Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Heroku 'Permission denied (publickey) fatal: Could not read from remote repository' woes

Heroku permission denied error fixed by updating SSH keys and adding Heroku to the known hosts file.

Quick Answer: Update your SSH keys on Heroku, then add the Heroku domain to your Mac's known hosts file.

Heroku’s infamous ‘Permission denied (publickey) fatal: Could not read from remote repository’ error is a frustrating issue that has plagued many developers. This problem arises when the Git client on your Mac fails to authenticate with Heroku’s Git server due to a mismatch between the public key stored in your Git configuration and the one expected by Heroku.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • Heroku uses SSH keys for authentication, but if your local Git configuration doesn’t match the one stored in Heroku’s Git server, you’ll encounter this error.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Verified Fixes

Method 1: Update Your SSH Keys

  1. Step 1: Run `ssh -T git@heroku.com` to connect to Heroku’s Git server and retrieve your public key.

Method 2: Update Your Local Git Configuration

  1. Step 1: Run `git config --global user.keyserver ssh-rsa` to update your local Git configuration.

✨ 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, pull, or fetch from your Heroku repository.

Did this fix your problem?

If not, try searching for specific error codes.

🔍 Search Error Database

❓ Frequently Asked Questions