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Load key …: error in libcrypto means OpenSSH could not read the private-key file it was given. The message alone does not identify one cause: the file may be incomplete or altered, the wrong file may be selected, or another program may expect a different key format. Check the exact file OpenSSH is loading before changing the key or its format.
What the error tells you—and what it does not
The message appears in OpenSSH key-loading reports involving both malformed key data and keys supplied through CI variables. Those reports show possible failure modes, not a definitive diagnosis for every occurrence. An OpenSSL issue report also mentions a key-loading failure alongside an OpenSSL 3 update, but that historical report does not establish OpenSSL 3 as a general cause.
OpenSSH has its own private-key format. Its manual states, “By default OpenSSH will write newly-generated private keys in its own format.” OpenSSH also documents conversion between its format and PEM, but format compatibility depends on the program that will read the key. OpenSSH ssh-keygen manual
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- Confirm it is the intended private key. Verify the path in the error or in the command or configuration that uses the key. A public key, commonly stored in a file ending in
.pub, is not a private key. - Check how the file was created or copied. Look for truncation, changed line breaks, or extra characters introduced by copying, templating, or injecting the key through CI. Do not print the private-key contents in build logs.
- Ask OpenSSH to read it. Run
ssh-keygen -y -f path/to/private_key. If OpenSSH can derive a public key, it has read the private key; if it fails, the result confirms a problem reading that file but may not explain why. A CI issue report describes using this command as a diagnostic, not as a universal fix. GitHub Actions runner issue #1458
If the key comes from a CI variable
Compare three things: the original key, the variable’s representation, and the file written during the job. The job’s file must contain the complete intended key with its line breaks preserved. Test that materialized file with OpenSSH rather than assuming a variable setting is at fault. An issue report documents a CI-variable case, but it does not prove that any single variable configuration fixes all such failures. GitHub Actions runner issue #1458
#1 Best Overall
If OpenSSH reads the key but another tool rejects it
Check the consuming program’s documented input formats and confirm which exact file it receives. If it requires a supported representation other than OpenSSH’s, use the conversion options documented by ssh-keygen. Keep the original unchanged, convert a copy, and validate the copy with the intended consumer. Do not convert merely because the error mentions libcrypto: a format change helps only when the consumer expects a different supported format. OpenSSH ssh-keygen manual
When the basic checks do not explain it
Record the OpenSSH version and crypto-library version in the environment where the failure occurs, then test the same file with the same OpenSSH version outside that environment if practical. Historical issue reports describe different environments, but they do not establish a current compatibility matrix or show that a particular crypto-library version is the cause. OpenSSL issue #13054 OpenSSH portable issue #151
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Do not change key algorithms as a blanket remedy. A suggestion in an individual CI discussion does not demonstrate that RSA keys are broadly unsupported or that Ed25519 fixes every instance. GitHub Actions runner issue #1458
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