Key is invalid. you must supply a key in openssh public key format

[csperando]

I have followed the “Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent” and tried to follow the “Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account” documentation. However when I try to add my new SSH key I get the following error: “key is invalid. you must supply a key in openssh public key format.”
I have looked through some of the other discussion threads and am at a loss. My key seems to be in the right format "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIC87cGVRyVxUnw7JaSbgBJi6etAG8lSMQxq3isifGbT$sifGbTb [email]

Any suggestions? Let me know what other details to provide. Thanks!

[airtower-luna]

That format looks correct to me, too. One thing I’d try is to leave of the description (what you abbreviated as “[email]”). If that doesn’t help I’d suspect a bug.

[byrneh]

csperando:

However when I try to add my new SSH key I get the following error: “key is invalid. you must supply a key in openssh public key format.”

Hi @csperando, welcome to the community
The email at the end of your key is ok as comments are supported for that key type.
All ssh-ed25519 keys will always be 80 (68 removing the ssh-ed25519) characters in length (do not worry about the comment/email at the end).
Anyway on checking you keylength it has an extra 7 characters, which would explain the error message related to an unrecognised key format.

Could you try deleting and regenerating your key, and we can debug from there it f does not work.
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
Then try adding your SSH ‘Public’ Key part to your GitHub account (e.g. id_ed25519.pub, or replacing id_ed25519 in the command with the name of your private key file you used)

If you are still not working/the key length is incorrect, can you provide some more details on steps to reproduce, such as environment OS, are you using Git and what version, are you using Git Bash or Git CMD?

[victorthecreative]

Hi, i'm using all tips in your response. but does not work, for exemplo my key ssh is: AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAICZuwM/j6gJmtmdikabAJ3tV5/fohwJcY41aPxfsX9A3[email]

Whenever I insert the key in github, it returns the error message : "key is invalid. you must supply a key in openssh public key format"

[Raghuveer814]

thanks it worked for me too
could you explain why you added ed25519 ?

[csperando]

All ssh-ed25519 keys will always be 80 (68 removing the ssh-ed25519) characters in length

Thank you! Got it to work. Just a simple mistake on my part, like most errors. The terminal was only displaying 79 of the characters, and I miss-copied the key when checking the rest of the line. I did not realize that the ‘$’ character denotes some sort of line break.

error11159×709 59.2 KB

[victorthecreative]

Hi, i'm using all tips in your response. but does not work, for exemplo my key ssh is: AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAICZuwM/j6gJmtmdikabAJ3tV5/fohwJcY41aPxfsX9A3[email]

Whenever I insert the key in github, it returns the error message : "key is invalid. you must supply a key in openssh public key format"

[FlavioMarquesInf]

I solved it using the key from the my_key.pub file and not the my_key file

[RegaRaju9751]

Please help me I have the same error I am using git bash on window
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAMwAAAAtzc2gtZW
QyNTUxOQAAACCO4k4/VekVHrQZxeRzErugun9TgAH7yz+sa/2mMDeOYQAAAJgBSPJKAUjy
SgAAAAtzc2gtZWQyNTUxOQAAACCO4k4/VekVHrQZxeRzErugun9TgAH7yz+sa/2mMDeOYQ
AAAEC2LNF1VVtTYMGeKBd52GrP04CAGL3sbb8k6kbL6Dtb1I7iTj9V6RUetBnF5HMSu6C6
f1OAAfvLP6xr/aYwN45hAAAAEHJqcmVnN0BnbWFpbC5jb20BAgMEBQ==
-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
The same I have added but it is not working

[airtower-luna]

That's not an error, you told ssh-keygen to save the new key in a file called cat id_rsa.pub | clip. That doesn't make a lot of sense, but it worked. 😅

Most likely what you actually want is to accept the default output file, and after key generation copy the public key to the clipboard. 🙂

[standiki]

Yeah! Just as @airtower-luna has said, it's not an error, if you are seeing that screen it means you're progressing to the next step. Here is a video I recorded on this.
https://youtu.be/c0rfwxrth6s

[kranatalie]

What confused me here: the .pub opened automatically with Microsoft Publisher, which didn't work obviously. When I chose to open the file with an editor, it worked fine. Thank you for the hint!

[twokilohertz]

Please help me I have the same error I am using git bash on window -----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- [snip] -----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- The same I have added but it is not working

I hope you don't use this SSH key any more 😂

[smcalilly]

@RegaRaju9751 you shared your private key, which means anybody can use that key to impersonate you. i hope you deleted this key.

[csperando]

This is the wrong file. You should not see “-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----”, only the characters of the key itself.

What you are looking for is id_ed25519.pub

[airtower-luna]

What @csperando said is correct, but one important addition: You just published your private key. If you already authorized it anywhere (GitHub or otherwise) revoke that now, or anyone can log in as you. ⚠️

Generate a new key and then try again with the .pub file. That file contains the public key. 🙂

[JoaoCosta36]

you solved mine.
I was looking for id_rsa and i should look for id_rsa.pub
Thx :D

[standiki]

Inside the .ssh folder, you will find two keys named [id_ed25519 & id_ed25519.pub] The difference between these two key/files is that one is a private key-id and the other is a public key-id, you can notice that from their naming. The key ending with no extension is your private key and is used for enabling the ssh-agent internally on your local machine or server. While the other ending with .pub is your public key-id while using the cat/less command to view it you will notice your Github email is added toward the ending part of the key contents, this is the one you will use to add as an ssh key to your Github account through the GUI. Thanks.

[Supre56]

Thanks! It is really helpful

[SandeepDhami2242]

Thanks

[devendrakumar54]

Thanks it resolved the problem.

[GabaSpace]

Thank you! I resolved my problem!

[Mazhut]

Thank you for the clean explanation 🙂

[jcdevilleres]

Hi All

Following this guide today and came across this error. I found the solution as suggested in the previos posts. Instead of following the guide, by doing:

clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Do this instead

clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

[SagarPuvvada]

It worked for me. Thanks

[ghost]

Thank you. Worked for me.

[MinecraftXPert]

It worked for me! Thanks so much!

[udaygovindarajula9]

is this for any OS ?

[standiki]

@jcdevilleres Nice invention. I think the reason for the two keys is, the one without the .pub extension is meant for your private/internal use; for enabling or activating the ssh-agent. Then the other with the .pub extension is meant for public use (activation), this is the reason why when one tries to use the private key on GitHub.com it throws an "invalid key" error. Thanks.

[robbo1987]

Hi All- How do I find my key? i.e. i created a key in my terminal and it is a .ssh/id_ed25519; but where do I find the 68 digit key? I see something called key fingerprint which starts SHA256 and ends with my email. would this be the key? if so, whats the format to enter?

[airtower-luna]

If your private key is in .ssh/id_ed25519, the matching public key should be in .ssh/id_ed25519.pub. The fingerprint is different, it’s just a hash to identify the key, not the key itself.

[sharon-nasimiyu]

Hello, for me I have been unable to add the sshkey, I have tried as everyone has stated but it is not working. My ssh key is ssh/id_ed25519 . I have tried placing it with pub as stated but still it is invalid. How do i get the 68 digit.

[csperando]

id_ed25519 is the name of the file for your private key, not the key itself. The public key should be an 80 characters within the id_ed25519.pub file. Do you see both of these files within the ssh directory?

[sharon-nasimiyu]

Not really…how do I get it

[csperando]

First make sure you are in the correct directory “/.ssh” for me this was in “/home/pi/.ssh”. Once there, list the directory structure. For unix the command is “ls” for windows it is “dir”. You should see two files listed “id_ed25519.pub” and “id_ed25519”

[byrneh]

HI @GustavoTijerino1,

I would recommend you try following the steps exactly detailed in the document link below.
connecting-to-github-with-ssh
If you then still experience a problem it will be much easier to determine the cause. In most cases following these instructions exactly will solve your problems.

[mh-tp]

just coming here to tell you that Github doesn't accept EDDSA keys with 448 bit length (ED448). Changing to Ed25519 (255 bit) fixed this issue for me

[RevinardMoses]

1.Type "cat" followed by Your public key has been saved in "/home/pando-user/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub" (cat /home/pando-user/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub) and click enter
2. Copy the ssh key from terminal and paste it in github "https://github.com/settings/ssh/new"
3. Enter title and click on "Add ssh key"

[james-berkheimer]

Hi, I am a bit frustrated here as I am getting this same error and I have followed ever suggestion on this thread and still am not able to get a key that works. The only thing that I can thing of that is different is that I am trying this on a Raspberry Pi. I have no pbcopy nor any clip commands to run. I just copy the key "that includes my email" that is displayed after running ssh-keygen. So could this be an issue with Raspberry Pi?

[airtower-luna]

You don't need any special commands. Running ssh-keygen should create two files in the user's ~/.ssh/ directory, with the same name except one has the .pub ending (e.g. ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 and ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub). The one with the .pub ending contains the public key, just copy its content.

[james-berkheimer]

You don't need any special commands. Running ssh-keygen should create two files in the user's ~/.ssh/ directory, with the same name except one has the .pub ending (e.g. ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 and ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub). The one with the .pub ending contains the public key, just copy its content.

So I finally got it working. I completely missed the step of starting the ssh-agent from this link. https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent

[Kenechukwu-YV]

You should also check how you copy the public ssh key. When I opened the .pub file with emacs, it added an extra "/" showing that the content continues in the next line unfortunately it gets copied with the key. But when you use vim or nano, it doesn't add the extra slash and it gets the correct ssh key.

[Baltaguirre]

just had the same issue. It was solved by copying ALL that was shown after running "cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub", ex:
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZAAArew^$3IGDxzbMrERN43t3@vSfs9n3Z36MBh6ZkY9-7 your_name@your_email.com
I was just copying the AAA...leaving out the ssh and email at the end, those should go to.

Hope this helps!

[AnitaSahoo2002]

In my case it is showing"key is invalid.you must supply a key in OpenSSH public key format."
The fomat I have copied is clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

[iamh2o]

I was using ubuntu 20.04 on a new install and got this error after having saved A LOT of keys previously w/no problem. My usual process is:

ssh-keygen  # accept all of the defaults
head ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub  # then copy the line returned, which should not have line breaks

• This failed with the error which is the topic for this thread.

What Worked

ssh-keygen  # accept all defaults
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub  # then copy this string and paste in- from the id-rsa begining to the email at the end

• And success saving the github

Odd, b/c I have used head for years, with no problem. Anyhow, hope this might be helpful to someone as it is a quick fix.

[amengistuu]

I was having this issue for a while but I realized my error. I am using Linux for context.

First, use this command to :
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Then, copy everything that is shown as a result. Here is an example:
ssh-ed25519 [public key data] yourname@email.com

I was just copying the public key data, which was causing my issue.

[LeoMagix]

I need help with my ssh key. My id_ed25519.pub file is empty, when I try
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed255i9.pub
it displays nothing on the terminal. This is the only empty file in ssh directory.
Answers to similar questions on stackoverflow and superuser ask that you delete files in your home directory to create space, tried that still didn't help.

[boludoz]

It's simple, there is a public key and a private key, the public key is the one you should copy and paste inside of github.

[LeoMagix]

I know what key to upload to github the problem is, the file meant to contain my public key, "id_ed25519.pub" is empty, but I think I have an idea now as to why it is empty. Appreciate the help.

[standiki]

Use this video tutorial as a guide to successfully do it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0rfwxrth6s&pp=ygUUc3NoIGtleSBuZXdiaWUgc3RhY2s%3D

[LeoMagix]

Thanks for your help, your video was informative. I think I know where the error occurred, it was in trying to add the generated ssh key to the agent, probably mixed up some steps.
I will delete the ssh directory created, and this time pay more attention to the steps.

[standiki]

Okay. Good luck with that.

[LeoMagix]

Fixed it, I think I did a
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
rather than: ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519,
which probably resulted in an ignored error.

[valsan]

I was copying the key from the .pub file and wasn't working, a solution that worked for me:

Open PuTTy Key Generator -> click Load -> select your .pub file -> it should load the public key at the top, and in the correct format that you can paste in GitHub

[akashdip2001]

It appears that there might be an issue with the formatting or an extra character in your SSH key when adding it to your GitHub account. Let's troubleshoot:

1. Verify Key Format:

   • Ensure that you are copying the entire public key, including the ssh-ed25519 at the beginning.
   • Double-check for any additional characters or spaces at the beginning or end of the key.

2. Copy-Paste Carefully:

   • Copy the SSH key directly from your terminal, ensuring you capture the entire key without any line breaks or additional characters.

3. Manual Copy-Paste:

   • Instead of copying directly from the terminal, try manually copying the key and pasting it into the GitHub SSH key settings.

4. Use the Correct Key:

   • Confirm that you are adding the public key (id_ed25519.pub or similar), not the private key.

5. Regenerate SSH Key:

   • If the issue persists, try regenerating a new SSH key and adding the new one to your GitHub account.

After checking these steps, attempt to add the SSH key again. If the problem continues, please share the exact public key you are trying to add, making sure to remove any sensitive information. This way, I can assist you more effectively.

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[standiki]

If anyone is having challenges setting up SSH and adding it to the SSH-agent. Here is a video I made to quickly do that. Don't forget to like or comment. Thank you.

https://youtu.be/c0rfwxrth6s?si=FeqXh6p7VEFGIjAi

[margievas]

Thank you!!! This helped so much. Finally got it after trying for over an hour haha

[standiki]

I'm glad it helped you. Don't forget to like the video and follow us for future uploads.

[marlocorridor]

Hi, I experienced this at Laravel Forge.

There is an error saying something like "must only be in one line".
Check if you copied the new line character, specially when you are copying from you text editor.
Remove that and submit again.