Prompting to install a github app in a user account not currently active results in a 404

[xmo-odoo]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

API

Body

endpoint: /apps/YOUR_APP_NAME/installations/new/permissions?suggested_target_id=<uid> and /apps/YOUR_APP_NAME/installations/new/permissions?target_id=<uid>

1. if logged in and <uid> is the current user, results in a "Approve & Install" screen (or just "Install" if target_id)
2. if logged in and <uid> is an organization the user is a member of, the screen says "Approve, Install, & Request"
3. if logged in and <uid> is not the current user, results in a 404, even if <uid> is in the account switcher
4. if logged in and <uid> is an organization the user is not member of, results in a 404
5. if not logged in, displays a login screen with no useful indication whatsoever (notably no prefilled login)

Case (3) and (4) are especially annoying when juggling multiple user accounts, especially when all the information is public (e.g. the app is publicly available and the accounts are plain github user or organization accounts not restricted or otherwise hidden).

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[AhmadHassan-BTed]

Yes : ( throwing a generic 404 for this is super lazy on GitHub's part. Their session manager basically just gives up if the active session doesn't perfectly match the target ID, rather than just popping open the account switcher for them.

Until they actually fix the redirect logic to handle inactive accounts properly, the only real workaround as an app dev is to just put a giant warning above your install link. You basically have to explicitly tell users to make sure the right account is set to active in their browser before they click the button, otherwise they'll just hit a dead end.

[emireln]

This usually happens because GitHub resolves the currently logged-in user as the install target when the OAuth/App install URL does not pin an explicit account context.

Common causes of a 404 during app install prompt

1. The app slug or client configuration does not allow user-account installs (org-only app).
2. You are logged into a different account than the one you expect in that browser session.
3. The install URL is missing target_id / account hint parameters for multi-account sessions.

Things to try

1. Open the install link in a private/incognito window and sign in as the intended user first.
2. Use the explicit user install URL format from the app's settings page rather than a copied deep link.
3. If you manage multiple accounts, go to https://github.com/settings/installations while logged into the target account and install from there.
4. Confirm the app is published/approved for user installs (some internal apps are org-scoped only).

For API-driven flows
When building the authorization URL, include the correct redirect URI and ensure the app registration has User authorization callback URL configured if you expect user-level installs.

If you can share the install URL pattern (redacted client id) and whether the app is org-only, we can narrow down whether this is expected authorization behavior or a broken install link.