How to fix fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not properly configured in Git

What this error means

This error indicates that Git is attempting to use Windows OpenSSH for SSH connections to remote repositories, but the OpenSSH installation is not properly configured or is missing required components. Windows 10 and later include OpenSSH as an optional feature, but Git for Windows also bundles its own SSH client. When these two SSH implementations conflict or when Windows OpenSSH is partially installed, Git cannot establish SSH connections to remote hosts like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. The "fatal: Could not read from remote repository" portion confirms that Git was completely unable to access the remote repository because the SSH layer failed during connection setup.

Typical symptoms

• Git clone, push, pull, or fetch operations fail when using SSH URLs
• Error message mentions 'Windows OpenSSH not properly configured'
• SSH commands work in PowerShell but fail in Git Bash
• Git operations work with HTTPS URLs but fail with SSH URLs
• The error appears after a Windows update or OpenSSH installation
• Multiple SSH executables detected on the system
• SSH agent service not running or inaccessible
• Previously working Git SSH operations suddenly fail

Common causes

1. Git is configured to use Windows OpenSSH, but the OpenSSH client is not installed or enabled
2. Windows OpenSSH ssh-agent service is not running
3. PATH environment variable has conflicting SSH executables
4. Git's core.sshCommand points to a non-existent or misconfigured SSH binary
5. SSH keys are stored in a location Windows OpenSSH doesn't check
6. Permission issues with Windows OpenSSH accessing SSH keys
7. Windows OpenSSH was partially uninstalled or corrupted
8. Corporate Group Policy blocking OpenSSH components

How to fix "fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not properly configured"

# Check Git's SSH command configuration
git config --get core.sshCommand

# Check the GIT_SSH environment variable
echo $env:GIT_SSH

# Find which ssh.exe is in your PATH
where.exe ssh
Get-Command ssh | Select-Object Source

# Check installed OpenSSH components (run as Administrator)
Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object Name -like 'OpenSSH*'

Name  : OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0
State : Installed

Name  : OpenSSH.Server~~~~0.0.1.0
State : NotPresent  # Server is optional

# Install OpenSSH Client (run as Administrator)
Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0

Test-Path "C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe"

# Check ssh-agent service status (run as Administrator)
Get-Service ssh-agent

# Set the service to start automatically
Set-Service -Name ssh-agent -StartupType Automatic

# Start the service
Start-Service ssh-agent

# Verify it's running
Get-Service ssh-agent

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  ssh-agent          OpenSSH Authentication Agent

# Add your default SSH key
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519

# Or for RSA keys
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_rsa

# List loaded keys
ssh-add -l

# Ensure ssh-agent is running first
Start-Service ssh-agent

# Then try adding the key again
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519

# Windows OpenSSH looks for keys here:
dir $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh

# Should contain:
# id_ed25519 (or id_rsa) - private key
# id_ed25519.pub (or id_rsa.pub) - public key

# Set Git to use Windows OpenSSH
git config --global core.sshCommand "C:/Windows/System32/OpenSSH/ssh.exe"

# Verify the setting
git config --get core.sshCommand

# Test SSH to GitHub
ssh -T git@github.com

# Expected successful response:
# Hi username! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

# View current PATH
$env:PATH -split ';' | Select-String -Pattern "ssh|git" -CaseSensitive:$false

# Windows OpenSSH path should appear before Git paths
# C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH should come before
# C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin

# Set Git to use its bundled SSH
git config --global core.sshCommand "C:/Program Files/Git/usr/bin/ssh.exe"

# Or remove the setting entirely to use Git's default
git config --global --unset core.sshCommand

# Also clear any GIT_SSH environment variable
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GIT_SSH", $null, "User")

# In Git Bash, start the ssh-agent
eval $(ssh-agent -s)

# Add your SSH key
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# Test the connection
ssh -T git@github.com

# Find all ssh.exe in PATH
where.exe ssh

# Typical output with conflicts:
# C:\Windows\System32\OpenSSH\ssh.exe
# C:\Program Files\Git\usr\bin\ssh.exe

# Restart PowerShell, then:
where.exe ssh
# The first result will be used

# Test SSH connection to GitHub
ssh -T git@github.com

# Test SSH connection to GitLab
ssh -T git@gitlab.com

# Verbose output for debugging
ssh -vT git@github.com

# Clone a repository
git clone git@github.com:username/repository.git

# Or test with an existing repository
cd your-repo
git fetch origin
git pull origin main

# Set GIT_SSH_COMMAND for verbose output
$env:GIT_SSH_COMMAND = "ssh -vvv"
git fetch origin

Advanced notes

git config --get core.sshCommand
echo $env:GIT_SSH_COMMAND
echo $env:GIT_SSH
where.exe ssh

# Windows OpenSSH default key locations:
# C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519
# C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_rsa

# Git Bash interprets ~ as:
# /c/Users/YourName/.ssh/id_ed25519
# Which is the same physical location

# Check for errors in Event Viewer
Get-EventLog -LogName System -Source Service* -Newest 20 |
  Where-Object { $_.Message -like "*ssh*" }

# Repair OpenSSH installation
Remove-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0
Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0

# Restart the computer after reinstalling

Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile C:/Users/YourName/.ssh/id_ed25519
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Host gitlab.com
    HostName gitlab.com
    User git
    IdentityFile C:/Users/YourName/.ssh/gitlab_key
    IdentitiesOnly yes

# Check if OpenSSH is blocked by policy
Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\OpenSSH" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Check Windows Defender Firewall
Get-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "*SSH*" | Select-Object DisplayName, Enabled, Action

# In WSL, use Linux SSH, not Windows
which ssh
# Should return: /usr/bin/ssh

# Don't mix Windows and WSL SSH configurations
# Keep separate keys or use ssh-agent forwarding

# Maximum verbosity
ssh -vvv git@github.com

# Key things to look for:
# - "Trying private key: ..." - shows which keys are being tried
# - "Authentications that can continue: publickey" - server expects key auth
# - "Authentication succeeded" - successful connection

# Remove Git SSH settings
git config --global --unset core.sshCommand
git config --global --unset-all core.sshCommand

# Clear environment variables
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GIT_SSH", $null, "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GIT_SSH_COMMAND", $null, "User")

# Restart terminal and test
git clone git@github.com:octocat/Hello-World.git

Frequently asked questions

What does "fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not prop" mean?

This error indicates that Git is attempting to use Windows OpenSSH for SSH connections to remote repositories, but the OpenSSH installation is not properly configured or is missing required components. Windows 10 and later include OpenSSH as an optional feature, but Git for Windows also bundles its own SSH client. When these two SSH implementations conflict or when Windows OpenSSH is partially installed, Git cannot establish SSH connections to remote hosts like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.

How do I fix "fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not prop"?

This error occurs when Git on Windows cannot communicate with remote repositories because Windows OpenSSH is misconfigured or conflicts with Git's bundled SSH client. The fix involves configuring Git to use the correct SSH executable or properly setting up Windows OpenSSH.

What causes "fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not prop"?

Git is configured to use Windows OpenSSH, but the OpenSSH client is not installed or enabled Windows OpenSSH ssh-agent service is not running PATH environment variable has conflicting SSH executables

Is the "fatal: Could not read from remote repository. Windows OpenSSH not prop" error serious?

It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

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Official resources & further reading

• 📚Git Official Documentation
• 📖
  Microsoft Docs - Get started with OpenSSH for Windows(Official Docs)
• 📖
  GitHub Docs - Connecting to GitHub with SSH(Official Docs)
• 📖
  Git Book - Generating Your SSH Public Key(Official Docs)
• 💬
  Stack Overflow - Starting ssh-agent on Windows 10 fails(Stack Overflow)
• 💬
  Stack Overflow - How to run ssh-add on Windows(Stack Overflow)