Live Folders: support GitHub Enterprise instances by gcsecsey · Pull Request #13044 · zen-browser/desktop

gcsecsey · 2026-04-01T20:47:16Z

Related issues

Proposed Changes

The GitHub Live Folder provider currently hardcodes https://github.com as its only source, preventing users with GitHub Enterprise (GHE) instances from using the feature.

This PR adds full GitHub Enterprise support with two authentication strategies:

1. Configurable GitHub host per folder

Each GitHub live folder targets a configurable instance (defaults to github.com)
First folder creation skips the prompt for a frictionless default experience; subsequent folders prompt for the host URL
"Instance: hostname" context menu option allows changing the host after creation
Folder label includes the hostname for non-github.com instances (e.g., "Pull Requests (github.corp.com)")

2. Personal Access Token (PAT) authentication for GHE

For GHE instances, cookie-based auth won't work, so PAT authentication is supported via the GitHub REST API (/search/issues)
Tokens are stored securely in Firefox's Login Manager (encrypted, supports Primary Password) — never in the JSON state file
"Set Access Token…" / "Remove Access Token" context menu options for token management
Clicking the error triangle on a GHE folder opens the PAT creation page with pre-selected repo scope
Token expiry is handled gracefully: 401/403 clears the stored token and shows an actionable error
When a PAT is available, fetching switches from HTML scraping to the REST API (more reliable and future-proof)

3. Security hardening

HTTPS-only for host URLs (HTTP rejected to prevent cleartext PAT transmission)
_hasToken runtime flag excluded from state file serialization
Stored PAT cleaned up from Login Manager when folder is deleted (if no other folder shares the host)
API queries parallelized with Promise.all for better performance

4. Broader auth error detection

Any non-2xx HTTP response treated as auth failure (not just 404)
GHE instances without a PAT skip HTML scraping entirely and show the auth error directly
Empty API results (authenticated but no matching items) no longer incorrectly treated as auth failures

Files changed

File	Purpose
`providers/GithubAuth.sys.mjs`	New — Secure PAT storage CRUD via Firefox Login Manager
`providers/GithubLiveFolder.sys.mjs`	Host state, REST API fetch path, PAT UI options, GHE-specific error handling
`ZenLiveFolder.sys.mjs`	Added `headers` parameter to base `fetch()` method
`ZenLiveFoldersManager.sys.mjs`	Conditional host prompt, PAT cleanup on folder delete
`moz.build`	Register new `GithubAuth.sys.mjs` module
`zen-live-folders.ftl`	Localization strings for instance prompt, PAT options, error messages
`browser_github_live_folder.js`	Tests for custom host, GHE auth flow, error detection

Testing Instructions

Default github.com flow — Create a GitHub PR live folder via right-click sidebar → Create Live Folder → Pull Requests. Should work as before with no prompt (defaults to github.com).
Add a GHE instance — Create a second PR folder. Enter your GHE URL in the prompt (e.g., https://github.corp.com). The PAT creation page should open on your GHE instance.
Set the PAT — Right-click the GHE folder → Live Folder Options → "Set Access Token…" → paste the token. PRs should appear after refresh.
Verify error triangle — For a GHE folder without a PAT, the triangle should appear. Clicking it opens the PAT creation page (no prompt window).
Change instance — Right-click → Live Folder Options → "Instance: hostname" → enter a different URL.
Delete folder — Delete the GHE folder. Verify the PAT is cleaned up (check about:logins).
Run tests — npm run test live-folders

Allow each GitHub live folder to target a configurable GitHub instance instead of hardcoding github.com. Users are prompted for the instance URL when creating a folder, and can change it later via the context menu "Instance" option. - Add `host` to GitHub provider state (defaults to github.com) - Derive fetch URL and login redirect from the configured host - Add `promptForHost()` static method (follows RSS pattern) - Add "Instance: hostname" option in Live Folder context menu - Broaden auth error detection (any non-2xx + empty results) - Add localization strings for instance prompt and validation - Update tests for custom host support Related to zen-browser#12768

- Add GithubAuth.sys.mjs: secure PAT storage via Firefox Login Manager (tokens stored with unique httpRealm, never in JSON state file) - Add REST API fetch path: when a PAT is available, use GitHub's /search/issues API instead of HTML scraping (more reliable for GHE) - Add headers support to base fetch() method via channel.setRequestHeader - Add "Set/Remove Access Token" context menu options - Open PAT creation page with pre-selected scopes when configuring GHE - Skip host prompt for first GitHub folder (defaults to github.com) - Handle token expiry: clear stored token on 401/403, prompt for new one - Add comprehensive tests for custom host, auth detection, and state defaults

- Triangle click always opens PAT creation page (no prompt window) - GHE instances without PAT skip HTML scraping, show auth error directly - Empty API results no longer treated as auth failure (valid empty search) - Register GithubAuth.sys.mjs in moz.build - Remove debug logging

Security: - Exclude _hasToken from serialize() to prevent state file leakage - Only allow HTTPS for GitHub host URLs (reject HTTP) - Clean up stored PAT when folder is deleted (if no other folder shares host) Performance: - Parallelize API queries with Promise.all (saves 400-1000ms per cycle) Correctness: - Use || instead of ?? for host default (prevents empty string breaking URL) - Fix broken GHE tests (GHE early-returns before fetch, so test fetch assertions) - Remove dead hasToken() method from GithubTokenManager

- Extract `get #isGitHubEnterprise` getter (replaces 3 inline checks) - Extract `get #hasAnyFilterEnabled` getter (eliminates duplication between fetchItems and fetchItemsViaApi) - Use Promise.allSettled for API queries (preserves partial results when one query fails instead of losing all results) - Sync _hasToken on 401/403 token removal

mr-cheffy · 2026-04-01T21:27:53Z

Not too sure about this, it certainly seems to add quite the level of complexity from the user's side...

mirai-toto · 2026-04-02T13:38:40Z

Not too sure about this, it certainly seems to add quite the level of complexity from the user's side...

What makes you think that? Is it the concept or the usage? I think if this feature is greenlit, we could have settings on a Live Folder when right-clicking it, where we could set a token or URL.

Or is it the customization of Live Folders that feels too advanced?

gcsecsey · 2026-04-02T13:52:19Z

@mr-cheffy thanks for the feedback. Yes, I was experimenting with using only cookie-based auth to make the UX just as simple as for github.com, but GHE instances are typically behind SSO/SAML, so the cookie-based approach is not reliable.

This requires us to manage the entry and storage of the PAT in some way, I'm not sure if the current approach is the best UX. This is how the current flow looks like:

User creates a second GitHub live folder, and gets prompted for the host URL

2. Clicking the error triangle opens the GHE's "Create new token" page with pre-selected scopes

3. User then right-clicks the folder → "Set Access Token…" to paste the token

4. Once the PAT is set, the user can remove it by right-clicking the folder → "Remove Access Token" then set a new one

Could you advise how we can make this flow easier to use?

mr-cheffy · 2026-04-02T14:19:27Z

Or is it the customization of Live Folders that feels too advanced?

Yes, I feel like part of the magic behind live folders is that everything feels seeming-less... Give me some time to think about this, maybe there's a nicer solution

mr-cheffy · 2026-04-05T07:15:14Z

+      }

-      if (!hasAnyFilterEnabled) {
+      // GHE instances require a PAT — HTML scraping won't work without cookies


We are sending cookies though?

Not at the moment, I started working on this by testing my own use-case (SAML). However, GHE support these 4 auth methods, and for instances using the built in auth, the same flow should work that already works with github.com.

I'll update the PR to try to use cookies first, and only fall back to requiring a PAT if that approach fails. Unfortunately, AFAIK there's no way to detect the auth method from the client side.

gcsecsey added 4 commits April 1, 2026 15:22

gcsecsey changed the title ~~feat: GitHub Enterprise instance support for Live Folders~~ Live Folders: support GitHub Enterprise instances Apr 1, 2026

gcsecsey marked this pull request as ready for review April 1, 2026 20:49

gcsecsey requested a review from mr-cheffy as a code owner April 1, 2026 20:49

dosubot bot added size:XL This PR changes 500-999 lines, ignoring generated files. Feature labels Apr 1, 2026

mr-cheffy requested changes Apr 5, 2026

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Live Folders: support GitHub Enterprise instances#13044

Live Folders: support GitHub Enterprise instances#13044
gcsecsey wants to merge 5 commits intozen-browser:devfrom
gcsecsey:feat/github-enterprise-live-folders

gcsecsey commented Apr 1, 2026

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gcsecsey commented Apr 1, 2026

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