I’m trying to set up my new laptop to work with a private GitHub repository. I already have this repo working fine on my main computer, but when I try to clone it on the laptop, it doesn’t work.
I created a new SSH key for the laptop and added it to my GitHub account. I tested it with a public repository and everything worked perfectly. But when I try the same thing with my private repo, the clone fails.
The command I’m using is git clone git://github.com/myusername/myproject.git
Do I need to do something different when cloning private repositories? Is there a special syntax or additional setup required? I’m confused because the SSH key works for public repos but not private ones.
The issue you’re facing is due to the clone URL format you’re using. The git:// protocol is not suitable for private repositories, as it does not support authentication. Since you’ve generated and added your SSH key correctly, you only need to adjust your clone command to use the SSH format. Change it to: git clone [email protected]:myusername/myproject.git. This will utilize your SSH key for authentication, which is essential for accessing private repos, while the git:// protocol will always fail in this case. I’ve encountered the same problem, and switching to the SSH format resolved it for me.
yeah, I had this issue too! the git:// protocol doesn’t work with private repos cause it can’t authenticate. just switch your clone command to SSH like this: [email protected]:myusername/myproject.git and it should work just fine!
You’re almost there! The issue is your clone command protocol. git:// doesn’t handle authentication at all - works fine for public repos but fails on private ones. Your SSH key setup is actually fine since it worked with public repos. Switch to SSH format: [email protected]:myusername/myproject.git. This tells Git to use SSH, which will authenticate with your key. I hit this exact same problem when I started with private repos and wasted hours debugging before realizing it was just the URL format.