git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git (Assuming you’ve set up SSH keys — that bypasses libcurl entirely.) The curl: (43) error on Git for Windows is almost always a libcurl/SSL backend mismatch or a bad global config value . Resetting http.sslBackend or reinstalling with Schannel solves it 99% of the time.
curl 8.4.0 (Windows) libcurl/8.4.0 Schannel or
Got another weird Git + curl error? Drop it in the comments — I’ve probably debugged it.
Here’s a structured blog post draft tailored for developers encountering the curl: (43) A libcurl function was given a bad argument error on Git for Windows. If you’ve recently updated Git for Windows or switched to a new terminal environment, you might have run into this frustrating error:
curl: (43) A libcurl function was given a bad argument It usually appears when trying to clone a repository, fetch from a remote, or run any git command that uses HTTP/HTTPS transport — including git clone , git fetch , git pull , or even curl commands manually.
curl --ssl-reqd https://google.com If that also fails with error 43, your libcurl installation is broken. Reinstalling Git for Windows fixes it. If you urgently need to clone a repo:
git ls-remote https://github.com/git/git.git Some corporate networks require Schannel. Set it correctly:
