GitKraken Internal SSH Store or System ssh-agent for Headless Production Hosts
0 reputation · 04 Dec 2021, 11:59 UTC
Goal: Configure GitKraken to authenticate Git remotes on a production or headless host where no graphical login session or unlocked OS keychain is available.
GitKraken can store SSH keys internally and unlock them through the local keychain on a desktop workstation, but that keychain may be locked or absent on a production host. The documented alternative is to use a key managed by the system ssh-agent rather than GitKraken's internal store. GitKraken does not provide OpenSSH agent forwarding, and HTTPS OAuth depends on an embedded browser flow that may be blocked in headless environments.
Which approach reliably authenticates without an interactive session: GitKraken-managed keys or a system ssh-agent key? What factors decide the choice when keychain unlock behavior varies by operating system or GitKraken version?
gitkraken