diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index d4294df35..2c171f69d 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -106,7 +106,9 @@ Every change must be reflected in the documentation. Depending on the nature of
 - **Notable change to the dfetch product/program** (feature, fix, behaviour change) → add an entry to the changelog (`doc/changelog/`)
 - **Architecture change** → update `doc/explanation/architecture.rst`
 
-The changelog tracks the dfetch product/program only. Documentation-only changes (wording, structure, new explanatory pages) do not require a changelog entry.
+The changelog tracks the dfetch product/program only. Documentation-only changes (wording, structure, new explanatory pages) and internal refactors (complexity reduction, test cleanup, CI wiring) do not require a changelog entry.
+
+Each entry is a single bullet line, max 100 characters including the issue/PR reference, with no continuation lines. Use one bullet per logical user-visible change. Format: `* <Fix|Add|Update|Remove> <short description> (#NNNN)`
 
 Documentation lives in `doc/` and is built with Sphinx.
 
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index 416d6a99c..2cdbc63b6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+Release 0.14.2 (unreleased)
+===========================
+
+* Fix git auth/redirect errors being silently misidentified as non-git (#1138)
+
 Release 0.14.1 (released 2026-06-19)
 ====================================
 
diff --git a/dfetch/vcs/git.py b/dfetch/vcs/git.py
index 4dce4b5b7..cecb01901 100644
--- a/dfetch/vcs/git.py
+++ b/dfetch/vcs/git.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import tempfile
 from collections.abc import Callable, Generator, Sequence
 from pathlib import Path
+from urllib.parse import urlparse, urlunparse
 
 from dfetch.log import get_logger
 from dfetch.util.cmdline import SubprocessCommandError, run_on_cmdline
@@ -105,15 +106,49 @@ def is_git(self) -> bool:
             )
             return True
         except SubprocessCommandError as exc:
-            if exc.returncode == 128 and "Could not resolve host" in exc.stderr:
-                raise RuntimeError(
-                    f">>>{exc.cmd}<<< failed!\n"
-                    + f"'{self._remote}' is not a valid URL or unreachable:\n{exc.stderr or exc.stdout}"
-                ) from exc
-            return False
+            return self._handle_ls_remote_error(exc)
         except RuntimeError:
             return False
 
+    def _handle_ls_remote_error(self, exc: SubprocessCommandError) -> bool:
+        """Determine whether a failed git ls-remote still implies a git remote.
+
+        Raises RuntimeError for unrecoverable errors (host unreachable).
+        Returns True when the server responded but auth is needed.
+        Returns False when the failure is unrelated to git.
+        """
+        if exc.returncode == 128 and "Could not resolve host" in exc.stderr:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                f">>>{exc.cmd}<<< failed!\n"
+                + f"'{self._remote}' is not a valid URL or unreachable:\n{exc.stderr or exc.stdout}"
+            ) from exc
+        # git/git:http.c — emitted when the server redirects to a login page
+        if "unable to update url base from redirection" in exc.stderr:
+            redirect_match = re.search(r"redirect:\s+(\S+)", exc.stderr)
+            raw_url = redirect_match.group(1) if redirect_match else ""
+            parsed = urlparse(raw_url)
+            safe_url = urlunparse(
+                (parsed.scheme, parsed.netloc, parsed.path, "", "", "")
+            )
+            logger.debug(
+                "'%s' appears to be a git remote but was redirected to '%s' — "
+                "authentication may be required",
+                self._remote,
+                safe_url or "unknown",
+            )
+            return True
+        # git/git:credential.c — emitted when GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0 and server returns 401
+        if (
+            "terminal prompts disabled" in exc.stderr
+            or "could not read Username" in exc.stderr
+        ):
+            logger.debug(
+                "'%s' appears to be a git remote but requires credentials",
+                self._remote,
+            )
+            return True
+        return False
+
     def last_sha_on_branch(self, branch: str) -> str:
         """Get the last sha of a branch."""
         return self._find_sha_of_branch_or_tag(self._ls_remote(self._remote), branch)
diff --git a/tests/test_git_vcs.py b/tests/test_git_vcs.py
index 03f97dcfd..e1ff0523c 100644
--- a/tests/test_git_vcs.py
+++ b/tests/test_git_vcs.py
@@ -238,6 +238,33 @@ def test_remote_check(name, cmd_result, expectation):
         assert GitRemote(name).is_git() == expectation
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "name, stderr",
+    [
+        (
+            "redirect to sign-in page",
+            "fatal: unable to update url base from redirection:\n"
+            "  asked for: http://git.example.com/repo/info/refs?service=git-upload-pack\n"
+            "   redirect: http://git.example.com/users/sign_in",
+        ),
+        (
+            "terminal prompts disabled (HTTP 401)",
+            "fatal: could not read Username for 'https://git.example.com': terminal prompts disabled",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_remote_check_returns_true_on_auth_error(name, stderr, monkeypatch):
+    """Auth-related git errors still mean the URL is a git remote — return True."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("GIT_SSH_COMMAND", "ssh")  # prevents additional subprocess call
+
+    with patch("dfetch.vcs.git.run_on_cmdline") as run_on_cmdline_mock:
+        run_on_cmdline_mock.side_effect = [
+            SubprocessCommandError(stderr=stderr, returncode=128)
+        ]
+
+        assert GitRemote("http://git.example.com/repo").is_git() is True
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "name, project, cmd_result, expectation",
     [