PowerShell / PowerShell/Win32-OpenSSH

'ssh-add -d [file]' doesn't seem to work

Open
#1,576 6 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

Dominant language
No language data
Stars
8.3k
Forks
819
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Please answer the following

"OpenSSH for Windows" version
8.1.0.0

Client OperatingSystem
Windows 10 Enterprise

What is failing
The command ssh-add -d <file> does not seem to work for any of these cases:

  • <file> is the path to a private key that was already added
  • <file> is the path to a public key for a private key that was already added
  • <file> is the key comment for any key returned from ssh-add -l
  • <file> is the SHA256 value for any key returned from ssh-add -l (with or without the SHA256: prefix)

Either the documentation is completely inadequate or the feature isn't correctly implemented. I cannot find a way to remove a key from the command line.

Workaround
The only workaround I've found is to use regedit and delete the key from HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OpenSSH\Agent\Keys\ manually.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce ssh-add -d <file> on OpenSSH for Windows 8.1.0.0 using the private key, public key, comment, and SHA256 inputs listed. Start by comparing the command's behavior with ssh-add -l, and inspect the agent keys under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OpenSSH\Agent\Keys\; done means a supported command-line form removes the key without registry editing.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
c
Domain
cli, operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.