GNOME-SSH-ASKPASS(1)

✨ GNOME-SSH-ASKPASS ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the gnome-ssh-askpass (section 1) girlies' manual page 💖 this is a general commands manual situation and it's giving very "your computer needs your password and is being dramatic about it" energy.

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🌸 NAME 🌸

gnome-ssh-askpass — prompts a user for a passphrase using GNOME

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

gnome-ssh-askpass [message ...]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So. gnome-ssh-askpass is a GNOME-based passphrase dialog made for use with OpenSSH. She is not a "hey bestie let's run this in your terminal for fun" kind of program — she is intended to be called by the ssh-add(1) program, and not invoked directly. 🙈

What she does is let ssh-add(1) get a passphrase out of a user even when there's no terminal attached — as long as an X display is available. Iconic behavior honestly.

And the way this happens automatically is when ssh-add(1) gets invoked from your ~/.xsession, or as one of the GNOME startup programs, for example. She just shows up. main character energy, no invitation needed 👑

Now, for her to be called automatically by ssh-add(1), you've got two options:

• set the SSH_ASKPASS environment variable so it points to wherever gnome-ssh-askpass lives, or
• install gnome-ssh-askpass as /usr/bin/ssh-askpass

either way works, pick your fighter 💅

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🌈 ENVIRONMENT 🌈

The following environment variables are recognized (she's nosy, in a cute way):

• GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_BG_COLOR — the text area background color 💜 specified as hexadecimal RGB or RRGGBB, and optionally prefixed by “#” or “0x”.
• GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_FG_COLOR — the text area foreground color ✨ specified as hexadecimal RGB or RRGGBB, and optionally prefixed by “#” or “0x”.
• GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_GRAB_POINTER — if it's set, it causes gnome-ssh-askpass to grab the mouse pointer before asking for a passphrase. 🖱️ no escape, bestie.
• GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_GRAB_SERVER — if it's set, it causes gnome-ssh-askpass to grab the X server before asking for a passphrase. 🖥️ she's holding the whole server hostage, respectfully.
• SSH_ASKPASS_PROMPT — the vibe-switcher for what kind of prompt shows up:
  • if it's set to confirm, you get a yes-or-no prompt, and it defaults to yes
  • if it's set to none, you get a prompt with only a close button 🚪
  • otherwise, you get an OK-or-cancel prompt, and it defaults to OK

ngl, this environment variable is typically set by ssh-add(1), so you should not normally set it manually. hands off, she's got it 🫶

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🚨 important heads up, fr fr: regardless of whether either GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_GRAB_POINTER or GNOME_SSH_ASKPASS_GRAB_SERVER is set, gnome-ssh-askpass will grab the keyboard. every time. no matter what. the keyboard is hers. ⌨️💀

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💫 SEE ALSO 💫

there's no SEE ALSO section in this one bestie, we simply didn't get one 😭 but ssh-add(1) is right there in the prose if you wanna go look 👀

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and that's the whole page!! 💖 this one came from the <strong>Debian</strong> peeps, dated <strong>November 14, 2022</strong>, and it's living its best life as GNOME-SSH-ASKPASS(1) in the General Commands Manual. slay, go forth, and let the askpass girlies handle your passphrases ✨🎀🦋