A password prompt during git push to Dokku usually means SSH did not find or select the private key that matches the public key authorized on the server. Check that the remote is an SSH URL using the dokku user, authorize the correct public key, tell SSH where a non-default private key is stored, and then test the connection directly.
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What the password prompt means
Dokku deployments use Git over SSH. When the SSH client cannot offer the private key associated with a public key registered on the Dokku server, authentication does not complete and Git may ask for a password. The most common variation is a key whose filename is not the default ~/.ssh/id_rsa. A public key may already have been added with Dokku’s key-management command, but SSH will still fail if its matching private key is elsewhere and no configuration tells the client to use it.
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This is different from an application-name error. First make sure the connection is using SSH and the correct account; then troubleshoot key authorization and key selection. A port-22 connection that closes immediately can be a server access-control policy rather than a Git remote or repository problem.
1. Check the Dokku remote before changing keys
Inspect the URL Git is using
From the application repository, run:
git remote -vA normal Dokku remote has the SSH form dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAME. For example, a host named dokku.me and an app named app-name would appear as [email protected]:app-name. The username is significant: Dokku states that “the remote username must be dokku or pushes will fail.”
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If the remote points to an HTTPS address, Git is not using Dokku’s SSH authentication at all. If it uses another SSH username, the server will not handle the push as a Dokku deployment.
Reset or add the remote
To replace an existing remote named dokku, run:
git remote set-url dokku dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAMEIf no remote named dokku exists, add one:
git remote add dokku dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAMEReplace the host and app values with the names used by your Dokku installation. Run git remote -v again and confirm both fetch and push entries show the expected host and the dokku username before testing authentication.
2. Authorize the public key on the Dokku server
SSH authentication requires a pair. The private key stays on your workstation; only its public counterpart is copied to or registered on Dokku. The public key must be authorized for the Dokku account before a push can work.
Use the current installation guidance when available
Current Dokku installation guidance uses the server’s authorized-keys file as input to Dokku’s key command:
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cat ~/.ssh/authorized_keys | sudo dokku ssh-keys:add adminRun this on the Dokku server with the administrative access appropriate to that installation. The command imports the administrator’s authorized public key under the name admin. If the key you intend to use is not in that file, add or import the correct public key according to the key-management procedure for the installed Dokku version rather than registering an unrelated key.
Use the older deployment procedure on older installations
Older Dokku deployment instructions use sshcommand acl-add and pipe the public key over an SSH session:
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cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh [sudouser]@[yourdomain].com "sudo sshcommand acl-add dokku [description]"This syntax reflects an older administration model. Use it only when it matches the Dokku version and access arrangement on the server. Do not paste a private-key file into either command; the input must be the public key, normally ending in a format such as .pub.
Make sure the key pair actually matches
The public key registered on Dokku must be derived from the private key your local SSH client will use. Registering one public key and selecting a different private key produces the same authentication failure as having no key registered. Keep the private key local and protected; Dokku needs the public key for authorization, not the secret key.
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3. Tell SSH about a non-default private-key filename
If your private key is not at ~/.ssh/id_rsa, add a host entry to your local SSH configuration file, ~/.ssh/config:
Host DOKKU_HOSTNAME
IdentityFile "~/.ssh/KEYNAME"Replace DOKKU_HOSTNAME with the same host name used in the Git remote and KEYNAME with the private-key filename. The host pattern must match the host portion of dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAME; otherwise SSH will ignore the entry and continue looking for its defaults.
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The IdentityFile line points to the private key, not the .pub file. Never upload that private key to Dokku or place it in the repository. If you use several Dokku servers or several local key pairs, give each host its own matching entry so a key intended for one server is not silently offered to another.
4. Test SSH separately from Git
Once the remote, server authorization, and local key selection are aligned, retry the deployment:
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git push dokku mainUse the branch that your application deploys if it is not main. The Git command tests both authentication and Dokku’s Git-receive path, so a successful SSH login should be followed by the normal Dokku build and release output.
For a key-selection problem, test the SSH connection directly with verbose logging:
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5. Diagnose failures by symptom
| Symptom | Most likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Git repeatedly asks for a password | The matching private key was not found or selected. | Confirm the key’s filename and add an IdentityFile entry for the Dokku host. |
git remote -v shows an HTTPS URL |
The repository is not using Dokku’s SSH transport. | Set the remote to dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAME. |
The remote uses an SSH username other than dokku |
Dokku is not receiving the connection as its deployment account. | Change the remote so the text before @ is exactly dokku. |
| Verbose SSH offers a key, but authentication is denied | The corresponding public key is not authorized on the server, or a different pair was registered. | Register the public half of the offered private key using the command appropriate to your Dokku version. |
| SSH closes the connection on port 22 | An operating-system access policy may be blocking the dokku account. |
Inspect /etc/security/access.conf or the equivalent SSH access-control policy on the server. |
| SSH succeeds but the push names the wrong app | The host is correct but APP_NAME in the Git remote is not. |
Correct the remote path, then push the intended branch. |
Separate configuration errors from server policy errors
Four checks isolate nearly every password-prompt case:
- Transport: the remote must be SSH, not HTTPS.
- Account: the SSH username must be
dokku. - Authorization: Dokku must contain the public key matching the local private key.
- Selection and policy: the local client must offer that key, and the server must permit the
dokkuaccount to connect.
Fix these in order. There is little value in changing the app name while SSH is still offering the wrong key, and re-registering a public key will not help if the remote is an HTTPS URL. Likewise, a correct key and remote cannot overcome an operating-system rule that rejects the account before Git starts.
Common mistakes to avoid
Registering the wrong file
The server needs a public key. Supplying a private key would expose the credential and still would not solve the intended configuration. Use the public-key file or the server’s existing authorized-keys file as required by the Dokku command for your version.
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An entry for an IP address does not automatically apply when the remote uses a DNS name, and an entry for an alias does not apply unless the remote uses that alias. Match the Host value to the host text in the Git URL, or deliberately change both to a consistent name.
Assuming a successful SSH handshake proves the push is correct
SSH can authenticate successfully while the Git remote still points to the wrong application. Confirm the complete remote, including the app path, before interpreting a later push error as a key problem.
Ignoring the installed Dokku administration model
The dokku ssh-keys:add workflow and the older sshcommand acl-add workflow are not interchangeable instructions for every release. Select the procedure that matches the commands available on the server and the way administrators log in.
A clean repair sequence
For a repeatable fix, work through this sequence without skipping the direct SSH test:
- Run
git remote -vand verify an SSH URL in the formdokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAME:APP_NAME. - Correct the remote with
git remote set-urlor create it withgit remote addif necessary. - Identify the exact private key that should authenticate from this workstation.
- Register its public counterpart on Dokku using the current or older command appropriate to the installation.
- If the filename is not
~/.ssh/id_rsa, add the matchingHostandIdentityFilelines to~/.ssh/config. - Run
ssh -v dokku@DOKKU_HOSTNAMEand confirm that SSH offers the intended key. - Push the deployment branch with
git push dokku mainor the branch configured for the application. - If the connection is closed on port 22, stop changing Git settings and inspect the server’s SSH access-control policy.
This order tells you whether the failure is caused by the URL, authorization, local key selection, or a server-level restriction, so each change addresses a specific symptom instead of masking another configuration error.
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