The error message:
[email protected]: Permission denied (publickey).
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.
Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.
means that Git is trying to authenticate to GitLab using SSH, but it can't find or use a valid SSH key.
Here's how you can solve it:
1. Check if you have an SSH key generated:
Open your terminal and run:
ls ~/.ssh/id_*
If you see files like id_rsa and id_rsa.pub or id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub, you have a key. If not, generate one:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
(Press Enter to accept the defaults.)
2. Add your SSH key to the ssh-agent:
Start the ssh-agent:
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
Add your key (replace id_ed25519 if you're using RSA):
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
3. Add your SSH public key to GitLab:
Copy your public key to the clipboard:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
Copy the output.
Go to GitLab > Preferences > SSH Keys and paste your key there. Save.
4. Test your connection to GitLab:
ssh -T [email protected]
You should see a "Welcome" message.
5. Try pushing again:
git push origin main
If you're on Windows and using Git Bash, make sure you haven't generated the key with PuTTY/PuttyGen, as that format is different. Always use ssh-keygen from Git Bash.
If you still get the error, check the following:
- You added the correct public key to your GitLab account.
- Your Git remote URL is correct (
git remote -vshould show[email protected]:...).
If you want to use HTTPS instead of SSH (username/password or personal access token):
git remote set-url origin https://gitlab.com/username/repo.git
Summary Steps:
- Generate an SSH key if you don’t have one.
- Add the public key to your GitLab account.
- Make sure the private key is loaded into your SSH agent.
- Retry your push.
Let me know if you need help with any specific step!