential Libsecret

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org · Alpine Linux edge package indexes: git-credential-libsecret from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz

dnf95%

git-credential-libsecret 2.54.0-1.fc45

Git helper for accessing credentials via libsecret

https://git-scm.com/

sudo dnf install git-credential-libsecret

License: BSD-3-Clause AND GPL-2.0-only AND GPL-2.0-or-later AND LGPL-2.1-or-later AND MIT
Category: Unspecified
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: git
6 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Git Credential Libsecret

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · dl.fedoraproject.org · Fedora Rawhide package metadata: git-credential-libsecret from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

zypper95%

git-credential-libsecret 2.54.0-2.1

Git credential backend using libsecret to access keyring

https://git-scm.com/

sudo zypper install git-credential-libsecret

License: GPL-2.0-only
Category: Development/Tools/Version Control
Architecture: x86_64
Source Package: git
5 dependencies
1 provides
normalized package name match
Matched by: Git Credential Libsecret

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · download.opensuse.org · openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: git-credential-libsecret from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/git-credential-libsecret.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install git-credential-libsecret with Homebrew, apk, dnf, zypper