diff --git a/src/server/routes/admin.ts b/src/server/routes/admin.ts
index 0de025e..f991ec0 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/admin.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/admin.ts
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ router.use(
     res: express.Response,
     next: express.NextFunction
   ) => {
-    const user = await getUser(req);
     try {
+      const user = await getUser(req);
       // only admins are allowed here
       isOwnerOrAdmin([], user);
       next();
diff --git a/src/server/routes/gist-private.ts b/src/server/routes/gist-private.ts
index 70d2cef..364932a 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/gist-private.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/gist-private.ts
@@ -102,8 +102,8 @@ router.delete(
 router.get(
   "/source/:gistId",
   async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-    const user = await getUser(req);
     try {
+      const user = await getUser(req);
       const gist = new Gist(
         new AnonymizedGistModel({
           owner: user.id,
@@ -232,10 +232,9 @@ router.post(
 
 // add gist
 router.post("/", async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-  const user = await getUser(req);
   const gistUpdate = req.body;
-
   try {
+    const user = await getUser(req);
     validateNewGist(gistUpdate);
 
     const gist = new Gist(
diff --git a/src/server/routes/pullRequest-private.ts b/src/server/routes/pullRequest-private.ts
index 17f94d6..6fb7dd3 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/pullRequest-private.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/pullRequest-private.ts
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@ router.delete(
 router.get(
   "/:owner/:repository/:pullRequestId",
   async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-    const user = await getUser(req);
     try {
+      const user = await getUser(req);
       const pullRequest = new PullRequest(
         new AnonymizedPullRequestModel({
           owner: user.id,
@@ -249,10 +249,9 @@ router.post(
 
 // add pullRequest
 router.post("/", async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-  const user = await getUser(req);
   const pullRequestUpdate = req.body;
-
   try {
+    const user = await getUser(req);
     validateNewPullRequest(pullRequestUpdate);
 
     const pullRequest = new PullRequest(
diff --git a/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts b/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts
index c1b3138..04c6946 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/repository-private.ts
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ async function getTokenForAdmin(user: User, req: express.Request) {
 
 // claim a repository
 router.post("/claim", async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-  const user = await getUser(req);
   try {
+    const user = await getUser(req);
     if (!req.body.repoId) {
       throw new AnonymousError("repoId_not_defined", {
         object: req.body,
@@ -254,12 +254,12 @@ router.delete(
 router.get(
   "/:owner/:repo/",
   async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-    const user = await getUser(req);
-    let token = user.accessToken;
-    if (user.isAdmin) {
-      token = (await getTokenForAdmin(user, req)) || token;
-    }
     try {
+      const user = await getUser(req);
+      let token = user.accessToken;
+      if (user.isAdmin) {
+        token = (await getTokenForAdmin(user, req)) || token;
+      }
       const repo = await getRepositoryFromGitHub({
         owner: req.params.owner,
         repo: req.params.repo,
@@ -277,12 +277,12 @@ router.get(
 router.get(
   "/:owner/:repo/branches",
   async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-    const user = await getUser(req);
-    let token = user.accessToken;
-    if (user.isAdmin) {
-      token = (await getTokenForAdmin(user, req)) || token;
-    }
     try {
+      const user = await getUser(req);
+      let token = user.accessToken;
+      if (user.isAdmin) {
+        token = (await getTokenForAdmin(user, req)) || token;
+      }
       const repository = await getRepositoryFromGitHub({
         accessToken: token,
         owner: req.params.owner,
@@ -621,10 +621,9 @@ router.post(
 
 // add repository
 router.post("/", async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
-  const user = await getUser(req);
   const repoUpdate = req.body;
-
   try {
+    const user = await getUser(req);
     try {
       await db.getRepository(repoUpdate.repoId);
       throw new AnonymousError("repoId_already_used", {
diff --git a/test/production-regressions.test.js b/test/production-regressions.test.js
index b713825..0ae65a7 100644
--- a/test/production-regressions.test.js
+++ b/test/production-regressions.test.js
@@ -96,6 +96,19 @@ describe("production regressions", function () {
     const error = await new Promise(resolve => passport._strategy("github")._verify("token", "", { id: "new-id", username: "recycled" }, resolve));
     expect(error.message).to.equal("not_connected");
   });
+
+  for (const name of ["repository-private", "gist-private", "pullRequest-private"]) {
+    it(`handles rejected authentication in ${name} create routes`, async function () {
+      const utils = require("../src/server/routes/route-utils");
+      const router = require(`../src/server/routes/${name}`).default;
+      const failure = new Error("banned"); let handled;
+      stub(utils, "getUser", async () => { throw failure; });
+      stub(utils, "handleError", error => { handled = error; });
+      const route = router.stack.find(x => x.route?.path === "/" && x.route.methods.post).route;
+      await route.stack[0].handle({ body: {} }, {});
+      expect(handled).to.equal(failure);
+    });
+  }
   it("checks GitHub authorization before returning shared cached metadata", async function () {
     const CachedRepoModel = require("../src/core/model/repositories/repositories.model").default;
     stub(db, "isConnected", true);