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Overview

Every Stardeck project is backed by a private GitHub repository in the stardeck-customer-repos organization. Stardeck provides a built-in interface to access your project’s GitHub repository access directly.

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Understanding GitHub Permissions

Stardeck supports three permission levels for collaborators:

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Read Permission

  • View and clone the repository
  • Download repository contents
  • Cannot push changes or modify code
  • Ideal for: Stakeholders, managers, external reviewers

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Write Permission

  • All Read permissions plus:
  • Push commits to non-protected branches
  • Create and merge pull requests
  • Cannot modify repository settings or manage access
  • Ideal for: Developers, team members, active contributors

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Admin Permission

  • All Write permissions plus:
  • Manage repository settings and webhooks
  • Add or remove collaborators directly on GitHub
  • Full control over the repository
  • Ideal for: Project leads, DevOps engineers, technical managers
Admin permission grants full repository control. Only assign this to trusted team members who need to manage repository settings.

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Adding Collaborators

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Step 1: Navigate to Repository Settings

  1. Open your project in Stardeck
  2. Go to Project Settings
  3. Click the Repository tab
  4. Locate the GitHub Repository Access section

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Step 2: Add a GitHub User

  1. Click the “Add GitHub User” button
  2. Enter the collaborator’s GitHub username (e.g., octocat)
  3. Select the appropriate permission level:
    • Read - View and clone only
    • Write - View, clone, and push code
    • Admin - Full repository access
  4. Click “Add Collaborator”
The GitHub username must be exact and case-sensitive. Make sure your collaborator has a GitHub account before adding them.

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Step 3: Invitation Status

After adding a collaborator:
  • Pending Invitation - The user will receive an invitation email from GitHub
  • They must accept the invitation on GitHub to gain access
  • Pending invitations show as “Pending invitation acceptance” in the list
  • Once accepted, they appear as active collaborators

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Managing Existing Collaborators

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Refreshing the List

Click the refresh icon to fetch the latest collaborator list from GitHub. This ensures you see:
  • Recently accepted invitations
  • Collaborators added directly on GitHub
  • Current permission levels

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Removing Collaborators

To remove someone’s access:
  1. Locate the collaborator in the list
  2. Click the trash icon next to their name
  3. Confirm the removal in the dialog
  4. The user will immediately lose repository access
Removing a collaborator is immediate and cannot be undone. They will lose access to clone, view, and push to the repository. You can re-invite them later if needed.

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Removing Pending Invitations

If someone hasn’t accepted their invitation yet, you can cancel it:
  1. Find the pending invitation (marked “Pending invitation acceptance”)
  2. Click the trash icon
  3. Confirm to delete the invitation
The invitation will be canceled and won’t appear in their GitHub notifications.

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Troubleshooting

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Collaborator Can’t See the Repository

Common causes:
  • The invitation is still pending - Ask them to check their GitHub email
  • They used the wrong GitHub account - Verify the username
  • Invitation expired - Remove and re-invite them
  • They haven’t accepted on GitHub - Send them the invitation link
Solution: Have them check github.com/stardeck-customer-repos/[your-repo] and accept the invitation.

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Permission Changes Not Reflecting

Issue: Updated permissions aren’t showing for a collaborator Solution:
  1. Click the refresh button to sync with GitHub
  2. Wait a few seconds for GitHub’s API to update
  3. Have the collaborator sign out and back in to GitHub
  4. Check directly on GitHub to confirm the change

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Can’t Add a Collaborator

Common causes:
  • Invalid username - Double-check spelling and case
  • User doesn’t exist - Verify they have a GitHub account
  • Already added - Check if they’re in the pending or active list
  • GitHub API limits - Wait a few minutes and retry
Solution: Verify the username on github.com/[username] first, then retry.

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Pending Invitation Won’t Cancel

Issue: Can’t remove a pending invitation Solution:
  1. Refresh the collaborator list
  2. Try removing again
  3. If it persists, go directly to GitHub repository settings
  4. Navigate to Settings → Collaborators and cancel there

Working with Branches

Learn how collaborators can create and work with Git branches in your project.
Need help managing access for your team? Reach out to support through your Stardeck dashboard.