keepassxreboot/keepassxc

Pass command line credentials and key files to single instance

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#2,089 opened on Jul 3, 2018

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help wanted

Description

It would be very nice to have a way to automatically unlock a database after unlocking the session. Especially for cases where the setting "Close database when session is locked" is turned on.

Expected Behavior

Provide a way to open/unlock a database of an running instance of keepassxc, similar to the method used for autostart on login (which on gnome/linux would be something like:"secret-tool lookup 'keepass' 'passwords' | keepassxc --pw-stdin path/to/database.kdbx")

Current Behavior

If I try to open a database (with the above --pw-stdin command) when an instance of keepassxc is already running, I just get "Another instance of KeePassXC is already running"

Possible Solution

Provide a way of sending a password (for a closed database) to a running instance of keepassxc via the command line

Steps to Reproduce (for bugs)

  1. start keepassxc with closed database (such as you would have after automatically locking the session of the os)
  2. try to open a database from the command line with the --pw-stdin command
  3. You get a message at the terminal telling you that another instance of keepassxc is already running

Operating system: Arch Linux, Gnome

Contributor guide

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
desktopsecurity
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic C++Qt frameworkIPC concepts
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
40
Research direction
Investigate how KeePassXC implements single instance (likely via QSingleApplication or custom IPC). Look into the command line parsing code to understand pw stdin and how to extend it to send credentials to a running instance. Consider using local sockets or DBus for IPC on Linux. Check the assignee's progress if any, and review the comments for additional context.