How to fix error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory in Git

GitBEGINNERMEDIUMUpdated Dec 6, 2025· 163 views

This error occurs when Git tries to sign a commit using an SSH key that doesn't exist at the configured path. The fix involves verifying the key file path in your Git configuration and ensuring the SSH signing key actually exists.

Quick fix

Fixes error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory

# Check signing-related configuration
git config --global --get gpg.format
git config --global --get user.signingkey

# Or see all signing config
git config --global --list | grep -E "(gpg|signing)"

Check your current signing key configuration
Verify the key file exists
Generate a new SSH signing key (if needed)
Update the signing key path in Git config

git — error

$# Check signing-related configuration
git config --global --get gpg.format
git config --global --get user.signingkey
# Or see all signing config
git config --global --list | grep -E "(gpg|signing)"
error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory

What this error means

This error indicates that Git is configured to sign commits or tags using an SSH key, but the key file specified in your `user.signingkey` configuration cannot be found at the expected location. When you enable SSH commit signing in Git (by setting `gpg.format = ssh`), Git uses ssh-keygen to sign commits instead of GPG. The `user.signingkey` setting should point to your SSH key file. If this file doesn't exist, has been moved, deleted, or if the path is misconfigured, ssh-keygen will fail with this "Load key... No such file or directory" error. This is different from SSH authentication errors (used for pushing/pulling). SSH signing keys are specifically used to cryptographically sign commits to prove authorship, which platforms like GitHub and GitLab can verify.

Typical symptoms

Commits fail with 'Load key... No such file or directory' error
Error appears when running 'git commit' with signing enabled
Git tags fail to create when signing is required
CI/CD pipelines fail at commit signing step
Previously working commit signing suddenly breaks after system changes
Error message shows 'ssh-keygen' in the stack trace
Works fine when using '-n' (no-sign) flag with git commit

Common causes

The SSH signing key file was deleted or moved
The path in user.signingkey is incorrect or has a typo
Using tilde (~) expansion in a context where it's not expanded
The key was configured on a different machine and not transferred
SSH key filename doesn't match the configured path
Home directory changed (e.g., different user or system migration)
gpg.format is set to 'ssh' but user.signingkey points to a GPG key ID instead of a file path
Environment variable expansion failed in the key path

How to fix "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory"

1Check your current signing key configuration

First, see what Git has configured for signing:

bash

# Check signing-related configuration
git config --global --get gpg.format
git config --global --get user.signingkey

# Or see all signing config
git config --global --list | grep -E "(gpg|signing)"

Expected output for SSH signing:

bash

gpg.format=ssh
user.signingkey=/home/user/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Note the path shown in user.signingkey - this is where Git expects to find your signing key.

2Verify the key file exists

Check if the key file actually exists at the configured location:

bash

# Replace with your actual configured path
ls -la ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Or check the exact path from config
KEY_PATH=$(git config --global --get user.signingkey)
ls -la "$KEY_PATH"

If the file doesn't exist, you either need to:
1. Generate a new SSH key (Step 3)
2. Update the config to point to an existing key (Step 4)

If using tilde (~) in the path, verify it expands correctly:

bash

# This should show your home directory
echo ~

# Test if the path resolves
ls -la $(git config --get user.signingkey)

3Generate a new SSH signing key (if needed)

If you don't have an SSH key for signing, create one:

bash

# Generate a new Ed25519 key (recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/signing_key

# Or use an existing key by noting its path
ls ~/.ssh/*.pub

You can use the same key for both authentication and signing, or create a dedicated signing key.

Note: For SSH signing, you can point to either the public key (.pub) or the private key. When using ssh-agent, the public key is used to identify which private key to use for signing.

4Update the signing key path in Git config

Set the correct path to your SSH signing key:

bash

# Point to your public key file (recommended when using ssh-agent)
git config --global user.signingkey ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Or use absolute path if tilde expansion is problematic
git config --global user.signingkey /home/username/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Verify the change
git config --global --get user.signingkey

Important: Make sure gpg.format is set to ssh:

bash

git config --global gpg.format ssh

Alternative: Use ssh-agent default key:

bash

# Use whatever key is loaded in ssh-agent
git config --global gpg.ssh.defaultKeyCommand "ssh-add -L"

5Ensure ssh-agent is running and has your key

The ssh-agent must be running and have your signing key loaded:

bash

# Start ssh-agent if not running
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add your signing key to the agent
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# Verify the key is loaded
ssh-add -l

For persistent agent on login (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

bash

# Start ssh-agent if not already running
if [ -z "$SSH_AUTH_SOCK" ]; then
  eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
  ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
fi

On macOS, use Keychain:

bash

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

6Test commit signing

Verify that signing now works:

bash

# Create a test commit with explicit signing
git commit --allow-empty -S -m "Test signed commit"

# If auto-signing is enabled, a regular commit should work
git commit --allow-empty -m "Test auto-signed commit"

To verify the signature:

bash

# Show signature on last commit
git log --show-signature -1

# Or use git verify-commit
git verify-commit HEAD

For signature verification to work, you need an allowed_signers file:

bash

# Create allowed_signers file
echo "$(git config --get user.email) $(cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub)" >> ~/.ssh/allowed_signers

# Tell Git about it
git config --global gpg.ssh.allowedSignersFile ~/.ssh/allowed_signers

7Check for conflicting GPG configuration

If you previously used GPG signing, there may be conflicting settings:

bash

# Check if gpg.format is correctly set to ssh
git config --global --get gpg.format

# If it shows nothing or 'openpgp', set it to ssh
git config --global gpg.format ssh

# Check for local repository overrides
git config --local --list | grep -E "(gpg|signing)"

To remove conflicting local settings:

bash

# Unset local signing config to use global
git config --local --unset user.signingkey
git config --local --unset gpg.format

Common issue: If user.signingkey contains a GPG key ID (like ABC123DEF456) instead of a file path, Git will look for a file with that name:

bash

# Wrong (GPG key ID, not a path)
user.signingkey = ABC123DEF456

# Correct (file path for SSH signing)
user.signingkey = ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

8Register signing key with GitHub/GitLab

For platforms to verify your signed commits, register your public key:

bash

# Copy your public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

For GitHub:
1. Go to Settings > SSH and GPG keys
2. Click "New SSH key"
3. Select "Signing Key" as the key type
4. Paste your public key
5. Click "Add SSH key"

Note: You can use the same SSH key for both authentication and signing, but you must add it twice - once as an "Authentication Key" and once as a "Signing Key".

For GitLab:
1. Go to Preferences > SSH Keys
2. Paste your public key
3. Select "Signing" under Usage type
4. Click "Add key"

After registering, your signed commits will show as "Verified" on the platform.

Advanced notes

### SSH Signing vs GPG Signing

SSH signing (available since Git 2.34) is simpler than GPG signing:
- Uses your existing SSH keys
- No separate GPG keyring to manage
- Easier to set up in CI/CD environments

However, GPG signing offers:
- Key revocation capabilities
- Web of trust
- Key expiration dates
- Better integration with email signing

### Using key:: Prefix for Inline Keys

Instead of a file path, you can embed the public key directly:

bash

git config --global user.signingkey "key::ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAI... user@example.com"

This avoids file path issues but makes the key less portable across machines.

### Debugging SSH Signing

Enable Git tracing to see what's happening:

bash

GIT_TRACE=1 git commit -S -m "debug commit"

Look for lines showing:
- Which signing program is being used
- What key path is being loaded
- The actual ssh-keygen command being executed

### Version Requirements

SSH commit signing requires:
- Git 2.34.0 or later
- OpenSSH 8.1 or later (avoid 8.7 which has a signing bug)

Check your versions:

bash

git --version
ssh -V

### Different Keys for Different Repositories

Use conditional includes in ~/.gitconfig:

ini

[includeIf "gitdir:~/work/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-work

[includeIf "gitdir:~/personal/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig-personal

Then in ~/.gitconfig-work:

ini

[user]
    signingkey = ~/.ssh/work_key.pub

### CI/CD Considerations

For signing commits in CI/CD:

1. Store the private key as a secret
2. Create the key file at runtime:

bash

echo "$SSH_SIGNING_KEY" > ~/.ssh/signing_key
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/signing_key

3. Configure Git:

bash

git config user.signingkey ~/.ssh/signing_key
git config gpg.format ssh

### Windows Path Considerations

On Windows, use forward slashes or escape backslashes:

bash

# Forward slashes (recommended)
git config --global user.signingkey C:/Users/username/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Or escaped backslashes
git config --global user.signingkey "C:\\Users\\username\\.ssh\\id_ed25519.pub"

Frequently asked questions

What does "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directo" mean?: signingkey configuration cannot be found at the expected location. format = ssh), Git uses ssh-keygen to sign commits instead of GPG. signingkey setting should point to your SSH key file.
How do I fix "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directo"?: This error occurs when Git tries to sign a commit using an SSH key that doesn't exist at the configured path. The fix involves verifying the key file path in your Git configuration and ensuring the SSH signing key actually exists.
What causes "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directo"?: The SSH signing key file was deleted or moved The path in user.signingkey is incorrect or has a typo Using tilde (~) expansion in a context where it's not expanded
Is the "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directo" error serious?: It is a medium-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading

📚Git Official Documentation
📖
GitHub Docs - Telling Git about your signing key(Official Docs)
📖
GitLab Docs - Sign commits with SSH keys(Official Docs)
📝
DEV.to - Correctly telling git about your SSH key for signing commits
📝
DEV.to - Git: The complete guide to sign your commits with an SSH key
💬
Stack Overflow - How do I sign git commits using my existing ssh key(Stack Overflow)
💬
Stack Overflow - Git commit failed: Couldn't load public key(Stack Overflow)

How to fix error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory in Git

Quick fix

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "error: Load key "/home/user/.ssh/signing_key": No such file or directory"

Advanced notes

Frequently asked questions

Related errors

Official resources & further reading