Skip to main content
Whim uses GitHub OAuth for authentication. Your GitHub account is your identity across all Whim workspaces.

​
Signing in

  1. Visit whim.run and click Sign in with GitHub
  2. GitHub will ask you to authorize the Whim application
  3. Once authorized, you’re redirected back to Whim and signed in automatically
Your Whim profile is created automatically on first sign-in using your GitHub email and avatar.
Whim only requests the permissions needed to authenticate you. Repository access is handled separately through the GitHub App installation — see GitHub Integration.

​
Your profile

After signing in, your profile includes:
  • Username — derived from your GitHub account
  • First name — you’ll be prompted to set this on first sign-in
  • Avatar — defaults to your GitHub avatar, but you can upload a custom one from Settings
  • Email — synced from your GitHub account
Update your avatar or first name at any time from your account settings.

​
Session management

Whim manages your authentication session automatically:
  • Sessions persist across browser tabs and page refreshes — you won’t need to sign in again each visit
  • Token refresh happens transparently in the background, including when you return to a backgrounded tab
  • Cross-subdomain sessions are maintained across Whim’s domains (e.g., between the main app and port previews) using a secure session bootstrapping mechanism

​
Session expiry

Sessions are long-lived but will eventually expire if unused. If your session expires, you’ll be redirected to the sign-in page. Simply click Sign in with GitHub again — the process is instant if you’ve previously authorized Whim.

​
Signing out

To sign out:
  1. Open the user menu (your avatar in the sidebar)
  2. Click Sign out
Signing out ends your session across all tabs and devices (global sign-out). You’ll need to sign in again on any device where you want to use Whim.

​
Demo mode

Whim also supports a demo mode that lets you explore the platform without a GitHub account. Demo sessions use anonymous authentication and have limited functionality. You can upgrade to a full account by signing in with GitHub at any time.