Error: fatal: repository not found (private repo)

Explanation of the problem

Several users have reported experiencing a particular issue where they encounter a “repository not found” error while attempting to execute a specific workflow. The problem arose unexpectedly, with users noticing it starting from the previous evening and persisting until the present. Prior to this, the workflow had been functioning without any issues earlier in the day.

The problem seems to occur during the “Checkout” step of the workflow, which utilizes the actions/checkout@v2 action. Within this step, the fetch-depth parameter is set to 0, indicating that a full clone of the repository is desired. Subsequently, a Git command is executed to perform a checkout operation based on the value of the ref input from the triggering event.

However, when attempting to execute the Git command, an error is encountered, stating that the repository at the provided URL, in this case, https://github.com/bitsofinfo/my-private-repo/, cannot be found. The process /usr/bin/git fails with an exit code of 128. As a result, the workflow pauses for 12 seconds before attempting to execute the Git command again. The specific Git command being used is git -c protocol.version=2 fetch --prune --progress --no-recurse-submodules origin +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/* +refs/tags/*:refs/tags/*.

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Problem solution for Error: fatal: repository not found (private repo)

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}

Solution:

To resolve this issue, you can check that the PAT passed as a parameter to the action has the necessary permissions to access the repository, and that it is still valid. Additionally, check that the PAT is associated with a GitHub account and that the account has the necessary permissions to access the repository.

Problem: Branch not found error

Another common problem with using the “actions/checkout@v2” action is that it may fail with an error message similar to “fatal: repository ‘https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git/‘ not found” when trying to check out a specific branch.

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          repository: ${{github.repository}}
          ref: ${{ env.BRANCH_NAME }}

This issue can occur when the branch specified in the “ref” parameter of the action does not exist in the repository.

Solution:

To resolve this issue, you can check that the branch specified in the “ref” parameter exists in the repository, and that the repository URL is correct.

Problem: Incorrect repository URL

Another common problem with using the “actions/checkout@v2” action is that it may fail with an error message similar to “fatal: repository ‘https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git/‘ not found” when the repository URL specified is incorrect.

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          repository: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git

Solution:

To resolve this issue, you can check that the repository URL specified in the action is correct. You can also use the parameter ${{github.repository}} that automatically gets the repository URL where the action is running.

It is important to keep in mind that “actions/checkout@v3” allows to use both, a token and a username, as input, which might help in some of the above issues.

A brief introduction to Checkout

Actions Checkout is a GitHub Action that allows developers to check out a specific repository, branch, or tag in their GitHub Actions workflow. This action is built on top of the Git command-line tool, and provides a simple and convenient way for developers to check out code within their workflow without having to manually run Git commands.

The Actions Checkout action can be used in a variety of use cases, such as continuous integration and continuous deployment workflows. By using this action, developers can easily check out the desired code, run tests, and deploy the code to a specific environment. Additionally, the action supports various parameters such as repository, ref, and token, which can be used to specify the repository URL, branch or tag, and Personal Access Token (PAT) for the repository, respectively.

Most popular use cases for Checkout

1. Checking out a specific branch or tag in a repository: Actions Checkout can be used to check out a specific branch or tag in a repository within a GitHub Actions workflow. This can be useful for continuous integration and continuous deployment workflows, where the code needs to be checked out from a specific branch or tag before it is deployed to a specific environment.

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          repository: ${{github.repository}}
          ref: ${{ env.BRANCH_NAME }}

2. Checking out a specific repository: Actions Checkout can also be used to check out a specific repository within a GitHub Actions workflow. This can be useful for workflows that need to check out code from a different repository than the one the action is running on.

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          repository: https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git

3. Automating Git operations in a workflow: Actions Checkout provides a simple and convenient way for developers to automate Git operations within their workflow without having to manually run Git commands. This can help to streamline the development process and improve the efficiency of the workflow.

      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v2
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}

This can be particularly useful for workflows that involve multiple Git operations, such as fetching, pulling, or pushing code. With Actions Checkout, developers can automate these operations, reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing the risk of errors.