Unable to access renamed private repository via SSH and GitHub CLI

[rucka]

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Hello,
I am experiencing an issue when trying to access the private repository foomakers/pair via SSH.

The repository was recently renamed.
I have updated the remote URL in my local repository to the new SSH address: [email protected]:foomakers/pair.git.
I have also tried cloning the repository using both the GitHub CLI (gh repo clone foomakers/pair) and the new SSH URL directly.
My GitHub username is: gianluca-carucci_kering
I have access permissions (I am an admin).
My SSH key is correctly associated with my account (tested with ssh -T [email protected]).
The command git pull origin main returns:
ERROR: Repository not found. fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Please make sure you have the correct access rights and the repository exists.
I have already tried:

Updating my SSH key
Verifying my permissions
Waiting for permission propagation
Could you please help me resolve this issue?
Thank you!

[PRIYAtechky]

Hello Gianluca 👋,

Thank you for providing the detailed steps you’ve already taken — that’s very helpful. Since you’re able to authenticate with GitHub over SSH, the issue seems to be related to repository access rather than SSH itself. Here are a few things to check:

1. Confirm repository name and case sensitivity

GitHub repository names are case-sensitive. Please double-check the exact repository name under the foomakers organization to ensure foomakers/pair matches exactly.

2. Verify repository location

Ensure the repository still exists under foomakers after the rename. Sometimes after a rename or transfer, the repo may move under a different org or user account.

3. Check organization SSO (if enabled)

If your organization uses SAML Single Sign-On (SSO), you’ll need to authorize your SSH key with SSO.
Go to:
Settings → SSH and GPG Keys → Authorize with SSO

4. Re-clone with HTTPS as a test

Try cloning with HTTPS:

git clone https://github.com/foomakers/pair.git

If HTTPS works, the issue is specific to SSH key/SSO authorization.

5. Confirm your membership role

Even though you’re an admin, double-check under the foomakers organization settings if your role and repo permissions are still intact after the rename.

If the issue persists

Ask another org admin to confirm the repository’s visibility and location.

If everything looks correct, open a ticket with GitHub Support so they can confirm if there’s a backend issue with the repository rename.

[Devangdaksh]

If Your Problem did not Solve you can dm me!!

✅ 1. Verify the actual repository path and case sensitivity

On GitHub, go to the new repository URL and confirm its owner and name. SSH URLs are case-sensitive, so:

[email protected]:<owner>/<repo>.git

Double-check:

git remote -v

If it shows an old name or wrong case, fix it:

git remote set-url origin [email protected]:foomakers/pair.git

---

✅ 2. Check if the repo really exists for your account

Run:

ssh -T [email protected]

You should see:

Hi gianluca-carucci_kering! You've successfully authenticated...

Now test repository access explicitly:

GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -v" git ls-remote [email protected]:foomakers/pair.git

If this fails with Repository not found, it means:

• The repo might be under a different organization/user now.
• You’re authenticated, but SSH key isn’t linked to the right account.

---

✅ 3. Verify your GitHub user for the SSH key

Run:

ssh -T [email protected]

If it authenticates as the wrong user or machine user, check:

cat ~/.ssh/config

Look for any custom Host github.com entries pointing to the wrong IdentityFile.
If multiple keys are in use, specify:

Host github.com
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_github

---

✅ 4. Check for repository rename redirect

GitHub automatically creates an HTTP redirect for renamed repos, but SSH doesn’t follow redirects.
If the repo was renamed from something else (e.g., foomakers/oldname → foomakers/pair), make sure you are using the final name.

If you are unsure, open:

https://github.com/foomakers/pair

If it redirects, the old name is not valid for SSH anymore.

---

✅ 5. Ensure correct organization permissions

If this is in an organization repo, verify:

• You are an admin on the repo or have write access.
• If SSO is enabled for the organization, authorize your SSH key:
  Go to Settings → SSH and GPG keys → SSO Authorization and click Enable SSO for the organization.

---

✅ 6. Re-clone to test

As a final check:

git clone [email protected]:foomakers/pair.git

If this fails the same way, then it’s definitely an access or key-authorization issue.

---

Most common root causes after rename:

• SSH doesn’t handle redirects → must use the new exact name.
• SSH key not linked to correct GitHub account or not SSO-authorized.
• Wrong ssh config entry causing authentication as a different account.

[rucka]

thank to all. I solved. I have multiple ssh keys in my confing and I forgot to change the right hostname in the repo url to select the correct key.
Thx!

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