Constant popups to authenticate HTTP(S) access to the remote repository

Version

2.4.1

Operating system

Windows

OS version or distribution

Windows 11

Git hosting provider(s)

GitLab

Other hosting provider

No response

(Azure DevOps only) What format is your remote URL?

None

Can you access the remote repository directly in the browser?

Yes, I can access the repository

Expected behavior

When opening VS Code with nested git submodules, the credential manager manages authentication with stored credentials.

Actual behavior

Coming from https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-vscode-extension/-/issues/1083. I suspected that extension to cause the problem, but apparently, it is caused by the git extension. Now, I got transferred from https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/205707 to here, hopefully this is the right place.

For such setup, the credential manager opens many popups asking me to authenticate. This is not wanted and might be related to having several nested submodules in the project (all typically hosted on the same GitLab server).

Steps to Reproduce:

• Have a clean Windows installation.
• Install VS Code
• Install the GitLab extension (probably not needed, as the issue still occurs after uninstalling that extension)
• Install git for Windows (select VS Code as git's default editor; might not be relevant)
• Clone one or two private projects from gitlab.com with git submodules in them (not sure whether the submodules are relevant) - I just used the "Open in your IDE" option "Visual Studio Code (HTTPS)" on the GitLab project website.
• Initialize the submodules with git submodule update --init --recursive (not sure if relevant)
• At some point authenticate with GitLab through the Git Credentials Manager popup window (select "Sign in with your browser")
• Wait a bit, play around with revoking the application access at https://gitlab.com/-/user_settings/applications. Possibly also reauthenticate from other machines. Close and reopen the VS Code projects on the clean installation machine.

Logs

No response

Start with the Windows 11 reproduction steps and the Git Credential Manager authentication flow described in the issue, including recursive submodules and GitLab browser sign-in. Compare behavior with and without nested submodules and after revoking or renewing GitLab access; done means identifying a reproducible cause and preventing unnecessary authentication popups.