How to fix fatal: No such remote: 'origin' in Git

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This error occurs when you try to interact with a remote repository named 'origin' that hasn't been configured in your local Git setup. It typically happens with newly initialized repositories or when the remote configuration has been removed or corrupted. The fix is straightforward: add the missing remote using `git remote add`.

What this error means

The "fatal: No such remote: 'origin'" error indicates that Git cannot find a remote repository named "origin" in your local configuration. When you run commands like `git push origin main`, `git pull origin main`, or `git fetch origin`, Git looks for a remote named "origin" in the `.git/config` file - and when it doesn't exist, this fatal error is thrown. The name "origin" is simply a conventional default name for your primary remote repository. When you clone a repository using `git clone`, Git automatically creates a remote called "origin" pointing to the URL you cloned from. However, if you created your repository locally with `git init`, no remotes are configured by default. This error commonly occurs in these scenarios: - **Newly initialized repository**: You ran `git init` to create a new repository but haven't added any remotes yet - **Using `set-url` instead of `add`**: You tried to set the URL for a remote that doesn't exist yet - **Corrupted Git configuration**: The `.git/config` file was manually edited or corrupted - **Wrong remote name**: The remote exists but under a different name (like "upstream" or a custom name)

How to fix "fatal: No such remote: 'origin'"

1Check your current remotes

First, verify what remotes are currently configured in your repository:

bash

# List all configured remotes
git remote -v

If no output is displayed, you have no remotes configured. If you see remotes with different names (like "upstream"), the remote exists but not with the name "origin".

You can also check your Git configuration directly:

bash

# View the full config including remotes
git config --list | grep remote

2Add the remote origin

If no remote named "origin" exists, add it using git remote add:

bash

# For HTTPS URLs
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git

# For SSH URLs
git remote add origin [email protected]:username/repository.git

Replace username and repository with your actual GitHub username and repository name. For other Git hosting services:

bash

# GitLab
git remote add origin https://gitlab.com/username/repository.git

# Bitbucket
git remote add origin https://bitbucket.org/username/repository.git

# Self-hosted Git server
git remote add origin https://git.yourcompany.com/username/repository.git

Important: Use git remote add, not git remote set-url. The set-url command only works for remotes that already exist.

3Verify the remote was added correctly

After adding the remote, confirm it was configured properly:

bash

# List remotes with their URLs
git remote -v

You should see output like:

bash

origin  https://github.com/username/repository.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/username/repository.git (push)

You can also show detailed information about the remote:

bash

git remote show origin

4Push your code to the remote

Now you can push your code to the remote repository:

bash

# Push and set upstream tracking
git push -u origin main

The -u (or --set-upstream) flag sets up tracking, so future git push and git pull commands will default to this remote and branch.

If your default branch is named "master" instead of "main":

bash

git push -u origin master

If this is a brand new repository on the remote, make sure you have at least one commit:

bash

# If you haven't made any commits yet
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git push -u origin main

5Rename an existing remote to origin

If you have a remote with a different name and want to rename it to "origin":

bash

# Check current remote names
git remote -v

# Rename a remote (e.g., rename 'upstream' to 'origin')
git remote rename upstream origin

# Verify the rename
git remote -v

This is useful when you forked a repository and want to use "origin" for your fork instead of the original repository.

6Fix corrupted Git configuration

If your Git configuration is corrupted, you can manually fix the .git/config file or remove and re-add the remote:

bash

# Remove the potentially corrupted remote entry
git remote remove origin

# Add it back fresh
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git

Alternatively, you can directly edit the .git/config file to add the remote section:

ini

[remote "origin"]
    url = https://github.com/username/repository.git
    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

Caution: Only edit .git/config manually if you're comfortable with Git internals. Using Git commands is safer.

Advanced notes

Understanding Git Remotes:

A remote in Git is simply a bookmark to another repository. The configuration is stored in .git/config:

ini

[remote "origin"]
    url = https://github.com/user/repo.git
    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

The fetch refspec tells Git how to map remote branches to local tracking branches. By default, all branches from the remote are tracked under refs/remotes/origin/.

Multiple Remotes:

You can have multiple remotes with different names:

bash

# Add your fork as origin
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourname/project.git

# Add the original repository as upstream
git remote add upstream https://github.com/original/project.git

# Fetch from both
git fetch --all

This is the standard workflow for contributing to open source projects.

The Difference Between `add` and `set-url`:

- git remote add <name> <url>: Creates a new remote - fails if it already exists
- git remote set-url <name> <url>: Updates an existing remote - fails if it doesn't exist
- git remote set-url --add <name> <url>: Adds an additional URL to an existing remote

SSH vs HTTPS URLs:

SSH URLs ([email protected]:user/repo.git) require SSH key authentication and are generally preferred for development because you don't need to enter credentials repeatedly.

HTTPS URLs (https://github.com/user/repo.git) work with username/password or personal access tokens. They're useful in CI/CD environments or when SSH isn't available.

You can change the URL type for an existing remote:

bash

# Switch from HTTPS to SSH
git remote set-url origin [email protected]:user/repo.git

# Switch from SSH to HTTPS
git remote set-url origin https://github.com/user/repo.git

Cloning vs Initializing:

When you use git clone:
- Git creates a new directory with the repository content
- Automatically configures "origin" to point to the cloned URL
- Sets up tracking for the default branch

When you use git init:
- Creates an empty Git repository
- No remotes are configured
- You must manually add remotes before pushing

Troubleshooting in CI/CD:

In CI/CD pipelines, the repository might be in a "detached HEAD" state or have limited remote configuration. Ensure your pipeline script includes:

bash

# Verify remote exists before operations
git remote -v || git remote add origin $REPO_URL

# Fetch all branches if needed
git fetch --all

How to fix fatal: No such remote: 'origin' in Git

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "fatal: No such remote: 'origin'"

Advanced notes

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Official resources & further reading