1 \input texinfo @c -*- mode: texinfo -*-
4 @settitle EasyPG Assistant User's Manual
5 @documentencoding UTF-8
11 This file describes EasyPG Assistant @value{VERSION}.
13 Copyright @copyright{} 2007--2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
16 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
17 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
18 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
19 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
20 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license
21 is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
23 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and
24 modify this GNU manual.''
28 @dircategory Emacs misc features
30 * EasyPG Assistant: (epa). An Emacs user interface to GNU Privacy Guard.
34 @title EasyPG Assistant
39 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
46 @top EasyPG Assistant user's manual
48 EasyPG Assistant is an Emacs user interface to GNU Privacy Guard
49 (GnuPG, @pxref{Top, , Top, gnupg, Using the GNU Privacy Guard}).
51 EasyPG Assistant is a part of the package called EasyPG, an all-in-one
52 GnuPG interface for Emacs. EasyPG also contains the library interface
53 called EasyPG Library.
63 * Caching Passphrases::
65 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation.
71 EasyPG Assistant provides the following features.
75 @item Cryptographic operations on regions.
76 @item Cryptographic operations on files.
77 @item Dired integration.
78 @item Mail-mode integration.
79 @item Automatic encryption/decryption of *.gpg files.
85 EasyPG Assistant commands are prefixed by @samp{epa-}. For example,
88 @item To browse your keyring, type @kbd{M-x epa-list-keys}
90 @item To create a cleartext signature of the region, type @kbd{M-x epa-sign-region}
92 @item To encrypt a file, type @kbd{M-x epa-encrypt-file}
95 EasyPG Assistant provides several cryptographic features which can be
96 integrated into other Emacs functionalities. For example, automatic
97 encryption/decryption of @samp{*.gpg} files.
102 This chapter introduces various commands for typical use cases.
106 * Cryptographic operations on regions::
107 * Cryptographic operations on files::
108 * Dired integration::
109 * Mail-mode integration::
110 * Encrypting/decrypting gpg files::
114 @section Key management
115 Probably the first step of using EasyPG Assistant is to browse your
116 keyring. @kbd{M-x epa-list-keys} is corresponding to @samp{gpg
117 --list-keys} from the command line.
119 @deffn Command epa-list-keys name mode
120 Show all keys matched with @var{name} from the public keyring.
124 The output looks as follows.
127 u A5B6B2D4B15813FE Daiki Ueno <ueno@@unixuser.org>
131 A character on the leftmost column indicates the trust level of the
132 key. If it is @samp{u}, the key is marked as ultimately trusted. The
133 second column is the key ID, and the rest is the user ID.
135 You can move over entries by @key{TAB}. If you type @key{RET} or
136 click button1 on an entry, you will see more detailed information
137 about the key you selected.
140 u Daiki Ueno <ueno@@unixuser.org>
141 u A5B6B2D4B15813FE 1024bits DSA
144 Capabilities: sign certify
145 Fingerprint: 8003 7CD0 0F1A 9400 03CA 50AA A5B6 B2D4 B158 13FE
146 u 4447461B2A9BEA2D 2048bits ELGAMAL_E
149 Capabilities: encrypt
150 Fingerprint: 9003 D76B 73B7 4A8A E588 10AF 4447 461B 2A9B EA2D
154 To browse your private keyring, use @kbd{M-x epa-list-secret-keys}.
156 @deffn Command epa-list-secret-keys name
157 Show all keys matched with @var{name} from the private keyring.
161 In @samp{*Keys*} buffer, several commands are available. The common
162 use case is to export some keys to a file. To do that, type @kbd{m}
163 to select keys, type @kbd{o}, and then supply the filename.
165 Below are other commands related to key management. Some of them take
166 a file as input/output, and others take the current region.
168 @deffn Command epa-insert-keys keys
169 Insert selected @var{keys} after the point. It will let you select
170 keys before insertion. By default, it will encode keys in the OpenPGP
174 @deffn Command epa-import-keys file
175 Import keys from @var{file} to your keyring.
178 @deffn Command epa-import-keys-region start end
179 Import keys from the current region between @var{start} and @var{end}
183 @deffn Command epa-import-armor-in-region start end
184 Import keys in the OpenPGP armor format in the current region between
185 @var{start} and @var{end}. The difference from
186 @code{epa-import-keys-region} is that
187 @code{epa-import-armor-in-region} searches armors in the region and
188 applies @code{epa-import-keys-region} to each of them.
191 @deffn Command epa-delete-keys allow-secret
192 Delete selected keys. If @var{allow-secret} is non-@code{nil}, it
193 also delete the secret keys.
196 @node Cryptographic operations on regions
197 @section Cryptographic operations on regions
199 @deffn Command epa-decrypt-region start end
200 Decrypt the current region between @var{start} and @var{end}. It
201 replaces the region with the decrypted text.
204 @deffn Command epa-decrypt-armor-in-region start end
205 Decrypt OpenPGP armors in the current region between @var{start} and
206 @var{end}. The difference from @code{epa-decrypt-region} is that
207 @code{epa-decrypt-armor-in-region} searches armors in the region
208 and applies @code{epa-decrypt-region} to each of them. That is, this
209 command does not alter the original text around armors.
212 @deffn Command epa-verify-region start end
213 Verify the current region between @var{start} and @var{end}. It sends
214 the verification result to the minibuffer or a popup window. It
215 replaces the region with the signed text.
218 @deffn Command epa-verify-cleartext-in-region
219 Verify OpenPGP cleartext blocks in the current region between
220 @var{start} and @var{end}. The difference from
221 @code{epa-verify-region} is that @code{epa-verify-cleartext-in-region}
222 searches OpenPGP cleartext blocks in the region and applies
223 @code{epa-verify-region} to each of them. That is, this command does
224 not alter the original text around OpenPGP cleartext blocks.
227 @deffn Command epa-sign-region start end signers type
228 Sign the current region between @var{start} and @var{end}. By
229 default, it creates a cleartext signature. If a prefix argument is
230 given, it will let you select signing keys, and then a signature
234 @deffn Command epa-encrypt-region start end recipients sign signers
235 Encrypt the current region between @var{start} and @var{end}. It will
236 let you select recipients. If a prefix argument is given, it will
237 also ask you whether or not to sign the text before encryption and if
238 you answered yes, it will let you select the signing keys.
241 @node Cryptographic operations on files
242 @section Cryptographic operations on files
244 @deffn Command epa-decrypt-file file &optional output
245 Decrypt @var{file}. If you do not specify the name @var{output} to
246 use for the decrypted file, this function prompts for the value to use.
249 @deffn Command epa-verify-file file
253 @deffn Command epa-sign-file file signers type
254 Sign @var{file}. If a prefix argument is given, it will let you
255 select signing keys, and then a signature type.
258 @deffn Command epa-encrypt-file file recipients
259 Encrypt @var{file}. It will let you select recipients.
262 @node Dired integration
263 @section Dired integration
265 EasyPG Assistant extends Dired Mode for GNU Emacs to allow users to
266 easily do cryptographic operations on files. For example,
271 : e (or M-x epa-dired-do-encrypt)
272 (select recipients by 'm' and click [OK])
276 The following keys are assigned.
281 @findex epa-dired-do-decrypt
282 Decrypt marked files.
286 @findex epa-dired-do-verify
291 @findex epa-dired-do-sign
296 @findex epa-dired-do-encrypt
297 Encrypt marked files.
301 @node Mail-mode integration
302 @section Mail-mode integration
304 EasyPG Assistant provides a minor mode @code{epa-mail-mode} to help
305 user compose inline OpenPGP messages. Inline OpenPGP is a traditional
306 style of sending signed/encrypted emails by embedding raw OpenPGP
307 blobs inside a message body, not using modern MIME format.
309 NOTE: Inline OpenPGP is not recommended and you should consider to use
311 @uref{http://josefsson.org/inline-openpgp-considered-harmful.html,
312 Inline OpenPGP in E-mail is bad@comma{} Mm'kay?}.
315 Once @code{epa-mail-mode} is enabled, the following keys are assigned.
316 You can do it by @kbd{C-u 1 M-x epa-mail-mode} or through the Customize
317 interface. Try @kbd{M-x customize-variable epa-global-mail-mode}.
320 @item C-c C-e C-d and C-c C-e d
321 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e C-d}
322 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e d}
323 @findex epa-mail-decrypt
324 Decrypt OpenPGP armors in the current buffer.
326 @item C-c C-e C-v and C-c C-e v
327 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e C-v}
328 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e v}
329 @findex epa-mail-verify
330 Verify OpenPGP cleartext signed messages in the current buffer.
332 @item C-c C-e C-s and C-c C-e s
333 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e C-s}
334 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e s}
335 @findex epa-mail-sign
336 Compose a signed message from the current buffer.
338 @item C-c C-e C-e and C-c C-e e
339 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e C-e}
340 @kindex @kbd{C-c C-e e}
341 @findex epa-mail-encrypt
342 Compose an encrypted message from the current buffer.
343 By default it tries to build the recipient list from @samp{to},
344 @samp{cc}, and @samp{bcc} fields of the mail header. To include your
345 key in the recipient list, use @samp{encrypt-to} option in
346 @file{~/.gnupg/gpg.conf}.
350 @node Encrypting/decrypting gpg files
351 @section Encrypting/decrypting gpg files
352 By default, every file whose name ends with @samp{.gpg} will be
353 treated as encrypted. That is, when you open such a file, the
354 decrypted text is inserted in the buffer rather than encrypted one.
355 Similarly, when you save the buffer to a @samp{foo.gpg} file,
356 encrypted data is written.
358 The file name pattern for encrypted files can be controlled by
359 @var{epa-file-name-regexp}.
361 @defvar epa-file-name-regexp
362 Regexp which matches filenames treated as encrypted.
365 You can disable this behavior with @kbd{M-x epa-file-disable}, and
366 then get it back with @kbd{M-x epa-file-enable}.
368 @deffn Command epa-file-disable
369 Disable automatic encryption/decryption of *.gpg files.
372 @deffn Command epa-file-enable
373 Enable automatic encryption/decryption of *.gpg files.
377 By default, @code{epa-file} will try to use symmetric encryption, aka
378 password-based encryption. If you want to use public key encryption
379 instead, do @kbd{M-x epa-file-select-keys}, which will pops up the key
382 @deffn Command epa-file-select-keys
383 Select recipient keys to encrypt the currently visiting file with
384 public key encryption.
387 You can also change the default behavior with the variable
388 @var{epa-file-select-keys}.
390 @defvar epa-file-select-keys
391 Control whether or not to pop up the key selection dialog.
394 For frequently visited files, it might be a good idea to tell Emacs
395 which encryption method should be used through @xref{File Variables, ,
396 , emacs, the Emacs Manual}. Use the @code{epa-file-encrypt-to} local
398 @vindex epa-file-encrypt-to
400 For example, if you want an Elisp file to be encrypted with a
401 public key associated with an email address @samp{ueno@@unixuser.org},
402 add the following line to the beginning of the file.
406 ;; -*- epa-file-encrypt-to: ("ueno@@unixuser.org") -*-
410 Instead, if you want the file always (regardless of the value of the
411 @code{epa-file-select-keys} variable) encrypted with symmetric
412 encryption, change the line as follows.
416 ;; -*- epa-file-encrypt-to: nil -*-
420 Other variables which control the automatic encryption/decryption
423 @defvar epa-file-cache-passphrase-for-symmetric-encryption
424 If non-@code{nil}, cache passphrase for symmetric encryption. The
425 default value is @code{nil}.
428 @defvar epa-file-inhibit-auto-save
429 If non-@code{nil}, disable auto-saving when opening an encrypted file.
430 The default value is @code{t}.
433 @node Caching Passphrases
434 @chapter Caching Passphrases
436 Typing passphrases is an irritating task if you frequently open and
437 close the same file. GnuPG and EasyPG Assistant provide mechanisms to
438 remember your passphrases. However, the configuration is a bit
439 confusing since it depends on your GnuPG installation (GnuPG version 1 or
440 GnuPG version 2), encryption method (symmetric or public key), and whether or
441 not you want to use gpg-agent. Here are some questions:
444 @item Do you use GnuPG version 2 instead of GnuPG version 1?
445 @item Do you use symmetric encryption rather than public key encryption?
446 @item Do you want to use gpg-agent?
449 Here are configurations depending on your answers:
451 @multitable {111} {222} {333} {configuration configuration configuration}
452 @item @b{1} @tab @b{2} @tab @b{3} @tab Configuration
453 @item Yes @tab Yes @tab Yes @tab Set up gpg-agent.
454 @item Yes @tab Yes @tab No @tab You can't, without gpg-agent.
455 @item Yes @tab No @tab Yes @tab Set up gpg-agent.
456 @item Yes @tab No @tab No @tab You can't, without gpg-agent.
457 @item No @tab Yes @tab Yes @tab Set up elisp passphrase cache.
458 @item No @tab Yes @tab No @tab Set up elisp passphrase cache.
459 @item No @tab No @tab Yes @tab Set up gpg-agent.
460 @item No @tab No @tab No @tab You can't, without gpg-agent.
463 To set up gpg-agent, follow the instruction in GnuPG manual.
464 @pxref{Invoking GPG-AGENT, , Invoking GPG-AGENT, gnupg}.
466 To set up elisp passphrase cache, set
467 @code{epa-file-cache-passphrase-for-symmetric-encryption}.
468 @xref{Encrypting/decrypting gpg files}.
473 Bugs and problems with EasyPG Assistant are actively worked on by the
474 Emacs development team. Feature requests and suggestions are also
475 more than welcome. Use @kbd{M-x report-emacs-bug}, @pxref{Bugs, ,
476 Bugs, emacs, Reporting Bugs}.
478 When submitting a bug report, please try to describe in excruciating
479 detail the steps required to reproduce the problem. Also try to
480 collect necessary information to fix the bug, such as:
483 @item the GnuPG version. Send the output of @samp{gpg --version}.
484 @item the GnuPG configuration. Send the contents of @file{~/.gnupg/gpg.conf}.
487 Before reporting the bug, you should set @code{epg-debug} in the
488 @file{~/.emacs} file and repeat the bug. Then, include the contents
489 of the @samp{ *epg-debug*} buffer. Note that the first letter of the
490 buffer name is a whitespace.
492 @node GNU Free Documentation License
493 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
494 @include doclicense.texi