cannot connect to sftp server - "Too many authentication failures for user"

[John]

Filezilla 3.5.1 cannot connect to sftp servers with either key based or password based methods. Logs with debuging/verbose=3 attached.

I have verified that this is not a function of my system by repeating on an independent box with the same results. As well, I am pretty sure that nothing is wrong with the server because I used "sftp -P 34451 facade@mars" from a shell and connect just fine. As well, using gftp, I am able to connect. The Host OS is Archlinux x86_64 which is up-to-date (Arch is a rolling release).

[John]

key-based log

[John]

password based log

[John]

I got it! Turns out that ~/.ssh/config was messing up FileZilla. I dunno why all of a sudden because I have been using my system with this config file for years. This file is formated like this:

Host github.com
  User facade
  IdentityFile /home/facade/.ssh/id_rsa_github_dot_com

Host mars
  User facade
  IdentityFile /home/facade/.ssh/id_rsa_mars

Host phobos
  User facade
  IdentityFile /home/facade/.ssh/id_rsa_phobos

Host deimos
  User facade
  IdentityFile /home/facade/.ssh/id_rsa_deimos

I read on the github wiki that one needs this file when dealing with multiple keys. Anyway, if I move ~/.ssh/config out of ~/.ssh, FileZilla works again. Apparently the github wiki is incorrect. I checked, and I am able to push to github without this file. Further, I am able to connect to all my hosts without this file. Problem solved - sorry for the false alarm.

[John]

Wait... this is NOT resolved. After a reboot I am back to the same behavior even omitting the ~/.ssh/config file!

[John]

I think the problem is that filezilla only tries 3 keys but I have 5 in my ~/.ssh.

Trace:   Trying Pageant key #0
Trace:   Server refused public key
Trace:   Trying Pageant key #1
Trace:   Server refused public key
Trace:   Trying Pageant key #2
Trace:   Received disconnect message (protocol error)
Trace:   Disconnection message text: Too many authentication failures for facade
Trace:   Server sent disconnect message
Trace:   type 2 (protocol error):
Trace:   "Too many authentication failures for facade"
Error:   Server sent disconnect message
Error:   type 2 (protocol error):
Error:   "Too many authentication failures for facade"
Trace:   CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Trace:   CControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Error:   Could not connect to server
Status:   Waiting to retry...

If I move all but the one that I need to another dir, filezilla connects as expected.

[John]

I think having filezilla read ~/.ssh/config to know which key to use would be needed here. Why just try all keys?

[Daniel Quinn]

+1 for having Filezilla parse ~/.ssh/config rather than just trying all the keys. The current behaviour breaks the convention of every other ssh-based connection and led me to believe I'd configured Filezilla wrong for weeks.

For now, a decent work around for people not wanting to kill their ssh agent, this works for me:

$ SSH_AUTH_SOCK=""; filezilla

Obviously this only disables the use of the agent, rather than teaching Filezilla how to work with it, but it gets the job done.

[Alexander Schuch]

This is a duplicate of #5480.