{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "ssh-keysign",
    "section": "8",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ssh-keysign/8/json",
    "generated": "2026-09-16T16:02:44Z",
    "synopsis": "",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "ssh-keysign — OpenSSH helper for host-based authentication\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "ssh-keysign",
                    "content": ""
                }
            ]
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "ssh-keysign  is  used by ssh(1) to access the local host keys and generate the digital signa‐\nture required during host-based authentication.\n\nssh-keysign is disabled by default and can only be enabled in the global client configuration\nfile /etc/ssh/sshconfig by setting EnableSSHKeysign to “yes”.\n\nssh-keysign is not intended to be invoked by the user,  but  from  ssh(1).   See  ssh(1)  and\nsshd(8) for more information about host-based authentication.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "FILES": {
            "content": "/etc/ssh/sshconfig\nControls whether ssh-keysign is enabled.\n\n/etc/ssh/sshhostdsakey\n/etc/ssh/sshhostecdsakey\n/etc/ssh/sshhosted25519key\n/etc/ssh/sshhostrsakey\nThese  files  contain the private parts of the host keys used to generate the digital\nsignature.  They should be owned by root, readable only by root, and  not  accessible\nto others.  Since they are readable only by root, ssh-keysign must be set-uid root if\nhost-based authentication is used.\n\n/etc/ssh/sshhostdsakey-cert.pub\n/etc/ssh/sshhostecdsakey-cert.pub\n/etc/ssh/sshhosted25519key-cert.pub\n/etc/ssh/sshhostrsakey-cert.pub\nIf these files exist, they are assumed to contain public certificate information cor‐\nresponding with the private keys above.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "ssh(1), ssh-keygen(1), sshconfig(5), sshd(8)\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "HISTORY": {
            "content": "ssh-keysign first appeared in OpenBSD 3.2.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHORS": {
            "content": "Markus Friedl <markus@openbsd.org>\n\nDebian                                     March 31, 2022                             SSH-KEYSIGN(8)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "ssh-keysign — OpenSSH helper for host-based authentication",
    "flags": [],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "ssh",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ssh/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "ssh-keygen",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ssh-keygen/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "sshconfig",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sshconfig/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "sshd",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sshd/8/json"
        }
    ]
}