Troubleshooting
Keychain Issues

Keychain Issues

Solutions for OS keychain integration and master password storage issues.

Keychain Access Issues

“Failed to Retrieve Master Password” Error

Symptom: Cannot get master password from keychain

Cause: Master password not stored or keychain locked

Solutions:

  1. Verify keychain entry exists

    macOS:

    # Check Keychain Access app
# Search for "pass-cli" entry

    Linux:

    # Check with Seahorse (GNOME) or KWalletManager (KDE)

    Windows:

    # Check Credential Manager
# Control Panel → User Accounts → Credential Manager
# Windows Credentials → Look for "pass-cli"

  2. Reinitialize vault (will prompt for password again)

    # Backup vault first
cp ~/.pass-cli/vault.enc ~/vault-backup.enc

# Reinitialize (keeps vault but updates keychain)
pass-cli init

Keychain Access Denied

Symptom: “Access denied” when accessing keychain

Cause: Keychain locked or permission issues

Solutions:

macOS:

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

# Grant access to pass-cli
# Will prompt when pass-cli runs - click "Always Allow"

Linux (GNOME):

# Unlock keyring
# Will prompt for keyring password when pass-cli runs

# If keyring password is different from login password
# Open Seahorse → Right-click Login → Change Password

Windows:

# Ensure running as correct user
whoami

# Credential Manager uses Windows login credentials
# Ensure logged in as user who created vault

“Secret Service Not Available” (Linux)

Symptom: Cannot access secret service on Linux

Cause: Secret service daemon not running

Solutions:

GNOME:

# Install GNOME Keyring
sudo apt install gnome-keyring  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf install gnome-keyring  # Fedora

# Start daemon
gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=secrets

# Add to session startup
# Add to ~/.profile or ~/.bash_profile:
eval $(gnome-keyring-daemon --start --components=secrets)

KDE:

# Install KWallet
sudo apt install kwalletmanager  # Ubuntu/Debian

# Start KWallet
kwalletd5 &

Alternative: File-based password (less secure)

# Store password in encrypted file (not recommended)
# Use vault without keychain integration
# Enter password each time
Vault IssuesTUI Issues