NVME-KEYS-EXPORT(1) NVMe Manual NVME-KEYS-EXPORT(1)

nvme-keys-export - Export NVMe TLS PSKs from a keyring

nvme [<global-options>] keys export [--keyring=<name> | -k <name>]
                        [--keyfile=<file> | -f <file>]

Export all NVMe TLS pre-shared keys (PSKs) from the system keyring in the form

<identity> <psk>

where <identity> is the TLS PSK identity the key is stored under and <psk> is the TLS PSK itself in PSK interchange format NVMeTLSkey-1:<hmac>:<base64 encoded data>:. Each key is exported in a single line.

The PSK interchange format otherwise carries a configured PSK: it is what nvme-keys-gen-tls-psk(1) prints and what nvme-keys-insert-tls-psk(1) and nvme-keys-check-tls-psk(1) read. The keys exported here are TLS PSKs instead. This output is meant for nvme-keys-import(1), which stores each key back under its identity unchanged; it is not intended to be passed to nvme-keys-insert-tls-psk(1) or nvme-keys-check-tls-psk(1).

-k <name>, --keyring=<name>

Name of the keyring to export the TLS PSKs from. Default is .nvme.

-f <file>, --keyfile=<file>

File to write the exported keys to instead of stdout.

The following options are defined at the top-level nvme command and are available to this subcommand:

--dry-run

Print the command that would be executed, but do not actually execute it.

--no-ioctl-probing

Disable probing for 64-bit IOCTL support.

--no-retries

Disable retry logic on transient errors.

-o <fmt>, --output-format=<fmt>

Set the reporting format to normal, tabular, 'json, or binary. Only one output format may be used at a time.

--output-format-version=<version>

Select the output format version. Version 1 uses the original field naming, while version 2 (default) provides more consistent and script-friendly field names.

--timeout=<ms>

Set the timeout for the command in milliseconds.

-v, --verbose

Increase the level of detail in the output. May be specified multiple times to further increase verbosity.

These options can also be set as machine-wide defaults in nvme-cli.conf(5). A command-line flag always overrides the file.

•Export previously created keys from the kernel keyring and store them into a file 
# nvme keys export -f nvme-tls-keys.txt
•Export/list all keys from the .nvme keyring using nvme and keyctl 
# nvme keys export
NVMe0R01 hostnqn0 subsys0 NVMeTLSkey-1:01:/b9tVz2OXJVISnoFgrPAygyS86XYJWkAapQeULns6PMpM8wv:
# keyctl show
Session Keyring
 573249525 --alswrv      0     0  keyring: _ses
 353599402 --alswrv      0 65534   \_ keyring: _uid.0
 475911922 ---lswrv      0     0   \_ keyring: .nvme
 649274894 --als-rv      0     0       \_ psk: NVMe0R01 hostnqn0 subsys0

Part of the nvme-user suite

09/07/2026 NVMe