Linux in a Nutshell, 6th Edition

Name

ssh-add

Synopsis

ssh-add [options] [files]
ssh-add -e|-s reader

Add RSA or DSA identities to the authentication agent (see ssh-agent), which must be running and must be an ancestor of the current process. ssh-add reads the files created by ssh-keygen for private keys. It reads the information in these private keys to obtain RSA or DSA identities. With no arguments specified, ssh-add adds the files $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa, $HOME/.ssh/id_dsa, and $HOME/.ssh/identity. If any files are specified, it adds those instead, prompting for a passphrase if required.

Options

-c

Confirm identities being added, by running the program specified in the SSH_ASKPASS environment variable. A 0 exit status from the program indicates successful confirmation.

-d

Remove an identity from the agent instead of adding one.

-D

Delete all identities from the agent.

-e reader

Remove key in specified smartcard reader.

-l

List fingerprints of all identities known to the agent.

-L

List public key parameters of all identities known to the agent.

-s reader

Add key in smartcard reader.

-t life

Set maximum lifetime when adding identities to an agent. The value of life can be in seconds or another time format specified in sshd_config(5).

-x

Lock the agent with a password.

-X

Unlock the agent.