docs/content/authentication/troubleshooting-ssh/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----apple-use-keychain.md

title, intro, redirect_from, versions, topics, shortTitle

title	intro	redirect_from	versions	topics	shortTitle
Error: ssh-add: illegal option -- apple-use-keychain	This error means your version of `ssh-add` does not support macOS keychain integration, which allows you to store your passphrase in the keychain.	/articles/error-ssh-add-illegal-option-k /articles/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k /github/authenticating-to-github/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k /github/authenticating-to-github/troubleshooting-ssh/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k /authentication/troubleshooting-ssh/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k	fpt ghes ghec * * *	SSH	ssh-add "illegal option" error

The --apple-use-keychain option is in Apple's standard version of ssh-add, which stores the passphrase in your keychain for you when you add an ssh key to the ssh-agent. If you have installed a different version of ssh-add, it may lack support for --apple-use-keychain.

Solving the issue

To add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent, you can specify the path to the Apple version of ssh-add:

/usr/bin/ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Note

• The --apple-use-keychain option is in Apple's standard version of ssh-add. In macOS versions prior to Monterey (12.0), use -K instead of --apple-use-keychain.
• {% data reusables.ssh.add-ssh-key-to-ssh-agent %}

Further reading

• AUTOTITLE
• Linux man page for ssh-add
• To view Apple's man page for SSH-ADD, run man ssh-add in Terminal