Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`ssh-pkcs11-helper(8)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

ssh-pkcs11-helper on Solnix is the OpenSSH helper from pkgs.solnix.openssh, and its page matches the Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD pages. It is only run by ssh, ssh-agent and ssh-keygen, and its single option is -v.

The manual pages

Solnix: ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) from pkgs.solnix.openssh
Linux: ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) openssh-10.5p1
FreeBSD: ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) 8.0
NetBSD: ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the OpenSSH ssh-pkcs11-helper, which is part of the base system packages (published by pkgs.solnix.openssh). No other variants are shipped. The page says the command is not meant to be run directly by the user.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
all four	same program and options	The synopsis, the description and the one option, `-v`, are the same on Solnix and on all four counterparts. `-v` can be repeated, the maximum is 3, and ssh, ssh-agent and ssh-keygen pass it on when they are in debug mode. No difference in behaviour is documented. Source: Solnix ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) SYNOPSIS, -v; Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD ssh-pkcs11-helper(8) SYNOPSIS, -v
all four	history	All five pages give the same history: ssh-pkcs11-helper first appeared in OpenBSD 4.7. The pages do not record any difference in when each system adopted it. Source: HISTORY section in Solnix, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD ssh-pkcs11-helper(8)

Standards

POSIX: ssh-pkcs11-helper is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Do not call ssh-pkcs11-helper from scripts. Every page says it is not meant to be run directly. Use ssh, ssh-agent or ssh-keygen with their PKCS#11 options, and add -v to those commands to get helper debug output.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.