SOPS Add Key
Add a new machine's age public key to the project and re-encrypt all files so the new machine can decrypt them.
Workflow
-
Detect current state:
python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../sops-setup/scripts/detect_sops.py <project-root> -
Verify prerequisites:
project.sops_yaml.existsmust be true — if not, tell user to run/devtools:sops-setupfirstproject.encrypted_filesshould be non-empty — warn if there are no.enc.yamlfiles to re-encrypt- If
project.tmp_filesis non-empty, warn about stale temporary files (leftover from a failed decrypt/re-encrypt) and suggest the user delete them
-
Audit key propagation (if encrypted files exist): For each encrypted file, read its YAML and check the
sops.agerecipients list againstproject.sops_yaml.authorized_keys. If any authorized key is missing from any file's recipients:WARNING: Key age1xxx...yyy is in .sops.yaml but NOT a recipient in: - apps/web/.env.local.enc.yaml - apps/api/.env.local.enc.yaml These files need re-encryption before the corresponding machine can decrypt them.Offer to run
sops updatekeys -y <file>for each affected file before proceeding with the new key addition. -
Show current authorized keys from
project.sops_yaml.authorized_keys:Currently authorized keys (N): 1. age1abc...def (truncated) 2. age1ghi...jkl (truncated) -
Use
AskUserQuestion— ask user to paste the new machine's age public key. Validate it starts withage1. -
Read
.sops.yamland add the new key to theage:field increation_rules. Use theEdittool to append the key to the comma-separated list or multi-line block. -
Re-encrypt all files using
sops updatekeys:sops updatekeys -y <file>.enc.yamlFor each encrypted file. The
-yflag auto-confirms. This re-wraps only the data encryption key for the new recipient list — values and MAC are unchanged, producing a minimal diff.If
sops updatekeysis not available (older sops version), fall back to decrypt + re-encrypt:sops --decrypt <file>.enc.yaml > <file>.tmp.yaml sops --encrypt <file>.tmp.yaml > <file>.enc.yaml rm <file>.tmp.yamlVerify: After re-encrypting, read each file's
sops.agerecipients block and confirm all keys from.sops.yaml(including the newly added key) appear as recipients. If any key is missing, warn the user that re-encryption may have failed. -
Summary:
| Action | Detail | |--------|--------| | Key added | age1xyz... (new machine) | | .sops.yaml | Updated (now N+1 authorized keys) | | Re-encrypted | .env.local.enc.yaml | | Re-encrypted | .env.production.enc.yaml |Remind user to commit both
.sops.yamland the updated.enc.yamlfiles.
Key Rotation vs Key Addition
- Adding a key (
sops updatekeys): Re-wraps the DEK for the new recipient list. Safe, minimal diff. Use for onboarding machines. - Rotating keys (
sops rotate -i): Generates a new DEK and re-encrypts every value. Use when a key is compromised or for periodic security hygiene. - If the user mentions a compromised key, recommend
sops rotate -iafter removing the compromised key from.sops.yaml.
Key Rules
- Validate the public key format (must start with
age1) before modifying.sops.yaml - Always show the current keys before adding a new one
- Re-encrypt ALL
.enc.yamlfiles — missing any would lock out the new machine for those files - Use
sops updatekeys(not full decrypt/re-encrypt) for routine key additions - After re-encryption, the new machine can clone and decrypt immediately