Gnome and KDE "passwords and keys" tool can't import SSH key

I created a passphrase-protected SSH key as follows:

ssh-keygen -f mykey

On the command line, I copied the key to the SSH server, added it to ssh-agent and can now use it to access the server without having to enter the passphrase. All is good.

I thought I'd try the same with Gnome's keyring manager named Passwords and Keys. It has an import feature.

File->Import->Select mykey.pub opens a window with an error message:

Could not display "student@debuefi"
Reason: Cannot display a file of this type

student@debuefi is the identity of this key. I tried the KDE environment of the same machine. The tool is the same as on Gnome, and it issues the same error message.

I tried to grep the error message in /var/log and the systemd journal, but got no result. An internet search doesn't bring back anything either.

Where should I look for clues?

The file "mykey" is your private key which should never leave your machine. The file "mykey.pub" is the corresponding public key which is the one you would install in authorized_keys on other machines using ssh-copy-id. Since it is not secret, there is no reason to import it in the keyring manager.

Originally Posted by smallpond Since it is not secret, there is no reason to import it in the keyring manager.

Well, when I use GPG, I find other people's/company's keys in the keyring, but also my own.

But I really wanted add mykey to the ssh-agent via the GUI (I guess I asked an xy-question) and am scratching my head how to do that.

Perhaps this only works with keys that I also generate in the GUI.