Git push error: Unable to unlink old (Permission denied)

user_722983 0
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In the remote server I have a post-receive hook set up in order to make a git checkout of my repository:

#!/bin/sh
GIT_WORK_TREE=/var/www/<website> git checkout -f

But when I make a push from my local machine to the git repository in the server, I get the following error messages:

remote: error: unable to unlink old '<file>' (Permission denied)

This appears many times over, one error message for almost every file.

However I have a README.txt file that I'm able to change using git, here are its permissions:

-rw-r--r--  1 <serverusername>  <serverusername>  2939 Aug  2 10:58 README.txt

But other files with exactly the same owner and same permissions, give me that error.

In another local repository for another website, I have the files with my local machine username as owner, and when I push to the remote server it respects the remote server owner of the files and works like a charm.

Obviously it seems a permissions related error, but I can't find a way to fix it, any suggestions?

git-checkout git-push git
15 Answers

I think the problem may be with the ownership to the folder so set it to the current user ownership

sudo chown -R your_login_name /path/to/folder
You can find the solution [here][1]
user_70073520 
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER .

Did the job for me.

user_15732920

I had the same issue and none of the solutions above worked for me. I deleted the offending folder. Then: 

git reset --hard

Deleted any lingering files to clean up the git status, then did:

git pull

It finally worked.

NOTE: If the folder was, for instance, a public folder with build files, remember to rebuild the files

user_28782440 
git reset --hard

Worked for me

user_5922170

Pulling may have created local change.

Add your untracked file:

git add .

Stash changes.

git stash

Drop local changes.

git stash drop

Pull with sudo permission

sudo git pull remote branch

user_28587380

After checking the permission of the folder, it is okay with 744. I had the problem with a plugin that is installed on my WordPress site. The plugin has hooked that are in the corn job I suspected.

With a simple sudo it can fix the issue

sudo git pull origin master

You have it working.

user_40866060

In my case, I had to give read, write and execute permissions to all group members on the folder. This is because the Git user is a group member but not owner.

sudo chmod -R g=rwx <folder>
user_89479920
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