diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/refs.ts b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/refs.ts
index 166994b956e6..e8016da9e80d 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/refs.ts
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/refs.ts
@@ -88,6 +88,27 @@ async function handleRequest(
   }
 }
 
+interface UrlParseResult {
+  url: string;
+  authorization: string | undefined;
+}
+
+const parseUrl = (url: string): UrlParseResult => {
+  const credentialsRegex = /https?:\/\/(.+:.+)@/;
+  let cleanUrl = url;
+  let authorization;
+  const [, credentials] = url.match(credentialsRegex) || [];
+
+  if (credentials) {
+    cleanUrl = url.replace(`${credentials}@`, '');
+    authorization = btoa(`${credentials}`);
+  }
+  return {
+    url: cleanUrl,
+    authorization,
+  };
+};
+
 const map = (
   input: SetStoriesStoryData,
   ref: API_ComposedRef,
@@ -146,11 +167,22 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState, void> = (
       const loadedData: API_SetRefData = {};
       const query = version ? `?version=${version}` : '';
       const credentials = isPublic ? 'omit' : 'include';
+      const urlParseResult = parseUrl(url);
+
+      const headers: HeadersInit = {
+        Accept: 'application/json',
+      };
+
+      if (urlParseResult.authorization) {
+        Object.assign(headers, {
+          Authorization: `Basic ${urlParseResult.authorization}`,
+        });
+      }
 
       const [indexFetch, storiesFetch] = await Promise.all(
         ['index.json', 'stories.json'].map(async (file) =>
-          fetch(`${url}/${file}${query}`, {
-            headers: { Accept: 'application/json' },
+          fetch(`${urlParseResult.url}/${file}${query}`, {
+            headers,
             credentials,
           })
         )
@@ -160,10 +192,8 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState, void> = (
         const [index, metadata] = await Promise.all([
           indexFetch.ok ? handleRequest(indexFetch) : handleRequest(storiesFetch),
           handleRequest(
-            fetch(`${url}/metadata.json${query}`, {
-              headers: {
-                Accept: 'application/json',
-              },
+            fetch(`${urlParseResult.url}/metadata.json${query}`, {
+              headers,
               credentials,
               cache: 'no-cache',
             }).catch(() => false)
@@ -180,7 +210,7 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState, void> = (
             Error: Loading of ref failed
               at fetch (lib/api/src/modules/refs.ts)
 
-            URL: ${url}
+            URL: ${urlParseResult.url}
 
             We weren't able to load the above URL,
             it's possible a CORS error happened.
@@ -195,7 +225,7 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState, void> = (
 
       await api.setRef(id, {
         id,
-        url,
+        url: urlParseResult.url,
         ...loadedData,
         ...(versions ? { versions } : {}),
         type: !loadedData.storyIndex ? 'auto-inject' : 'lazy',
diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/refs.test.js b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/refs.test.js
index 17a7abe9bf90..8e7d542da427 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/refs.test.js
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/refs.test.js
@@ -508,6 +508,68 @@ describe('Refs API', () => {
       `);
     });
 
+    it('checks refs (basic-auth)', async () => {
+      // given
+      const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });
+
+      setupResponses({
+        indexPrivate: {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({ v: 4, entries: {} }),
+        },
+        storiesPrivate: {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({ v: 3, stories: {} }),
+        },
+        metadata: {
+          ok: true,
+          response: async () => ({ versions: {} }),
+        },
+      });
+
+      await api.checkRef({
+        id: 'fake',
+        url: 'https://user:pass@example.com',
+        title: 'Fake',
+      });
+
+      expect(fetch.mock.calls).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Array [
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/index.json",
+            Object {
+              "credentials": "include",
+              "headers": Object {
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+                "Authorization": "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz",
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/stories.json",
+            Object {
+              "credentials": "include",
+              "headers": Object {
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+                "Authorization": "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz",
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+          Array [
+            "https://example.com/metadata.json",
+            Object {
+              "cache": "no-cache",
+              "credentials": "include",
+              "headers": Object {
+                "Accept": "application/json",
+                "Authorization": "Basic dXNlcjpwYXNz",
+              },
+            },
+          ],
+        ]
+      `);
+    });
+
     it('checks refs (mixed)', async () => {
       // given
       const { api } = initRefs({ provider, store }, { runCheck: false });