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Cloning troubleshooting
This page covers what goes wrong with the URL, the network, and the server. For a credential the host refuses, see Authentication troubleshooting.
URL messages
The clone screen checks the URL as you type, and each message names the shape it wants.
- Not a git URL. No scheme and no
git@host:prefix. Usually the web page's address was pasted instead of the clone URL. - Not a valid URL. It has a scheme other than
ssh://but does not parse as a URL at all — a stray space or character, most often. - URL is missing the owner/repo path. A scheme and host with nothing after them. Add
/owner/repo. - SCP shorthand should look like
git@host:owner/repo.git. The part after the colon is notowner/repo. Check for a missing owner or extra path segments. - Malformed ssh URL. An
ssh://URL with the wrong structure. The common one isssh://git@host:owner/repo, where the colon reads as a port. Either drop the scheme or put a/after the host. - Unsupported scheme. Only
https,http,sshand SCP shorthand are accepted.
Can't reach the server
The host did not answer, or refused the connection. Check that you are on a network that can reach it: some office networks block public git hosts, some home routers block SSH on unusual ports, and a self-hosted server on a VPN needs the VPN up. Try the host's web address in Safari; if Safari cannot reach it either, the problem is outside the app.
The connection timed out is the same problem with a slower failure.
Repository not found
The server answered but has no repository at that URL. Check the owner and name for typos, and that the account behind your credential can see the repository. A private repository cloned without a credential looks exactly like a missing one on many hosts.
Wrong credential type
A token or OAuth credential was paired with an SSH URL. Tokens only speak HTTPS. Use Switch scheme on the URL editor to take the HTTPS form of the same repository, or pick an SSH identity.
Host not yet trusted, host key changed
SSH connections are refused until you have confirmed the server's fingerprint, and again if the fingerprint changes. See SSH keys.
Test passes, clone fails
Test only proves the host accepts your credential. A clone can still fail because the repository does not exist, the credential cannot see it, or the network dropped partway. Read the message on the progress screen; Show details has the full log.
Clone failed partway
The partial clone is discarded and the form keeps your input. The usual causes are a network drop, a server error such as a 502, or running out of disk. Retry once the cause is gone.
Errors after the clone
Push and fetch fail for the same reasons and show the same messages. Every card that reports one of these errors links back here or to the authentication page: Can't reach the SSH server, SSH key rejected and Not found on the server for SSH, and Unexpected server response when the host answered with something that is not git — a sign-in page, usually, or a proxy. The Error Log under Settings keeps recent ones with their details.