I’m trying to configure AWX to pull from a private GitHub repository using SSH deploy keys, but I’m getting authentication errors.
Setup:
AWX with a Git project pointing to: git@github.com:redacted/ansible-patch-management.git
GitHub repository with main branch and commits
SSH key pair created on Windows machine (uploaded the public key to Github as a deploy key, and added the private key in AWX)
Public key added as deploy key in GitHub repository
Private key added to AWX credential (Source Control type)
AWX project configured with branch: main
The latest error message:
fatal: 'origin/main' is not a commit and a branch 'main' cannot be created from it
Failed to checkout main
What i have tried so far:
- Verified the repository has a
mainbranch with commits - Enabled “Clean” option in AWX project to force fresh clone
- Confirmed the branch name matches between GitHub and AWX configuration
- Tested that the repository is accessible and has content
- Used both main, master or nothing in the Source Control Branch box under the project
Additional context: The private key is stored in AWX’s PostgreSQL database, so I can’t easily test the SSH connection directly from the AWX container. The error suggests AWX can reach GitHub but fails during the checkout process.
Has anyone encountered this specific error with AWX and GitHub integration? Any suggestions for troubleshooting SSH key authentication issues when the key is managed within AWX?
