github / github/vscode-github-actions

Newline corruption in multi-line secrets (SSH Keys) added via Extension

Open
#566 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
bug
Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
660
Forks
213
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Multi-line RSA/PEM secrets added via the VS Code extension fail authentication in GitHub Actions. Re-adding the identically pasted content via the GitHub web UI resolves the issue. This suggests the extension may be incorrectly handling or encoding newline characters.

Steps to Reproduce
Copy a valid multi-line PEM SSH key.
In VS Code, navigate to GitHub Actions > Secrets > Add Secret.
Paste the key and save.
Trigger a workflow using the secret (e.g., appleboy/ssh-action).
Expected Behavior
The secret should maintain its original formatting and be valid for SSH authentication.

Actual Behavior
Workflow fails with: ssh: handshake failed: ssh: unable to authenticate, attempted methods [none], no supported methods remain

Workaround
Deleting the secret and re-adding it through the GitHub.com web interface works immediately.

Environment
Extension Version: 0.29.1
OS: Linux (WSL2 / Ubuntu 24.04)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.