SourceTree Refusing to Load Bitbucket Repository

[Cornelius Eanes]

NOTE: I am very new to using SourceTree, Putty, Pageant, and Bitbucket. I am using SourceTree 1.5.1 on a Windows 7 operating system.

I've been at this for about 2 hours now, and after viewing several supposed answers, I get the same exact error each time. I'll walk you through the process that I'm doing.

1. I Open SourceTree.

2. This is where I encounter the first sign of problems. On everyone else's window, hovering over the "Tools" tab brings up several options, one being "Launch SSH Agent (Pageant)", but instead, I get "Launch SSH Agent..."

3. Clicking that option doesn't bring up an interface. It does, however, create a hidden icon. Left-clicking it doesn't do anything.

4. I go back to the "Tools" tab, and click on Create or Import SSH Keys. I generate a random key and get this screen. Nothing strange.

5. I save my public and private keys to the "C:/Users/Neil/.ssh" directory under the names of "ssh1_public" and "ssh1_private.ppk".

6. I then go to the repository that I'm testing this on, and copy the HTTPS repo link.

7. I then go back to SourceTree, click on "Clone / New", and paste in the link. I am then greeted with this message:

8. I click "Yes", then open up Pageant from the group of hidden icons, right-click it, then click on "Add key". I add my "ssh1_private.ppk" file.

9. I get the exact same message from before. Now if I click on "No", it brings up this message:

10. It then becomes a continuous loop of the exact same error messages.

Could someone please point out what I am doing wrong?

[Cornelius Eanes · Accepted solution]

I figured it out a while ago, and forgot about this post. When you generate the key using Putty, you need to copy the key that's in the Putty window right after it generates a new key (it will start with "ssh-rsa"), and paste that into Bitbucket's key-loading system.

[Seth]

Firstly, thanks for the detailed description of the problem.

There should be a step where you upload your public key to BitBucket. This will happen through Bitbucket's web interface, not through SourceTree.

[Cornelius Eanes]

Now I'm getting another problem. When SourceTree generates it's public and private keys (and I've tried this with SSH1, SSH2 RSA, and SSH2 DSA), BitBucket won't accept it as a valid SSH key. However, using Git Bash generates public and private keys that BitBucket will accept, but SourceTree won't.

[Seth]

Load your key in PuTTYgen and use "Conversions" > "Export OpenSSH Key..." to get a Linux-compatible SSH public key. This is a quirk of PuTTYgen, not SourceTree.