# webfactory/ssh-agent

GitHub Action to setup `ssh-agent` with a private key

Repository: https://github.com/webfactory/ssh-agent
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ssh-agent
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: action, ssh, ssh-agent, github-actions, workflow
Last push: 2026-06-18T09:29:53+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 74/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 88, release rhythm 42, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2545, "days_push": 76, "days_rel": 175, "gap_med": 359, "n_releases_24m": 2}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1482, forks 298 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:51.168250+00:00)

## What it is
A GitHub Action that starts ssh-agent on the workflow runner, exports SSH_AUTH_SOCK, and loads one or more private SSH keys from repository secrets. It enables git clone over SSH from private repositories and SSH access to other servers during CI workflows.

## Use cases
- load ssh private key in github actions workflow
- clone private repositories during ci
- use multiple github deploy keys in one workflow
- set up ssh-agent on github actions runner
- ssh into servers from a github actions job

## When to choose
- your GitHub Actions workflow needs to fetch dependencies from private repos via SSH
- you need multiple deploy keys mapped to different repositories in one workflow
- you want a simple, maintained action for SSH key setup in CI

## When to avoid
- you use HTTPS with tokens instead of SSH for private repo access
- you need SSH key setup outside GitHub Actions
- you require passphrase-protected keys

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: active
- function: ssh, auth, ci-cd, secrets-management, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, security
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: github-action, ssh-agent, deploy-keys, private-repositories, workflow-step, devops, automation, linux, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- webfactory/ssh-agent (main) score 74

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:51.168250+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 2026-08-30T04:34:09.293212+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/webfactory/ssh-agent (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:51.168250+00:00, sha 54df5353a54a)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.