Codespaces "Permission denied (publickey)" and Git Push/Clone Failures

Q: How do I fix "Codespaces "Permission denied (publickey)" and Git Push/Clone Failures"?

1. Fix SSH rewrite: Remove the SSH rewrite from dotfiles Or apply it only when the CODESPACES environment variable is empty 2. Access other repositories: Preferred: declare extra permissions in devcontainer.json (new codespaces only) Or create a fine-grained personal access token with Contents permission limited to needed repos Add it as a secret named GH_TOKEN and reload; clone with gh repo clone

Workaround available Browser, VS Code Updated November 14, 2026How we research

Quick answer

Codespaces authenticates Git over HTTPS with GITHUB_TOKEN. Remove SSH rewrites from your dotfiles, and use a fine-grained token for other repositories.

Most likely fix: Fix SSH rewrite

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Fix SSH rewrite
1. Remove the SSH rewrite from dotfiles
2. Or apply it only when the CODESPACES environment variable is empty
Did this fix it?
2. Access other repositories
1. Preferred: declare extra permissions in devcontainer.json (new codespaces only)
2. Or create a fine-grained personal access token with Contents permission limited to needed repos
3. Add it as a secret named GH_TOKEN and reload; clone with gh repo clone
Did this fix it?