# maxgoedjen/secretive

Protect your SSH keys with your Mac's Secure Enclave

Repository: https://github.com/maxgoedjen/secretive
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/secretive
Homepage: https://secretive.dev
Language: Swift
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: ssh, mac, secure-enclave, security
Last push: 2026-08-19T08:42:13+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 85/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 59, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2387, "days_push": 14, "days_rel": 279, "gap_med": 20, "n_releases_24m": 4}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 8819, forks 210 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:25.874401+00:00)

## What it is
Secretive is a native macOS app that stores and manages SSH keys inside the Mac's Secure Enclave, making them non-exportable. It adds Touch ID / Apple Watch access control, access notifications, and smart card (YubiKey) support, and acts as an SSH agent.

## Use cases
- protect ssh keys from malware theft on mac
- require touch id before ssh key usage
- generate non-exportable ssh keys with secure enclave
- get notified when ssh keys are accessed
- use yubikey smart card for ssh signing
- manage ssh agent on macos

## When to choose
- you use SSH from a Mac with a Secure Enclave and want hardware-backed key protection
- you want biometric (Touch ID / Apple Watch) gating of SSH key usage
- you want an open-source, auditable SSH agent with no external dependencies

## When to avoid
- you need to back up or transfer SSH keys between machines, since Secure Enclave keys are non-exportable
- you need an SSH agent on Linux or Windows
- your Mac lacks a Secure Enclave and you don't want to use a smart card

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: security, cryptography, ssh
- domain: security, apple-ecosystem, developer-tools
- platform: -
- tags: ssh-agent, secure-enclave, ssh-keys, touch-id, key-management, native-app, macos

## Member repositories
- maxgoedjen/secretive (main) score 85

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:25.874401+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:25:05.568442+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/maxgoedjen/secretive (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:25.874401+00:00, sha d5fb35295714)
  - homepage: https://secretive.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T08:25:13.078685+00:00, sha a274d084764b)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.