---
id: ssh-import-id
version: "5.13"
license: GPLv3
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: active
---

# ssh-import-id — Authorize SSH public keys from trusted online identities

License: copyleft · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 129.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

ssh-import-id is a command-line tool that automates the process of granting SSH access to cloud instances or servers by fetching public keys directly from trusted online identity providers. Instead of asking collaborators to manually share their SSH keys via chat or email, you run a single command with their GitHub, GitLab, or Launchpad username, and their public keys are automatically added to your authorized_keys file.

The tool is designed for quick team collaboration scenarios—when you need to give a colleague temporary SSH access to debug an issue or review logs. It supports importing multiple users from different services in one command and can be extended with custom key providers via executable scripts. The package depends only on distro for runtime operation and has no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Grant SSH access to a colleague on a cloud instance without manually exchanging SSH keys
- Quickly add multiple team members' keys from GitHub during server onboarding
- Provision SSH access for self-hosted GitLab instances by setting GITLAB_URL environment variable
- Automate SSH key management in deployment or infrastructure scripts
- Extend with custom identity providers by creating ssh-import-id-* handler scripts

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

ssh-import-id fetches public SSH keys from GitHub, GitLab, or Launchpad and adds them to your authorized_keys file, eliminating manual key copying for SSH access grants.

Yes, if you regularly grant SSH access to cloud instances or servers and want to eliminate manual key-copying workflows. The low install friction, active maintenance, and absence of vulnerabilities make it safe to use. GPLv3 copyleft is not a barrier for most use cases. Verify Python version compatibility before deploying to older systems.

## Install

pip install ssh-import-id
uv add ssh-import-id
poetry add ssh-import-id

## Installing ssh-import-id

Before you install: Low friction: pure Python wheel with a single runtime dependency (distro). Marked active maintenance with a recent release (179 days ago). No known vulnerabilities.

License in practice: GPLv3 copyleft license: you may use and modify the package freely, but any derivative work or distribution must also be licensed under GPLv3 and have source code available.

Quickstart:

pip install ssh-import-id

ssh-import-id gh:username

# Or import from multiple services:
ssh-import-id gh:user1 gl:user2 lp:user3

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package still works with modern Python versions (requires_python is unspecified in metadata)
- Current state of GitHub/GitLab/Launchpad API compatibility
- Whether self-hosted GitLab support via GITLAB_URL environment variable is still functional

## Package facts

- License: GPLv3 (copyleft)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 129.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ssh key import from github, add ssh keys from online identity, authorize ssh keys automatically, github gitlab launchpad ssh keys, ssh authorized_keys management, bulk ssh key provisioning, ssh-provisioning, team-collaboration, key-management

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