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SSHive Agent

Use the SSH keys of Strongbox, 1Password, Secretive, Bitwarden, gpg-agent or yubikey-agent in SSHive.

SSHive Agent is a small free helper from NetMeSafe, the maker of SSHive. It starts with your session, with no window or Dock icon, and passes key list and signature requests from SSHive to the SSH agent you chose in SSHive. Your keys stay in their app, which asks for your approval as usual.

Download SSHive Agent

Version 1.0.1 · October 19, 2026 · 0.7 MB · macOS 13 or later, Apple silicon and Intel · Signed by NetMeSafe and notarized by Apple

SHA-256 of the file 84d2c677c8e69e1f4feddd25d5e230022a44cce2cf74f2ef2f8d6f0797906367

Do you need it?

  • Yes, if you use SSHive from the Mac App Store with keys kept in another app that acts as an SSH agent.
  • No, with the direct version of SSHive: it reaches those agents itself.
  • No, if your keys are saved in SSHive.
  • Not sure? SSHive offers it when a connection needs it.

What it does, and what it does not do

  • It only answers SSHive installed from the Mac App Store.
  • It passes on key lists and signatures, nothing else: it refuses to add, remove or lock keys.
  • It never sees your private keys: the agent does the signing.
  • It only connects to the Internet when you click “Update” in its window, and only to sshive.app.
  • It collects no data. When idle, it uses no CPU.

Install

  1. 1Open the downloaded file, SSHive-Agent.dmg.
  2. 2Drag SSHive Agent to the Applications folder.
  3. 3Open SSHive Agent once. Its window shows that it is running; you can close it, it keeps working.
  4. 4If macOS asks for your approval, SSHive Agent’s window says so: click “Open System Settings”, then turn on SSHive Agent in System Settings > General > Login Items, under “Allow in the Background”.

In SSHive, Settings > Connection > SSH Agent then shows SSHive Agent as “Running”.

Update

SSHive tells you about a new version in Settings > Connection > SSH Agent.

  1. 1Click “Update SSHive Agent”. SSHive Agent’s window opens.
  2. 2Click “Update”.

It downloads the new version from sshive.app, checks that it is signed by NetMeSafe and notarized by Apple, puts it in place and restarts.

Copies older than 1.0.1 have no update button: download the file above and replace the old one in Applications by hand.

Uninstall

Two ways, same result.

  • Open SSHive Agent and click “Uninstall”: it stops, removes its service and moves itself to the Trash.
  • Or move it to the Trash directly.

SSHive works without it. Only the keys of other apps’ agents are no longer available.

Questions

Do my keys leave my vault?
No. SSHive Agent passes the signature request to the agent, which signs it after your approval. The private key never leaves its app.
SSHive says SSHive Agent is stopped.
Click “Open SSHive Agent” in SSHive, or open it from Applications. If it does not stay on, check System Settings > General > Login Items.
SSHive Agent did not recognize SSHive.
SSHive must be installed from the Mac App Store, in the Applications folder. Update SSHive and SSHive Agent.
Does it cost anything?
No, SSHive Agent is free.