Regaining Control: Unfollowing GitHub Accounts After Enterprise SSO Changes

The Enterprise SSO Dilemma: When Your Old Job Locks Your GitHub

Navigating GitHub can sometimes present unexpected hurdles, especially when your professional life intersects with enterprise-managed accounts. A recent discussion on the GitHub Community forum highlighted a common, yet frustrating, scenario: being unable to unfollow accounts due to lingering enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) associations. This isn't just a minor annoyance; for dev teams, product managers, and CTOs, it represents a subtle but real drag on productivity and a challenge in maintaining a clean, efficient digital workspace. This post delves into the problem and offers community-driven solutions to help you regain control over your GitHub following list, enhancing your overall engineering performance.

The Enterprise SSO Link: Why You Get Stuck

The original poster, dwmcallister, encountered this issue after leaving their previous company, F5. Despite no longer having access to their F5.com enterprise account, GitHub continued to prompt for an F5 login when attempting to unfollow accounts like nginx and nginxinc. This happens because when you authenticate with an Enterprise account on GitHub, your personal GitHub profile can become linked to that enterprise's SSO. Even after leaving the company, certain relationships (like following organizations or being part of teams) may remain tied to that enterprise identity. GitHub, trying to verify your permissions for what it perceives as an enterprise-linked action, redirects you to an SSO portal you can no longer access. This creates a frustrating loop where a simple git tool action is blocked by an expired corporate credential.

Initial Self-Service Solutions: Quick Wins for Dev Teams

Before escalating, the community identified several practical workarounds that often resolve the issue without needing external intervention. These are your first line of defense for regaining control:

• Direct Unfollow from Your Following Page: The simplest first step is to navigate directly to github.com/settings/following while logged into your personal account. Many users reported being able to unfollow accounts directly from this page without triggering an SSO redirect. This bypasses the organization's specific page, which is often the trigger for SSO.
• Incognito/Private Window Browsing: Sometimes, browser cookies or cached sessions can perpetuate the SSO redirect. Opening the target organization's page (e.g., github.com/nginx) in a private or incognito window while logged into your personal account can sometimes skip the SSO prompt.
• Revoking Authorized GitHub Apps: Enterprise SSO often involves authorizing GitHub Apps. Go to Settings → Applications → Authorized GitHub Apps. Look for any entries related to your former company (e.g., F5, or generic SSO authorizations) and revoke their access. This can sometimes sever the lingering link.
• Checking Organization Membership: Even if you've left a company, your personal account might still be technically listed as a member of an organization. Navigate to https://github.com/orgs/ORGNAME/people (e.g., github.com/orgs/nginx/people). If you see an option to "Leave organization," take it.

Advanced Workarounds: Leveraging Your `git tool` Arsenal

If the browser-based solutions don't cut it, it's time to bring out more robust git tool options that can bypass the browser's SSO enforcement:

• The GitHub CLI (gh): The GitHub CLI often bypasses browser-based SSO redirects for basic API actions. If you have it installed and authenticated with your personal account, you can try to unfollow directly from your terminal:

  gh api -X DELETE /user/following/nginx
  gh api -X DELETE /user/following/nginxinc

  This directly interacts with GitHub's API, often ignoring browser-level redirects.
• The GitHub Mobile App: Surprisingly, the GitHub mobile app (iOS/Android) can sometimes handle follow states differently or gracefully manage SSO redirects without locking the UI. Open the app, search for the problematic accounts, and try to toggle the "Following" button there.

When All Else Fails: Engaging GitHub Support

If the above workarounds don't resolve the issue, it likely means the SSO requirement is strictly enforced at the API level due to a deeper account linkage. In this scenario, there's no client-side workaround, and the most reliable solution is to contact GitHub Support directly. This is crucial for maintaining a clean digital footprint, which contributes to overall engineering performance by reducing distractions and ensuring accurate notifications.

• Open a Support Ticket: Visit https://support.github.com/contact.
• Provide Key Information: Clearly explain that you were previously an admin under an enterprise (e.g., F5), no longer have SSO access, and are unable to unfollow specific accounts (nginx, nginxinc) due to forced enterprise authentication. Include screenshots or a short recording of the issue.
• Request Manual Detachment: GitHub Support can manually remove the follow relationship from the backend if it is locked due to enterprise SSO linkage.

Beyond the Follow: Why Clean Tooling Impacts Engineering Performance

While seemingly minor, the inability to manage your own GitHub follows due to legacy SSO issues highlights a broader point about tooling and digital hygiene. For dev teams, product managers, and CTOs, maintaining a clean and accurate digital workspace is paramount for optimal engineering performance. Cluttered following lists can lead to irrelevant notifications, missed important updates, and a general sense of disorganization. Ensuring your primary git tool—GitHub—reflects your current professional interests and affiliations is not just about personal preference; it's about efficient information flow, focused work, and ultimately, better delivery outcomes. A well-managed profile can also better showcase genuine github achievements and contributions.

This scenario serves as a reminder for organizations to consider offboarding processes that include detaching personal accounts from enterprise SSO linkages, preventing such productivity roadblocks for former employees.

Conclusion

The GitHub community's collaborative spirit shines in tackling these edge cases. While enterprise SSO offers robust security, it can sometimes create unexpected challenges when professional contexts change. By understanding the underlying mechanisms and applying these community-driven solutions—from simple UI tweaks to leveraging the GitHub CLI or engaging support—you can effectively manage your GitHub presence and ensure your tooling supports, rather than hinders, your engineering performance. Have you encountered similar issues? Share your experiences and solutions in the comments below!