allowed_signers.
The small text file that says which public key belongs to whom. It is how OpenSSH, and AgePony, turn a valid signature into a named signer you actually trust.
allowed_signers is an OpenSSH file format that maps an identifier, such as an email address, to one or more public keys. ssh-keygen -Y verify reads it to confirm that a signature over a file was made by the key associated with a claimed identity.
What it is
A signature on its own only proves that some key signed some data. It does not say whose key that is. The allowed_signers file supplies the missing half: a list of identifiers paired with the public keys you accept for them. Verification succeeds only when the signing key matches the entry for the identity you expect. Each line is an identifier followed by a key, and optional fields can scope an entry to a namespace or a validity window.
Why it matters
Trust is a decision, not a property of a signature. By keeping your own allowed_signers list you decide exactly whose signatures count, and you can add or remove people as that changes. Because the format is plain text and part of OpenSSH, the same list works on a phone and a server, with no new tooling.
One identifier, one key. The same file verifies AgePony signatures on any machine with OpenSSH.
Related terms
Common questions.
Where does allowed_signers come from?
It is part of OpenSSH. ssh-keygen -Y verify reads it to decide which public key should have signed a file for a given identifier.
Can I reuse a file I already have?
Yes. AgePony uses the same format, so an existing list transfers straight in, and the trusted signers you keep in AgePony work with ssh-keygen.
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