GitHub Permission Denied (publickey) Error

How to fix it

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

1. 1. Test the connection and read the verbose output

   Copy steps
   1. Run ssh -vT git@github.com
   2. Confirm it connects to github.com on port 22 and see which keys SSH offers
   3. A success message reads 'Hi USERNAME! You've successfully authenticated'
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Load your key into the SSH agent

   Copy steps
   1. Run eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
   2. Run ssh-add -l -E sha256 to list loaded keys
   3. If the list is empty, run ssh-add ~/.ssh/YOUR_KEY (or generate a new key with ssh-keygen -t ed25519)
   4. To test one specific key without the agent: ssh -i ~/.ssh/KEY-FILE -vT git@github.com
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Make sure GitHub has the matching public key

   Copy steps
   1. Open GitHub > Settings > SSH and GPG keys
   2. Compare the fingerprint from ssh-add -l -E sha256 with the keys listed
   3. If yours is missing, click New SSH key and paste the contents of the .pub file
   4. Delete any key you do not recognise and contact GitHub Support
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Use the git user in the remote URL

   Copy steps
   1. Run git remote -v
   2. If the URL is ssh://YOURNAME@github.com/..., change it: git remote set-url origin git@github.com:OWNER/REPO.git
   3. Retest with ssh -T git@github.com
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Stop using sudo with git

   Copy steps
   1. Keys generated without sudo are not used by sudo git
   2. Either run every git command without sudo or generate and register keys for the root user
   Did this fix it? Yes No

6. 6. Fall back to SSH over port 443 on restricted networks

   Copy steps
   1. Edit ~/.ssh/config and add Host github.com with HostName ssh.github.com, Port 443, User git
   2. Retest with ssh -T git@github.com
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

git clone, pull or push over SSH ends with 'git@github.com: Permission denied (publickey). fatal: Could not read from remote repository.'

Why it happens

• No private key is loaded in ssh-agent
• The public key was never added to your GitHub account (or was removed)
• The key has a custom file name that SSH does not try by default
• The remote URL uses your GitHub username instead of the git user
• Git was run with sudo, so it looks in root's keys
• Connecting to the wrong host or port

This guide also covers

• permission denied publickey github
• git@github.com permission denied (publickey)
• fatal could not read from remote repository github
• github ssh key not working

Other GitHub errors

• GitHub 'Password Authentication Was Removed' Error
• GitHub Push Rejected: Updates Were Rejected (Non-Fast-Forward)
• GitHub Push Blocked: Repository Rule Violations (GH013 / Secret Detected)
• GitHub Push Rejected: File Exceeds 100 MB Limit
• GitHub 'Permission Denied' or 403 When Pushing Over HTTPS
• GitHub Locked Out: Lost 2FA Device or Recovery Codes
• GitHub Actions Workflow Stuck in Queued / Waiting for a Runner
• GitHub Actions: 'Recent Account Payments Have Failed or Spending Limit Needs to Be Increased'