WSL2 & Keychain

 Posted on 2022-12-08

The problem

If you use ssh-agent with an encrypted ssh key it does not persist when you open a new terminal window.

The solution

Use keychain instead.

  1. Install 
    sudo apt install keychain
  2. Add to your shells rc file, eg. .bashrc or .zshrc 
    # Repeat this line for all keys you want to unlock and use this way
/usr/bin/keychain -q --nogui $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa
source $HOME/.keychain/wsl-sh
  3. Unlock your keys on shell startup and enjoy
wsl  linux  ssh 

See also