If your server needs to access multiple repositories, you can choose to create a newgithub account and attach an SSH key that will be used exclusively for automation. Since thisgithub account won't be used by a human, it's called a machine user. You can then[add the machine user as collaborator][collaborator] or[add the machine user to a team][team] with access to the repositories it needs to manipulate.**NOTE**: Adding a machine user as a collaborator always grants read/write access. Adding a machine user to a team grants the permissions of the team.

If your server needs to access multiple repositories, you can choose to create a newGitHub account and attach an SSH key that will be used exclusively for automation. Since thisGitHub account won't be used by a human, it's called a machine user. You can then[add the machine user as collaborator][collaborator] or[add the machine user to a team][team] with access to the repositories it needs to manipulate.**NOTE**: Adding a machine user as a collaborator always grants read/write access. Adding a machine user to a team grants the permissions of the team.

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* Only organizations have access to create teams; therefore only organizations can use them to restrict machine users to read-only access.Individual user-ownedrepositories always grant read/writeto collaborators.

* Only organizations have access to create teams; therefore only organizations can use them to restrict machine users to read-only access.Personalrepositories always grantcollaboratorsread/writeaccess.

* Machine user keys, like deploy keys, are usually not protected by a passphrase.