ssh-add

Adds private key identities to the authentication agent (ssh-agent)

Description

The ssh-add command adds private keys to the ssh-agent cache. The command is located at /usr/bin/ssh-add.

Syntax

ssh-add [-cDdLlXx] [-t life] [file ...]
ssh-add -s pkcs11
ssh-add -e pkcs11

Options

-D: Delete all identities from the agent.
-d: Remove identity from the agent.
-e pkcs11: Remove keys provided by the PKCS#11 shared library.
-s pkcs11: Add keys provided by the PKCS#11 shared library.
-L: List public key parameters of all identities currently represented by the agent.
-l: List fingerprints of all identities currently represented by the agent.
-t life: Set a maximum lifetime when adding identities to an agent. After this time, the identity will be automatically removed.
-X: Unlock the agent.
-x: Lock the agent with a password.

Examples

Add a private key to the ssh-agent cache:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_dsa

Remove a key from ssh-agent:

ssh-add -d ~/.ssh/id_xxx.pub

List keys currently in ssh-agent:

ssh-add -l