SSH Agent Automation

A production-ready toolkit to automate SSH agent management on Linux via systemd user services, featuring auto-start, key loading, and multi-shell integration.

Overview

• Automatic ssh-agent startup at login via systemd user services
• Auto-loading of SSH keys (passwordless only)
• Multi-shell support (bash, zsh, fish, elvish)
• Chezmoi integration for dotfile-managed environments
• Robust logging and error handling

Repository Structure

.
├── README.md
├── ssh-agent.service
├── ssh-add.service
├── ssh-agent-setup.sh
└── lib/
    └── logging/
        ├── LICENSE
        ├── README.md
        └── logging.lib.sh

Features

SSH Agent Management

• Systemd user services for reliable agent lifecycle management
• Automatic startup and proper socket management
• Batch loading of multiple keys
• Limitation: Only passwordless SSH keys are supported due to systemd's non-interactive nature.

Shell Integration

• Support for bash, zsh, fish, and elvish
• Automatic detection and update of RC files
• Interactive shell selector with fzf fallback handling

Dotfile Management

• Detects and updates chezmoi-managed dotfiles
• Safe RC file creation with user confirmation

Logging Library

• Color-coded output and UTC timestamps
• Automatic error tracing and safe trap chaining
• Google Shell Style Guide compliant
• See lib/logging/README.md for details
• Vendored from Bashing logs

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Linux with systemd and Bash 4.0+
• Standard Unix utilities: systemctl, ssh-add, awk, grep, perl
• One or more passwordless SSH private keys

Installation

git clone https://github.com/peppapig450/ssh-agent-setup.git
cd ssh-agent-automation

# Interactive setup
./ssh-agent-setup.sh

# Or specify keys directly
./ssh-agent-setup.sh ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Follow the interactive prompts to select shells, confirm RC modifications, and enable/start services. Then start a new shell or source your RC file:

source ~/.bashrc
# or
source ~/.zshrc
# fish users
source ~/.config/fish/conf.d/ssh_agent.fish

Usage

Basic Setup

./ssh-agent-setup.sh ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

This sets up systemd user services, updates your shell RC, enables services, and loads the key.

Advanced Options

• Multiple keys: ./ssh-agent-setup.sh ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
• Shell selection: Interactive with fzf or fallback selector
• Chezmoi integration: Auto-detects chezmoi-managed files

Manual Operations

# Check status
systemctl --user status ssh-agent.service ssh-add.service

# View logs
journalctl --user -u ssh-agent.service -f

# Restart services
systemctl --user restart ssh-agent.service ssh-add.service

Uninstallation

# Disable and stop services
systemctl --user disable --now ssh-agent.service ssh-add.service

# Remove service files
rm ~/.config/systemd/user/ssh-agent.service ~/.config/systemd/user/ssh-add.service

# Reload
systemctl --user daemon-reload

# Remove RC modifications as needed

Contributing

1. Fork the repo
2. Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/awesome
3. Follow the Google Shell Style Guide and add tests
4. Commit and push
5. Open a PR

Troubleshooting

• "Service failed to start": Check logs (journalctl --user -u ssh-agent.service) and key paths.
• "Password-protected SSH keys not loading": Use passwordless keys or add keys manually after login (ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa).
• "SSH_AUTH_SOCK not set": Source your RC or start a new shell.

License

Apache-2.0 - see LICENSE

Acknowledgments

Inspired by the need for adaptive and reliable SSH agent management.

Pro Tip: Pair this toolkit with chezmoi and fzf for an even smoother experience!