Run ssh-agent via fish shell

fish-agent.sh

#!/bin/bash
#
# Convert ssh-agent output to fish shell
#

eval "$(ssh-agent)" >/dev/null

echo "set SSH_AUTH_SOCK \"$SSH_AUTH_SOCK\"; export SSH_AUTH_SOCK"
echo "set SSH_AGENT_PID \"$SSH_AGENT_PID\"; export SSH_AGENT_PID"

Isn't it only for new instances (when ssh-agent is not running) ?
but, I think you have to redirect the eval to /dev/null
or maybe my prompt is overriding the ouput 🤷

+1 @Optiligence 's answer.

Isn't it only for new instances (when ssh-agent is not running) ? but, I think you have to redirect the eval to /dev/null or maybe my prompt is overriding the ouput shrug

uhhhh, see the thing is I am a beginner and I don't know anything about fish/bash scripting so can you please tell me how am I supposed to fix it?

To remove the agent pid information replace eval (ssh-agent -c) with eval (ssh-agent -c | head -n2)

@thibault-ketterer would you care create a MR of your snippet into https://github.com/danhper/fish-ssh-agent?

I am astonished, that no solution bothers to cleanup started agents, ie with on of those for security:

trap "kill $SSH_AGENT_PID" exit
trap "ssh-agent -k" exit

See also https://rabexc.org/posts/pitfalls-of-ssh-agents. Ideally the WM has a ssh-agent instance one could use instead of spawning a new one in each terminal.

worked with eval (ssh-agent -c) without any quote
my fish libs

jorgebucaran/fisher
edc/bass

@haidang666 you'll need to run this in each new session/window/tab, and this will open new process every time.

if u wanna avoid zoo of agent processes see how univesal variables used in fish_ssh_agent

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For systemd users running a single agent, the modern "proper" way to do this is to launch the ssh-agent user service (in Fedora it's provided by the openssh-clients package). Then all you have to add is:
set -gx SSH_AUTH_SOCK "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/ssh-agent.socket"

eval (ssh-agent -c)

This works! Thank you!

If you're using macOS, you don't need to manage ssh-agent (whether it be your Fish config or any other shell).

Instead, run this for each key you use to store the passphrase in the Keychain:

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/my_key
# This flag works with Apple's `/usr/bin/ssh-add`.
# (Other `ssh` versions may lack the flag.)

Then add this to ~/.ssh/config:

Host *
    UseKeychain yes
    AddKeysToAgent yes

With the above settings:

• on first use of each key,
• ssh will look up the passphrase from your Keychain,
• and load the key into the agent,
• without prompting you.

You get to avoid the complexities of starting and stopping ssh-agent correctly. No startup code, no stale sockets, no orphaned agent processes.

P.S. This answer matches my experience, and Claude Sonnet 4.6 agrees.