Working with institutional GitLab instances can be tricky if you’re not familiar with their specific URL requirements. Here’s a common issue I encountered with University of Melbourne’s GitLab and how to fix it.

The Problem: Push Redirect Error

When trying to push to a GitLab repository, you might encounter:

fatal: unable to update url base from redirection:
  asked for: https://gitlab.eng.unimelb.edu.au/xiandew/comp30023-lab-2/info/refs?service=git-receive-pack
   redirect: https://gitlab.eng.unimelb.edu.au/users/sign_in

The Cause

I had added the remote without the .git extension:

# ❌ Wrong - missing .git
git remote add origin "https://gitlab.eng.unimelb.edu.au/xiandew/comp30023-lab-3"

The correct URL should include .git at the end:

# ✅ Correct
git remote add origin "https://gitlab.eng.unimelb.edu.au/xiandew/comp30023-lab-3.git"

The Solution

If you’ve already added the wrong remote URL, you’ll get this error when trying to add it again:

fatal: remote origin already exists.

Fix it in two steps:

1. Remove the incorrect remote:

git remote remove origin

2. Add the correct remote:

git remote add origin "https://gitlab.eng.unimelb.edu.au/xiandew/comp30023-lab-3.git"

3. Push your changes:

git push -u origin master

If this is your first time connecting, GitLab will prompt for your username and password.

Key Takeaway

When working with GitLab (or any Git hosting service), always verify the exact remote URL format required. Many services require the .git extension, while others don’t. Check the repository’s clone instructions if you’re unsure.