[pkg-gnupg-maint] Bug#835045: Bug#835045: gnupg: cannot edit my key: "secret key parts are not available"

Werner Koch wk at gnupg.org
Mon Aug 22 10:23:09 UTC 2016


On Sun, 21 Aug 2016 18:36, jdg at debian.org said:

> gpg: secret key parts are not available

> And yet I do have my secret key available; "toggle" shows it quite
> happily, for example.

I guess you took your primary key offline (replaced by a stub key) or
you are using smartcard based keys.  Use gpg -K to check the key.  For
example an old copy of my key listed with gpg 1.4:
 
  $ gpg1 --no-options -K 1e42b367
  sec#  2048D/1E42B367 2007-12-31 [expires: 2018-12-31]
  uid                  Werner Koch <wk at gnupg.org>
  [...]
  ssb   2048R/FA8FE1F9 2008-03-21 [expires: 2011-12-30]

shows that the primary key is offline (sub#) and only the subkey os
online, that is availabale (no hash mark).

> So I'm a little stymied.  It might be that gpg2 will fix this issue,
> but maybe not.

2.1 improved the --edit-key display.  For example my key looks like
this:

  pub  dsa2048/F2AD85AC1E42B367
       created: 2007-12-31  expires: 2018-12-31  usage: SC  
       trust: ultimate      validity: ultimate
  ssb  dsa1024/4F0540D577F95F95
       created: 2011-11-02  expires: never       usage: S   
  ssb  rsa2048/1E0FE11D664D7444
       created: 2014-01-02  expires: 2016-12-31  usage: E   
  [...]     
  
There is no more "toggle" command and it shows immediately that the
primary key has no secret parts (that is because it is only on my "CA"
laptop)


Salam-Shalom,

   Werner

-- 
Die Gedanken sind frei.  Ausnahmen regelt ein Bundesgesetz.
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