mw-pfeddersheim-workstation/docs/product/passwords.md

Password Management - System Guide

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Bitwarden Vault              │
│     bitwarden.jantec.xyz            │  ← Central, synced, backed up
│         (self-hosted)               │
│                ▲                     │
│          rbw CLI                    │  ← CLI access, add/list/get/search
│     (ironmikechw+bitwarden@gmail.com)│
│                ▲                     │
│    gnome-keyring (local)            │  ← D-Bus secrets API for apps
│    org.freedesktop.secrets         │  ← libsecret, secret-tool
└─────────────────────────────────────

How It Works After Reboot / Login

1. greetd/tuigreet login → PAM auth
2. PAM module → pam_gnome_keyring.so unlocks keyring with login password
3. gnome-keyring-daemon starts via socket activation (systemd user service)
4. D-Bus org.freedesktop.secrets becomes available on session bus
5. rbw auto-unlocks via pinentry (reads passphrase from gnome-keyring)
6. Apps read secrets via libsecret / secret-tool:
   • himalaya → IMAP/SMTP passwords via secret-tool lookup email <addr>
   • ssh-agent → SSH key passphrases via secret-tool lookup ... ssh-key <path>
   • git-credential-libsecret → Git passwords via libsecret
   • JetBrains IDEs → auto-detect D-Bus secrets service

Quick Verification

# Is gnome-keyring running?
systemctl --user is-active gnome-keyring-daemon.service

# Can rbw access the vault?
rbw list | head -5
rbw get "SSH Key: id_ed25519"  # should return "SSH gitlab.satware.com"

# Can apps read secrets?
secret-tool lookup application ssh-agent service ssh ssh-key /home/mw/.ssh/id_ed25519
secret-tool lookup application git service gitlab.satware.com
secret-tool lookup application nextcloud service cloud.satware.com user mw

Migrated Entries (from KDE Wallet)

Category	Entries	Storage
SSH passphrases	id_ed25519, id_ed25519_ja_manjaro	BW + GK
SSH host passwords	b0t@192.168.0.141	BW + GK
Git tokens	GitLab PAT, GitHub token	BW + GK
Remmina	5 VNC/RDP passwords	BW + GK
Nextcloud	3 instance passwords	BW + GK
Browser crypto	Chrome, Brave, Chromium safe storage	BW + GK
JetBrains	AI token, Account token	BW (AI also in GK)
QGIS	Master password	BW + GK

Total: ~45 entries migrated.

Known Issues (Post-Reboot)

1. himalaya email passwords — Were NOT in KWallet. Need to be re-entered manually:

   # Run once per account after reboot
   rbw get "<entry-name>" | secret-tool store --label="IMAP <name>" email <address> application himalaya
   

   Accounts: mw@satware.com, ja@satware.ai, ja.satware@gmail.com, ironmikechw@gmail.com

2. GitHub CLI token — May need re-auth:

   gh auth login --hostname github.com
   gh auth git-credential store --hostname github.com  # saves to GK
   

Useful Commands

# Bitwarden
rbw list                    # list all entries
rbw search <term>           # search
rbw get "<name>"            # get password (truncated display)
rbw get --full "<name>"     # get full password
rbw add "<name>"            # add new entry (opens editor)
rbw sync                    # force sync with server
rbw unlock                  # unlock vault (prompts for login password)

# Gnome-keyring
secret-tool lookup key value ...          # lookup by attributes
secret-tool search key value ...           # search
secret-tool store --label="X" key value    # store (pipe password via stdin)

# System
systemctl --user status gnome-keyring-daemon.service
systemctl --user restart gnome-keyring-daemon.service  # if D-Bus secrets missing

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
secret-tool lookup returns empty	systemctl --user restart gnome-keyring-daemon.service
rbw list fails	rbw unlock (enter login password)
SSH key asks for passphrase	secret-tool lookup application ssh-agent service ssh ssh-key /home/mw/.ssh/id_ed25519 — if empty, re-store it
gh commands fail	gh auth login --hostname github.com
himalaya auth errors	Re-enter IMAP passwords via secret-tool store (see Known Issues)
Browser safe storage issues	Browsers recreate their own Safe Storage keys on startup

KDE Wallet Status

• Packages still installed (kwallet, kwalletmanager) — harmless, will be removed after verification
• Data file preserved at ~/.local/share/kwalletd/kdewallet.kwl (backup)
• PAM references already commented out
• No longer used by any application