Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Getting permission denied (public key) on gitlab

GitLab permission denied public key error resolved by verifying SSH key configuration and adding the correct public key to GitLab.

Quick Answer: Verify that the SSH key is correctly configured on your local machine and add the public key to GitLab, then try pushing again.

The error 'Permission denied (publickey) fatal: Could not read from remote repository' is typically caused by a mismatch between the SSH key you've added to your GitLab account and the one used in your local Git repository. This can happen if you've generated a new SSH key, or if there's an issue with the public key you've added to GitLab.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • [Cause]

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Verify SSH Key Configuration

  1. Step 1: Check your local Git repository's configuration using the command `git config --local user.key` to ensure it matches the public key you've added to GitLab.

Method 2: Update SSH Key in GitLab

  1. Step 1: Log into your GitLab account and go to your profile settings.
  2. Step 2: Click on 'SSH keys' and then click the 'Add new SSH key' button.
  3. Step 3: Select 'Upload a private key' and upload your local machine's public key file (.pub).

✨ Wrapping Up

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'Permission denied (publickey) fatal: Could not read from remote repository' error and successfully push and fetch from GitLab.

Did this fix your problem?

If not, try searching for specific error codes.

🔍 Search Error Database

❓ Frequently Asked Questions