Gitolite git clone requires ssh password

Question

using Gitolite on a Ubuntu server. Have a project im working on that i need a particular syntax for the git command.

Works great: git clone gitolite@servername:testing.git

Asks for a password git clone ssh://gitolite@servername/home/gitolite/repositories/testing.git

Ran from the same box, one after another. I can put in the password and it works. But I need to automatically work. Sounds like a problem with ssh pub/private keys. Any ideas?

Update: Was a problem with file permissions. Not sure the difference between the too commands. But the /var/log/auth.log showed some errors

Answer 1

Yet another thing to try: if AllowGroups is in use for the sshd on the server, check that the git-user is included in one of those groups.

Answer 2

You need to setup ~gitolite/.ssh/authorized_keys with a line like

command="/home/gitolite/bin/gl-auth-command <USERNAME>",no-port-forwarding,no-X11-forwarding,no-agent-forwarding,no-pty ssh-rsa AAAA...KEY.HERE...ZZZZ== user@label

A random URL with info relating to this (see the bottom of the page)

http://www.geekgumbo.com/2011/10/18/ssh-and-the-gitolite-installation-part-2/

Ensure to change ownership of ~gitolite/.ssh/authorized_keys as per SSH requirements with:

chown gitolite: ~gitolite/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod go-w ~gitolite/.ssh/authorized_keys

EDIT: to reflect your edits changing 'git' to 'gitolite' system username.

Test your access from the client with:

ssh -l gitolite -i <file_id_rsa_foobar> -v -o PasswordAuthentication=no -T <host>

Added -T seems needed on my local system to get banner (typed in excuse mistakes):

....
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Offering RSA public key: /home/username/.ssh/id_rsa_foobar
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Offering DSA public key: /home/username/.ssh/id_dsa_foobar
debug1: Remote: Forced command: /home/gitolite/bin/gl-auth/command <username>
....
hello <username> this is gitolite vX.X.XX-g0123abcd running on git X.X.X
the gitolite config gives you the following access:
    R   W    mydir/project1
....

Answer 3

If the first version works, that means the public keys have been published under the account named 'gitolite': ~gitolite/.ssh/authorized_keys.

The permission issue you have encountered is described here: "Creating SSH keys for Gerrit and Hudson": note that all the parent directories of a .ssh shouldn't have write permission for group or other: /home, /home/yourUser, /home/yourUser/.ssh.

Plus, you shouldn't ever clone a gitolite repo with the full path of the repo: servername/home/gitolite/repositories/testing.git is wrong (and would by-pass gitolite completely).
servername:testing.git is right.

From the gitolite V2 doc:

The following problem(s) indicate that your pubkey is bypassing gitolite and going straight to a shell

running git clone git@server:repositories/reponame (note presence of repositories/ in URL) works.

[A proper gitolite key will only let you git clone git@server:reponame (note absence of repositories/)]