diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4431a68..8583ea7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,32 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [3.2.4] - 2025-08-09
+
+### Fixed
+- Fixed critical authentication issue causing "user does not exist [uid: 0]" errors during metadata mirroring (Issue #68)
+- Fixed inconsistent token handling across Gitea API calls
+- Fixed metadata mirroring functions attempting to operate on non-existent repositories
+- Fixed organization creation failing silently without proper error messages
+
+### Added
+- Pre-flight authentication validation for all Gitea operations
+- Repository existence verification before metadata mirroring
+- Graceful fallback to user account when organization creation fails due to permissions
+- Authentication validation utilities for debugging configuration issues
+- Diagnostic test scripts for troubleshooting authentication problems
+
+### Improved
+- Enhanced error messages with specific guidance for authentication failures
+- Better identification and logging of permission-related errors
+- More robust organization creation with retry logic and better error handling
+- Consistent token decryption across all API operations
+- Clearer error reporting for metadata mirroring failures
+
+### Security
+- Fixed potential exposure of encrypted tokens in API calls
+- Improved token handling to ensure proper decryption before use
+
 ## [3.2.0] - 2025-07-31
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b5109de..0ce12f1 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "gitea-mirror",
   "type": "module",
-  "version": "3.2.3",
+  "version": "3.2.4",
   "engines": {
     "bun": ">=1.2.9"
   },
diff --git a/src/lib/gitea-auth-validator.ts b/src/lib/gitea-auth-validator.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..906b8f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/gitea-auth-validator.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+/**
+ * Gitea authentication and permission validation utilities
+ */
+
+import type { Config } from "@/types/config";
+import { httpGet, HttpError } from "./http-client";
+import { decryptConfigTokens } from "./utils/config-encryption";
+
+export interface GiteaUser {
+  id: number;
+  login: string;
+  username: string;
+  full_name?: string;
+  email?: string;
+  is_admin: boolean;
+  created?: string;
+  restricted?: boolean;
+  active?: boolean;
+  prohibit_login?: boolean;
+  location?: string;
+  website?: string;
+  description?: string;
+  visibility?: string;
+  followers_count?: number;
+  following_count?: number;
+  starred_repos_count?: number;
+  language?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validates Gitea authentication and returns user information
+ */
+export async function validateGiteaAuth(config: Partial<Config>): Promise<GiteaUser> {
+  if (!config.giteaConfig?.url || !config.giteaConfig?.token) {
+    throw new Error("Gitea URL and token are required for authentication validation");
+  }
+
+  const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+
+  try {
+    const response = await httpGet<GiteaUser>(
+      `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/user`,
+      {
+        Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+      }
+    );
+
+    const user = response.data;
+    
+    // Validate user data
+    if (!user.id || user.id === 0) {
+      throw new Error("Invalid user data received from Gitea: User ID is 0 or missing");
+    }
+
+    if (!user.username && !user.login) {
+      throw new Error("Invalid user data received from Gitea: Username is missing");
+    }
+
+    console.log(`[Auth Validator] Successfully authenticated as: ${user.username || user.login} (ID: ${user.id}, Admin: ${user.is_admin})`);
+    
+    return user;
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (error instanceof HttpError) {
+      if (error.status === 401) {
+        throw new Error(
+          "Authentication failed: The provided Gitea token is invalid or expired. " +
+          "Please check your Gitea configuration and ensure the token has the necessary permissions."
+        );
+      } else if (error.status === 403) {
+        throw new Error(
+          "Permission denied: The Gitea token does not have sufficient permissions. " +
+          "Please ensure your token has 'read:user' scope at minimum."
+        );
+      }
+    }
+    
+    throw new Error(
+      `Failed to validate Gitea authentication: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`
+    );
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if the authenticated user can create organizations
+ */
+export async function canCreateOrganizations(config: Partial<Config>): Promise<boolean> {
+  try {
+    const user = await validateGiteaAuth(config);
+    
+    // Admin users can always create organizations
+    if (user.is_admin) {
+      console.log(`[Auth Validator] User is admin, can create organizations`);
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    // Check if the instance allows regular users to create organizations
+    // This would require checking instance settings, which may not be publicly available
+    // For now, we'll try to create a test org and see if it fails
+    
+    if (!config.giteaConfig?.url || !config.giteaConfig?.token) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+
+    try {
+      // Try to list user's organizations as a proxy for permission check
+      const orgsResponse = await httpGet(
+        `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/user/orgs`,
+        {
+          Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+        }
+      );
+      
+      // If we can list orgs, we likely can create them
+      console.log(`[Auth Validator] User can list organizations, likely can create them`);
+      return true;
+    } catch (listError) {
+      if (listError instanceof HttpError && listError.status === 403) {
+        console.log(`[Auth Validator] User cannot list/create organizations`);
+        return false;
+      }
+      // For other errors, assume we can try
+      return true;
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error(`[Auth Validator] Error checking organization creation permissions:`, error);
+    return false;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets or validates the default owner for repositories
+ */
+export async function getValidatedDefaultOwner(config: Partial<Config>): Promise<string> {
+  const user = await validateGiteaAuth(config);
+  const username = user.username || user.login;
+  
+  if (!username) {
+    throw new Error("Unable to determine Gitea username from authentication");
+  }
+
+  // Check if the configured defaultOwner matches the authenticated user
+  if (config.giteaConfig?.defaultOwner && config.giteaConfig.defaultOwner !== username) {
+    console.warn(
+      `[Auth Validator] Configured defaultOwner (${config.giteaConfig.defaultOwner}) ` +
+      `does not match authenticated user (${username}). Using authenticated user.`
+    );
+  }
+
+  return username;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Validates that the Gitea configuration is properly set up for mirroring
+ */
+export async function validateGiteaConfigForMirroring(config: Partial<Config>): Promise<{
+  valid: boolean;
+  user: GiteaUser;
+  canCreateOrgs: boolean;
+  warnings: string[];
+  errors: string[];
+}> {
+  const warnings: string[] = [];
+  const errors: string[] = [];
+  
+  try {
+    // Validate authentication
+    const user = await validateGiteaAuth(config);
+    
+    // Check organization creation permissions
+    const canCreateOrgs = await canCreateOrganizations(config);
+    
+    if (!canCreateOrgs && config.giteaConfig?.preserveOrgStructure) {
+      warnings.push(
+        "User cannot create organizations but 'preserveOrgStructure' is enabled. " +
+        "Repositories will be mirrored to the user account instead."
+      );
+    }
+    
+    // Validate token scopes (this would require additional API calls to check specific permissions)
+    // For now, we'll just check if basic operations work
+    
+    return {
+      valid: true,
+      user,
+      canCreateOrgs,
+      warnings,
+      errors,
+    };
+  } catch (error) {
+    errors.push(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
+    
+    return {
+      valid: false,
+      user: {} as GiteaUser,
+      canCreateOrgs: false,
+      warnings,
+      errors,
+    };
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.test.ts b/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.test.ts
index a6861cd..e20f907 100644
--- a/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.test.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,24 @@ let createOrgCalled = false;
 
 const mockHttpGet = mock(async (url: string, headers?: any) => {
   // Return different responses based on URL patterns
+  
+  // Handle user authentication endpoint
+  if (url.includes("/api/v1/user")) {
+    return {
+      data: {
+        id: 1,
+        login: "testuser",
+        username: "testuser",
+        email: "test@example.com",
+        is_admin: false,
+        full_name: "Test User"
+      },
+      status: 200,
+      statusText: "OK",
+      headers: new Headers()
+    };
+  }
+  
   if (url.includes("/api/v1/repos/starred/test-repo")) {
     return { 
       data: { 
diff --git a/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.ts b/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.ts
index 48b3e60..e2a1a1a 100644
--- a/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.ts
+++ b/src/lib/gitea-enhanced.ts
@@ -85,6 +85,25 @@ export async function getOrCreateGiteaOrgEnhanced({
 
   const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
   
+  // First, validate the user's authentication by getting their information
+  console.log(`[Org Creation] Validating user authentication before organization operations`);
+  try {
+    const userResponse = await httpGet(
+      `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/user`,
+      {
+        Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+      }
+    );
+    console.log(`[Org Creation] Authenticated as user: ${userResponse.data.username || userResponse.data.login} (ID: ${userResponse.data.id})`);
+  } catch (authError) {
+    if (authError instanceof HttpError && authError.status === 401) {
+      console.error(`[Org Creation] Authentication failed: Invalid or expired token`);
+      throw new Error(`Authentication failed: Please check your Gitea token has the required permissions. The token may be invalid or expired.`);
+    }
+    console.error(`[Org Creation] Failed to validate authentication:`, authError);
+    throw new Error(`Failed to validate Gitea authentication: ${authError instanceof Error ? authError.message : String(authError)}`);
+  }
+  
   for (let attempt = 0; attempt < maxRetries; attempt++) {
     try {
       console.log(`[Org Creation] Attempting to get or create organization: ${orgName} (attempt ${attempt + 1}/${maxRetries})`);
@@ -164,6 +183,18 @@ export async function getOrCreateGiteaOrgEnhanced({
             }
             continue; // Retry the loop
           }
+          
+          // Check for permission errors
+          if (createError.status === 403) {
+            console.error(`[Org Creation] Permission denied: User may not have rights to create organizations`);
+            throw new Error(`Permission denied: Your Gitea user account does not have permission to create organizations. Please ensure your account has the necessary privileges or contact your Gitea administrator.`);
+          }
+          
+          // Check for authentication errors
+          if (createError.status === 401) {
+            console.error(`[Org Creation] Authentication failed when creating organization`);
+            throw new Error(`Authentication failed: The Gitea token does not have sufficient permissions to create organizations. Please ensure your token has 'write:organization' scope.`);
+          }
         }
         throw createError;
       }
diff --git a/src/lib/gitea.ts b/src/lib/gitea.ts
index 54d5581..fe39c9b 100644
--- a/src/lib/gitea.ts
+++ b/src/lib/gitea.ts
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ export const mirrorGithubRepoToGitea = async ({
     const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
 
     // Get the correct owner based on the strategy (with organization overrides)
-    const repoOwner = await getGiteaRepoOwnerAsync({ config, repository });
+    let repoOwner = await getGiteaRepoOwnerAsync({ config, repository });
 
     const isExisting = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
       config,
@@ -355,10 +355,37 @@ export const mirrorGithubRepoToGitea = async ({
     // Handle organization creation if needed for single-org, preserve strategies, or starred repos
     if (repoOwner !== config.giteaConfig.defaultOwner) {
       // Need to create the organization if it doesn't exist
-      await getOrCreateGiteaOrg({
-        orgName: repoOwner,
-        config,
-      });
+      try {
+        await getOrCreateGiteaOrg({
+          orgName: repoOwner,
+          config,
+        });
+      } catch (orgError) {
+        console.error(`Failed to create/access organization ${repoOwner}: ${orgError instanceof Error ? orgError.message : String(orgError)}`);
+        
+        // Check if we should fallback to user account
+        if (orgError instanceof Error && 
+            (orgError.message.includes('Permission denied') || 
+             orgError.message.includes('Authentication failed') ||
+             orgError.message.includes('does not have permission'))) {
+          console.warn(`[Fallback] Organization creation/access failed. Attempting to mirror to user account instead.`);
+          
+          // Update the repository owner to use the user account
+          repoOwner = config.giteaConfig.defaultOwner;
+          
+          // Log this fallback in the database
+          await db
+            .update(repositories)
+            .set({
+              errorMessage: `Organization creation failed, using user account. ${orgError.message}`,
+              updatedAt: new Date(),
+            })
+            .where(eq(repositories.id, repository.id!));
+        } else {
+          // Re-throw if it's not a permission issue
+          throw orgError;
+        }
+      }
     }
 
     // Check if repository already exists as a non-mirror
@@ -1064,6 +1091,19 @@ export const mirrorGitRepoIssuesToGitea = async ({
 
   // Decrypt config tokens for API usage
   const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+  
+  // Verify the repository exists in Gitea before attempting to mirror metadata
+  console.log(`[Issues] Verifying repository ${repository.name} exists at ${giteaOwner}`);
+  const repoExists = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
+    config,
+    owner: giteaOwner,
+    repoName: repository.name,
+  });
+  
+  if (!repoExists) {
+    console.error(`[Issues] Repository ${repository.name} not found at ${giteaOwner}. Cannot mirror issues.`);
+    throw new Error(`Repository ${repository.name} does not exist in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}. Please ensure the repository is mirrored first.`);
+  }
 
   const [owner, repo] = repository.fullName.split("/");
 
@@ -1130,7 +1170,7 @@ export const mirrorGitRepoIssuesToGitea = async ({
               }/labels`,
               { name, color: "#ededed" }, // Default color
               {
-                Authorization: `token ${config.giteaConfig!.token}`,
+                Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig!.token}`,
               }
             );
 
@@ -1167,7 +1207,7 @@ export const mirrorGitRepoIssuesToGitea = async ({
         }/issues`,
         issuePayload,
         {
-          Authorization: `token ${config.giteaConfig!.token}`,
+          Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig!.token}`,
         }
       );
 
@@ -1196,7 +1236,7 @@ export const mirrorGitRepoIssuesToGitea = async ({
                 body: `@${comment.user?.login} commented on GitHub:\n\n${comment.body}`,
               },
               {
-                Authorization: `token ${config.giteaConfig!.token}`,
+                Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig!.token}`,
               }
             );
             return comment;
@@ -1312,6 +1352,19 @@ export async function mirrorGitRepoPullRequestsToGitea({
 
   // Decrypt config tokens for API usage
   const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+  
+  // Verify the repository exists in Gitea before attempting to mirror metadata
+  console.log(`[Pull Requests] Verifying repository ${repository.name} exists at ${giteaOwner}`);
+  const repoExists = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
+    config,
+    owner: giteaOwner,
+    repoName: repository.name,
+  });
+  
+  if (!repoExists) {
+    console.error(`[Pull Requests] Repository ${repository.name} not found at ${giteaOwner}. Cannot mirror PRs.`);
+    throw new Error(`Repository ${repository.name} does not exist in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}. Please ensure the repository is mirrored first.`);
+  }
 
   const [owner, repo] = repository.fullName.split("/");
 
@@ -1414,6 +1467,19 @@ export async function mirrorGitRepoLabelsToGitea({
 
   // Decrypt config tokens for API usage
   const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+  
+  // Verify the repository exists in Gitea before attempting to mirror metadata
+  console.log(`[Labels] Verifying repository ${repository.name} exists at ${giteaOwner}`);
+  const repoExists = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
+    config,
+    owner: giteaOwner,
+    repoName: repository.name,
+  });
+  
+  if (!repoExists) {
+    console.error(`[Labels] Repository ${repository.name} not found at ${giteaOwner}. Cannot mirror labels.`);
+    throw new Error(`Repository ${repository.name} does not exist in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}. Please ensure the repository is mirrored first.`);
+  }
 
   const [owner, repo] = repository.fullName.split("/");
 
@@ -1495,6 +1561,19 @@ export async function mirrorGitRepoMilestonesToGitea({
 
   // Decrypt config tokens for API usage
   const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config as Config);
+  
+  // Verify the repository exists in Gitea before attempting to mirror metadata
+  console.log(`[Milestones] Verifying repository ${repository.name} exists at ${giteaOwner}`);
+  const repoExists = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
+    config,
+    owner: giteaOwner,
+    repoName: repository.name,
+  });
+  
+  if (!repoExists) {
+    console.error(`[Milestones] Repository ${repository.name} not found at ${giteaOwner}. Cannot mirror milestones.`);
+    throw new Error(`Repository ${repository.name} does not exist in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}. Please ensure the repository is mirrored first.`);
+  }
 
   const [owner, repo] = repository.fullName.split("/");
 
diff --git a/src/lib/http-client.ts b/src/lib/http-client.ts
index 3267622..15aa74c 100644
--- a/src/lib/http-client.ts
+++ b/src/lib/http-client.ts
@@ -47,11 +47,31 @@ export async function httpRequest<T = any>(
       try {
         responseText = await responseClone.text();
         if (responseText) {
-          errorMessage += ` - ${responseText}`;
+          // Try to parse as JSON for better error messages
+          try {
+            const errorData = JSON.parse(responseText);
+            if (errorData.message) {
+              errorMessage = `HTTP ${response.status}: ${errorData.message}`;
+            } else {
+              errorMessage += ` - ${responseText}`;
+            }
+          } catch {
+            // Not JSON, use as-is
+            errorMessage += ` - ${responseText}`;
+          }
         }
       } catch {
         // Ignore text parsing errors
       }
+      
+      // Log authentication-specific errors for debugging
+      if (response.status === 401) {
+        console.error(`[HTTP Client] Authentication failed for ${url}`);
+        console.error(`[HTTP Client] Response: ${responseText}`);
+        if (responseText.includes('user does not exist') && responseText.includes('uid: 0')) {
+          console.error(`[HTTP Client] Token appears to be invalid or the user account is not properly configured in Gitea`);
+        }
+      }
 
       throw new HttpError(
         errorMessage,
diff --git a/src/tests/test-gitea-auth.ts b/src/tests/test-gitea-auth.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47dc5df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/test-gitea-auth.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bun
+
+/**
+ * Test script to validate Gitea authentication and permissions
+ * Run with: bun run src/tests/test-gitea-auth.ts
+ */
+
+import { validateGiteaAuth, canCreateOrganizations, validateGiteaConfigForMirroring } from "@/lib/gitea-auth-validator";
+import { getConfigsByUserId } from "@/lib/db/queries/configs";
+import { db, users } from "@/lib/db";
+import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+
+async function testGiteaAuthentication() {
+  console.log("=".repeat(60));
+  console.log("GITEA AUTHENTICATION TEST");
+  console.log("=".repeat(60));
+  
+  try {
+    // Get the first user for testing
+    const userList = await db.select().from(users).limit(1);
+    
+    if (userList.length === 0) {
+      console.error("❌ No users found in database. Please set up a user first.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    const user = userList[0];
+    console.log(`\n✅ Found user: ${user.email} (ID: ${user.id})`);
+    
+    // Get the user's configuration
+    const configs = await getConfigsByUserId(user.id);
+    
+    if (configs.length === 0) {
+      console.error("❌ No configuration found for user. Please configure Gitea settings.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    const config = configs[0];
+    console.log(`✅ Found configuration (ID: ${config.id})`);
+    
+    if (!config.giteaConfig?.url || !config.giteaConfig?.token) {
+      console.error("❌ Gitea configuration is incomplete. URL or token is missing.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    console.log(`\n📡 Testing connection to: ${config.giteaConfig.url}`);
+    console.log("-".repeat(60));
+    
+    // Test 1: Validate authentication
+    console.log("\n🔐 Test 1: Validating authentication...");
+    try {
+      const giteaUser = await validateGiteaAuth(config);
+      console.log(`✅ Authentication successful!`);
+      console.log(`   - Username: ${giteaUser.username || giteaUser.login}`);
+      console.log(`   - User ID: ${giteaUser.id}`);
+      console.log(`   - Is Admin: ${giteaUser.is_admin}`);
+      console.log(`   - Email: ${giteaUser.email || 'Not provided'}`);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`❌ Authentication failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    // Test 2: Check organization creation permissions
+    console.log("\n🏢 Test 2: Checking organization creation permissions...");
+    try {
+      const canCreate = await canCreateOrganizations(config);
+      if (canCreate) {
+        console.log(`✅ User can create organizations`);
+      } else {
+        console.log(`⚠️  User cannot create organizations (will use fallback to user account)`);
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`❌ Error checking permissions: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+    }
+    
+    // Test 3: Full validation for mirroring
+    console.log("\n🔍 Test 3: Full validation for mirroring...");
+    try {
+      const validation = await validateGiteaConfigForMirroring(config);
+      
+      if (validation.valid) {
+        console.log(`✅ Configuration is valid for mirroring`);
+      } else {
+        console.log(`❌ Configuration is not valid for mirroring`);
+      }
+      
+      if (validation.warnings.length > 0) {
+        console.log(`\n⚠️  Warnings:`);
+        validation.warnings.forEach(warning => {
+          console.log(`   - ${warning}`);
+        });
+      }
+      
+      if (validation.errors.length > 0) {
+        console.log(`\n❌ Errors:`);
+        validation.errors.forEach(error => {
+          console.log(`   - ${error}`);
+        });
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`❌ Validation error: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+    }
+    
+    // Test 4: Check specific API endpoints
+    console.log("\n🔧 Test 4: Testing specific API endpoints...");
+    
+    // Import HTTP client for direct API testing
+    const { httpGet } = await import("@/lib/http-client");
+    const { decryptConfigTokens } = await import("@/lib/utils/config-encryption");
+    const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config);
+    
+    // Test organization listing
+    try {
+      const orgsResponse = await httpGet(
+        `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/user/orgs`,
+        {
+          Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+        }
+      );
+      console.log(`✅ Can list organizations (found ${orgsResponse.data.length})`);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.log(`⚠️  Cannot list organizations: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`);
+    }
+    
+    // Test repository listing
+    try {
+      const reposResponse = await httpGet(
+        `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/user/repos`,
+        {
+          Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+        }
+      );
+      console.log(`✅ Can list repositories (found ${reposResponse.data.length})`);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`❌ Cannot list repositories: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`);
+    }
+    
+    console.log("\n" + "=".repeat(60));
+    console.log("TEST COMPLETE");
+    console.log("=".repeat(60));
+    
+    // Summary
+    console.log("\n📊 Summary:");
+    console.log(`   - Gitea URL: ${config.giteaConfig.url}`);
+    console.log(`   - Default Owner: ${config.giteaConfig.defaultOwner || 'Not set'}`);
+    console.log(`   - Mirror Strategy: ${config.githubConfig?.mirrorStrategy || 'Not set'}`);
+    console.log(`   - Organization: ${config.giteaConfig.organization || 'Not set'}`);
+    console.log(`   - Preserve Org Structure: ${config.giteaConfig.preserveOrgStructure || false}`);
+    
+    console.log("\n✨ All tests completed successfully!");
+    
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error("\n❌ Test failed with error:", error);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+// Run the test
+testGiteaAuthentication().catch(console.error);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/tests/test-metadata-mirroring.ts b/src/tests/test-metadata-mirroring.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0074528
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/test-metadata-mirroring.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bun
+
+/**
+ * Test script to verify metadata mirroring authentication works correctly
+ * This tests the fix for issue #68 - "user does not exist [uid: 0, name: ]"
+ * Run with: bun run src/tests/test-metadata-mirroring.ts
+ */
+
+import { mirrorGitRepoIssuesToGitea } from "@/lib/gitea";
+import { validateGiteaAuth } from "@/lib/gitea-auth-validator";
+import { getConfigsByUserId } from "@/lib/db/queries/configs";
+import { db, users, repositories } from "@/lib/db";
+import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { Octokit } from "@octokit/rest";
+import type { Repository } from "@/lib/db/schema";
+
+async function testMetadataMirroringAuth() {
+  console.log("=".repeat(60));
+  console.log("METADATA MIRRORING AUTHENTICATION TEST");
+  console.log("=".repeat(60));
+  
+  try {
+    // Get the first user for testing
+    const userList = await db.select().from(users).limit(1);
+    
+    if (userList.length === 0) {
+      console.error("❌ No users found in database. Please set up a user first.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    const user = userList[0];
+    console.log(`\n✅ Found user: ${user.email} (ID: ${user.id})`);
+    
+    // Get the user's configuration
+    const configs = await getConfigsByUserId(user.id);
+    
+    if (configs.length === 0) {
+      console.error("❌ No configuration found for user. Please configure GitHub and Gitea settings.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    const config = configs[0];
+    console.log(`✅ Found configuration (ID: ${config.id})`);
+    
+    if (!config.giteaConfig?.url || !config.giteaConfig?.token) {
+      console.error("❌ Gitea configuration is incomplete. URL or token is missing.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    if (!config.githubConfig?.token) {
+      console.error("❌ GitHub configuration is incomplete. Token is missing.");
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    console.log(`\n📡 Testing Gitea connection to: ${config.giteaConfig.url}`);
+    console.log("-".repeat(60));
+    
+    // Test 1: Validate Gitea authentication
+    console.log("\n🔐 Test 1: Validating Gitea authentication...");
+    let giteaUser;
+    try {
+      giteaUser = await validateGiteaAuth(config);
+      console.log(`✅ Gitea authentication successful!`);
+      console.log(`   - Username: ${giteaUser.username || giteaUser.login}`);
+      console.log(`   - User ID: ${giteaUser.id}`);
+      console.log(`   - Is Admin: ${giteaUser.is_admin}`);
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`❌ Gitea authentication failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+      console.error(`   This is the root cause of the "user does not exist [uid: 0]" error`);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    
+    // Test 2: Check if we can access a test repository
+    console.log("\n📦 Test 2: Looking for a test repository...");
+    
+    // Get a repository from the database
+    const repos = await db.select().from(repositories)
+      .where(eq(repositories.userId, user.id))
+      .limit(1);
+    
+    if (repos.length === 0) {
+      console.log("⚠️  No repositories found in database. Skipping metadata mirroring test.");
+      console.log("   Please run a mirror operation first to test metadata mirroring.");
+    } else {
+      const testRepo = repos[0] as Repository;
+      console.log(`✅ Found test repository: ${testRepo.fullName}`);
+      
+      // Test 3: Verify repository exists in Gitea
+      console.log("\n🔍 Test 3: Verifying repository exists in Gitea...");
+      
+      const { isRepoPresentInGitea } = await import("@/lib/gitea");
+      const giteaOwner = giteaUser.username || giteaUser.login;
+      
+      const repoExists = await isRepoPresentInGitea({
+        config,
+        owner: giteaOwner,
+        repoName: testRepo.name,
+      });
+      
+      if (!repoExists) {
+        console.log(`⚠️  Repository ${testRepo.name} not found in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}`);
+        console.log(`   This would cause metadata mirroring to fail with authentication errors`);
+        console.log(`   Please ensure the repository is mirrored first before attempting metadata sync`);
+      } else {
+        console.log(`✅ Repository exists in Gitea at ${giteaOwner}/${testRepo.name}`);
+        
+        // Test 4: Attempt to mirror metadata (dry run)
+        console.log("\n🔄 Test 4: Testing metadata mirroring authentication...");
+        
+        try {
+          // Create Octokit instance
+          const octokit = new Octokit({
+            auth: config.githubConfig.token,
+          });
+          
+          // Test by attempting to fetch labels (lightweight operation)
+          const { httpGet } = await import("@/lib/http-client");
+          const { decryptConfigTokens } = await import("@/lib/utils/config-encryption");
+          const decryptedConfig = decryptConfigTokens(config);
+          
+          const labelsResponse = await httpGet(
+            `${config.giteaConfig.url}/api/v1/repos/${giteaOwner}/${testRepo.name}/labels`,
+            {
+              Authorization: `token ${decryptedConfig.giteaConfig.token}`,
+            }
+          );
+          
+          console.log(`✅ Successfully authenticated for metadata operations`);
+          console.log(`   - Can access repository labels endpoint`);
+          console.log(`   - Found ${labelsResponse.data.length} existing labels`);
+          console.log(`   - Authentication token is valid and has proper permissions`);
+          
+        } catch (error) {
+          if (error instanceof Error && error.message.includes('uid: 0')) {
+            console.error(`❌ CRITICAL: Authentication failed with "uid: 0" error!`);
+            console.error(`   This is the exact issue from GitHub issue #68`);
+            console.error(`   Error: ${error.message}`);
+          } else {
+            console.error(`❌ Metadata operation failed: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    
+    console.log("\n" + "=".repeat(60));
+    console.log("TEST COMPLETE");
+    console.log("=".repeat(60));
+    
+    // Summary
+    console.log("\n📊 Summary:");
+    console.log(`   - Gitea URL: ${config.giteaConfig.url}`);
+    console.log(`   - Gitea User: ${giteaUser?.username || giteaUser?.login || 'Unknown'}`);
+    console.log(`   - Authentication: ${giteaUser ? '✅ Valid' : '❌ Invalid'}`);
+    console.log(`   - Metadata Mirroring: ${config.giteaConfig.mirrorMetadata ? 'Enabled' : 'Disabled'}`);
+    if (config.giteaConfig.mirrorMetadata) {
+      console.log(`   - Issues: ${config.giteaConfig.mirrorIssues ? 'Yes' : 'No'}`);
+      console.log(`   - Pull Requests: ${config.giteaConfig.mirrorPullRequests ? 'Yes' : 'No'}`);
+      console.log(`   - Labels: ${config.giteaConfig.mirrorLabels ? 'Yes' : 'No'}`);
+      console.log(`   - Milestones: ${config.giteaConfig.mirrorMilestones ? 'Yes' : 'No'}`);
+    }
+    
+    console.log("\n✨ If all tests passed, metadata mirroring should work without uid:0 errors!");
+    
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error("\n❌ Test failed with error:", error);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+// Run the test
+testMetadataMirroringAuth().catch(console.error);
\ No newline at end of file