Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Git Remote: Error: fatal: protocol error: bad line length character: Unab

Git protocol error due to encoding issue.

Quick Answer: Check the encoding settings on your Windows VM, as 'Unab' is likely a corrupted character. Try setting the system locale and shell encoding to UTF-8.

The error message you're experiencing, 'fatal: protocol error: bad line length character: Unab', is typically related to the SSH keys used for authentication. When using SSH with Git, it's essential that the keys are properly formatted and not corrupted.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • Corrupted or invalid SSH keys
  • Incorrect permissions on the authorized_keys file
  • Incompatible SSH protocol version

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Verify SSH Keys

  1. Step 1: Check the format of your SSH keys using `ssh -v` command.

Method 2: Update Authorized Keys File

  1. Step 1: Open the authorized_keys file in a text editor and check for any formatting issues or typos.

Method 3: Update SSH Protocol Version

  1. Step 1: Check the current SSH protocol version using `ssh -v` command and update it if necessary.

💡 Conclusion

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the 'fatal: protocol error: bad line length character: Unab' issue and successfully push your repository to the Git server.

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