instantOS

Password management with ins pass ​

ins pass is the password and OTP interface built into ins. It replaces instantPASS and uses the standard Unix pass password store. Existing entries work without migration.

Setup ​

Install ins, pass, and GnuPG. On instantOS:

bash
sudo pacman -S ins pass gnupg

For clipboard access, install wl-clipboard on Wayland or xclip on X11. OTP support requires pass-otp. The terminal picker uses fzf; the GUI picker uses the instantMENU server. Password editing in the management menu uses nvim --clean.

If you already use pass, keep your existing store. For a new store, create or choose a GPG key and initialize it with its ID:

bash
gpg --full-generate-key
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format LONG
pass init <gpg-id>

The store defaults to ~/.password-store. Set PASSWORD_STORE_DIR to use another location; both pass and ins pass use it. GPG may ask you to unlock your key when an entry is decrypted.

Pick and copy ​

bash
# Search entries in the terminal picker
ins pass

# Open the instantMENU picker
ins pass --gui

# Print entry names without opening a picker
ins pass --list

The picker ranks entries by recent and frequent use. Selecting a password copies its first line; selecting an OTP entry copies its current code. The picker exits after copying so you can paste immediately.

Manage entries ​

bash
# Browse folders and manage entries in the terminal
ins pass menu

# Launch the management menu in a GUI terminal window
ins pass menu --gui

The management menu supports adding, copying, renaming, editing, regenerating, exporting, and deleting entries. Deletion and overwriting existing entries ask for confirmation.

You can also start individual operations directly. Omit an entry name to be prompted or offered a picker.

bash
# Insert a password (prompts for the secret and confirmation)
ins pass add websites/example

# Generate a password (default length: 20 characters)
ins pass generate websites/example --length 32

# Insert an OTP URI (prompts for the URI)
ins pass add websites/example --otp

# Copy the current OTP code
ins pass otp websites/example.otp

# Delete an entry
ins pass delete websites/example

# Export the full decrypted entry to a file
ins pass export websites/example ./example.txt

OTP entries use the .otp suffix and appear separately from password entries. OTP insertion adds the suffix if needed. Large or file-like entries offer export instead of copying. Export writes decrypted contents to the chosen destination.

Moving from instantPASS ​

Install ins and update shortcuts or scripts from instantpass to ins pass (or ins pass --gui for a graphical picker). Replace instantpass --menu with ins pass menu. There is no need to move or re-encrypt your password store.

For command help:

bash
ins pass --help
ins pass menu --help