How to determine the URL that a local Git repository was originally cloned from?

To determine the URL of the remote repository that your local Git repository was originally cloned from, use the following methods:

1. Check the origin Remote URL

The default remote name for the original cloned repository is origin.
Run:

git remote -v

Example Output:

origin  https://github.com/user/repo.git (fetch)
origin  https://github.com/user/repo.git (push)

The URL under origin is the clone source.

2. Get Only the Fetch URL

To extract just the URL (without listing all remotes):

git config --get remote.origin.url
# Output: https://github.com/user/repo.git

3. View the Full Git Configuration

Check the .git/config file for all remotes:

cat .git/config

Look for the [remote "origin"] section:

[remote "origin"]
    url = https://github.com/user/repo.git
    fetch = +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*

Key Notes

• Multiple Remotes: If your repo has multiple remotes (e.g., upstream), use git remote -v to list them all.
• Renamed/Removed Remotes: If origin was renamed or deleted, check the Git log or reflog for clues (advanced).

Why This Works

When you clone a repository, Git automatically sets the origin remote to point to the source URL. The git remote commands query this configuration.