@Marvin I came back from winter break and my Prefect 2.20 deployments are failing to clone now. The deployment run is giving this error:

RuntimeError: Failed to clone repository '<https://gitlab.myprivate><http://_repo.net/myorg/my-repo.git|_repo.net/myorg/my-repo.git>' with exit code 128.

The deployments were running just fine previously, and I have not updated Prefect versions in the interim.

The error you're encountering,

exit code 128

, typically indicates a problem with the git cloning process. This can be due to a variety of reasons such as authentication issues, network problems, or repository access rights. Here are a few potential causes and solutions: 1. Authentication Issues: Ensure that your credentials for accessing the private repository are correctly configured. If you're using a token, ensure it hasn't expired or been revoked. 2. Repository URL: Double-check the repository URL for any typos or changes. The error message you posted seems to contain malformed URL segments. 3. Network Issues: Temporary network issues could also cause this error. You might want to try running the clone command manually from the environment where your deployments run to see if the issue persists. 4. Git Configuration: As seen in some related issues, git configuration settings like

pull.rebase

might affect the behavior. You could try adjusting these settings. 5. Prefect Configuration: Ensure that your Prefect configuration hasn't changed, especially around how repositories are cloned in your deployment scripts. For further insights, you might want to check out these related GitHub issues that discuss similar problems: - GitRepository pull fails - Cloning Error during pull step in deployment only after first run These issues might provide additional context or workarounds that could be applicable to your situation.

@Marvin what is a good way to test that the repo url and token are working in the python REPL? My prefect.yaml pull step looks like this, because I have the repo information stored like so:

# prefect.yaml
- prefect.deployments.steps.git_clone:
    repository: "{{ prefect.blocks.github.templisher.repository }}"
    access_token: "{{ prefect.blocks.github.templisher.access_token }}"
    branch: "main"

To test that your repository URL and access token are working correctly in a Python REPL, you can use the

subprocess

module to run a

git

command. This will help you verify that the credentials and URL are correct. Here's a simple way to do it:

python
import subprocess

# Replace these with your actual repository URL and access token
repository_url = "https://<your-git-hosting-service>/<your-repo>.git"
access_token = "<your-access-token>"

# Construct the URL with the token for authentication
auth_repository_url = repository_url.replace("https://", f"https://{access_token}@")

try:
    # Run the git clone command
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "clone", auth_repository_url],
        check=True,
        capture_output=True,
        text=True
    )
    print("Clone successful!")
except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
    print("Failed to clone repository:")
    print(e.stderr)

### Key Points: - Replace placeholders: Make sure to replace

<your-git-hosting-service>

,

<your-repo>

, and

<your-access-token>

with the actual values. - Secure handling: Be cautious with printing or logging sensitive information like access tokens. - Error Handling: The

subprocess.CalledProcessError

will capture any errors during the cloning process, which can help diagnose issues. This approach should help you confirm whether the URL and token are correctly configured for accessing your repository.

When I run this command it prompts:

Password for '<https://TOKEN@gitlab.myprivate><http://_repo.net|_repo.net>':

The prompt for a password suggests that the access token isn't being correctly passed in the URL. This often happens due to incorrect URL formatting or token usage. Let's address this: 1. Check URL Formatting: Ensure the repository URL is correctly formatted. If the URL is malformed, it might not recognize the token as an authentication method. 2. Token Usage: Make sure the token is valid and has the necessary permissions to access the repository. 3. Correct URL Construction: When using tokens in URLs, it should look like this:

https://<token>@<your-git-hosting-service>/<your-repo>.git

. Let's refine the test script to ensure it's correctly formatted:

python
import subprocess

# Replace these with your actual repository URL and access token
repository_url = "<https://gitlab.myprivate_repo.net/myorg/my-repo.git>"
access_token = "<your-access-token>"

# Construct the URL with the token for authentication
auth_repository_url = repository_url.replace("https://", f"https://{access_token}@")

try:
    # Run the git clone command
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "clone", auth_repository_url],
        check=True,
        capture_output=True,
        text=True
    )
    print("Clone successful!")
except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
    print("Failed to clone repository:")
    print(e.stderr)

Make sure: - The URL format matches the example provided. - The token is placed correctly before the

@

symbol. - The token has adequate permissions for repository access. If you continue to face issues, verify the token's permissions and ensure that the repository URL doesn't have extraneous characters or formatting issues.

@Marvin What scope does the gitlab token need to clone the repo?

To clone a repository from GitLab using a personal access token, the token should have the

read_repository

scope. This scope allows the token to access the repository's content, which includes the ability to clone the repository. Here's a quick guide to ensure your token has the correct scope: 1. Generate a Personal Access Token: - Go to your GitLab account settings. - Navigate to "Access Tokens" under the "User Settings." - Create a new token with the

read_repository

scope. 2. Ensure Token Permissions: - Confirm that the token is associated with an account that has access to the repository you wish to clone. With the

read_repository

scope, your token should be able to authenticate and clone the repository without requiring additional permissions. If issues persist, double-check the repository's access settings and the account associated with the token.

@Marvin OK what scopes does the prefect command

prefect.deployments.steps.git_clone

require to successfull pull the flow code from gitlab?

To successfully use the

prefect.deployments.steps.git_clone

command to pull flow code from GitLab, the token should have the

read_repository

scope. This scope allows the token to access the repository's content, which is necessary for cloning the repository. Here's a brief summary of the requirements: - Scope: The token should have the

read_repository

scope to access and clone the repository content. - Configuration: You can provide the token directly in the

access_token

field or use a Secret block to securely handle the token. For more details, you can refer to the Prefect documentation on deployment storage.

@Marvin I have created a new PAT token with read_repository scope. The subprocess snippet above is now running successfully, with output message 'Clone successful!'. I've registered the github block with the new token, and did 'prefect deploy ...' to create my deployment. When I run the deployment

prefect deployment run my_deployment_slug

I am still getting a failure with the error message in the Prefect UI Logs:

RuntimeError: Failed to clone repository '<https://gitlab.myprivate><http://_repo.net/myorg/my-repo.git|_repo.net/myorg/my-repo.git>' with exit code 128.

It seems like your

prefect.deployments.steps.git_clone

command is still encountering issues, even after updating the token and confirming it works in isolation. Here are a few steps to troubleshoot and resolve the problem: 1. URL Format: Double-check the repository URL in your Prefect configuration. The error message suggests that the URL might be malformed. Ensure it follows the correct format without extraneous characters or segments. 2. Token Configuration: Verify that the token is correctly registered in the GitHub block used by Prefect. Ensure that the token is stored securely and referenced correctly in your

prefect.yaml

. 3. Prefect Configuration: Make sure that the Prefect deployment configuration is not caching old settings. You might want to delete and recreate the deployment to ensure it uses the updated token. 4. Prefect Version: Ensure that the Prefect version you are using is compatible with the GitLab integration. There might be differences in how Prefect handles GitLab repositories across versions. 5. Logs and Error Messages: Review the full error logs in the Prefect UI for any additional clues. Sometimes, the logs provide more context on where the process is failing. 6. Common Gotchas: Be aware that Prefect 3.x has replaced some components and methods, such as using

from_source

instead of certain blocks. Ensure that your configuration aligns with the version you're using. By addressing these points, you should be able to resolve the issue. If problems persist, consider reaching out to the Prefect community or support for more tailored assistance.

It works now, looks like the previous token had

read_api

scope which worked in 2024 but now in 2025 does not work and needs

read_repository

scope.