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I'm using git bash and I setup ssh key using ssh-keygen and each time I do something with a repo git ask me for passphrase for /c/Users/jankiewj/.ssh/id_rsa. Is there a way to disable that passphrase.

EDIT: I've edited original title (removed Windows) since I've just used fresh install of Ubuntu on my work laptop and when ssh key have pass phrase it always ask for it and the solution to fix this is the same. This probably work the same on MacOSX that is also Unix and use same basic tools.

jcubic
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6 Answers6

134

You can run this in git bash, Windows WLS or bash on real GNU/Linux.

eval `ssh-agent -s`
ssh-add ~/.ssh/*_rsa

it will ask for pass phrase in the second command, and that's it. Each additional action you will need to do (which once required pass phrase) won't ask you for the pass phrase (see an example in the screen shot below):

adding pass phrase in git bash on Windows

jcubic
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34

A slightly better and permanent solution is to auto launch the ssh-agent when opening the git bash on windows. You can copy/paste the below in your .profile or .bashrc. I prefer to put it on the .profile 

env=~/.ssh/agent.env

agent_load_env () { test -f "$env" && . "$env" >| /dev/null ; }

agent_start () {
    (umask 077; ssh-agent >| "$env")
    . "$env" >| /dev/null ; }

agent_load_env

# agent_run_state: 0=agent running w/ key; 1=agent w/o key; 2= agent not running
agent_run_state=$(ssh-add -l >| /dev/null 2>&1; echo $?)

if [ ! "$SSH_AUTH_SOCK" ] || [ $agent_run_state = 2 ]; then
    agent_start
    ssh-add
elif [ "$SSH_AUTH_SOCK" ] && [ $agent_run_state = 1 ]; then
    ssh-add
fi

unset env

This solution was taken from this github help article

velval
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4

TDLR: For windows users,

  • run ssh-add "C:\\Users\\<your user>/.ssh/id_rsa"
  • not ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa

For example I see this all the time:

$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa
Enter passphrase for /c/Users/User/.ssh/id_rsa: 
Identity added: /c/Users/User/.ssh/id_rsa (/c/Users/User/.ssh/id_rsa)

$ git pull
Enter passphrase for key 'C:\Users\User/.ssh/id_rsa':

Note the inconsistent path separators: the ssh-agent converts ~ using Unix path separators, but git uses Windows path separators instead. Given that the path of the id_rsa file is used as key, this explains why the cache is missed.

  • Another difference is C:/ instead of /c/
  • Related remark: When git asks you for the passphrase, it won't be cached, so you can be entering it there indefinitely. Try passing the phrase to ssh-add only.
  • On Windows, assume that ~ is "multivalued", so it's best to be explicit.
  • ssh-add looks at default locations like ~/.ssh/id_rsa. On Windows, assume that's ambiguous. Explicitly pass in the explicitly formatted path instead of relying on default paths:
    • ssh-add "C:\\Users\\<your user>/.ssh/id_rsa", i.e. in @velval's answer too.
JBSnorro
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Im not sure if I want to recommend it, but when you create the Key and asked to set password, just hit enter and skip the password.

Have a look at this link for how to use ssh-keygen: https://help.github.com/articles/working-with-ssh-key-passphrases/

Perhaps ssh-agent can help you somehow. But not sure without knowing your current system.

David Bern
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Keychain is a program to do this work intelligently.

It should be ran from the .bashrc (or equivalent) and it will setup the environment correctly no configuration other than which keys it should load.

This what I use: keychain --quiet key1.pem key2.pem

It realizes that the shell is Zsh and it worked exactly the same when I used Bash.

Javier
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Enter this git command in your repos location "ssh-keygen -p" This will then prompt you to enter the keyfile location, the old passphrase, and the new passphrase (which can be left blank to have no passphrase). Don't enter anything in new password and it will remove passphrase

bharti
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