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Common Issues

Error Message:
Invalid URL: <error details>
Cause: The URL provided is not a valid GitHub URL or is malformed. The URL validation happens in src/parser.rs:15-18.Solutions:
  1. Check URL Format Ensure your URL follows the correct GitHub format: 
    # Correct formats
https://github.com/username/repository
https://github.com/username/repository/tree/branch/path

# Incorrect formats
github.com/username/repository  # Missing protocol
http://github.com/username      # Missing repository
  2. Verify URL is Complete The URL must include at least the username and repository: 
    cloneit https://github.com/username/repository
  3. Check for Typos Common mistakes:
    • Missing https://
    • Misspelled domain (e.g., githib.com)
    • Extra or missing slashes
  4. Test URL in Browser Copy the URL and paste it in your browser to verify it works
Error Message:
Error parsing URL
Cause: The URL structure doesn’t match the expected GitHub repository pattern. The parser requires at least username and repository name (src/parser.rs:29-31).Solutions:
  1. Ensure Minimum Path Components The URL must have at least 3 path segments: 
    # Valid - has username and repository
https://github.com/username/repository

# Invalid - missing repository
https://github.com/username
  2. Use Full Repository URLs For specific files or directories, use the full tree URL: 
    https://github.com/username/repo/tree/main/src/components
  3. Avoid Fragment or Query Parameters Remove any # fragments or ? query parameters from the URL
Error Message:
API rate limit exceeded for <your-ip>
Cause: GitHub limits unauthenticated requests to 60 per hour. Without a token, you’ll hit this limit quickly.Solutions:
  1. Set Up Authentication The most effective solution - increases limit to 5,000 requests/hour: 
    export GITHUB_TOKEN="your_github_token_here"
cloneit https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/src
    See Authentication for detailed setup.
  2. Check Current Rate Limit Verify your current usage: 
    curl https://api.github.com/rate_limit
  3. Wait for Reset Rate limits reset every hour. Check the reset time: 
    curl -I https://api.github.com/users/octocat | grep -i x-ratelimit
  4. Use Authenticated Token Create a GitHub personal access token and set it as an environment variable (documented in src/requests.rs:65-67)
Error Message:
error sending request for url
Connection timeout
DNS resolution failed
Cause: Network connectivity issues preventing the tool from reaching GitHub’s API.Solutions:
  1. Check Internet Connection Verify you can reach GitHub: 
    ping github.com
curl https://api.github.com/
  2. Check Proxy Settings If behind a corporate proxy, ensure it’s configured: 
    export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
  3. Verify DNS Resolution Test DNS lookup: 
    nslookup github.com
dig github.com
  4. Check Firewall Rules Ensure outbound HTTPS (port 443) is allowed
  5. Try Different Network Test on a different network to isolate the issue
Error Message:
Could not get the download link!
Permission denied
Cause: Either the repository is private and requires authentication, or the specified path doesn’t exist.Solutions:
  1. For Private Repositories Set up authentication with appropriate permissions: 
    export GITHUB_TOKEN="your_token_with_repo_access"
    Ensure your token has repo scope for private repositories.
  2. Verify Path Exists Check that the path exists in the repository:
    • Visit the URL in your browser
    • Verify the branch name is correct
    • Check the file/directory path spelling
  3. Check Branch Name Ensure you’re using the correct branch: 
    # Correct
https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/src

# If default branch is 'master' not 'main'
https://github.com/user/repo/tree/master/src
  4. Verify Repository Access Confirm you have access to the repository in your browser while logged in
Error Message:
Failed to zip files
Cause: When using the --zipped flag, the zip creation process failed (src/main.rs:109-113).Solutions:
  1. Check Disk Space Ensure you have enough disk space: 
    df -h .
  2. Verify Write Permissions Ensure you have write permissions in the current directory: 
    ls -la .
touch test.txt && rm test.txt
  3. Check Directory Exists The directory to zip must exist and contain files: 
    ls -la <directory-name>
  4. Try Without —zipped Clone without the --zipped flag first, then zip manually: 
    cloneit https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/src
zip -r archive.zip <directory-name>
Issue: Output is still showing even with --quiet flag.Cause: The --quiet flag only suppresses info-level logs, not warnings and errors (src/main.rs:25-29).Solutions:
  1. Understand Quiet Mode Behavior Quiet mode shows:
    • Warnings (important notices)
    • Errors (failures)
    Quiet mode hides:
    • Info messages (progress updates)
  2. Suppress All Output To suppress everything except errors: 
    RUST_LOG=error cloneit --quiet <url>
  3. Redirect Output For complete silence in scripts: 
    cloneit --quiet <url> 2>/dev/null

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Debug Mode

For additional troubleshooting, enable debug logging: 
RUST_LOG=debug cloneit https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/src
This will show:
  • API request URLs
  • Response parsing details
  • File operations
  • Detailed error information

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Getting Help

If you’re still experiencing issues:
  1. Check Existing Issues Search the GitHub issues for similar problems
  2. Gather Information When reporting issues, include:
    • The exact command you ran
    • The complete error message
    • Debug output (RUST_LOG=debug)
    • Operating system and version
    • cloneit version (cloneit --version)
  3. Create a Minimal Example Try to reproduce the issue with a public repository if possible
  4. Report the Issue Open a new issue on the cloneit GitHub repository with all gathered information

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