I’ve been using a “config” file located at ~/.ssh/config to list out the identities of the various SSH hosts that I connect to on a regular basis. It was successfully preventing me from having to keep track of the usernames for the various accounts I was connecting to on the servers, but when I got to a certain number of entries in the file, I started getting this error:
Received disconnect from *HOST*: 2: Too many authentication failures for *USERNAME*I Googled around and tried various solutions, including using ssh-add and had limited success, but running an ssh -v hostentry command for a given connection (the -v puts the command in verbose mode) allowed me to see that my machine was still offering up multiple keys.
This seems counter-intuitive to me. The whole point of using the config file is to tell it which key to use, right? Why should I even need to add the identity to the SSH agent? And I wasn’t about to increase the number of retries on the servers. That seems like a recipe for disaster. I should only need one try because I have the right key sitting here!
I finally ran the right Google search and discovered this SuperUser (StackOverflow) question, which had the missing component I needed in one of its answers.
The critical element in the config file that forces the SSH client to use only the key specified is this line:
IdentitiesOnly yes
Adding that to each of the entries in the config file (immediately below the “IdentifyFile” declaration) did the trick.
So now a typical entry in my config file looks something like this:
Host myshortcut
 HostName somedomain.com
 user someuser
 IdentityFile ~/.ssh/somekey_rsa
 IdentitiesOnly yes
I hope this helps someone!
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This is a fantastic deep dive into the nuance of SSH client behavior. It underscores a critical principle in system design: explicit configuration always trumps implicit defaults. Whether managing secure remote access or complex payment flows like those at bf77, defining strict boundaries prevents unexpected authentication failures. Great find!
This is a great deep dive into the principle of least privilege in networking. The IdentitiesOnly yes line is a perfect example of how strict configuration management prevents unnecessary resource drain and security risks. This concept of robust, controlled access is critical everywhere, from infrastructure security to ensuring seamless user experiences on platforms like 8K8T game. Excellent troubleshooting!