snapcraft list-keys returns no keys, but the user has keys
Metadata
Current evaluation
Maintainer elopio reported snapcraft list-keys showing an empty table despite the user having a registered key, while create-key says a 'default' key exists. Zero comments, no activity for ~6.4 years; the list-keys command has since been removed and replaced by keys.
Suggested action: close stale
Reason: The reported command no longer exists: per snapcraft (launchpad)#1637625, list-keys was removed and replaced by the keys command, and the reporter's own repro shows `snapcraft keys` correctly lists the default key. With zero comments and no activity for ~6.4 years, the original problem is no longer reproducible, so the issue is obsolete rather than merely inactive.
Impact:
20
Quick Win:
10.0
Staleness:
90
Complexity:
50
Confidence:
70
Support Request:
20
Issue body
I am here with ogra checking the snapcraft list-keys command:
$ snapcraft list-keys
Name SHA3-384 fingerprint
It returns nothing for our real users. Mine is <email address hidden>.
When we try to create a key:
$ snapcraft create-key
You have already registered a key named 'default'
It says that we already have a default key. But list-keys is not showing it.
I tried this with a new test user. I ran list-keys and it showed nothing. Then I ran snapcraft create-key and created the default key. Then I ran list-keys, and the key is shown:
$ snapcraft keys
Name SHA3-384 fingerprint
- default EjOBIMR_SUxu6z141hsAB22FBTzzkOf606psj0PXMyu2eMZrc3Vb-TaP7r6CAmUV (not registered)
So there's something weird going on with my user and with ogra's. I'm reporting this bug, because it sounds like a bug to me. But maybe somebody with more experience in keys can tell us if we are doing something wrong.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
20
Quick Win:
10.0
Staleness:
90
Complexity:
50
Confidence:
70
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | Maintainer elopio reported snapcraft list-keys showing an empty table despite the user having a registered key, while create-key says a 'default' key exists. Zero comments, no activity for ~6.4 years; the list-keys command has since been removed and replaced by keys. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
25
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
15
|
close stale | Bug report where snapcraft list-keys fails to display existing keys for specific users. No maintainer response or activity in over six years. Likely obsolete in current versions. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
30
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | snapcraft list-keys returns empty despite existing keys, while create-key reports a key already exists. The issue has been inactive for over 6 years with no maintainer response or updates. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
98
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | snapcraft list-keys returns empty despite existing keys, while create-key confirms a key exists. Issue is over 8 years old with no maintainer response or activity for 6+ years. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-moe-q4 |
Staleness:
95
Complexity:
45
Confidence:
90
Support Request:
20
|
close stale | snapcraft list-keys returns empty for users with existing keys, while create-key claims a key already exists. Untriaged and inactive for over 6 years. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Related To:
snapcraft (launchpad)#1637625
(confidence 75%)
Its summary states the list-keys command has since been removed and replaced by the keys command, which is why this issue is no longer actionable.
-
Related To:
snapcraft (launchpad)#1858994
(confidence 55%)
Adjacent list-keys display bug (unregistered keys not shown when none registered), same command family but a different symptom.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1858994 snapcraft list-keys doesn't show the non-registered key when no key is registered | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | list-keys (snapcraft 3.8) fails to show a locally created key when no key is registered yet, printing 'No keys have been registered' instead. Unlabelled, zero comments, no activity for ~6.6 years; the command was later removed and replaced by snapcraft keys. | |
| #1622037 snapcraft list-keys prints no message when there are no keys | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | snapcraft list-keys prints only an empty table header when no keys are registered; a friendly message (and possibly tips on adding keys) is requested. Unlabelled, zero comments, no activity for ~10 years; a similar Launchpad bug remains open. | |
| #1720210 snapcraft list-keys with no keys returns an empty table | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Abandoned. Closed without implementation, leaving snapcraft list-keys to display an empty table instead of a helpful message when no keys are registered. | |
| #1996618 Snapcraft does not list keys reported from snapd via External Key Manager | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | snapcraft list-keys fails to show keys from External Key Manager when no keys are registered. Unlabelled, 0 comments, inactive for ~3.2 years. | |
| #1736864 snapcraft list-keys with no snap keys returns an empty table | snapcraft (launchpad) | closed | Fixed via PR #1784. The command now displays a helpful message instead of an empty table when no local keys are registered, resolving the reported UX issue. | |
| #1637625 snapcraft create-key doesn't require login, but snapcraft list-keys does | snapcraft (launchpad) | open | CLI inconsistency: create-key works without login but list-keys fails with credential errors. Issue is 9.8 years old with zero comments. The list-keys command has since been removed and replaced by the keys command, which still requires login. | |
| #1784 cli: show helpful message for 'snapcraft list-keys' with no keys | snapcraft | merged | Merged fix replacing the empty table output of snapcraft list-keys with a helpful message directing users to register-key --help. Added a unit test mocking an empty key list. Approved and merged after reviewer guidance on test implementation. | |
| #5683 Investigate why `list-keys` makes repeated API calls | snapcraft | open | Research task to reduce repeated API calls in snapcraft list-keys. The command was removed and replaced with 'keys' (PR #6144), which uses a single get_account_info() call. The referenced legacy test file no longer exists. No activity in ~13 months. |