Software⏱️ 4 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: Bitbucket git SSH key error: “Bad owner or permissions on /home/centos/.ssh/config”

Bitbucket git SSH key error: Bad owner or permissions on /home/centos/.ssh/config

Quick Answer: Check the file ownership and permissions, ensure the user running the command has read access to the .ssh directory.

The error 'Bad owner or permissions on /home/centos/.ssh/config' occurs when the SSH configuration file is not accessible due to incorrect ownership or permissions. This issue affects users who have added their SSH keys to Bitbucket and are attempting to use Git without authentication.

This error can be frustrating, especially for developers who rely on automated workflows and continuous integration pipelines. However, by following the steps outlined in this guide, you should be able to resolve the issue and get back to working with your repository.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason for this error is that the SSH configuration file has incorrect ownership or permissions. When the file is owned by a different user than the one trying to access it, or if the permissions are set too restrictive, the file may not be accessible. In this case, the file is owned by the 'centos' user with permissions of 664 and 600, which is not sufficient for SSH configuration files.
  • Another possible reason for this error is that the SSH private key is not in the correct location or has incorrect ownership/permissions. However, in this case, the issue is specifically with the SSH configuration file, not the private key.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Resolving Ownership and Permissions Issues

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Change the ownership of the ~/.ssh/config file to the current user. You can do this by running the command `sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.ssh/`. This will change the ownership of the file to the current user, making it accessible.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Update the permissions of the ~/.ssh/config file to allow SSH configuration files. The recommended permission is 700, which means only the owner has read and write access. You can update the permissions by running the command `chmod 700 ~/.ssh/config`.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Verify that the ownership and permissions are correct after making these changes. You can check the ownership by running the command `ls -l ~/.ssh/` and verify that it is owned by your user, and the permissions are 700.

Alternative Fix (Using a Different SSH Configuration File)

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Create a new SSH configuration file in a different location. You can create a new file in your home directory by running the command `mkdir ~/.ssh/config-new` and then copying the contents of the original config file to this new file.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Update the ownership and permissions of the new SSH configuration file to allow SSH configuration files. Use the same steps as before to change the ownership and update the permissions.

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Bad owner or permissions on /home/centos/.ssh/config' error and get back to working with your repository. Remember to verify that the ownership and permissions are correct after making these changes.

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