Fix Git that will not push

Steps

Goal: Identify why push fails, then fix remote URL, branch tracking, auth, or upstream conflicts.

• Run git push -v and note the error: rejected, permission denied, authentication failed, or connection refused.
• Good: You see the exact failure. Proceed to Check the remote URL.
• Bad: No clear error—check network and that the remote host is reachable.

Check the remote URL

Goal: Confirm the remote uses SSH or HTTPS and matches your auth setup.

• Run git remote -v. SSH URLs look like [email protected]:user/repo.git; HTTPS like https://github.com/user/repo.git.
• If SSH: keys must be set up. If HTTPS: credentials or token must be valid.
• Good: The URL matches your auth method. Proceed to Fix rejected push or Fix auth based on the error.
• Bad: Wrong URL—run git remote set-url origin <correct-url>.

Fix rejected push

Goal: Resolve “rejected (non-fast-forward)” when the remote has new commits.

• Run git pull --rebase to replay your commits on top of the remote. Resolve any conflicts if prompted.
• Run git push again.
• Good: Push succeeds.
• Bad: Merge conflicts—see fix-git-says-merge-conflict.

Fix SSH or HTTPS auth

Goal: Fix permission denied or authentication failed.

• For SSH: run ssh -T [email protected] (or your host). Confirm ~/.ssh is 700 and the key file is 600. Add the public key to the host if missing.
• For HTTPS: use a PAT instead of a password. Run git push and enter the token when prompted.
• Good: Auth succeeds and push works.
• Bad: Key not added, wrong token, or proxy—see When to escalate.

When to escalate

Escalate if:

• The repo uses deploy keys or CI tokens you cannot change.
• The host is behind a corporate proxy.
• You get “repository not found” and you have confirmed access.

Provide git push -v output and git remote -v.

Verification

• git push completes without error.
• git status shows “Your branch is up to date with origin/branch” or “nothing to commit, working tree clean.”
• git log origin/main..HEAD is empty (all commits pushed).