# pkttyagent

pkttyagent

1

pkttyagent

Textual authentication helper

          pkttyagent
          --version
          --help

          pkttyagent

              --process

                  pid

                  pid,pid-start-time

              --system-bus-name
              busname

              --notify-fd
              fd

              --fallback

## DESCRIPTION

`pkttyagent` is used to start a textual authentication agent for the subject specified by either `--process` or `--system-bus-name`. If neither of these options are given, the parent process is used.

To get notified when the authentication agent has been registered either listen to the Changed D-Bus signal or use `--notify-fd` to pass the number of a file descriptor that has been passed to the program. This file descriptor will then be closed when the authentication agent has been successfully registered.

If `--fallback` is used, the textual authentication agent will not replace an existing authentication agent.

## RETURN VALUE

If the authentication agent could not be registered, `pkttyagent` exits with an exit code of 127. Diagnostic messages are printed on standard error.

If one or more of the options passed are malformed, `pkttyagent` exits with an exit code of 126. If stdin is a tty, then this manual page is also shown.

If the authentication agent was successfully registered, `pkttyagent` will keep running, interacting with the user as needed. When its services are no longer needed, the process can be killed.

## NOTES

Since process identifiers can be recycled, the caller should always use `pid,pid-start-time` when using the `--process` option. The value of `pid-start-time` can be determined by consulting e.g. the

proc

5 file system depending on the operating system. If only `pid` is passed to the `--process` option, then `pkttyagent` will look up the start time itself but note that this may be racy.

## AUTHOR

Written by David Zeuthen davidz@redhat.com with a lot of help from many others.

## BUGS

Please send bug reports to either the distribution or the polkit-devel mailing list, see the link on how to subscribe.

## SEE ALSO

polkit

8,

polkitd

8,

pkaction

1,

pkcheck

1,

pkexec

1