macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install github-keygenlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install github-keygen with Homebrew
Bootstrap GitHub SSH configuration. Version 1.401 via Homebrew; verified from local package data.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Bootstrap GitHub SSH configuration
Project links
Commands and aliases
- github-keygen
history
Project history and usage
github-keygen is a small Perl utility by Olivier Mengue for bootstrapping and maintaining OpenSSH configuration for GitHub. It creates a dedicated GitHub SSH key, writes a dedicated SSH config section, and installs GitHub host fingerprints in a separate known-hosts file.
Project history
The repository history begins with an initial release in May 2011. Its author-maintained README frames the tool as a one-shot wizard rather than a long-running daemon or library: users clone it, run it for a GitHub account, inspect the generated SSH configuration, and can remove the tool afterward.
The changelog shows the project tracking practical SSH and GitHub changes over time: stronger cipher choices in the 1.020 series, OpenSSH roaming mitigation in 1.101, generated-config versioning in 1.200, GitHub key comparison in 1.300, larger and then Ed25519 default keys in later releases, and post-quantum key-exchange list updates in 1.401.
Adoption history
Adoption appears niche and security-oriented. The tool serves users who want repeatable GitHub SSH setup, multiple GitHub accounts, per-machine keys, host aliases, strict host checking, and conservative handling of an existing SSH config.
How it is used
Practitioners run github-keygen with a GitHub username to generate or update SSH files under ~/.ssh. The generated setup gives GitHub its own key, known_hosts file, public-key-only authentication, strict host checking, and account-specific host aliases for Git remotes.
The README emphasizes local auditability: the script is readable Perl, writes configuration files rather than a resident service, and can check GitHub public endpoints to verify registered keys unless the offline flag is used.
Why package nerds care
Its package value is in codifying a careful SSH setup that many developers otherwise perform by hand. That makes it a tiny but opinionated tool for users who maintain several GitHub identities or machines and prefer generated config over checklist-driven setup.
Timeline
- 2011: Initial release appears in the repository history.
- 2012: v1.000 begins the tagged release stream.
- 2016: v1.101 adds OpenSSH roaming vulnerability mitigation.
- 2022: v1.306 changes default key size and removes older GitHub host-key algorithms.
- 2025: v1.400 switches new keys to Ed25519 by default.
Related projects
- github-keygen relates to OpenSSH, GitHub SSH authentication, Git for Windows, and GitHub's SSH key-management workflow.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:ssh
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
~/.ssh/config
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
~/.ssh/id_<github-account>@github
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
github-keygen | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.401
manager updated
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.401
https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen
- infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:github-keygen |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.401 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/github-keygen |
| Homepage | https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen |
| Repository | https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen#readme |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen/archive/refs/tags/v1.401.tar.gz |
| Uses from macOS | perl |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | github-keygen |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment