YubiKey Manager CLI

YubiKey Manager provides the ykman command-line tool for configuring and managing YubiKeys. It supports device configuration and the OATH, Yubico OTP, PIV, FIDO, OpenPGP, YubiHSM Auth, and Security Domain applications.

The CLI is written in Rust and distributed through this Python package as a native executable. This Python package exists only to ease migration from earlier Python-based versions of YubiKey Manager. Installing the Rust CLI directly is the preferred approach.

This is a beta release. Commands and behavior may change before the stable release.

Installation

Preferred: install the Rust CLI directly

Install the native CLI through Cargo:

cargo install ykman-cli --version 6.0.0-beta.0 --locked

Building requires Rust 1.88 or later and the platform prerequisites listed in the ykman-cli crate documentation. The directly installed CLI does not require Python.

Python package (migration only)

The migration package requires Python 3.11 or later:

python -m pip install --pre yubikey-manager

This installs only the CLI. The Python SDK is distributed separately as yubikit; neither package installs the other. To use the Python API, install it explicitly:

python -m pip install --pre yubikit

When migrating from yubikey-manager 5.x, use a new virtual environment or uninstall the old distribution before installing either new package. The old distribution contains files now owned by the separate SDK, and uninstalling it afterward can remove those shared files.

Linux prerequisites

Install the system PC/SC client library (libpcsclite.so.1) and ensure pcscd is running or socket-activated for smart card and NFC access. Linux wheels use the system PC/SC library rather than bundling a potentially incompatible copy.

HID access may require your distribution's YubiKey udev rules and suitable device permissions. Saving credentials requires a session D-Bus and a Secret Service provider, such as GNOME Keyring.

Usage

ykman --help
ykman list
ykman info
ykman oath --help

See the YubiKey Manager CLI User Manual for command details and examples. Source code and migration documentation are available in the YubiKey Manager repository.

License

The Python package is licensed under BSD-2-Clause. The native Rust executable is licensed under Apache-2.0. Bundled third-party license notices are available with ykman licenses.