Adding an SSH Key to Keychain on macOS

Why Add an SSH Key to Keychain?

Storing your SSH key in the macOS keychain allows you to use SSH without entering your passphrase every time, making authentication seamless.

Steps to Add SSH Key to Keychain

1. Ensure SSH Key Exists If you haven’t generated an SSH key, create one with:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
   

2. Add Your SSH Key to Keychain Run the following command to store your private key in the macOS keychain:

   ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
   

   Replace id_ed25519 with your key filename if different.

3. Ensure SSH Config Includes Keychain Option Add this to your SSH config (~/.ssh/config):

   Host *
       UseKeychain yes
       AddKeysToAgent yes
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
   

That’s it! Your SSH key is now stored in the keychain and will be used automatically when needed.