1. Start the ssh-agent in the background.

   $ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
   > Agent pid 59566

   Depending on your environment, you may need to use a different command. For example, you may need to use root access by running sudo -s -H before starting the ssh-agent, or you may need to use exec ssh-agent bash or exec ssh-agent zsh to run the ssh-agent.

2. If you're using macOS Sierra 10.12.2 or later, you will need to modify your ~/.ssh/config file to automatically load keys into the ssh-agent and store passphrases in your keychain.

   • First, check to see if your ~/.ssh/config file exists in the default location.

     $ open ~/.ssh/config
     > The file /Users/you/.ssh/config does not exist.

   • If the file doesn't exist, create the file.

     $ touch ~/.ssh/config

   • Open your ~/.ssh/config file, then modify the file to contain the following lines. If your SSH key file has a different name or path than the example code, modify the filename or path to match your current setup.

     Host *
       AddKeysToAgent yes
       UseKeychain yes
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
     

     Note: If you chose not to add a passphrase to your key, you should omit the UseKeychain line.

     Note: If you see an error like this

     /Users/USER/.ssh/config: line 16: Bad configuration option: usekeychain
     

     add an additional config line to your Host * section:

     Host *
       IgnoreUnknown UseKeychain
     

3. Add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent and store your passphrase in the keychain. If you created your key with a different name, or if you are adding an existing key that has a different name, replace id_ed25519 in the command with the name of your private key file.

   $ ssh-add -K ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

   Note: The -K option is 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 chose not to add a passphrase to your key, run the command without the -K option.

   If you don't have Apple's standard version installed, you may receive an error. For more information on resolving this error, see "Error: ssh-add: illegal option -- K."

4. Add the SSH key to your account on GitHub. For more information, see "Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account."

If you have GitHub Desktop installed, you can use it to clone repositories and not deal with SSH keys.

1. Ensure the ssh-agent is running. You can use the "Auto-launching the ssh-agent" instructions in "Working with SSH key passphrases", or start it manually:

   # start the ssh-agent in the background
   $ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
   > Agent pid 59566

2. Add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent. If you created your key with a different name, or if you are adding an existing key that has a different name, replace id_ed25519 in the command with the name of your private key file.

   $ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

3. Add the SSH key to your account on GitHub. For more information, see "Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account."

1. Start the ssh-agent in the background.

   $ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
   > Agent pid 59566

   Depending on your environment, you may need to use a different command. For example, you may need to use root access by running sudo -s -H before starting the ssh-agent, or you may need to use exec ssh-agent bash or exec ssh-agent zsh to run the ssh-agent.

2. Add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent. If you created your key with a different name, or if you are adding an existing key that has a different name, replace id_ed25519 in the command with the name of your private key file.

   $ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

3. Add the SSH key to your account on GitHub. For more information, see "Adding a new SSH key to your GitHub account."