---
type: concepts, howto
stage: Manage
group: Access
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Personal access tokens **(FREE)**

> - Notifications for expiring tokens [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/3649) in GitLab 12.6.
> - Token lifetime limits [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/3649) in GitLab 12.6.
> - Additional notifications for expiring tokens [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/214721) in GitLab 13.3.
> - Prefill for token name and scopes [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/334664) in GitLab 14.1.

Personal access tokens can be an alternative to [OAuth2](../../api/oauth2.md) and used to:

- Authenticate with the [GitLab API](../../api/index.md#personalproject-access-tokens).
- Authenticate with Git using HTTP Basic Authentication.

In both cases, you authenticate with a personal access token in place of your password.

Personal access tokens are:

- Required when [two-factor authentication (2FA)](account/two_factor_authentication.md) is enabled.
- Used with a GitLab username to authenticate with GitLab features that require usernames. For example,
  [GitLab managed Terraform state backend](../infrastructure/iac/terraform_state.md#using-a-gitlab-managed-terraform-state-backend-as-a-remote-data-source)
  and [Docker container registry](../packages/container_registry/index.md#authenticate-with-the-container-registry),
- Similar to [project access tokens](../project/settings/project_access_tokens.md), but are attached
  to a user rather than a project.

NOTE:
Though required, GitLab usernames are ignored when authenticating with a personal access token.
There is an [issue for tracking](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/212953) to make GitLab
use the username.

For examples of how you can use a personal access token to authenticate with the API, see the [API documentation](../../api/index.md#personalproject-access-tokens).

Alternately, GitLab administrators can use the API to create [impersonation tokens](../../api/index.md#impersonation-tokens).
Use impersonation tokens to automate authentication as a specific user.

## Create a personal access token

You can create as many personal access tokens as you like.

1. In the top-right corner, select your avatar.
1. Select **Edit profile**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Access Tokens**.
1. Enter a name and optional expiry date for the token.
1. Select the [desired scopes](#personal-access-token-scopes).
1. Select **Create personal access token**.

Save the personal access token somewhere safe. After you leave the page,
you no longer have access to the token.

### Prefill personal access token name and scopes

You can link directly to the Personal Access Token page and have the form prefilled with a name and
list of scopes. To do this, you can append a `name` parameter and a list of comma-separated scopes
to the URL. For example:

```plaintext
https://gitlab.example.com/-/profile/personal_access_tokens?name=Example+Access+token&scopes=api,read_user,read_registry
```

WARNING:
Personal access tokens must be treated carefully. Read our [token security considerations](../../security/token_overview.md#security-considerations)
for guidance on managing personal access tokens (for example, setting a short expiry and using minimal scopes).

## Revoke a personal access token

At any time, you can revoke a personal access token.

1. In the top-right corner, select your avatar.
1. Select **Edit profile**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Access Tokens**.
1. In the **Active personal access tokens** area, next to the key, select **Revoke**.

## View the last time a token was used

Token usage is updated once every 24 hours. It is updated each time the token is used to request
[API resources](../../api/api_resources.md) and the [GraphQL API](../../api/graphql/index.md).

To view the last time a token was used:

1. In the top-right corner, select your avatar.
1. Select **Edit profile**.
1. On the left sidebar, select **Access Tokens**.
1. In the **Active personal access tokens** area, next to the key, view the **Last Used** date.

## Personal access token scopes

A personal access token can perform actions based on the assigned scopes.

| Scope              | Access |
|--------------------|--------|
| `api`              | Read-write for the complete API, including all groups and projects, the Container Registry, and the Package Registry. |
| `read_user`        | Read-only for endpoints under `/users`. Essentially, access to any of the `GET` requests in the [Users API](../../api/users.md). |
| `read_api`         | Read-only for the complete API, including all groups and projects, the Container Registry, and the Package Registry. ([Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/28944) in GitLab 12.10.) |
| `read_repository`  | Read-only (pull) for the repository through `git clone`. |
| `write_repository` | Read-write (pull, push) for the repository through `git clone`. Required for accessing Git repositories over HTTP when 2FA is enabled. |
| `read_registry`    | Read-only (pull) for [Container Registry](../packages/container_registry/index.md) images if a project is private and authorization is required. |
| `write_registry`   | Read-write (push) for [Container Registry](../packages/container_registry/index.md) images if a project is private and authorization is required. ([Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/28958) in GitLab 12.10.) |
| `sudo`             | API actions as any user in the system (if the authenticated user is an administrator). |

## When personal access tokens expire

Personal access tokens expire on the date you define, at midnight UTC.

- GitLab runs a check at 01:00 AM UTC every day to identify personal access tokens that expire in the next seven days. The owners of these tokens are notified by email.
- GitLab runs a check at 02:00 AM UTC every day to identify personal access tokens that expire on the current date. The owners of these tokens are notified by email.
- In GitLab Ultimate, administrators can
  [limit the lifetime of personal access tokens](../admin_area/settings/account_and_limit_settings.md#limit-the-lifetime-of-personal-access-tokens).
- In GitLab Ultimate, administrators can choose whether or not to
  [enforce personal access token expiration](../admin_area/settings/account_and_limit_settings.md#allow-expired-personal-access-tokens-to-be-used).

## Create a personal access token programmatically **(FREE SELF)**

You can create a predetermined personal access token
as part of your tests or automation.

Prerequisite:

- You need sufficient access to run a
  [Rails console session](../../administration/operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session)
  for your GitLab instance.

To create a personal access token programmatically:

1. Open a Rails console:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-rails console
   ```

1. Run the following commands to reference the username, the token, and the scopes.

   The token must be 20 characters long. The scopes must be valid and are visible
   [in the source code](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/blob/master/lib/gitlab/auth.rb).

   For example, to create a token that belongs to a user with username `automation-bot`:

   ```ruby
   user = User.find_by_username('automation-bot')
   token = user.personal_access_tokens.create(scopes: [:read_user, :read_repository], name: 'Automation token')
   token.set_token('token-string-here123')
   token.save!
   ```

This code can be shortened into a single-line shell command by using the
[Rails runner](../../administration/troubleshooting/debug.md#using-the-rails-runner):

```shell
sudo gitlab-rails runner "token = User.find_by_username('automation-bot').personal_access_tokens.create(scopes: [:read_user, :read_repository], name: 'Automation token'); token.set_token('token-string-here123'); token.save!"
```

## Revoke a personal access token programmatically **(FREE SELF)**

You can programmatically revoke a personal access token
as part of your tests or automation.

Prerequisite:

- You need sufficient access to run a [Rails console session](../../administration/operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session)
  for your GitLab instance.

To revoke a token programmatically:

1. Open a Rails console:

   ```shell
   sudo gitlab-rails console
   ```

1. To revoke a token of `token-string-here123`, run the following commands:

   ```ruby
   token = PersonalAccessToken.find_by_token('token-string-here123')
   token.revoke!
   ```

This code can be shortened into a single-line shell command using the
[Rails runner](../../administration/troubleshooting/debug.md#using-the-rails-runner):

```shell
sudo gitlab-rails runner "PersonalAccessToken.find_by_token('token-string-here123').revoke!"
```

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