age plugin.
How age grows without bloating. Plugins add new recipient and identity types — hardware tokens, threshold schemes, key-management backends — behind a standard interface, keeping the core format small.
An age plugin is an external program that implements new recipient/identity types for age, identified by a prefix such as age1yubikey1…, while the core age format stays unchanged.
What it is
The age tool delegates unfamiliar recipient prefixes to a matching plugin binary. This is how projects add YubiKey (PIV), TPM, and other backends without forking the format.
Why it matters
It explains how age stays minimal yet extensible. AgePony focuses on the native age and SSH paths plus hardware signing; understanding plugins helps when you receive a recipient string with an unusual prefix.
Related terms
Common questions.
Does AgePony support every plugin?
AgePony covers native age, SSH keys, and hardware signing. Arbitrary desktop plugins are outside its scope.
What does an age1yubikey1 recipient mean?
It is a plugin recipient — handled by the age-plugin-yubikey program on desktop.
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