fatal: Could not read from remote repository. — how to fix

fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

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

Quick fix: Check the URL with git remote -v, test SSH with ssh -T git@github.com, and confirm the repository exists and you have access.

What it means

This is a generic message: Git asked the remote for data and the connection or login failed. The line just above it tells you the real cause.

Line above the error	Go to
`Permission denied (publickey)`	Your SSH key isn't accepted. See Permission denied (publickey).
`ERROR: Repository not found.`	Wrong URL, a private repo you can't access, or a renamed repo
`ssh: connect to host github.com port 22: Connection timed out`	Port 22 is blocked. Use SSH over port 443 or HTTPS.
`Host key verification failed.`	The host isn't in `known_hosts`. Run `ssh -T git@github.com` and accept the key after checking its fingerprint.

Check the remote URL

git remote -v

Fix a wrong URL:

git remote set-url origin git@github.com:USER/REPO.git

Test SSH directly

ssh -vT git@github.com

The verbose output shows which keys are tried and why they are rejected.

Switch to HTTPS instead

git remote set-url origin https://github.com/USER/REPO.git

GitHub no longer accepts account passwords over HTTPS, so use a personal access token or a credential helper such as Git Credential Manager or gh auth login.

Last updated 2026-10-27.