Open source SSH key manager

Forge your keys.
Take them anywhere.

Encrypted vault, intelligent host matching, Git commit signing. A single binary that replaces 1Password and Bitwarden's SSH agent.

$brew install forged
View on GitHub

SSH keys deserve better

The tools you use today were built for a simpler time.

Unencrypted on disk

Your private keys sit in ~/.ssh/ as plain files. Anyone with laptop access has them.

No sync between machines

Copy key files manually, or each machine has different keys. Neither is good.

Wrong key, wrong host

SSH tries every key until one works. You've hit "too many authentication failures" before.

Git signing is painful

A separate, manual setup that nobody finishes. Unsigned commits everywhere.

One command to start

Setup takes 30 seconds. Then SSH and Git just work.

Setup
$brew install forged
$forged setup
Create a master password: ********
Imported 3 keys from ~/.ssh/
Daemon running (PID 12345)
Setup complete!
Daily use
$ssh myserver# right key, automatically
$git push origin main# commits signed
$forged list
github ssh-ed25519 SHA256:abc...
deploy ssh-ed25519 SHA256:def...
Host matching
$forged host github "github.com" "*.github.com"
$forged host deploy "*.prod.company.com"
$forged hosts
github github.com (exact)
github *.github.com (wildcard)
deploy *.prod.company.com (wildcard)

How it works

A background daemon that speaks the standard SSH agent protocol. No browser, no Electron. Just a Unix socket and a CLI.

1

SSH Agent

Standard protocol. ssh-add works, any SSH client works.

2

Encrypted Vault

Argon2id + XChaCha20-Poly1305. Atomic writes.

3

Host Matcher

Right key for each host, automatically.

4

Key Store

In-memory, mlock'd, zeroed on shutdown.

5

Cloud Sync

Zero-knowledge. Server stores opaque blobs.

Comparison

Forged1PasswordBitwardenSecretivessh-agent
StandaloneYesNoNoYesYes
Cross-platformMac/Linux/WinMac/Linux/WinMac/Linux/WinMac onlyMac/Linux
Key syncYesBundledBundledNoNo
Host matchingSmartBasicNoNoNo
Git signingBuilt-inYesNoYesManual
Auth modelLogin oncePer usePer usePer usePer session
Open sourceYesNoYesYesYes

Zero-knowledge security

Your master password never leaves your machine. The server stores opaque encrypted blobs. It cannot decrypt your vault, read your keys, or see your master password. The same architecture used by 1Password and Bitwarden.

Encryption
Argon2id + XChaCha20-Poly1305
Memory
mlock'd pages, zeroed on shutdown
Vault
Atomic writes, flock, 0600 permissions

Ready to forge your keys?

One command. 30 seconds. Your SSH keys will thank you.

$brew install forged