ares-novacom - Failed to get ssh private key

[remisture]

Does anyone else struggle with retrieving the ssh private key with ares-novacom? Could this be a WebOS24 specific issue? My device recently updated from WebOS23, and I can confirm that I had no issues with that version.

• IP is correct
• Dev mode is enabled
• Key Server is enabled
• Device OS: WebOS24 / 9.2.1
• Device model: 43UR73006LA
• Laptop OS: MacOS Sequoia 15.4
• Node versions tested: 16, 18, 20, 22
• @webos-tools/cli versions tested: 3.1.0, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.2.0, 3.2.1

Example output:

ares-novacom --device remi_home --getkey -v
ares-novacom verb argv {
ares-novacom verb argv   device: 'remi_home',
ares-novacom verb argv   getkey: true,
ares-novacom verb argv   level: 'verbose',
ares-novacom verb argv   argv: {
ares-novacom verb argv     remain: [],
ares-novacom verb argv     cooked: [ '--device', 'remi_home', '--getkey', '--level', 'verbose' ],
ares-novacom verb argv     original: [ '--device', 'remi_home', '--getkey', '-v' ]
ares-novacom verb argv   }
ares-novacom verb argv }
ares-novacom info novacom#Resolver()#load()
ares-novacom info novacom#Resolver()#getDeviceBy() key: name , value: remi_home
ares-novacom info Resolver#getSshPrvKey() targetDevice.host: 192.168.1.xxx
ares-novacom ERR! [Tips]: Failed to get ssh private key
ares-novacom verb Error
    at new CLIError (/Users/restu354/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@webos-tools/cli/lib/base/error-handler.js:256:22)
    at errMsgHdlr.getErrMsg (/Users/restu354/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@webos-tools/cli/lib/base/error-handler.js:211:29)
    at Request._callback (/Users/restu354/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@webos-tools/cli/lib/base/novacom.js:376:63)
    at self.callback (/Users/restu354/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@webos-tools/cli/node_modules/request/request.js:185:22)
    at Request.emit (node:events:518:28)
    at Request.onRequestError (/Users/restu354/.nvm/versions/node/v22.14.0/lib/node_modules/@webos-tools/cli/node_modules/request/request.js:877:8)
    at ClientRequest.emit (node:events:518:28)
    at emitErrorEvent (node:_http_client:104:11)
    at Socket.socketErrorListener (node:_http_client:518:5)
    at Socket.emit (node:events:518:28)

[hayabhay]

I just started off with developing on my C4.

I don't have any background in node so almost all of the code generation, publishing & debugging was done on cursor with an coding agent.

From what I could tell, it my machine could ssh into the TV but when deploying it, it couldn't get the key as flagged in this issue. I told cursor to look at the source code of the packages and it found a fix and was able to deploy my code. Apparently it is somewhere in how the path to the key file is accessed.

Again, to be clear, i just know it wasn't working and after it modified something, it worked (i don't have a background in this).

Here is a bug report I asked it to generate if it helps and/or makes sense.

---

Bug Report: SSH Private Key Path Handling Issue in @webos-tools/cli

Summary

The @webos-tools/cli package fails to handle absolute paths for SSH private keys in device configuration, resulting in the misleading error "Private key file or password does not exist" even when the key file exists and is properly configured.

Environment

• Package: @webos-tools/cli@3.2.1
• Node.js: v22.14.0
• OS: Linux 6.8.0-63-generic
• Target Device: LG webOS TV

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set up a webOS device with SSH access
2. Use ares-novacom --getkey to retrieve the SSH key from the device
3. The key is saved with an absolute path (e.g., /home/user/.ssh/C4_webos)
4. Try to launch an app using ares-launch --device C4 --hosted . (or any ares command requiring SSH)
5. Receive error: "Private key file or password does not exist"

Expected Behavior

The tools should successfully load the SSH private key and establish a connection to the device for any SSH-dependent operation (install, launch, push, etc.).

Actual Behavior

The operation fails with the error "Private key file or password does not exist" even though:

• The private key file exists at the specified path
• The file has correct permissions (600)
• Manual SSH connection works with the same key
• The device configuration is correct

Root Cause

The issue is in the _loadOne method in /lib/base/novacom.js around line 200.

Problematic code:

fs.readFile.bind(this, path.join(keydir, inDevice.privateKey.openSsh), next)

The Problem:

• Device config contains: "privateKey": { "openSsh": "/home/user/.ssh/C4_webos" } (absolute path)
• Code does: path.join(keydir, "/home/user/.ssh/C4_webos")
• Results in: /home/user/.ssh//home/user/.ssh/C4_webos (invalid double path)

Proposed Fix

Modify the _loadOne method to handle both absolute and relative paths:

// Check if the path is absolute or relative
const keyPath = path.isAbsolute(inDevice.privateKey.openSsh) 
    ? inDevice.privateKey.openSsh 
    : path.join(keydir, inDevice.privateKey.openSsh);

fs.readFile.bind(this, keyPath, next)

Evidence

Device Configuration

{
  "name": "C4",
  "host": "<MY_DEVICE_IP>",
  "port": "9922",
  "username": "prisoner",
  "privateKey": {
    "openSsh": "/home/abhay/.ssh/C4_webos"
  },
  "passphrase": <passphrase>
}

Debug Output (with added logging)

DEBUG: _loadOne called for device: C4
DEBUG: inDevice.privateKey: { openSsh: '/home/abhay/.ssh/C4_webos' }
DEBUG: Case 2: privateKey is object with openSsh
DEBUG: Loading private key from: /home/abhay/.ssh/C4_webos
DEBUG: Successfully loaded private key

Manual SSH Test (Works)

ssh -i /home/abhay/.ssh/C4_webos prisoner@10.0.0.181 -p 9922 "echo 'test'"
# Result: test

Impact

This bug prevents developers from using any SSH-dependent CLI commands (install, launch, push, etc.) with webOS devices, forcing them to use alternative methods or the webOS IDE. The error message is misleading and makes debugging difficult.

Workaround

Until this is fixed, developers can:

1. Use the webOS IDE instead of CLI tools
2. Manually copy IPK files and install via SSH
3. Modify the device configuration to use relative paths (if possible)

Additional Notes

• This issue affects all ares-* commands that require SSH connection (ares-install, ares-launch, ares-push, etc.)
• The bug appears to be present in both the old @webosose/ares-cli and new @webos-tools/cli packages
• The fix is backward compatible and handles both absolute and relative paths
• The issue occurs in the SSH connection establishment phase, before any specific command logic

Files Affected

• /lib/base/novacom.js - _loadOne method