Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Gitorious error message: Agent admitted failure to sign using the key

Gitorious error message: Agent admitted failure to sign using the key. Permission denied (publickey). fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly.

Quick Answer: Try adding the public key to the known hosts file or use a different SSH agent.

The error message 'Agent admitted failure to sign using the key. Permission denied (publickey). fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly' indicates that the Git client is unable to authenticate with the Gitorious server using a public key signature.

This issue can be frustrating for users who rely on automated workflows and continuous integration pipelines, as it prevents them from successfully pushing changes to the repository.

🔍 Why This Happens

  • The primary reason for this error is that the public key used in the Git client does not match the one stored on the Gitorious server. This can happen if the public key has been lost or corrupted.
  • Alternatively, the issue may be caused by a misconfigured SSH agent or a firewall blocking the connection between the client and the server.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Resolving Public Key Issues

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Check the public key stored on the Gitorious server to ensure it matches the one used in the Git client. You can do this by running the command 'git config --get remote.origin.url' and then copying the public key from the repository settings.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: If the public keys match, try updating the SSH agent configuration to use the correct private key file. Run the command 'ssh-add -K' to update the private key.
  3. Step 3: Step 3: Verify that the SSH connection is working correctly by running the command 'git fetch origin master' and checking for any errors.

Using a Workaround

  1. Step 1: Step 1: Use the workaround mentioned in the Identica conversation to bypass the public key authentication. This involves using the '--no-verify' flag when cloning or pushing to the repository.
  2. Step 2: Step 2: Run the command 'git fetch origin master' and then push your changes with the '--no-verify' flag, like so: git push -f origin master --no-verify

✨ Wrapping Up

To resolve the 'Agent admitted failure to sign using the key. Permission denied (publickey). fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly' error in Gitorious, try resolving public key issues by matching and updating your SSH keys or use a workaround as described above.

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