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What the error tells you—and what it does not
The message appears in OpenSSH key-loading reports, including cases involving a badly formatted key and a private key supplied through a CI variable. These reports illustrate possible causes, but do not establish a single definition or universal fix. See the CI-variable issue report and the format and library issue report.
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OpenSSH writes new private keys in its own format by default, and its manual documents conversion between that format and PEM. A format mismatch can matter when a different program reads the key, but only if that program does not support the format it was given. Check the consumer’s requirements rather than converting automatically. OpenSSH ssh-keygen manual
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Check the key in this order
- Confirm the path and file. Make sure the command is using the intended private-key file, not its public-key companion ending in
.pubor a different SSH or PEM artifact. - Check how the file was copied. Look for truncation, altered line breaks, or extra characters introduced by a copy-and-paste, template, or CI variable. Do not print the private-key contents into build logs.
- Ask OpenSSH to read it. Run
ssh-keygen -y -f path/to/private_key. If it succeeds, OpenSSH can read that file and prints the corresponding public key; if it fails, the result is a diagnostic, not necessarily an explanation of the underlying problem. This command was used as a check in the CI issue report. - Compare the consumer’s format requirements. If OpenSSH reads the key but another program does not, establish which formats that program supports. OpenSSH documents
ssh-keygenoptions for converting between its private-key format and PEM; retain the original and validate a separate converted copy before using it. OpenSSH ssh-keygen manual - Capture versions for a compatibility investigation. Record the OpenSSH version and crypto-library version used where the failure occurs. Reports describe failures in particular historical environments, but do not establish a current cross-platform compatibility matrix. OpenSSL issue report OpenSSH build documentation
If the key comes from a CI variable
Compare three things: the variable’s stored representation, the file materialized in the job, and whether OpenSSH can read that resulting file. The file written in the job must contain the complete intended key, including its line breaks, without extra characters. Keep checks focused on success or failure; avoid dumping the key into logs.
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A CI issue report documents one environment where a key was supplied through a variable, but it does not show that one variable setting fixes all such cases. Validate the file produced by your own job rather than assuming the setting is the cause. OpenSSH CI-variable issue report
When format conversion is—and is not—the fix
OpenSSH’s default private-key format and PEM are distinct representations. Conversion is relevant when a key is readable by one tool but the intended consumer requires another supported format. OpenSSH documents conversion options in the ssh-keygen manual; the correct target depends on the receiving program.
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If OpenSSH itself cannot read the file, conversion is not a substitute for checking whether the file is incomplete or malformed. Preserve the original while testing a converted copy so you can distinguish a file-integrity problem from a consumer-format mismatch.
Do not assume OpenSSL 3 or a key algorithm is the cause
A historical issue report mentions an OpenSSL 3 update alongside a key-loading failure, but that report does not establish OpenSSL 3 as the general cause. OpenSSH build documentation identifies libcrypto as a supported dependency; that relationship by itself does not diagnose an individual failure. OpenSSL issue report OpenSSH build documentation
Likewise, an individual comment suggesting a different key algorithm does not establish that RSA keys are broadly unsupported or that Ed25519 will resolve every instance. Start with the exact file, its integrity, and the format expected by the program loading it.
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