WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!
The server's SSH host key is different from last time
Seen in OpenSSH client, git over SSH
The host key the server presented does not match the one saved in known_hosts, which can mean a rebuilt server or an interception attempt.
Common causes
- The server was reinstalled or replaced, or a new VM reused the same IP or name.
- The provider rotated its host key (GitHub replaced its RSA host key in March 2023).
- Less commonly, something is intercepting the connection.
How to fix it
- Confirm the new fingerprint out of band (provider docs, console, or the server admin) before trusting it.
- Then remove the stale entry: ssh-keygen -R hostname (and the IP if it is listed), and reconnect.
- Never disable StrictHostKeyChecking to make the warning go away.
Got a different message? Paste it into the error explainer.
Related errors
- error: RPC failed; HTTP 413 curl 22 The requested URL returned error: 413 · The push is larger than the server or proxy accepts
- error: RPC failed; curl 18 transfer closed with outstanding read data remaining · The connection dropped during a git transfer
- fatal: the remote end hung up unexpectedly · The Git server closed the connection
- kex_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host · The SSH server closed the connection before the handshake
- Permission denied (publickey) · The server rejected every SSH key you offered
- Host key verification failed. · SSH couldn't confirm the server's identity
- Unable to negotiate with 203.0.113.10 port 22: no matching host key type found. Their offer: ssh-rsa · The server only offers an old host key type
- Unable to negotiate with 203.0.113.10 port 22: no matching key exchange method found. Their offer: diffie-hellman-group1-sha1 · Client and server share no key exchange algorithm
- Received disconnect from 203.0.113.10 port 22:2: Too many authentication failures · The client offered too many keys before the right one
- Connection closed by 203.0.113.10 port 22 · The SSH server ended the session
- npm ERR! code ETIMEDOUT · npm couldn't reach the registry in time
- npm ERR! code ERR_SOCKET_TIMEOUT · The registry connection went silent