https://github.com/stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app
A native macOS app for managing SSH keys, editing SSH config entries, and safely organizing your local SSH workspace.
https://github.com/stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app
macos-app ssh ssh-key-manager ssh-keys tools
Last synced: 20 days ago
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A native macOS app for managing SSH keys, editing SSH config entries, and safely organizing your local SSH workspace.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app
- Owner: Stmol
- License: mit
- Created: 2026-04-26T12:54:27.000Z (about 2 months ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2026-05-25T20:28:55.000Z (23 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2026-05-25T22:24:00.106Z (23 days ago)
- Topics: macos-app, ssh, ssh-key-manager, ssh-keys, tools
- Language: Swift
- Homepage:
- Size: 4.11 MB
- Stars: 161
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 6
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
SSH Keys Manager
Native macOS app for browsing, copying, generating, and organizing SSH keys and SSH config entries.
## Table of Contents
## About The Project
**SSH Keys Manager** is a native macOS application focused on one job: making local SSH key management easier and safer.
It gives you a clean interface for working with private and public key files, reviewing SSH config entries, assigning `IdentityFile` values, and maintaining a local SSH workspace without dropping into a terminal for every routine change.
The app works with the default `~/.ssh` directory, but it can also point to a custom SSH workspace if you keep your keys somewhere else.
## Download
You can download a ready-to-run build from the project's [GitHub Releases](../../releases) page.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> The GitHub release build is currently unsigned and not notarized.
>
> If macOS shows `"SSH Keys Manager.app" is damaged and can't be opened` after you copy the app from the downloaded DMG into `/Applications`, remove the quarantine attribute and launch it again:
```bash
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/SSH Keys Manager.app"
```
```bash
open "/Applications/SSH Keys Manager.app"
```
## Features
### SSH Key Workspace
Browse keys from `~/.ssh` or from a custom directory, inspect metadata, and keep related files in one place.
### Generate, Rename, Duplicate, and Remove Keys
Create new key pairs with a selected filename, key type, comment, and optional passphrase. You can also rename existing keys, duplicate them, update comments, change passphrases, and remove files you no longer need.
### SSH Config Editing
Create, edit, reorder, and delete `Host` blocks from your SSH config with a native form-based editor. The app also helps map hosts to available private keys through `IdentityFile` selection and can check whether configured SSH hosts are reachable directly from the sidebar.
### Menu Bar Access
The app includes a menu bar interface for quick access to your SSH keys. You can copy public and private keys directly from the menu bar without switching back to the main app window.
### Read-Only Safety Mode
For extra safety, the app includes a **Read-only** mode.
When enabled, it blocks operations that would modify existing SSH files, including editing, overwriting, renaming, and deleting. This is especially useful if you want to inspect and copy keys without risking accidental changes to a working SSH setup.
### Native macOS Experience
Built with Swift and SwiftUI, the app is designed to feel like a regular Mac utility instead of a wrapped web tool. It supports a menu bar workflow and a dedicated settings screen for SSH directory selection, config backup behavior, external tool paths, and safety controls.
## AI-Assisted Development
> [!IMPORTANT]
> This project was created with significant AI assistance, and that is intentional and transparent.
>
> Parts of the codebase were generated with AI, but the application was not shipped as unchecked output. The generated code was reviewed, corrected, and validated by a human developer before being kept in the project.
>
> That review process matters, but the app also includes an additional safety layer: **Read-only mode**. Even if you simply want to audit your SSH workspace and avoid all risk of modifying important files, the app can be switched into a mode that prevents destructive or file-changing operations.
## Build From Source
You can build the app yourself from source by cloning the repository.
### Option 1: Open in Xcode
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app.git
cd ssh-keys-manager
open "SSH Keys Manager.xcodeproj"
```
Then build and run the `SSH Keys Manager` scheme from Xcode.
### Option 2: Build a Release DMG from the command line
The repository includes a release packaging pipeline that builds an unsigned macOS release and produces a DMG locally.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app.git
cd ssh-keys-manager
make release-dmg VERSION=v0.1.0
```
Or build the full set of release assets:
```bash
make release-assets VERSION=v0.1.0
```
This produces:
- `dist/SSH-Keys-Manager-v0.1.0.dmg`
- `dist/SSH-Keys-Manager.dmg`
- `dist/SSH-Keys-Manager-v0.1.0-dSYMs.zip`
### Option 3: Build a Local Release App and Install It into `/Applications`
If you want to use the app on your own Mac like a regular application, you can build the release `.app` locally and copy it into `/Applications`:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/Stmol/ssh-keys-manager-macos-app.git
cd ssh-keys-manager
make release-app VERSION=v0.1.0
ditto "build/release/Products/Release/SSH Keys Manager.app" "/Applications/SSH Keys Manager.app"
open "/Applications/SSH Keys Manager.app"
```
The locally built app is usually the simplest option for personal use because it does not come from a quarantined internet download.
## License
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.