How to Fix the "fatal: Could not read from remote repository" Git Error?

#Why Does This Happen?

When executing Git commands that impact a remote branch, such as git pull or git push, you might encounter the following error message:

fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.

This error indicates that Git is having trouble reading from the remote repository. This could happen for several reasons, including:

  1. The repository doesn't exist;
  2. Incorrect SSH keys or credentials;
  3. Insufficient access rights to the repository.

#How to Fix the Issue?

You can try the following steps to diagnose and fix the issue:

  1. Verify Repository URL
  2. Verify Access Rights
  3. Check SSH Keys or Credentials
  4. Additional Checks and Considerations

Verify Repository URL

You can follow these steps to verify that the repository URL is valid:

  1. Confirm Remote Repository Existence:

    Confirm that the remote repository exists by visiting it on your Git service (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket).

  2. Validate Repository URL in Git Configuration:

    Ensure that you have the correct URL for the remote repository in your Git configuration. You can check the URL by running the following command:

    git remote -v
    

    This will display the fetch and push URLs for the remote repository. Ensure the URLs are correct, including the protocol (HTTPS or SSH), repository name, and spellings.

    If the URL is incorrect, you can update it using the following command:

    git remote set-url origin <new-remote-url>
    

Verify Access Rights

Make sure your local Git user has the correct permissions to read from the remote repository:

  1. Ensure Access to Private Repositories:

    If you're trying to access a private repository, make sure you have the necessary access rights or permissions to read from the repository. You can solve this by ensuring that you have been granted the appropriate access by the repository owner or administrator. This is configurable in the Git repository's settings.

  2. Verify SSH Key or Credential Access:

    You can check if your SSH key or credentials have the access. To do so, for example, you can run the "ssh -T git@host-name" command (where the "host-name" is the one you specify for the Host keyword in the ~/.ssh/config file).

    This will help you test your SSH connection to the remote repository, providing you with information if there's an issue with the SSH key.

  3. Check Git Identity Settings for Multiple Accounts:

    If you have multiple Git accounts configured locally, it could be that you're not using the right "Host" (as specified in the ~/.ssh/config file) to resolve to the remote repository URL. In this case, you should be getting "permission denied to user" error, like the following:

    ERROR: Permission to git_username/repo.git denied to <username>.
    fatal: Could not read from remote repository.
    
    Please make sure you have the correct access rights
    and the repository exists.
    

    You can fix this issue by updating the URL of the remote to the correct Host identity.

Check SSH Keys or Credentials

You can follow these steps to make sure your access keys/credentials are correct:

  1. Validate HTTPS Credentials:

    If you're using HTTPS, ensure that your username and password (or token) are correct.

  2. Switch to HTTPS for SSH Configuration Test:

    If you're using SSH to connect to the remote repository, you can try changing the remote URL from SSH to HTTPS by using the following command:

    git remote set-url origin https://github.com/<user_name>/<repo_name>.git
    

    If switching to HTTPS works, then it's likely that you have an issue with your SSH configuration. In this instance, you may want to troubleshoot your SSH settings, or try generating a new SSH key and update the Git account settings accordingly.

  3. Confirm SSH Key Configuration:

    If you're using SSH to connect to the remote repository, make sure your SSH key is configured correctly and added to your SSH agent. You can do so, for example, by running the following command:

    ssh-add -l
    

    This will list the "fingerprints" of all identities currently represented by the local SSH agent, producing an output like the following:

    3072 SHA256:vB3yrc4NbGpcwnLo4dmpQLxSZof3JjdTE7TbftbDpQt email@domain.com (RSA)
    

    You can compare the public key fingerprint in the output with the one in Git account's SSH settings to see if it exists, and if it is the right one. For example, in GitHub, you can find the fingerprint under Settings > SSH and GPG keys > SSH keys > Authentication Keys.

    Alternatively, you can output the public key, for example, using the following command:

    cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
    

    You can use the public key in the output to verify if it is the same in your Git account's SSH settings.

  4. Ensure Proper Permissions for SSH Key:

    Ensure correct file/directory permissions:

    • chmod 700 ~/.ssh on the directory;
    • chmod 600 ~/.ssh/config on the file.
    • chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the file.
  5. Check Token Validity for Authentication:

    If using tokens for authentication, verify that your token is still valid. Tokens can expire or become invalid, leading to authentication failures.

Additional Checks and Considerations

If nothing else works for you, then you can try the following:

  1. Firewall and Proxy Check:

    If you're behind a firewall or using a proxy, make sure it's not blocking the connection.

    If you are behind a proxy, make sure your Git configuration includes the proxy settings:

    git config --global http.proxy http://yourproxy.com:port
    git config --global https.proxy https://yourproxy.com:port
    

    Replace "yourproxy.com" and "port" with your proxy details.

  2. Network Troubleshooting:

    In some cases, network-related issues might cause the problem. Switching networks or using a VPN may resolve it. If that doesn't work, restarting your machine or the terminal session might resolve the problem.

    You can check for network connectivity issues by pinging the Git host:

    ping github.com
    

    Replace "github.com" with the relevant "Host" as listed in the ~/.ssh/config file.

  3. Remote Repository Status Check:

    Check the status of the remote repository. Some services provide a status page where you can see if there are any ongoing issues with their systems.

  4. Update to the Latest Git Version:

    Ensure you are using a recent version of Git, for example, by using the following command:

    git --version
    

    Older versions may lack support for certain authentication methods or have bugs that could cause issues. If needed, update Git to the latest version.


This post was published (and was last revised ) by Daniyal Hamid. Daniyal currently works as the Head of Engineering in Germany and has 20+ years of experience in software engineering, design and marketing. Please show your love and support by sharing this post.