Troubleshooting

Common Errors

This section will go over some of the common errors you may encounter while following this guide or using Github and Git in general. For more advanced errors we recommend the official Github documentation here.

Issue: Repository not found or 404 error

This error occurs when trying to access a repository for the following reasons:

1. The repository has been deleted or renamed
2. You do not have the correct permissions
3. The wrong URL for the repository was entered

Issue: Unable to push or pull changes

If you are not able to push or pull changes from a repository it can be for the following reasons:

1. Network issues: ensure that you have a stable internet connection
2. Authentication problems: ensure that you have the required permissions and SSH key (AKA authentication token) is configured correctly. Read more about authentication tokens here.
3. Repository issue: ensure that the repository still exists

Issue: "Fatal: not a git repository"

This error occurs if you are attempting to run git commands but are not in the correct repository location on your computer. To resolve this:

1. Navigate to the correct directory using CD to change directories

2. If you are unsure of the path to the directory locate the repository on your computer and look at the top of the folder as seen below:

   

If the error persists your files may be corrupted. In this case your best option is to clone the repository again.