Troubleshooting
Installation Issues

Installation Issues

Solutions for installation and initialization problems.

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Installation Issues

Command Not Found After Installation

Symptom: pass-cli: command not found or 'pass-cli' is not recognized

Cause: Binary not in system PATH

Solutions:

macOS/Linux:

# Check if binary exists
which pass-cli

# If not found, check installation location
ls -la /usr/local/bin/pass-cli
ls -la ~/.local/bin/pass-cli

# Add to PATH if needed (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"
source ~/.bashrc

# Verify
pass-cli version

Windows:

# Check if binary exists
where.exe pass-cli

# Add to PATH
$path = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
$newPath = "$path;C:\path\to\pass-cli"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $newPath, "User")

# Restart PowerShell
exit

# Verify
pass-cli version

Permission Denied When Running

Symptom: Permission denied when executing pass-cli

Cause: Binary doesn’t have execute permissions

Solution (macOS/Linux):

# Add execute permission
chmod +x /path/to/pass-cli

# Or reinstall with correct permissions
sudo install -m 755 pass-cli /usr/local/bin/

Homebrew Installation Fails

Symptom: Error: No such file or directory or tap not found

Solutions:

# Update Homebrew
brew update

# Check Homebrew status
brew doctor

# Remove and re-add tap
brew untap arimxyer/pass-cli
brew tap arimxyer/pass-cli

# Try verbose installation
brew install --verbose pass-cli

# Check logs if failed
brew gist-logs pass-cli

Scoop Installation Fails

Symptom: Manifest not found or hash mismatch

Solutions:

# Update Scoop
scoop update

# Check Scoop status
scoop status

# Remove and re-add bucket
scoop bucket rm pass-cli
scoop bucket add pass-cli https://github.com/arimxyer/scoop-bucket

# Clear cache and retry
scoop cache rm pass-cli
scoop install pass-cli

# Check logs
scoop cat pass-cli

macOS “Cannot Open” Security Warning

Symptom: “pass-cli cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified”

Cause: macOS Gatekeeper blocks unsigned binaries

Solutions:

Option 1: Remove quarantine attribute

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/pass-cli

Option 2: Allow in System Preferences

  1. Try to run pass-cli
  2. Open System Preferences → Security & Privacy
  3. Click “Allow Anyway” next to pass-cli message
  4. Run pass-cli again and confirm

Option 3: Build from source (trusted)

git clone https://github.com/arimxyer/pass-cli
cd pass-cli
go build -o pass-cli .
sudo mv pass-cli /usr/local/bin/

Initialization Issues

“Vault Already Exists” Error

Symptom: Error: vault already exists at ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc

Cause: Trying to initialize when vault already exists

Solutions:

Option 1: Use existing vault

# Try to access existing vault
pass-cli list

# If you remember the password, continue using it

Option 2: Backup and reinitialize

# Backup existing vault
mv ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc.old

# Initialize new vault
pass-cli init

# If needed, you can restore old vault later
# mv ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc.old ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc

Option 3: Use different vault location

# Configure custom vault location in config file
echo "vault_path: /path/to/new/vault.enc" > ~/.pass-cli/config.yml

# Then initialize
pass-cli init

“Failed to Store Master Password” Error

Symptom: Error when saving master password to keychain

Cause: Keychain service not available or permission denied

Solutions:

macOS:

# Check keychain status
security list-keychains

# Unlock login keychain
security unlock-keychain ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain-db

# Verify keychain access
security add-generic-password -a "$USER" -s "test" -w "test"
security delete-generic-password -a "$USER" -s "test"

Linux:

# Check if secret service is running
ps aux | grep -i "gnome-keyring\|kwallet"

# Start GNOME Keyring (if not running)
gnome-keyring-daemon --start

# Or install if missing
sudo apt install gnome-keyring  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install gnome-keyring  # Fedora

Windows:

# Run as administrator
# Check Credential Manager service
Get-Service -Name "VaultSvc"

# Start if stopped
Start-Service -Name "VaultSvc"
Vault Issues