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GitHub Account Suspension Recovery Guide

How to recover a suspended GitHub account and prevent future issues

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Understanding GitHub Account Suspension

When your GitHub account is suspended, you'll see a message indicating that access has been suspended due to a violation of Terms of Service. This can happen for various reasons, including community guideline violations, automated activity detection, or security concerns.

Suspension Message

Common Suspension Notice

You may see a message like this:

Access to your account has been suspended due to a violation of our Terms of Service. Please contact support for more information.

When this happens, you’ll be unable to:


Recovery Process

Recovering a suspended GitHub account requires following a specific process through GitHub Support. This section outlines the steps to initiate and complete the recovery process.

Creating a Support Ticket

Initial Contact

Follow these steps to create a support ticket:

  1. Visit the GitHub Support portal: https://support.github.com/request/landing
  2. Click "Can't log in?" since you can't access your account
  3. Fill out the support ticket form with your details

Writing an Effective Support Email

Email Template

After receiving the initial ticket confirmation, reply with a detailed email:

Subject: [Urgent][Ticket-ID] Additional Information for Account Recovery

Dear GitHub Support Team,

I'm following up on my account suspension case (Ticket ID: [Your-Ticket-ID]).
I'm the legitimate owner of the account and can provide any additional verification needed:

- Previous account activity details
- Connected email addresses
- Organizations I was part of
- Recent repository names and descriptions
- Recent commit history

Please let me know what additional information you need to verify my identity.

Best regards,
[Your-Username]

Response Time and Follow-up

What to Expect
  • Initial response typically within 24-48 hours
  • May require additional verification
  • Keep all communication professional and detailed
  • Be prepared to provide additional information if requested


Prevention and Backup Strategies

To prevent data loss and ensure business continuity, implement backup strategies for your GitHub repositories. This section covers various backup approaches and best practices.

GitLab Mirror Backup

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
    paths-ignore:
      - .github/workflows/*
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  backup:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout GitHub Repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          lfs: true
          
      - name: Configure Git
        run: |
          git config --global user.name "GitHub Action"
          git config --global user.email "action@github.com"

      - name: Push to GitLab Mirror
        env:
          GITLAB_TOKEN: $
        run: |
          git remote add gitlab https://oauth2:${GITLAB_TOKEN}@gitlab.com/<group>/<project>.git
          git push -f --all gitlab
          git push -f --tags gitlab
        continue-on-error: true

GitLab Setup Requirements

Requirement Description
GitLab Account Create a GitLab account and set up necessary access tokens
Group/Project Create or identify target group and project in GitLab
Branch Protection Remove branch protection on main branch if necessary

Additional Backup Options

Alternative Backup Methods
  • Local Backups: Regular repository clones to local storage
  • Cloud Storage: Backup to cloud storage services
  • Multiple Remotes: Push to multiple remote repositories
  • Automated Scripts: Custom backup scripts for specific needs


Best Practices

Following best practices can help prevent account suspension and ensure smooth recovery if issues occur.

Account Security

Security Measures
  • Enable two-factor authentication
  • Use strong, unique passwords
  • Regularly review account activity
  • Keep contact information updated

Community Guidelines

Guideline Compliance
  • Review and follow GitHub's Terms of Service
  • Understand community guidelines
  • Be mindful of automated activity limits
  • Maintain professional communication


Key Points

💡 Account Recovery Essentials
  • Recovery Process
    - Create support ticket
    - Provide detailed information
    - Follow up professionally
    - Be patient with response times
  • Prevention
    - Implement backup strategies
    - Follow community guidelines
    - Maintain account security
    - Regular repository backups
  • Best Practices
    - Multiple backup locations
    - Automated backup solutions
    - Security awareness
    - Documentation of processes


References