Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-30

How to Fix: How to solve Permission denied (publickey) error when using Git

Git Permission denied publickey error on Mac Snow Leopard resolved by generating SSH keys and adding them to the Git config.

Quick Answer: Generate a new SSH key pair using ssh-keygen, then add the public key to your Git config file (~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub) and update your git config to use the SSH key for authentication.

To resolve the Permission denied (publickey) error when using Git on Mac Snow Leopard, it is essential to understand that this error typically occurs due to issues with SSH key management or incorrect configuration.

⚠️ Common Causes

  • Incorrectly generated SSH key
  • Missing or corrupted SSH private key file
  • Git configuration issues, such as missing publickey directory

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Method 1: Generating SSH Keys

  1. Step 1: Open Terminal and run the command `ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048` to generate a new SSH key pair.

Method 2: Adding SSH Key to Git Configuration

  1. Step 1: Navigate to your home directory and run the command `git config --global user.keydir ~/.ssh` to specify the location of your SSH private key file.

🎯 Final Words

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the Permission denied (publickey) error and successfully clone repositories using Git on your Mac Snow Leopard system.

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