Feature Request: Custom Landing Page for Unauthorized Access to Private Repositories

[owsam22]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Product Feedback

Body

Problem

When someone without access opens the direct URL of a private GitHub repository, GitHub shows a standard 404 Not Found page.

I completely understand why GitHub does this, and I don't think the privacy behavior should be changed. The problem is the lack of customization around that experience.

Developers frequently share repository URLs in portfolios, resumes, Devfolio profiles, project documentation, blog posts, and other places. If the repository is private, anyone without access who follows that link simply reaches a generic 404 page with no context or useful next step.

Proposed Feature

Allow repository owners to optionally configure a custom unauthorized-access landing page for their private repositories.

For example:

🔒 This repository is private
The source code for this project isn't publicly accessible.

Learn more about the project on my portfolio or request access from the owner.

[View Project] [Request Access]

The owner could optionally configure:

• A custom message
• A custom CTA button
• An external URL
• A project/portfolio URL
• A "Request Access" action

Privacy

This feature should not require GitHub to change its current privacy model.

GitHub could continue returning the same 404 status or otherwise prevent unauthorized users from determining whether a private repository exists.

The customization could simply control what is displayed to the visitor when they arrive through a repository URL, without exposing repository metadata, source code, commit history, or other private information.

An even simpler implementation could be an optional repository setting such as:

Private Repository → Unauthorized Access Page

with a small editor for the message and CTA.

Why this would be useful

This would be especially useful for developers and organizations that publicly reference private repositories.

For example:

Portfolio
   ↓
Project → GitHub Repository
   ↓
User doesn't have access
   ↓
Currently: 404 Not Found

Proposed:
   ↓
Custom Private Repository Page
   ↓
[Live Demo] [Project Details] [Request Access]

It would turn an otherwise confusing dead end into a useful experience while preserving GitHub's security and privacy behavior.

I think this would be a relatively small UX improvement with a lot of value for developers who use GitHub as part of their public portfolio and project workflow.

Would love to hear what other developers think about this and whether GitHub could consider supporting something like this in the future.

[github-actions[bot]]

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[ThiruXD]

Approach: Use GitHub Pages as a Router

If you manage your portfolio via GitHub Pages, you can use custom routing or a centralized redirection script.

Instead of linking to ://github.com, link to your-username.github.io/projects/repo. If the user wants to see the code, they can click a button on that page which then redirects them to the actual private GitHub URL. If they don't have access, they remain on your beautifully branded portfolio page instead of hitting GitHub's dead end.