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I have created a repository on GitHub and would now would like commit changes to this repository using Git. I have a project file structure (created using Heroku) to be committed. What steps are required in order to link an existing GitHub repository with Git?

In the past I've used "GitHub for windows" UI to create a GitHub repository. This creates a file structure on my machine and as I update the file structure, the changes are recognised.

But this new setup is a little different in that the project already exists, and I want to link it to a new GitHub repository.

Peter Mortensen
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blue-sky
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1 Answers1

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You need to add a new remote, pointing to GitHub, and then push to it. The steps:

  1. Create a repository on GitHub, without a README, completely empty.

  2. In your existing repository: git remote add REMOTENAME URL. You could name the remote github, for example, or anything else you want. Copy the URL from the GitHub page of the repository you just created.

  3. Push from your existing repository: git push REMOTENAME BRANCHNAME. For example, if you named your remote github and you want to push master to it, you would do git push github master.

Let me know if you need anything else.

Peter Mortensen
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janos
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  • I needed to add my ssh key to github and once I followed these steps for adding my key : http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12940626/github-error-message-permission-denied-publickey everything worked. thanks! – blue-sky Oct 06 '13 at 16:15