password ass (pa)

A simple password manager using age written in POSIX sh. Based on pash by dylanaraps.

• Automatically generates an age key if one is not detected.
• Written in safe and shellcheck compliant POSIX sh.
• Only 120~ LOC (minus blank lines and comments).
• Configurable password generation using /dev/urandom.
• Guards against set -x, ps and /proc leakage.
• Easily extendible through the shell.
• Ability to edit passwords using $EDITOR

Table of Contents

• Dependencies
• Usage
• FAQ
  • Where are passwords stored?
  • How do I rename an entry?
  • How can I extend pa?

Dependencies

• age

Usage

  pa
    a simple password manager based on age

  commands:
    [a]dd  [name] - Add a password entry.
    [d]el  [name] - Delete a password entry.
    [e]dit [name] - Edit a password entry with nvim.
    [l]ist        - List all entries.
    [s]how [name] - Show password for an entry.

  env vars:
    Password length:   export PA_LENGTH=50
    Password pattern:  export PA_PATTERN=_A-Z-a-z-0-9
    Password/key dir:  export PA_DIR=~/.local/share/pa

Examples:

pa add web/gmail
pa list | grep chan
pa del facebook
pa show github
pa edit sourcehut

FAQ

How does this differ from pass, etc?

I was looking for a shell-based password manager that used age. Actually, see my blog post if you're really that curious:

https://j3s.sh/thought/storing-passwords-with-age.html

Where are passwords stored?

The passwords are stored in age encrypted files located at ${XDG_DATA_HOME:=$HOME/.local/share}/pa}.

How do I change the password store location?

Set the environment variable PA_DIR to a directory.

# Default: '~/.local/share/pa'.
export PA_DIR=~/.local/share/pa

# This can also be used as a one-off.
PA_DIR=/mnt/drive/pa pa list

How do I rename an entry?

It's a file! Standard UNIX utilities can be used here.

How can I extend pa?

A shell function can be used to add new commands and functionality to pa. The following example adds pa git to execute git commands on the password store.

pa() {
    case $1 in
        g*)
            cd "${PA_DIR:=${XDG_DATA_HOME:=$HOME/.local/share}/pa/passwords}"
            shift
            git "$@"
        ;;

        *)
            command pa "$@"
        ;;
    esac
}