Unable to access Overleaf repo — git clone returns 403

[ojasiiitd]

Trying to add an Overleaf project through the app fails during the clone step with a 403 error from git.overleaf.com.

The project URL is valid and the Git authentication token has already been added in Settings.

git clone failed:
Cloning into '/Users/ojas/Documents/Overleaf/overleaf-683c70bf'...
fatal: unable to access 'https://git.overleaf.com/683c70bfe2904a4786081eeb/': The requested URL returned error: 403

Environment

• macOS: Sonoma
• App version: latest from main branch
• Installed using:

Build using: ./build.sh run

Things checked

• Overleaf account has Git access enabled
• Git authentication token generated from Overleaf settings
• Token pasted into Overleaf Desktop settings
• Project URL opens correctly in browser
• Another Overleaf project was successfully imported as well.

[eric-xw]

Thanks for the detailed report. The good news (for the app) and the maybe-not-great news (for you) is that this is almost certainly an Overleaf-side authorization issue, not an Overleaf Desktop bug.

The 403 comes directly from git.overleaf.com — Overleaf's server saying "I recognize your token, but you don't have permission for this specific project's Git repo." A 401 would mean the token itself was bad; a 403 means the token is valid but the project's ACL denied it. The fact that another project imported successfully confirms the app, token, and URL handling are all fine.

You can reproduce outside the app to confirm:

git clone https://git@git.overleaf.com/683c70bfe2904a4786081eeb /tmp/test

When git prompts for password, paste your Overleaf Git auth token. Same 403 = same request, same denial — the app is just a wrapper around exactly this.

Common reasons Overleaf returns 403 on a specific project while others work:

1. Project owner's plan. Git bridge access for a project is gated by the owner's Overleaf subscription. If you're a collaborator on someone else's free-plan project, you can't use Git on it even if your own plan is paid.
2. Collaborator role. Some read-only / view-only roles don't include Git access.
3. Group / institution restrictions. Institutional licenses sometimes disable Git for certain roles.

Quick checks on overleaf.com:

• Open the project → Share → who's listed as the owner, and what's your role?
• Does the owner have a paid Overleaf plan with Git enabled?
• Is the working project your own, vs. this one being shared with you?

If the terminal git clone above succeeds for you but the app fails, that's a real app bug — please reopen with that detail. Otherwise this isn't something Overleaf Desktop can fix from its side. Going to leave it open for now in case you find out it's actually the app.