Running ssh-add at the command line no longer unlocks the ssh keys properly on my system (Ubuntu 11.10 with Unity). Even after I've run ssh-add, when I ssh to a server, I get a dialog box popping up to ask me for my ssh key passphrase. After that things work as expected.

ssh-agent is running. When I first log in:

$ ps -ef | grep ssh-agent

mish      1853  1818  0 18:55 ?        00:00:00 /usr/bin/ssh-agent /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-session /usr/bin/gnome-session --session=ubuntu

How can I unlock the ssh key properly without having to ssh to a server? (Manually triggering the ssh key dialog window would be OK as a solution, but I don't know how to do that).

My use case is that I use tmuxinator and want to set up multiple ssh connections. So I want the ssh key unlocked. Otherwise all the ssh key dialog boxes all pop up and I have to enter my passphrase multiple times. Or I can ssh somewhere before launching tmuxinator, but the connection is slow here, so that just adds friction. So I want to unlock the ssh key before launching tmuxinator, without having to ssh somewhere first.

Edit

Just tried logging out and logging back in again. Then I did:

$ env | grep -i ssh

SSH_AGENT_PID=8693

SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/keyring-Ho4cfE/ssh

$ ssh-add -D

All identities removed.

$ ssh-add -l

1024 b8:12:34:56[...]:19 name@computer (DSA)

$ ssh-add

Enter passphrase for /home/name/.ssh/id_dsa: 

Identity added: /home/name/.ssh/id_dsa (/home/mish/.ssh/id_dsa)

$ ssh-add -l

1024 b8:12:34:56[...]:19 /home/name/.ssh/id_dsa (DSA)

1024 b8:12:34:56[...]:19 name@computer (DSA)

0 mish@mishtop:~$ ssh server

At which point I am again asked for my passphrase by the GUI dialog box. Frustrating ...

It's also interesting that after "All identities removed" that ssh-add -l still shows an identity. That confuses me. And there does only appear to be one ssh-agent running.

Edit 2:

I found a bug on launchpad about this: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openssh/+bug/841672

However this question was about finding a workaround rather than asking why it didn't work, so I hope the question can stand.

Edit 3:

Nothing unusual in /etc/ssh/ssh_config - I haven't touched it. I do have a ~/.ssh/config but that is just ports and usernames.

I watched what processes were running when the dialog popped up, and it was /usr/lib/gnome-keyring/gnome-keyring-prompt-3, launched by /usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon --daemonize --login I tried launching the prompt from a terminal but nothing happened. So still stuck.