# GET https://api.github.com/user: 401 - Bad credentials

**URL:** <https://travis-ci.community/t/get-https-api-github-com-user-401-bad-credentials/7424>\
**Category:** Travis CI Discussions & Feedback\
**Created:** [March 3, 2020, 6:11am UTC](https://travis-ci.community/t/get-https-api-github-com-user-401-bad-credentials/7424 "2020-03-03T06:11:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![BanzaiMan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/travis-ci.community/banzaiman/32/67_2.png) [@BanzaiMan](https://travis-ci.community/u/BanzaiMan)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://travis-ci.community/t/get-https-api-github-com-user-401-bad-credentials/7424/8 "2020-03-03T22:26:57Z")

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Was your `$HEROKU` value plain, or encrypted? If it was plain and if it was working, it seems accidental; we would not have had access to `$HEROKU` value when configuring the build, and it was working because we passed through `secure` value without validation (it should be decrypted before it’s passed on to the next component in the system).

It stopped working because we are now doing more to ensure that configuration is correct and workable:

> **[Travis CI Documentation](https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/build-config-validation)**
>
> Build Config Validation

  

> **[The Travis CI Blog: Build Config Validation now in beta](https://blog.travis-ci.com/2019-10-24-build-config-validation)**
>
> We are excited to announce the new Build Config Validation feature. It is now
> in beta, and available for you to activate.
> 
> When active, the build config validation
> feature will validate and normali...

And your new configuration works, because it is valid. (I’d think that `api_key: $HEROKU` key-value pair should have worked, but I’m saying this from memory.)

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_[View the full topic](https://travis-ci.community/t/get-https-api-github-com-user-401-bad-credentials/7424)._