gitolite/doc/setup.mkd
2012-05-16 18:54:52 +05:30

1.7 KiB

setting up gitolite

This is the second step in using gitolite, after [install][]. This also happens on the server, (The next step is [clone][]).


Installing the software gets you ready to use it, but the first "use" of it is always the "setup" command.

The first time you run it, you need to have a public key file (usually from the admin's workstation) ready. If the main gitolite admin's username is "alice", this file should be named "alice.pub". Then run

gitolite setup -pk alice.pub

If that command completes without any warnings, you should be done. If it had a warning, you probably supplied a key which already has shell access to the server. That won't work.


Normally, gitolite is hosted on a user that no one accesses directly -- you log on to the server using some other userid, and then su - git. In this scenario, there is no key being used for shell access, so there is no conflict.

An alternative method is to use two different keys, and a [host alias][ssh-ha] to distinguish the two.

[common errors][ce] has some links to background information on this issue.


The 'setup' command has other uses, so you will be running it at other times after the install as well:

  • To setup the update hook when you move [existing][] repos to gitolite. This also applies if someone has been fiddling with the hooks on some repos and you want to put them all right quickly.

  • To replace a [lost admin key][lost-key].

  • To setup gitolite for http mode (run 'gitolite setup -h' for more info).

When in doubt, run 'gitolite setup' anyway; it doesn't do any harm, though it may take a minute or so if you have more than a few thousand repos!