Humza Yousaf will "absolutely" not be resigning ahead of a no confidence vote in Holyrood next week.
The Herald has been told Mr Yousaf will not be making a resignation announcement when he visits at housing development in Dundee this afternoon - and will not be quitting ahead of the motion being debated in parliament.
The debate is expected on Wednesday.
Asked by The Herald if the First Minister was considering his position, a source close to Mr Yousaf replied he was "not resigning."
Pressed to clarify if it was also the case that he would not be resigning ahead of the vote, the source added: "Absolutely."
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They added there was a chance the First Minister would win the vote.
Reports overnight suggested the First Minister was 'considering his position' after a turbulent day on Thursday.
At a press conference in Bute House on Thursday morning he ended the Scottish Government's power sharing arrangement with the Scottish Greens.
The Scottish Conservatives then announced they would be lodging a motion of no confidence in the First Minister, with the vote expected next Wednesday.
Speaking earlier, the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has said Mr Yousaf is going to "come out fighting" as he faces the vote.
Asked by BBC Radio 4's Today programme if it was a mistake to end the powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens, the SNP's Westminster leader said: "I firmly believe it was the right thing to do, because the First Minister wanted to reset the focus of the Scottish Government on the priorities of the Scottish people."
He said Mr Yousaf is "reflective" but will "come out fighting".
Mr Flynn defended the First Minister as a "man of profound integrity", saying he expects there to be discussions with the Scottish Green Party.
The Aberdeen South MP told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland that he had spoken to Mr Yousaf on Thursday night, adding: "Humza Yousaf is a man of profound integrity. I had a conversation with Humza last night after both our kids were put to bed.
"He was reflective, but he was also very clear to me that he's going to come out fighting because he believes in what he says. He believes in delivering for the people for Scotland. He believes in creating jobs and opportunities for the next generation."
Mr Flynn added: "I would simply say to politicians from across the political spectrum that now is the time for cool heads, calm words, to reflect and to think about the consequences of their actions."
On Thursday afternoon, the Scottish Greens said they would support the no-confidence motion and vote to oust Yousaf.
If every Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MSP joins the Greens in voting against Mr Yousaf it would give 64 votes in support of the motion to the SNP's 63.
The result would then depend on which way Alba Party MSP Ash Regan decided to vote. If she voted to support Mr Yousaf, the votes in favour of the motion and against would be tied at 64.
The Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone would support the side which kept the existing situation under parliamentary convention. In this case she would support the First Minister.
However, it is possible that perhaps through illness not every member of all the opposition parties will vote, a situation which could enable Mr Yousaf to survive as First Minister even if Ms Regan does not support him.
Ms Regan, who ran for the leadership of the SNP against Mr Yousaf last year, later left the party over its policies on gender recognition reforms and independence strategy.
She has written to the First Minister with a series of demands in return for her support at the vote, expected next Wednesday.
The Scottish Conservatives lodged the motion of no confidence after Mr Yousaf announced on Thursday morning he had ended the Bute House Agreement, which had brought the Scottish Greens into power and gave his government a majority in Holyrood.
At a press conference in Bute House on Thursday morning he said the termination of the pact represented "a new beginning" for his government.
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