How do I use GitPython with a ssh key?

Question

I want to create a short git workflow to do a few things using a python library for git (GitPython).

If anyone has successfully used GitPython with ssh keys to do basic things like a git pull, please post.

Following the documentation does not work.

The documentation is very confusing, it jumps right into the most advanced use cases that I doubt anyone, anywhere would use, and going back and forth between using a call like: repo.function() and git.function() is confusing.

I only need to do the simple usual things: pull, add, commit, push, merge etc. but am really struggling to dig through the documentation to find how to do the most common things - items that I would expect to be at the very front of any documentation.

In addition, I do not understand why anyone would use GitPython to automate things and then pause to enter their credentials each time they hit a hosted repo. Who are these people?

The most common use case would be to do a pull/push etc., anything that operates on the remote with a ssh key.

If anyone has successfully used GitPython with a ssh key, please share, it would be greatly appreciated.

I would be very glad to help shred the current documentation, start over, with the most common use cases first, and add ssh key use functionality up front, but I need to gather all of this information first and build a library of simple functionality before getting involved there (and I will - it needs to be done).

I believe GitPython is just a wrapper around Git. Using an ssh key with GitPython should be no different than using one with Git. A search finds instructions on how to specify a specific ssh key but that should not be necessary. — Schwern
– Schwern, Commented Dec 9, 2020 at 22:08
This did not work, I have not been able to get ssh keys to work with GitPython. Maybe it's just not implemented. — Jay Vee
– Jay Vee, Commented Jan 4, 2021 at 21:52
There should be nothing to implement. How does it "not work"? Please edit the details into the answer. — Schwern
– Schwern, Commented Jan 4, 2021 at 23:07

Schwern · Accepted Answer · 2021-01-04 23:18:01Z

1

GitPython is just a wrapper around the Git executable. Using an ssh key with GitPython is the same as using one with Git itself.

Here is a demonstration. I have removed my ssh key from my ssh agent.

>>> from git import Repo
>>> repo = Repo("/Users/schwern/devel/ruby")
>>> origin = repo.remote("origin")
>>> for fetch_info in origin.fetch():
...     print("Updated %s to %s" % (fetch_info.ref, fetch_info.commit))
... ^D
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.8/lib/python3.8/site-packages/git/remote.py", line 797, in fetch
    res = self._get_fetch_info_from_stderr(proc, progress)
  File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.8/lib/python3.8/site-packages/git/remote.py", line 676, in _get_fetch_info_from_stderr
    proc.wait(stderr=stderr_text)
  File "/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.8/lib/python3.8/site-packages/git/cmd.py", line 408, in wait
    raise GitCommandError(self.args, status, errstr)
git.exc.GitCommandError: Cmd('git') failed due to: exit code(128)
  cmdline: git fetch -v origin
  stderr: 'fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.'

As you can see, it's just calling git fetch -v origin. I get the same error if I run git fetch -v origin.

$ git fetch -v origin
[email protected]: Permission denied (publickey).
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Please make sure you have the correct access rights
and the repository exists.

Once I've added my ssh key, origin.fetch() succeeds.

>>> for fetch_info in origin.fetch():
...     print("Updated %s to %s" % (fetch_info.ref, fetch_info.commit))
... ^D
Updated origin/master to 7a3322a0fd660d676f1918bd7c4a37676b44e1c2
...etc...

Make sure git fetch works. Then GitPython should work.

answered Jan 4, 2021 at 23:18

Schwern

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2 Comments

bathMarm0t Over a year ago

This answer is the closest thing I've had to success with GitPython, but the keys are forgotten on exit. Since python is instancing a new command-line/process for each clone_from call. Could you specify how to setup a bash script that loads an ssh-key on a process by process basis? It seems like all the examples have a one-liner bash script inputted as SSH_COMMAND e.g. !#/bin/bash "ssh -i /etc/.ssh/your_key" but that is insufficient to auto-load keys. When I add more to my bash script it bails out.

Schwern Over a year ago

@bathMarm0t Use an ssh-agent. atlassian.com/git/tutorials/git-ssh

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