age

What This Skill Does

The age encryption skill provides a comprehensive interface for managing and utilizing 'age', a modern, simple, and secure file encryption tool. Acting as a robust alternative to aging GPG workflows, this skill allows users to handle X25519-based encryption, manage SSH key integration, and leverage YubiKey plugins for hardware-backed security. The skill covers the entire lifecycle of encrypted files, from key generation to decryption, providing a safe environment for handling sensitive data within the OpenClaw ecosystem.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your environment, run the following command in your terminal: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/ckchzh/age

Use Cases

1. Secure Cloud Backups: Encrypt sensitive configuration files or database dumps before uploading them to untrusted cloud storage.
2. Team Secrets Management: Utilize age to encrypt sensitive files for team collaboration, where each member can use their public SSH key for decryption access.
3. Git Configuration Protection: Integrate with tools like SOPS to encrypt sensitive values inside version-controlled configuration files.
4. Hardware-Backed Encryption: Use the YubiKey plugin to ensure your private keys are protected on physical hardware, adding a layer of protection against memory-based attacks.

Example Prompts

1. "Generate a new age key pair and save the private key to a secure file path for me."
2. "Encrypt the file 'database_config.yaml' using the recipient's public key found in my SSH identity file."
3. "Decrypt 'backup.age' using my YubiKey and store the output in 'restored_data.json'."

Tips & Limitations

• Security: age is designed to be simple, but always ensure your private keys are stored with appropriate file permissions (e.g., chmod 600).
• Pipe Patterns: The skill fully supports standard UNIX pipe patterns, allowing you to chain encryption processes with other tools efficiently.
• Error Handling: When decrypting, pay close attention to output logs if a hardware token (like a YubiKey) is disconnected or locked.
• Compatibility: Note that age is not compatible with GPG. Ensure your workflow exclusively uses age or appropriate wrappers if team members are involved. Keep your key identities organized, as lost keys result in permanent data loss since there is no recovery mechanism for standard age files.