How to set up Git and SSH when your org has enforced SAML SSO

While cloning a repository from an organization with SAML SSO, I encountered an SSH error. I’ve been using Git with SSH before, and I admit that this was new:

$ git clone git@github.com:myorg/repo.git
Cloning into 'repo'...
ERROR: The 'myorg' organization has enabled or enforced SAML SSO.  
To access this repository, you must use the HTTPS remote with a 
personal access token or SSH with an SSH key and passphrase that 
has been authorized for this organization.

Visit https://docs.github.com/articles/authenticating-to-a-github-organ
ization-with-saml-single-sign-on/ for more information.

Step 1: Create an SSH key and upload it to your GitHub account

First you need to generate your SSH key. Sometimes, your organization will require you to generate a new one using your company email. Nevertheless, the common denominator would be to run the ssh-keygen command below:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C lj@myorg.org

This will generate a key pair in the form of id_ed25519 and id_25519.pub. In Linux, you can find them in the ~./ssh/ directory. We need to upload the one with the .pub extension to GitHub. Go to your GitHub Settings > SSH and GPG Keys > New SSH Key (or head to github.com/settings/keys).

Write a semi-descriptive title (I usually put the organization name), set the Key Type as “Authentication Key,” and copy the contents of the id_25519.pub in the Key field.

Step 2: Add your SSH key to the SSH agent’s list

First, test the connection by running:

$ ssh -T git@github.com
Hi username! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does 
not provide shell access.

Then, start the SSH agent:

$ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
Agent pid 16935

It starts a background daemon and displays its process ID (in this case, 16935). We can then add our private keys while this agent is running.

$ ssh-add .ssh/id_ed25519
Identity added: .ssh/id_ed25519 (some other info)

At this point, you should now be able to clone your organization’s private repository. I haven’t really dug deep as to why it errored out the first time, I assumed that the keys are automatically added whenever I create them. Anyway, in case you also encountered this error, I hope this tutorial helps!