Students cannot sign in due to ghost accounts

[gonzalezgp]

Hi everyone,

I have about 10 out of 26 students are having issues accepting the assignment. I asked them to log into github, then type the assignment link on the web browser address field, they reach the assignment. When they accept the assignment and github tries to create the repository, but it switches to ghost accounts and the repository never gets created. What options do we have to resolve this?

[arpon-kapuria]

Hey, this is a known issue that can occur when students are logged into GitHub Classroom using multiple accounts or their browser has cached a previous GitHub login (like a school-issued or auto-generated "ghost" account). Try following these steps -

• Ask Students to Fully Log Out and Log Back In.
• Clear your browser cookies for github.com.
• Use Incognito / Private Browsing Mode.
• Log into your correct GitHub account.
• Paste the assignment link in the address bar and press enter.
• Accept the assignment. Your repo should now be created correctly.

> If this somehow helps you to solve your problem, please mark this answer as the solution.

[Dashrath-Patel]

Hey! This is a super common GitHub Classroom issue. The "ghost account" problem happens when students are logged into the wrong GitHub account.

Quick Fix for Your Students

Tell them to do this:

1. Sign out of GitHub completely
2. Clear browser cache/cookies
3. Sign back in with their correct account
4. Try the assignment link again

Why This Happens

Students usually have multiple GitHub accounts or browser is mixing up login sessions.

If That Doesn't Work

• Try incognito/private browsing mode
• Have them revoke GitHub Classroom access in Settings → Applications → Authorized OAuth Apps
• Then try the assignment link again

Pro Tip

Before future assignments, have students screenshot their GitHub profile page so you know which account they're using.

This logout/fresh login fix works for about 80% of these cases. Let me know if you still have issues after they try this!

[gonzalezgp]

Unfortunately, it didn't work. All 10 students tried on their personal laptops, but when it is for the step to create the repository, it doesn't and switches to a ghost account.

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[VMorHSE]

When this issue occurs, GitHub Classroom typically creates a repository named -ghost. To resolve it:

1. First, manually delete the incorrect repository from GitHub
2. Then ask the student to accept the assignment again using the original invitation link
3. If the student sees a "Reaccept" option, they should use it

This approach has worked successfully in my experience.

[mayurcodes01]

That matches what I’ve seen as well, and it’s good advice.

When GitHub Classroom creates a -ghost repository, it usually means something went wrong during the initial acceptance or provisioning step. Deleting the incorrect repo first is important, otherwise Classroom often refuses to recreate it properly.

After that:

Have the student go back to the original invitation link and accept the assignment again.

If GitHub shows a “Reaccept” option, that’s the one they should use.

In most cases, the repository is recreated correctly on the second attempt. It’s a bit unintuitive, but this manual cleanup plus reaccept flow has been the most reliable fix in my experience too.