generate-key

Creates an age or OpenPGP key pair for encrypting backups — see Stage 2: Encrypt for how encryption works and how the resulting public key is used.

./imap-backup-tool generate-key                        # age key pair (default)
./imap-backup-tool generate-key --type pgp \
  --name "Jane Doe" --email jane@example.com            # OpenPGP key pair

Flags

CLI flag	Environment variable	Default	Description
--type, -t	EMAIL_BACKUP_KEY_TYPE	age	Key type to generate: age or pgp.
--output, -o	—	email-backup-key	Output path prefix; writes PREFIX.key (private) and PREFIX.pub (public).
--name	—	IMAP Backup	User ID name recorded in an OpenPGP key.
--email	—	—	User ID email recorded in an OpenPGP key.
--force	—	false	Overwrite existing key files.

What you get

Two files are written:

• PREFIX.key — the private key. This is what reads the backup back — keep it safe and offline. Never put it in the config file.
• PREFIX.pub — the public key. Put its path in encrypt.public_key_file (or pass it to --public-key-file) so backups get encrypted to it.