How to fix remote: error: GH007: Your push would publish a private email address in Git

GitBEGINNERLOWUpdated Oct 21, 2026· 349 views

The GH007 error occurs when GitHub's email privacy settings block a push because your commits contain your private email address. Fix it by configuring Git to use GitHub's noreply email address, then amend the offending commits.

Quick fix

Fixes GH007

{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com
  1. Find your GitHub noreply email address
  2. Configure Git to use the noreply email
  3. Fix the last commit's email address
  4. Fix multiple commits with private email
git — error
{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com
remote: error: GH007: Your push would publish a private email address

What this error means

This error means GitHub has detected that one or more of your commits contain your private email address, and your account is configured to block such pushes. GitHub's email privacy feature prevents accidental exposure of your personal email address in commit history. When you enable "Keep my email addresses private" in your GitHub settings, GitHub provides you with a special noreply email address in the format `{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com`. If you also enable "Block command line pushes that expose my email," GitHub will reject any push that contains commits authored with your real email address. This is a privacy protection feature, not an error in the traditional sense. GitHub is actively protecting your personal information from being permanently embedded in public commit history. Once a commit with your email is pushed to a public repository, it becomes part of the permanent Git history and can be scraped by bots or accessed by anyone.

Typical symptoms

  • Git push fails with 'remote: error: GH007: Your push would publish a private email address'
  • Push is rejected even though commit seems normal
  • Error mentions 'examine the commit(s) and then push again'
  • Push worked before enabling email privacy settings on GitHub
  • Only affects pushes to GitHub (not other Git hosting services)
  • CI/CD pipelines fail with GH007 error
  • New machine or fresh Git setup suddenly fails to push

Common causes

  1. Git is configured with your real email address instead of GitHub's noreply address
  2. Commits were made with your private email before changing Git config
  3. 'Block command line pushes that expose my email' is enabled in GitHub settings
  4. Merging branches or rebasing pulled in commits with your private email
  5. Git config was reset or not properly set up on a new machine
  6. IDE or Git GUI tool is using cached email configuration
  7. Pre-existing commits from before privacy settings were enabled

How to fix "remote: error: GH007: Your push would publish a private email address"

1Find your GitHub noreply email address

First, you need to locate your GitHub-provided noreply email address:

1. Go to [github.com/settings/emails](https://github.com/settings/emails)
2. Look for the "Keep my email addresses private" checkbox
3. Below it, you'll see text containing your noreply address in this format:

bash
{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com

For example: 12345678+yourname@users.noreply.github.com

Copy this address - you'll need it for the next steps.

Note: The numeric ID is unique to your account and helps GitHub link commits to your profile even when using the noreply address.

2Configure Git to use the noreply email

Update your Git configuration to use the noreply email for all future commits:

For all repositories (recommended):

bash
git config --global user.email "{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com"

For the current repository only:

bash
git config user.email "{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com"

Verify the configuration:

bash
git config user.email
# Should output: {ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com

Replace {ID}+{username} with your actual noreply address from the previous step.

3Fix the last commit's email address

If your most recent commit contains your private email, amend it to use the new configuration:

bash
git commit --amend --reset-author --no-edit

This command:
- --amend: Modifies the last commit instead of creating a new one
- --reset-author: Updates the author info to match your current Git config
- --no-edit: Keeps the same commit message

Try pushing again:

bash
git push

If successful, you're done! If you have multiple commits with the private email, continue to the next step.

4Fix multiple commits with private email

If several commits contain your private email, you'll need to rewrite them. First, find how many commits have the issue:

bash
git log --oneline | head -10

For a few recent commits (soft reset approach):

bash
# Reset to before the problematic commits (keeping changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~3  # Adjust number as needed

# Re-commit all changes with correct email
git commit -m "Your commit message"

For many commits (rebase approach):

bash
# Start interactive rebase (adjust number of commits)
git rebase -i HEAD~5

# In the editor, change 'pick' to 'edit' for commits needing email fix
# Save and close the editor

# For each commit that pauses:
git commit --amend --reset-author --no-edit
git rebase --continue

# Repeat until rebase completes

Warning: Rewriting history changes commit hashes. If you've already pushed these commits, you'll need to force push (see Advanced Notes).

5Push the fixed commits

After fixing the commits, push to GitHub:

bash
git push

If you rewrote commits that were already pushed, you'll need to force push:

bash
# Force push (use with caution!)
git push --force-with-lease

The --force-with-lease flag is safer than --force because it will fail if someone else has pushed to the branch since your last fetch.

Important: Only force push to branches you own. Never force push to shared branches like main without team coordination.

6Alternative: Disable the privacy blocking (not recommended)

If you intentionally want to use your real email in commits and accept the privacy implications:

1. Go to [github.com/settings/emails](https://github.com/settings/emails)
2. Find "Block command line pushes that expose my email"
3. Uncheck this option

This allows pushes with your real email but removes GitHub's privacy protection.

Consider these implications:
- Your email becomes publicly visible in commit history
- Email harvesting bots may scrape your address
- You cannot retroactively hide the email from pushed commits
- Spam and phishing targeting developers is common

Recommendation: Keep the blocking enabled and use the noreply address instead.

Advanced notes

### Why GitHub Uses This Protection

Email privacy is important because:

1. Commit history is permanent - Once pushed, emails in commits are part of the immutable Git history
2. Public repositories expose all committer emails - Anyone can view or scrape this data
3. Developer-targeted phishing is common - Email harvesters target developer emails for phishing campaigns
4. Professional/personal separation - Many developers prefer to keep work and personal identities separate

### Contribution Graph and Noreply Emails

Using GitHub's noreply address does not affect your contribution graph. GitHub links the noreply address to your account using the unique numeric ID prefix. Your commits will still:
- Count toward your contribution graph
- Show your profile picture and username
- Link back to your GitHub profile

### Handling Pre-existing Repositories

If you have many repositories with old commits containing your private email, you have options:

Option 1: Fix only new commits going forward
Just configure the noreply email - old commits remain unchanged but new ones will be correct.

Option 2: Rewrite entire repository history

bash
# WARNING: This rewrites ALL commit hashes
git filter-branch --env-filter '
OLD_EMAIL="your-old@email.com"
CORRECT_EMAIL="{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com"

if [ "$GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL" = "$OLD_EMAIL" ]
then
    export GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL"
fi
if [ "$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL" = "$OLD_EMAIL" ]
then
    export GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL="$CORRECT_EMAIL"
fi
' --tag-name-filter cat -- --branches --tags

Or use the modern alternative, git-filter-repo:

bash
pip install git-filter-repo
git filter-repo --email-callback '
    return email if email != b"your-old@email.com" else b"{ID}+{username}@users.noreply.github.com"
'

### IDE and Git GUI Configuration

Some IDEs cache Git configuration. Make sure to update email settings in:

- VS Code: Settings > Git: User Email
- IntelliJ/WebStorm: Settings > Version Control > Git > User Name/Email
- GitKraken: Preferences > Profiles
- Sourcetree: Tools > Options > General

### Multiple GitHub Accounts

If you use multiple GitHub accounts (e.g., personal and work), configure email per-repository or use Git's conditional includes:

gitconfig
# ~/.gitconfig
[includeIf "gitdir:~/work/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-work

[includeIf "gitdir:~/personal/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-personal

Then in ~/.gitconfig-work:

gitconfig
[user]
    email = {ID}+work-account@users.noreply.github.com

### Enterprise GitHub and Email Privacy

GitHub Enterprise may have different email privacy settings controlled by your organization. Contact your GitHub administrator if:
- The noreply email format differs from standard GitHub
- Email privacy options are not available
- Organization policies require specific email domains

Frequently asked questions

What does "GH007" mean?
This error means GitHub has detected that one or more of your commits contain your private email address, and your account is configured to block such pushes. GitHub's email privacy feature prevents accidental exposure of your personal email address in commit history. com.
How do I fix "GH007"?
The GH007 error occurs when GitHub's email privacy settings block a push because your commits contain your private email address. Fix it by configuring Git to use GitHub's noreply email address, then amend the offending commits.
What causes "GH007"?
Git is configured with your real email address instead of GitHub's noreply address Commits were made with your private email before changing Git config 'Block command line pushes that expose my email' is enabled in GitHub settings
Is the "GH007" error serious?
It is a low-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading