I am trying to pull or clone a project for a new Software Development module, but I keep encountering an error stating that Git cannot clone from the remote repository 'origin'. I’ve double-checked the URL, but it still says "Permission denied (publickey)" or "fatal: repository not found." Is this likely an issue with my SSH keys, my local Git configuration, or do I need specific access permissions from the repository owner to proceed?
3 answers
The most common cause for this error in Software Development is an authentication mismatch. If you are using SSH, Git requires a valid SSH key to be added to your GitHub or GitLab account. You can test your connection by running ssh -T [email protected]. If it fails, you likely need to generate a new key using ssh-keygen and add the .pub file to your account settings. Alternatively, if you are using HTTPS, ensure your Personal Access Token (PAT) is up to date, as many platforms no longer allow standard passwords for command-line operations.
I’ve had this happen before even when my keys were correct—could it be that the remote URL for 'origin' was simply typed incorrectly or pointed to a repository that was deleted?
Check your corporate firewall or VPN settings. Sometimes they block the SSH port (22), in which case you might need to switch your remote to use HTTPS instead.
I agree with Sarah. Many Software Development offices restrict SSH traffic. Switching to the HTTPS URL is often the fastest workaround when you're working behind a strict network security layer.
Julian, that’s a great troubleshooting step! In Software Development, it’s easy for a remote URL to get mangled. I always suggest running git remote -v to see exactly where 'origin' is pointing. If it's wrong, you can fix it with git remote set-url origin. In my case, I accidentally had a typo in the organization name. Once I reset the URL to the correct path, the "repository not found" error disappeared immediately.