Troubleshooting — Stage 7: Connect to GitHub

Common Errors

fatal: remote origin already exists

Cause: You already added a remote named origin, probably in an earlier attempt.

Fix: Either remove and re-add — git remote remove origin then git remote add origin <url> — or update in place: git remote set-url origin <url>.

The GitHub repo has a README I did not ask for

Cause: You checked "Add a README file" when creating the repo on GitHub.

Fix: Easiest — delete the repo on GitHub (Settings → Danger zone → Delete) and recreate it with all checkboxes off. Or learn git pull --rebase in Stage 8 and work through the conflict.

I do not remember my GitHub username

Fix: Go to github.com while logged in. Your username appears in the top-right menu and in your profile URL.

I do not know which URL to use, HTTPS or SSH

Fix: Use HTTPS for this tutorial — it is the default and works without extra setup. SSH is nicer once you do it, but it requires generating and uploading an SSH key first. That is outside the scope of this tutorial.

FAQ

Can I have more than one remote?

Yes. You might have origin (GitHub) and backup (a second host) at the same time. git push origin main and git push backup main would send the same commits to both.

Does origin have to be named origin?

No. It is just a conventional name for "the main remote." You could call it github, upstream, or anything else. Sticking with origin makes your commands match what most tutorials and teams expect.

Is the remote URL sensitive?

No. A repo URL is public-ish. What is sensitive is your personal access token (if you use HTTPS) or your SSH private key. Never share those.

Why doesn't git remote add upload anything?

Because it only stores a bookmark. Adding a remote is a local operation — Git never contacts the URL until you explicitly run git fetch, git pull, or git push.