Help candidates work through common Git issues

Help candidates work through common Git issues

When a candidate gets stuck with Git, start with the basics: confirm they copied the exact clone command from the assignment, confirm they are using the temporary credentials shown there, and ask for the exact error message before guessing.

Authentication and unauthorized errors

• Make sure the candidate copied the provided username correctly.
• Make sure they are using the temporary password exactly as shown.
• If the assignment window has expired or the repo has already been closed, they may no longer be able to push.

HTTP/2 or TLS issues

Some corporate networks, VPNs, or older Git installs can cause transport problems. The most practical checks are:

• Update Git to a recent version.
• Try another network or temporarily disconnect from a restrictive VPN.
• Force Git to use HTTP/1.1 if HTTP/2 errors appear.

git config --global http.version HTTP/1.1

Slow clones or hanging pushes

• Check proxy or firewall interference.
• Ask the candidate to retry on a more stable connection.
• Have them run the command with verbose output if you need to inspect where it hangs.

Push failures after coding started

• Check whether a very large generated directory such as node_modules was accidentally committed.
• Confirm the remote is still the CodeSubmit repo they were given.
• If they already submitted and the repo is now locked, reopening the challenge may be the right next step.

When to escalate

If the candidate can share the exact error message and still cannot clone or push after a network change and credential check, contact hello@codesubmit.io with the failure details so your team does not waste interview time on guesswork.