---
title: 'Error: ssh-add: illegal option -- apple-use-keychain'
intro: 'This error means your version of `ssh-add` does not support macOS keychain integration, which allows you to store your passphrase in the keychain.'
redirect_from:
  - /articles/error-ssh-add-illegal-option-k
  - /articles/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k
  - /github/authenticating-to-github/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k
  - /github/authenticating-to-github/troubleshooting-ssh/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k
  - /authentication/troubleshooting-ssh/error-ssh-add-illegal-option----k
versions:
  fpt: '*'
  ghes: '*'
  ghec: '*'
topics:
  - SSH
shortTitle: 'ssh-add "illegal option" error'
---
The `--apple-use-keychain` option is in Apple's standard version of `ssh-add`, which stores the passphrase in your keychain for you when you add an ssh key to the ssh-agent. If you have installed a different version of `ssh-add`, it may lack support for `--apple-use-keychain`.

## Solving the issue

To add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent, you can specify the path to the Apple version of `ssh-add`:

```shell
/usr/bin/ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
```

> [!NOTE]
> * The `--apple-use-keychain` option is in Apple's standard version of `ssh-add`. In macOS versions prior to Monterey (12.0), use `-K` instead of `--apple-use-keychain`.
> * {% data reusables.ssh.add-ssh-key-to-ssh-agent %}

## Further reading

* [AUTOTITLE](/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent)
* [Linux man page for ssh-add](http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/ssh-add.1.html)
* To view Apple's man page for SSH-ADD, run `man ssh-add` in Terminal