Fix 'remote: Repository not found'

Does this match your situation?

• 'remote: Repository not found.' on clone, push or pull.
• The URL opens fine in a browser where you are logged in.
• It began after leaving a company, rotating a token, or adding a second GitHub account.
• A colleague can clone the same repository and you cannot.
• It worked until the repository was renamed or moved to an organisation.

Step-by-step fix

1. Find out who Git is logging in as

   This is the step that solves it. GitHub deliberately reports a private repository you cannot see as 'not found' rather than 'forbidden', so an account with no access looks identical to a URL that does not exist.

   step 1Copy

   ssh -T git@github.com
   # 'Hi <username>!' - is that the account with access?
   
   git config user.email
   git remote -v
   

2. Clear a stale saved credential

   Credential helpers cache the first token that worked and keep replaying it forever, including after it expires or loses scope. That cached value is a very common cause of a repository being 'not found' for you alone.

   step 2Copy

   git credential reject <<< $'protocol=https\nhost=github.com\n'
   
   # macOS Keychain:
   git credential-osxkeychain erase <<< $'protocol=https\nhost=github.com\n'
   

   Show the Windows version

   WindowsCopy

   cmdkey /list | findstr github
   # then remove it in Control Panel -> Credential Manager -> Windows Credentials
   git config --global credential.helper manager
   

3. Check the URL character by character

   GitHub paths are case-sensitive, and a repository that was renamed or transferred to an organisation keeps redirecting for web browsers but not always for Git. Confirm the exact owner and name.

   step 3Copy

   git remote -v
   git remote set-url origin https://github.com/CorrectOwner/correct-repo.git
   git ls-remote origin        # succeeds only if you can actually see it
   

4. Confirm your token has the right scope

   A personal access token without repo scope can read public repositories and will report every private one as not found. Fine-grained tokens must additionally list the specific repository or organisation.

   step 4Copy

   curl -H "Authorization: token <YOUR_TOKEN>" https://api.github.com/user
   curl -H "Authorization: token <YOUR_TOKEN>" https://api.github.com/repos/owner/repo
   

   💡A 404 from the API for a repository you can see in the browser confirms the token is the problem.

5. Sort out multiple accounts with an SSH host alias

   Two GitHub accounts on one machine constantly authenticate as the wrong one, because SSH offers the first key that works. An alias in ~/.ssh/config makes the choice explicit per repository.

   step 5Copy

   # ~/.ssh/config
   Host github-work
     HostName github.com
     User git
     IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work
     IdentitiesOnly yes
   

   ✅Then use git@github-work:org/repo.git as the remote URL and the right key is always chosen.

Why this works

GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket all answer requests for a private repository you are not permitted to see with 'not found'. That is deliberate: replying 'access denied' would confirm the repository exists, letting anyone enumerate a company's private projects by name. The cost of that design is this error, which describes the symptom accurately and the cause not at all — the repository is there, and your credentials simply do not reach it. Once you know that, the diagnosis inverts: instead of checking the URL, check who you are authenticating as, because a stale token, the wrong SSH key or an account that lost access all produce exactly this message.

If that didn’t work

• Try cloning a public repository over the same protocol to test whether the transport works at all.
• GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -v" git clone <url> shows which key SSH offered and which was accepted.
• For an organisation repository, check whether SSO authorisation is required for your token or key.
• Ask an owner to confirm your account is still a collaborator — access is often removed silently.

How to stop it happening again

• Keep work and personal accounts on separate SSH host aliases from the start.
• Use SSH keys rather than tokens where you can — no expiry, no scope to forget.
• When you rotate a token, clear the credential helper's cached copy at the same time.
• Note that renamed repositories redirect in the browser but not reliably for Git — update the remote.

Commands used in this guide

Frequently asked questions