Keyring?

Micronaut · 2025-07-31 17:57:57

I've setup the Devuan version of Peppermint OS, just to see what it's like. I installed Chrome because it seems to be necessary to access some sites. And when I start Chrome for the first time after a boot it wants a password for a keyring. When I installed Chrome on Devuan with XFCE, it also wanted a keyring and I couldn't get around it and couldn't run Chrome. Had to install with Cinnamon and then it was possible to get Chrome to run. Apparently it was something 'default' to Gnome, which Cinnamon is based on.

It looks like the people who setup Peppermint OS did something different. It is possible to get Chrome to run on XFCE by entering a password for the keyring. What do you suppose they did differently?

Last edited by Micronaut (2025-07-31 17:58:26)

greenjeans · 2025-07-31 20:41:17

It's because gnome-keyring sucks. I uninstalled it. Then everything works. There's also a hack you can do for the chromium exec command. There's better ways to store passwords anyway, the gnome-keyring is severely dysfunctional.

Altoid · 2025-07-31 21:59:51

Hello:

greenjeans wrote:

... gnome-keyring sucks. I uninstalled it. Then everything works.

Interesting.

I have it installed in my system because BackInTime recommends it.
It is a remnant of the time when I did not block recommended packages.

$ aptitude why gnome-keyring
i   backintime-common     Depends    python3-keyring                                       
i A python3-keyring       Depends    python3-secretstorage (>= 3.2)                        
i A python3-secretstorage Recommends gnome-keyring | libkf5wallet-bin (>= 5.97) | keepassxc
$

But I don't use it to store passwords, not at all comfortable with that.

But it happens that gnome-keyring is not a dependency for BackInTime but if I purge it, BiT will not run properly.
keepassxc is not a dependency either and it requires network access, so that would be a hard no for me.

See https://packages.debian.org/en/sid/backintime-common

It would seem (?) that BiT should be using python3-keyring instead of gnome-keyring for me to be able to purge it.

Any ideas on how to get that done?

Thanks in advance.

Best,

A.

greenjeans · 2025-07-31 22:29:21

BiT will not run properly.

Can you expand on that? What seems to be broken?

Altoid · 2025-08-01 00:33:19

Hello:

greenjeans wrote:

Can you expand on that? What seems to be broken?

I guess (would have to purge gnome-keychain to verify) that it does not find the password to be able to do its job.

From what I gather, BiT is a user mode backup so it only does backup/restore operations on directories where the user has write access.
As it runs automatically (cron job) it needs the password which is (?) in the gnome-keyring.

Thanks for your input.

Best,

A.

greenjeans · 2025-08-01 15:38:06

My good friend, you're saying you haven't tried uninstalling it yet? Lol, c'mon bro, dump that garbage, I got 5 bucks says it doesn't do anything to your BiT install.

Just FYI for the database though, I found that Exaile requires not the keyring itself, but the presence of the pkcs package for Exaile to be able to stream internet radio. And this is one of the reasons I am creating a music app of my own to replace it.

Altoid · 2025-08-01 16:35:15

Hello:

greenjeans wrote:

... saying you haven't tried uninstalling it ...

No. 8^°
What I am saying is this:

I wrote:

... but if I purge it, BiT will not run properly.

ie: a statement of fact.

But further on (for clarity) I should have written this:

I guess (would have to purge gnome-keychain again to verify ...)

Sorry for being ambiguous, my command of the English language is rather lacking.

That said, the only reason (I can come up with) is that BiT looks for a PW and does not find one.

Thanks for your input.

Best,

A.

Altoid · 2025-08-04 12:59:01

Hello:

Altoid wrote:

... only reason (I can come up with) is that BiT looks for a PW and does not find one.

And so it seems:
---------------------------------------------
Debian Bug report logs - #998105
backintime-qt: Fails to access the keyring with python3-keyring 23.2.0-1
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo … bug=998105
---------------------------------------------

BiT should be able to work properly without gnome-keyring or keepassxc installed.

The problem seems to be (?) with how BiT looks for and finds (or not) a keyring to use.
For whatever reason, it does not find and select the installed python3-keyring, going for whatever else is available to use.

Which is why, instead of using the installed python3-keyring 23.9.3-2, it uses the installed (and otherwise unnecessary) gnome-keyring 42.1-1+b2.
Failing to run if I purge it.

Apparently there is/was (?) a patch but the bottom line is that (two years on) the bug is still present in backintime-qt 1.3.3-4.

So much for my getting rid of all the gnome crap ...

Best,

A.

Altoid · 2025-08-04 15:30:44

Hello:

I wrote:

So much for my getting rid of all the gnome crap ...

No so fast ...

A deeper look helped me understand something that should have been pointed out to users in a clear(er) manner.
ie: for the half baked hoi-poloi like me.

The problem was that BiT did not automagically choose the available backend to use, seems that getting that done is a rather complex matter.
The solution is an option to add to the BiT GUI, apparently a work in progress to be included upstream, maybe in the next release (?).

But there was a quick, clean and easy alternative: to set it up manually, ending the bloody problem in 5'.
Could not have been easier but ...

Anyhow, if someone else comes across this same problem, the solution is within the BiT FAQs.

TL:DR

backintime FAQs wrote:

To diagnose and solve this follow these steps in a terminal:
# Show default backend
python3 -c "import keyring.util.platform_; print(keyring.get_keyring().__module__)"
# List available backends:
keyring --list-backends
# Find out the config file folder:
python3 -c "import keyring.util.platform_; print(keyring.util.platform_.config_root())"
# Create a config file named "keyringrc.cfg" in this folder with one of the available backends (listed above)
[backend]
default-keyring=keyring.backends.kwallet.DBusKeyring

Once done, you should get something like this ...

$ python3 -c "import keyring.util.platform_; print(keyring.get_keyring().__module__)"
keyring.backends.chainer
$

@greenjeans:
That nails it, no more gnome-keyring in my system ...

$ apt list | grep installed | grep gnome-keyring 
--- snip ---
$

... and just the necessary keyrings:

$ apt list | grep installed | grep keyring 
--- snip ---
debian-archive-keyring/stable,stable,now 2023.3+deb12u2 all [installed]
devuan-keyring/stable,stable,now 2023.05.28 all [installed]
python3-keyring/stable,stable,now 23.9.3-2 all [installed,automatic]
$

Edit:
Just an update to confirm that BiT ran this morning's (05/08/25) daily cronjob without any issues.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2025-08-05 11:38:19)

greenjeans · 2025-08-04 17:21:54

Nice work Altoid!

Altoid · 2025-08-04 20:14:25

Hello:

greenjeans wrote:

Nice work ...

Thanks.
But the merit actually goes to a chap going by the handle Bentolor.

He posted about this same issue* back in 2019 and came up with the keyringrc.cfg file for setting the backend.
See https://github.com/jaraco/keyring/issues/391

* BiT fails because it cannot make sense of the ChainerBackend

A chap going by the handle Jaraco (autor of keyring?) explains the process further down.
You may want to give it a read, it may at some point be useful to you.

Best,

A.

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#1 2025-07-31 17:57:57

Keyring?

#2 2025-07-31 20:41:17

Re: Keyring?

#3 2025-07-31 21:59:51

Re: Keyring?

#4 2025-07-31 22:29:21

Re: Keyring?

#5 2025-08-01 00:33:19

Re: Keyring?

#6 2025-08-01 15:38:06

Re: Keyring?

#7 2025-08-01 16:35:15

Re: Keyring?

#8 2025-08-04 12:59:01

Re: Keyring?

#9 2025-08-04 15:30:44

Re: Keyring?

#10 2025-08-04 17:21:54

Re: Keyring?

#11 2025-08-04 20:14:25

Re: Keyring?

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