---
name: "keylookup"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "signing-party"
version: "2.11-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/keylookup"
---

# keylookup(1)

Fetch and Import GnuPG keys from keyservers.

## NAME

keylookup - Fetch and Import GnuPG keys from keyservers.

## SYNOPSIS

**keylookup** \[*options*\] *search-string*

## DESCRIPTION

**keylookup** is a wrapper around gpg --search, allowing you to search for keys on a keyserver.  It presents the list of matching keys to the user and allows her to select the keys for importing into the GnuPG keyring.

For the search and actual import of keys GnuPG itself is called.

## OPTIONS

- **--keyserver**=*keyserver*

  Specify the keyserver to use. If no keyserver is specified, it  will parse the GnuPG options file for a default keyserver to use. If no keyserver can be found, **keylookup** will abort.

- **--port**=*port*

  Use a port other than 11371.

- **--frontend**=*frontend*

  **keylookup** supports displaying the search results with 3 different frondends. Both **whiptail** and **dialog** are interactive and allow the user to select the keys to import. The third frontend **plain** is non-interactive and just  prints the keys to STDOUT. The user must then call GnuPG him/herself.

  If available, **/usr/bin/dialog** is the default. If it is not available but **/usr/bin/whiptail** is installed, then this is  used instead. If nothing else works, we'll fall back to **plain**.

- **--importall**

  Don't ask the user which keys to import, but instead import all  keys matching the *search-string*. If this is given no  frontend is needed.

- **--honor-http-proxy**

  Similar to GnuP **keylookup** will only honor the **http\_proxy** environment variable if this option is given. If it is not given but your GnuPG options file includes it, then **keylookup** will  use it.

- **--help**

  Print a brief help message and exit successfully.

## ENVIRONMENT

- HOME

  Used to locate the default home directory.

- GNUPGHOME

  If set directory used instead of "~/.gnupg".

- GNUPGBIN

  If set used as gpg binary instead of "gpg".

- http\_proxy

  Only honored when the option --honor-http-proxy is set or honor-http-proxy is set in GnuPG's config file.

## EXAMPLES

- keylookup Christian Kurz

  will query your default keyserver for Christian's keys and offer you to import them into your keyring with the dialog frontend (if available).

- keylookup --honor-http-proxy --frontend plain wk@gnupg

  will query the default keyserver again, now using the http\_proxy if the environment variable is defined and list wk@gnupg's (Werner Koch)'s key on STDOUT.

- keylookup --keyserver pgp.mit.edu Peter Palfrader

  will now ask the keyserver pgp.mit.edu for my (Peter's) keys and display them for import in dialog.

## FILES

- \~/.gnupg/options

  GnuPG's options file where **keylookup** will take the keyserver and honor-http-proxy values from if it exists.

## SEE ALSO

[**gpg**(1)](/gpg/1.md)

## BUGS

Please report bugs using the Debian bug tracking system at https://bugs.debian.org/.

## AUTHORS

Christian Kurz \<shorty@debian.org\>\
 Peter Palfrader \<peter@palfrader.org\>