systemd-tty-ask-password-agent(1)

systemd-tty-ask-password-agent1

List or process pending systemd password requests

Usage

systemd-tty-ask-password-agent [OPTIONS ...] [VARIABLE=VALUE ...]

Overview

systemd-tty-ask-password-agent is a password agent that handles password requests of the system, for example for hard disk encryption passwords or SSL certificate passwords that need to be queried at boot-time or during runtime.

systemd-tty-ask-password-agent implements the Password Agents Specification[1], and is one of many possible response agents which answer to queries formulated with systemd-ask-password(1).

Options

The following options are understood:

--list

Lists all currently pending system password requests.

Added in version 186.

--query

Process all currently pending system password requests by querying the user on the calling TTY.

Added in version 186.

--watch

Continuously process password requests.

Added in version 186.

--wall

Forward password requests to wall(1) instead of querying the user on the calling TTY.

Added in version 186.

--plymouth

Ask question with plymouth(8) instead of querying the user on the calling TTY.

Added in version 186.

--console[=DEVICE]

Ask question on TTY DEVICE instead of querying the user on the calling TTY. If DEVICE is not specified, /dev/console will be used.

Added in version 186.

-h, --help

Print a short help text and exit.

--version

Print a short version string and exit.

Exit status

On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.

Notes

1.

Password Agents Specification

https://systemd.io/PASSWORD_AGENTS/

Releases

7 releases since Debian 8 (Jessie); the text changed 6 times.

  1. 8
  2. 9
  3. 10
  4. 11
  5. 12
  6. 13
  7. Arch

From systemd 262.1-1 in Arch Linux 2026-11-01. Parsed by carta from the page's man source.