1GPGCONF(1) GNU Privacy Guard GPGCONF(1)
2
6 gpgconf - Modify .gnupg home directories
7
9 gpgconf [options] --list-components
10 gpgconf [options] --list-options component
11 gpgconf [options] --change-options component
12
16 The gpgconf is a utility to automatically and reasonable safely query
17 and modify configuration files in the ‘.gnupg’ home directory. It is
18 designed not to be invoked manually by the user, but automatically by
19 graphical user interfaces (GUI). ([Please note that currently no lock‐
20 ing is done, so concurrent access should be avoided. There are some
21 precautions to avoid corruption with concurrent usage, but results may
22 be inconsistent and some changes may get lost. The stateless design
23 makes it difficult to provide more guarantees.])
24 gpgconf provides access to the configuration of one or more components
26 of the GnuPG system. These components correspond more or less to the
27 programs that exist in the GnuPG framework, like GnuPG, GPGSM, DirMngr,
28 etc. But this is not a strict one-to-one relationship. Not all con‐
29 figuration options are available through gpgconf. gpgconf provides a
30 generic and abstract method to access the most important configuration
31 options that can feasibly be controlled via such a mechanism.
32 gpgconf can be used to gather and change the options available in each
34 component, and can also provide their default values. gpgconf will
35 give detailed type information that can be used to restrict the user's
36 input without making an attempt to commit the changes.
37 gpgconf provides the backend of a configuration editor. The configura‐
39 tion editor would usually be a graphical user interface program, that
40 allows to display the current options, their default values, and allows
41 the user to make changes to the options. These changes can then be
42 made active with gpgconf again. Such a program that uses gpgconf in
43 this way will be called GUI throughout this section.
44
48 One of the following commands must be given:
49 --list-components
53 List all components. This is the default command used if none
54 is specified.
55 --check-programs
58 List all available backend programs and test whether they are
59 runnable.
60 --list-options component
63 List all options of the component component.
64 --change-options component
67 Change the options of the component component.
68 --check-options component
71 Check the options for the component component.
72 --apply-defaults
75 Update all configuration files with values taken from the global
76 configuration file (usually ‘/etc/gnupg/gpgconf.conf’).
77 --list-dirs
80 Lists the directories used by gpgconf. One directory is listed
81 per line, and each line consists of a colon-separated list where
82 the first field names the directory type (for example
83 sysconfdir) and the second field contains the percent-escaped
84 directory. Although they are not directories, the socket file
85 names used by gpg-agent and dirmngr are printed as well. Note
86 that the socket file names and the homedir lines are the default
87 names and they may be overridden by command line switches.
88 --list-config [filename]
91 List the global configuration file in a colon separated format.
92 If filename is given, check that file instead.
93 --check-config [filename]
96 Run a syntax check on the global configuration file. If file‐
97 name is given, check that file instead.
98 --reload [component]
101 Reload all or the given component. This is basically the same as
102 sending a SIGHUP to the component. Components which don't sup‐
103 port reloading are ignored.
104 --kill [component]
107 Kill the given component. Components which support killing are
108 gpg-agent and scdaemon. Components which don't support reload‐
109 ing are ignored. Note that as of now reload and kill have the
110 same effect for scdaemon.
111
116 The following options may be used:
117 -v
121 --verbose
123 Outputs additional information while running. Specifically,
124 this extends numerical field values by human-readable descrip‐
125 tions.
126 -n
129 --dry-run
131 Do not actually change anything. This is currently only imple‐
132 mented for --change-options and can be used for testing pur‐
133 poses.
134 -r
137 --runtime
139 Only used together with --change-options. If one of the modi‐
140 fied options can be changed in a running daemon process, signal
141 the running daemon to ask it to reparse its configuration file
142 after changing.
143 This means that the changes will take effect at run-time, as far
145 as this is possible. Otherwise, they will take effect at the
146 next start of the respective backend programs.
147
149 The command --list-components will list all components that can be con‐
150 figured with gpgconf. Usually, one component will correspond to one
151 GnuPG-related program and contain the options of that programs configu‐
152 ration file that can be modified using gpgconf. However, this is not
153 necessarily the case. A component might also be a group of selected
154 options from several programs, or contain entirely virtual options that
155 have a special effect rather than changing exactly one option in one
156 configuration file.
157 A component is a set of configuration options that semantically belong
159 together. Furthermore, several changes to a component can be made in
160 an atomic way with a single operation. The GUI could for example pro‐
161 vide a menu with one entry for each component, or a window with one
162 tabulator sheet per component.
163 The command argument --list-components lists all available components,
165 one per line. The format of each line is:
166 name:description:pgmname:
168 name This field contains a name tag of the component. The name tag
171 is used to specify the component in all communication with gpg‐
172 conf. The name tag is to be used verbatim. It is thus not in
173 any escaped format.
174 description
177 The string in this field contains a human-readable description
178 of the component. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI
179 for informational purposes. It is percent-escaped and local‐
180 ized.
181 pgmname
184 The string in this field contains the absolute name of the pro‐
185 gram's file. It can be used to unambiguously invoke that pro‐
186 gram. It is percent-escaped.
187 Example:
189 $ gpgconf --list-components
190 gpg:GPG for OpenPGP:/usr/local/bin/gpg2:
191 gpg-agent:GPG Agent:/usr/local/bin/gpg-agent:
192 scdaemon:Smartcard Daemon:/usr/local/bin/scdaemon:
193 gpgsm:GPG for S/MIME:/usr/local/bin/gpgsm:
194 dirmngr:Directory Manager:/usr/local/bin/dirmngr:
195 Checking programs
201 The command --check-programs is similar to --list-components but works
204 on backend programs and not on components. It runs each program to
205 test whether it is installed and runnable. This also includes a syntax
206 check of all config file options of the program.
207 The command argument --check-programs lists all available programs, one
209 per line. The format of each line is:
210 name:description:pgmname:avail:okay:cfgfile:line:error:
212 name This field contains a name tag of the program which is identical
215 to the name of the component. The name tag is to be used verba‐
216 tim. It is thus not in any escaped format. This field may be
217 empty to indicate a continuation of error descriptions for the
218 last name. The description and pgmname fields are then also
219 empty.
220 description
223 The string in this field contains a human-readable description
224 of the component. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI
225 for informational purposes. It is percent-escaped and local‐
226 ized.
227 pgmname
230 The string in this field contains the absolute name of the pro‐
231 gram's file. It can be used to unambiguously invoke that pro‐
232 gram. It is percent-escaped.
233 avail The boolean value in this field indicates whether the program is
236 installed and runnable.
237 okay The boolean value in this field indicates whether the program's
240 config file is syntactically okay.
241 cfgfile
244 If an error occurred in the configuration file (as indicated by
245 a false value in the field okay), this field has the name of the
246 failing configuration file. It is percent-escaped.
247 line If an error occurred in the configuration file, this field has
250 the line number of the failing statement in the configuration
251 file. It is an unsigned number.
252 error If an error occurred in the configuration file, this field has
255 the error text of the failing statement in the configuration
256 file. It is percent-escaped and localized.
257 In the following example the dirmngr is not runnable and the
261 configuration file of scdaemon is not okay.
262 $ gpgconf --check-programs
264 gpg:GPG for OpenPGP:/usr/local/bin/gpg2:1:1:
265 gpg-agent:GPG Agent:/usr/local/bin/gpg-agent:1:1:
266 scdaemon:Smartcard Daemon:/usr/local/bin/scdaemon:1:0:
267 gpgsm:GPG for S/MIME:/usr/local/bin/gpgsm:1:1:
268 dirmngr:Directory Manager:/usr/local/bin/dirmngr:0:0:
269 The command configuration file in the same manner as --check-programs,
272 but only for the component component.
273 Listing options
278 Every component contains one or more options. Options may be gathered
281 into option groups to allow the GUI to give visual hints to the user
282 about which options are related.
283 The command argument lists all options (and the groups they belong to)
285 in the component component, one per line. component must be the string
286 in the field name in the output of the --list-components command.
287 There is one line for each option and each group. First come all
289 options that are not in any group. Then comes a line describing a
290 group. Then come all options that belong into each group. Then comes
291 the next group and so on. There does not need to be any group (and in
292 this case the output will stop after the last non-grouped option).
293 The format of each line is:
295 name:flags:level:description:type:alt-type:argname:default:argdef:value
297 name This field contains a name tag for the group or option. The
300 name tag is used to specify the group or option in all communi‐
301 cation with gpgconf. The name tag is to be used verbatim. It
302 is thus not in any escaped format.
303 flags The flags field contains an unsigned number. Its value is the
306 OR-wise combination of the following flag values:
307 group (1)
310 If this flag is set, this is a line describing a group
311 and not an option.
312 The following flag values are only defined for options (that is, if the
314 group flag is not used).
315 optional arg (2)
318 If this flag is set, the argument is optional. This is
319 never set for type 0 (none) options.
320 list (4)
323 If this flag is set, the option can be given multiple
324 times.
325 runtime (8)
328 If this flag is set, the option can be changed at run‐
329 time.
330 default (16)
333 If this flag is set, a default value is available.
334 default desc (32)
337 If this flag is set, a (runtime) default is available.
338 This and the default flag are mutually exclusive.
339 no arg desc (64)
342 If this flag is set, and the optional arg flag is set,
343 then the option has a special meaning if no argument is
344 given.
345 no change (128)
348 If this flag is set, gpgconf ignores requests to change
349 the value. GUI frontends should grey out this option.
350 Note, that manual changes of the configuration files are
351 still possible.
352 level This field is defined for options and for groups. It contains
355 an unsigned number that specifies the expert level under which
356 this group or option should be displayed. The following expert
357 levels are defined for options (they have analogous meaning for
358 groups):
359 basic (0)
362 This option should always be offered to the user.
363 advanced (1)
366 This option may be offered to advanced users.
367 expert (2)
370 This option should only be offered to expert users.
371 invisible (3)
374 This option should normally never be displayed, not even
375 to expert users.
376 internal (4)
379 This option is for internal use only. Ignore it.
380 The level of a group will always be the lowest level of all options it
382 contains.
383 description
386 This field is defined for options and groups. The string in
387 this field contains a human-readable description of the option
388 or group. It can be displayed to the user of the GUI for infor‐
389 mational purposes. It is percent-escaped and localized.
390 type This field is only defined for options. It contains an unsigned
393 number that specifies the type of the option's argument, if any.
394 The following types are defined:
395 Basic types:
397 none (0)
400 No argument allowed.
401 string (1)
404 An unformatted string.
405 int32 (2)
408 A signed number.
409 uint32 (3)
412 An unsigned number.
413 Complex types:
415 pathname (32)
418 A string that describes the pathname of a file. The file
419 does not necessarily need to exist.
420 ldap server (33)
423 A string that describes an LDAP server in the format:
424 hostname:port:username:password:base_dn
426 key fingerprint (34)
429 A string with a 40 digit fingerprint specifying a cer‐
430 tificate.
431 pub key (35)
434 A string that describes a certificate by user ID, key ID
435 or fingerprint.
436 sec key (36)
439 A string that describes a certificate with a key by user
440 ID, key ID or fingerprint.
441 alias list (37)
444 A string that describes an alias list, like the one used
445 with gpg's group option. The list consists of a key, an
446 equal sign and space separated values.
447 More types will be added in the future. Please see the alt-type field
449 for information on how to cope with unknown types.
450 alt-type
453 This field is identical to type, except that only the types 0 to
454 31 are allowed. The GUI is expected to present the user the
455 option in the format specified by type. But if the argument
456 type type is not supported by the GUI, it can still display the
457 option in the more generic basic type alt-type. The GUI must
458 support all the defined basic types to be able to display all
459 options. More basic types may be added in future versions. If
460 the GUI encounters a basic type it doesn't support, it should
461 report an error and abort the operation.
462 argname
465 This field is only defined for options with an argument type
466 type that is not 0. In this case it may contain a percent-
467 escaped and localised string that gives a short name for the
468 argument. The field may also be empty, though, in which case a
469 short name is not known.
470 default
473 This field is defined only for options for which the default or
474 default desc flag is set. If the default flag is set, its for‐
475 mat is that of an option argument (see: [Format conventions],
476 for details). If the default value is empty, then no default is
477 known. Otherwise, the value specifies the default value for
478 this option. If the default desc flag is set, the field is
479 either empty or contains a description of the effect if the
480 option is not given.
481 argdef This field is defined only for options for which the optional
484 arg flag is set. If the no arg desc flag is not set, its format
485 is that of an option argument (see: [Format conventions], for
486 details). If the default value is empty, then no default is
487 known. Otherwise, the value specifies the default argument for
488 this option. If the no arg desc flag is set, the field is
489 either empty or contains a description of the effect of this
490 option if no argument is given.
491 value This field is defined only for options. Its format is that of
494 an option argument. If it is empty, then the option is not
495 explicitly set in the current configuration, and the default
496 applies (if any). Otherwise, it contains the current value of
497 the option. Note that this field is also meaningful if the
498 option itself does not take a real argument (in this case, it
499 contains the number of times the option appears).
500 Changing options
505 The command to change the options of the component component to the
508 specified values. component must be the string in the field name in
509 the output of the --list-components command. You have to provide the
510 options that shall be changed in the following format on standard
511 input:
512 name:flags:new-value
514 name This is the name of the option to change. name must be the
517 string in the field name in the output of the --list-options
518 command.
519 flags The flags field contains an unsigned number. Its value is the
522 OR-wise combination of the following flag values:
523 default (16)
526 If this flag is set, the option is deleted and the
527 default value is used instead (if applicable).
528 new-value
531 The new value for the option. This field is only defined if the
532 default flag is not set. The format is that of an option argu‐
533 ment. If it is empty (or the field is omitted), the default
534 argument is used (only allowed if the argument is optional for
535 this option). Otherwise, the option will be set to the speci‐
536 fied value.
537 The output of the command is the same as that of --check-options
540 for the modified configuration file.
541 Examples:
543 To set the force option, which is of basic type none (0):
545 $ echo 'force:0:1' | gpgconf --change-options dirmngr
547 To delete the force option:
549 $ echo 'force:16:' | gpgconf --change-options dirmngr
551 The --runtime option can influence when the changes take effect.
553 Listing global options
558 Sometimes it is useful for applications to look at the global options
561 file ‘gpgconf.conf’. The colon separated listing format is record ori‐
562 ented and uses the first field to identify the record type:
563 k This describes a key record to start the definition of a new
566 ruleset for a user/group. The format of a key record is:
567 k:user:group:
569 user This is the user field of the key. It is percent
572 escaped. See the definition of the gpgconf.conf format
573 for details.
574 group This is the group field of the key. It is percent
577 escaped.
578 r This describes a rule record. All rule records up to the next
581 key record make up a rule set for that key. The format of a
582 rule record is:
583 r:::component:option:flags:value:
585 component
588 This is the component part of a rule. It is a plain
589 string.
590 option This is the option part of a rule. It is a plain string.
593 flag This is the flags part of a rule. There may be only one
596 flag per rule but by using the same component and option,
597 several flags may be assigned to an option. It is a
598 plain string.
599 value This is the optional value for the option. It is a per‐
602 cent escaped string with a single quotation mark to indi‐
603 cate a string. The quotation mark is only required to
604 distinguish between no value specified and an empty
605 string.
606 Unknown record types should be ignored. Note that there is intention‐
610 ally no feature to change the global option file through gpgconf.
611
616 /etc/gnupg/gpgconf.conf
617 If this file exists, it is processed as a global configuration
618 file.
619 A commented example can be found in the ‘examples’ directory
620 of
621 the distribution.
622
626 gpg(1), gpgsm(1), gpg-agent(1), scdaemon(1), dirmngr(1)
627 The full documentation for this tool is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
629 If GnuPG and the info program are properly installed at your site, the
630 command
631 info gnupg
633 should give you access to the complete manual including a menu struc‐
635 ture and an index.
636GnuPG 2.0.18 2011-09-20 GPGCONF(1)