# Install github-keygen with Homebrew Bootstrap GitHub SSH configuration. Version 1.401 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:github-keygen ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install github-keygen ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:github-keygen - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.401 - **Source summary:** Bootstrap GitHub SSH configuration - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** GPL-3.0-or-later - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - github-keygen (cli) - github-keygen (alias) ## Uses from macOS - perl ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on all ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.401 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/dolmen/github-keygen - Upstream latest detected: v1.401 (current) - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. ## 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 Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## 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 - Unix: ~/.ssh/config ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.ssh/id_@github ## 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:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [docker-credential-helper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-credential-helper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, developer-tools. - [oauth2l](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/oauth2l/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, developer-tools. - [oauth2c](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/oauth2c/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: authentication, cli, developer-tools. - [qca](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/qca/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, security. - [sarif-fmt](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sarif-fmt/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, security. - [sarif-tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sarif-tools/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, security. - [semgrep](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/semgrep/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, security. - [aliae](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aliae/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, configuration, developer-tools. - [github-markdown-toc](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/github-markdown-toc/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, github. - [github-mcp-server](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/github-mcp-server/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, github. - [github-release](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/github-release/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, github. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/github-keygen.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/github-keygen.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph