diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 7df1684639..d0c23b2b19 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+git-annex (10.20250103) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  * Improve handing of ssh connection problems during 
+    remote annex.uuid discovery.
+
+ -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:30:38 -0400
+
 git-annex (10.20250102) upstream; urgency=medium
 
   * Added config `url.<base>.annexInsteadOf` corresponding to git's
diff --git a/Git/Config.hs b/Git/Config.hs
index 82edf69002..b6fd77b249 100644
--- a/Git/Config.hs
+++ b/Git/Config.hs
@@ -255,9 +255,9 @@ coreBare = "core.bare"
 
 {- Runs a command to get the configuration of a repo,
  - and returns a repo populated with the configuration, as well as the raw
- - output and the standard error of the command. -}
-fromPipe :: Repo -> String -> [CommandParam] -> ConfigStyle -> IO (Either SomeException (Repo, S.ByteString, String))
-fromPipe r cmd params st = tryNonAsync $ withCreateProcess p go
+ - output and the exit status and standard error of the command. -}
+fromPipe :: Repo -> String -> [CommandParam] -> ConfigStyle -> IO (Repo, S.ByteString, ExitCode, String)
+fromPipe r cmd params st = withCreateProcess p go
   where
 	p = (proc cmd $ toCommand params)
 		{ std_out = CreatePipe
@@ -267,9 +267,13 @@ fromPipe r cmd params st = tryNonAsync $ withCreateProcess p go
 		withAsync (getstderr pid herr []) $ \errreader -> do
 			val <- S.hGetContents hout
 			err <- wait errreader
-			forceSuccessProcess p pid
-			r' <- store val st r
-			return (r', val, err)
+			exitcode <- waitForProcess pid
+			case exitcode of
+				ExitSuccess -> do
+					r' <- store val st r
+					return (r', val, exitcode, err)
+				ExitFailure _ ->
+					return (r, val, exitcode, err)
 	go _ _ _ _ = error "internal"
 
 	getstderr pid herr c = hGetLineUntilExitOrEOF pid herr >>= \case
@@ -278,7 +282,7 @@ fromPipe r cmd params st = tryNonAsync $ withCreateProcess p go
 
 {- Reads git config from a specified file and returns the repo populated
  - with the configuration. -}
-fromFile :: Repo -> FilePath -> IO (Either SomeException (Repo, S.ByteString, String))
+fromFile :: Repo -> FilePath -> IO (Repo, S.ByteString, ExitCode, String)
 fromFile r f = fromPipe r "git"
 	[ Param "config"
 	, Param "--file"
diff --git a/Remote/GCrypt.hs b/Remote/GCrypt.hs
index cb549b7994..8a3852c6b1 100644
--- a/Remote/GCrypt.hs
+++ b/Remote/GCrypt.hs
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import qualified Data.Map as M
 import qualified Data.ByteString as S
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as L
 import qualified System.FilePath.ByteString as P
-import Control.Exception
 import Data.Default
 
 import Annex.Common
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@ import Utility.Tmp
 import Logs.Remote
 import Utility.Gpg
 import Utility.SshHost
-import Utility.Tuple
 import Utility.Directory.Create
 import Messages.Progress
 import Types.ProposedAccepted
@@ -508,16 +506,25 @@ getGCryptId :: Bool -> Git.Repo -> RemoteGitConfig -> Annex (Maybe Git.GCrypt.GC
 getGCryptId fast r gc
 	| Git.repoIsLocal r || Git.repoIsLocalUnknown r = extract <$>
 		liftIO (catchMaybeIO $ Git.Config.read r)
-	| not fast = extract . liftM fst3 <$> getM (eitherToMaybe <$>)
-		[ Ssh.onRemote NoConsumeStdin r (\f p -> liftIO (Git.Config.fromPipe r f p Git.Config.ConfigList), return (Left $ giveup "configlist failed")) "configlist" [] []
-		, getConfigViaRsync r gc
+	| not fast = extract <$> getM id
+		[ Ssh.onRemote NoConsumeStdin r (configpipe, return Nothing) "configlist" [] []
+		, getconfig $ getConfigViaRsync r gc
 		]
 	| otherwise = return (Nothing, r)
   where
 	extract Nothing = (Nothing, r)
 	extract (Just r') = (fromConfigValue <$> Git.Config.getMaybe coreGCryptId r', r')
 
-getConfigViaRsync :: Git.Repo -> RemoteGitConfig -> Annex (Either SomeException (Git.Repo, S.ByteString, String))
+	configpipe f p = getconfig $ liftIO $ 
+		Git.Config.fromPipe r f p Git.Config.ConfigList
+
+	getconfig a = do
+		(r', _, exitcode, _) <- a
+		if exitcode == ExitSuccess
+			then return (Just r')
+			else return Nothing
+
+getConfigViaRsync :: Git.Repo -> RemoteGitConfig -> Annex (Git.Repo, S.ByteString, ExitCode, String)
 getConfigViaRsync r gc = do
 	let (rsynctransport, rsyncurl, _) = rsyncTransport r gc
 	opts <- rsynctransport
diff --git a/Remote/Git.hs b/Remote/Git.hs
index d77fce1fd8..2dc132501e 100644
--- a/Remote/Git.hs
+++ b/Remote/Git.hs
@@ -278,14 +278,25 @@ tryGitConfigRead autoinit r hasuuid
 	| Git.repoIsSsh r = storeUpdatedRemote $ do
 		v <- Ssh.onRemote NoConsumeStdin r
 			( pipedconfig Git.Config.ConfigList autoinit (Git.repoDescribe r)
-			, return (Left "configlist failed")
+			, error "internal"
 			)
 			"configlist" [] configlistfields
 		case v of
 			Right r'
 				| haveconfig r' -> return r'
-				| otherwise -> configlist_failed
-			Left _ -> configlist_failed
+				| otherwise -> do
+					configlist_failed
+					return r
+			Left exitcode -> do
+				-- ssh exits 255 when there was an error
+				-- connecting to the remote server.
+				if exitcode /= ExitFailure 255 
+					then do
+						configlist_failed
+						return r
+					else do
+						warning $ UnquotedString $ "Unable to connect to repository " ++ Git.repoDescribe r ++ " to get its annex.uuid configuration."
+						return r
 	| Git.repoIsHttp r = storeUpdatedRemote geturlconfig
 	| Git.GCrypt.isEncrypted r = handlegcrypt =<< getConfigMaybe (remoteAnnexConfig r "uuid")
 	| Git.repoIsUrl r = do
@@ -298,31 +309,35 @@ tryGitConfigRead autoinit r hasuuid
 	haveconfig = not . M.null . Git.config
 
 	pipedconfig st mustincludeuuuid configloc cmd params = do
-		v <- liftIO $ Git.Config.fromPipe r cmd params st
-		case v of
-			Right (r', val, _err) -> do
+		(r', val, exitcode, _err) <- liftIO $ 
+			Git.Config.fromPipe r cmd params st
+		if exitcode == ExitSuccess
+			then do
 				unless (isUUIDConfigured r' || val == mempty || not mustincludeuuuid) $ do
 					warning $ UnquotedString $ "Failed to get annex.uuid configuration of repository " ++ Git.repoDescribe r
 					warning $ UnquotedString $ "Instead, got: " ++ show val
 					warning "This is unexpected; please check the network transport!"
 				return $ Right r'
-			Left l -> do
+			else do
 				warning $ UnquotedString $ "Unable to parse git config from " ++ configloc
-				return $ Left (show l)
+				return $ Left exitcode
 
 	geturlconfig = Url.withUrlOptionsPromptingCreds $ \uo -> do
 		let url = Git.repoLocation r ++ "/config"
 		v <- withTmpFile "git-annex.tmp" $ \tmpfile h -> do
 			liftIO $ hClose h
 			Url.download' nullMeterUpdate Nothing url tmpfile uo >>= \case
-				Right () -> pipedconfig Git.Config.ConfigNullList
-					False url "git"
-					[ Param "config"
-					, Param "--null"
-					, Param "--list"
-					, Param "--file"
-					, File tmpfile
-					]
+				Right () ->
+					pipedconfig Git.Config.ConfigNullList
+						False url "git"
+						[ Param "config"
+						, Param "--null"
+						, Param "--list"
+						, Param "--file"
+						, File tmpfile
+						] >>= return . \case
+							Right r' -> Right r'
+							Left exitcode -> Left $ "git config exited " ++ show exitcode
 				Left err -> return (Left err)
 		case v of
 			Right r' -> do
@@ -342,15 +357,7 @@ tryGitConfigRead autoinit r hasuuid
 				warning $ UnquotedString $ url ++ " " ++ err
 				return r
 
-	{- Is this remote just not available, or does
-	 - it not have git-annex-shell?
-	 - Find out by trying to fetch from the remote. -}
-	configlist_failed = case Git.remoteName r of
-		Nothing -> return r
-		Just n -> do
-			whenM (inRepo $ Git.Command.runBool [Param "fetch", Param "--quiet", Param n]) $ do
-				set_ignore "does not have git-annex installed" True
-			return r
+	configlist_failed = set_ignore "does not have git-annex installed" True
 	
 	set_ignore msg longmessage = do
 		case Git.remoteName r of
diff --git a/doc/forum/Control_socket_connect__40__..__47__.git__47__annex__47__ssh__47__server.lo/comment_1_f530349d80ca5f43e9b2304f63e4b960._comment b/doc/forum/Control_socket_connect__40__..__47__.git__47__annex__47__ssh__47__server.lo/comment_1_f530349d80ca5f43e9b2304f63e4b960._comment
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f3b36a3056
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/forum/Control_socket_connect__40__..__47__.git__47__annex__47__ssh__47__server.lo/comment_1_f530349d80ca5f43e9b2304f63e4b960._comment
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[[!comment format=mdwn
+ username="joey"
+ subject="""comment 1"""
+ date="2025-01-03T17:33:05Z"
+ content="""
+I don't know why ssh is failing to connect via the socket file like that.
+Generally when a socket file like this exists, there is a background ssh
+process that is servicing connections to it. It may be there was some
+problem with that process.
+
+git-annex interprets ssh failing as the ssh server not having git-annex
+installed, even though in this case it's some other problem. I have made
+some changes that improve this, so in this situation it should not set
+annex-ignore again, but will instead complain that it cannot connect to the
+server.
+"""]]