keychain

Start SSH agent

$ eval $(keychain --eval [id_rsa])

$ eval $(keychain --eval [id_rsa] [id_ed25519])

$ eval $(keychain --eval --agents ssh,gpg [id_rsa] [GPGKEY])

$ keychain --clear

$ eval $(keychain -q --eval [id_rsa])

$ keychain -l

keychain [options] [keys...]

keychain is a front-end to ssh-agent and gpg-agent that manages long-running agent processes across login sessions. Rather than starting a new agent each time a shell is opened, keychain checks for an existing agent, reuses it if found, and only starts a new one when necessary, storing the agent's environment variables in files under `~/.keychain` so any shell can inherit them.
This approach means you only need to enter your passphrase once after a reboot, and all subsequent terminal sessions, cron jobs, and scripts can use the cached keys without further prompting. The tool supports managing both SSH and GPG keys simultaneously via the `--agents` flag and outputs shell-evaluable commands that set the appropriate `SSHAUTHSOCK` and `GPGAGENTINFO` environment variables.

KEYS

SSH or GPG keys to manage.

Output shell eval commands.

Agent types (ssh, gpg).

Clear cached keys.

Suppress output.

List cached keys.

Display help information.

Shell integration required. Profile/rc file setup. Funtoo project.

keychain was created by Daniel Robbins (Funtoo) to simplify SSH agent management across sessions.

ssh-agent(1), ssh-add(1), gpg-agent(1)