Allow using OpenSSH agent along with Pageant for Authentication

Background: I recently came across a solution with KeePassXC that allowed storing SSH keys in its password database and using them without leaving them exposed on your hard drive. KeePass has added a feature where it will automatically add these to the built in Windows OpenSSH agent when your vault is unlocked and remove them when it is unlocked. The feature also works with Pageant but with OpenSSH being integrated in to the OS, it is easier to enable and works more seamlessly with WSL2 and PowerShell and within the excellent Windows Terminal application.

WinSCP is an amazing program and I wanted to be able to continue using it without having to install Pageant along with it. I found that I was not the only person looking for a solution when I came across this executable to emulate Pageant and pass in OpenSSH authentication: https://github.com/ndbeals/winssh-pageant This simple solution worked great for WinSCP and I am able to continue using SFTP with my vaulted keys! But the goal was to not have to run an additional service which brings me to my request.

It would be great if there was an option to select either Pageant or Windows OpenSSH in WinSCP similar to KeePassXC

Thank you for your consideration.

Thanks for your detailed post.

This request is being tracked already:
Issue 1682 – Support OpenSSH ssh-agent

Though as noted there, please consider requesting this at the PuTTY project.

Unfortunately the OpenSSH support implemented in PuTTY agent is not helpful for a lot of people nowadays managing their SSH keys in e.g. password managers like bitwarden, which do have support for OpenSSH via Windows pipe, but not for the PuTTY agent.
Often the willingness to implement PuTTY support is also not given, since the SSH support Windows is nowadays good enough or in parts even better, without PuTTY.

I still hope you could add (optional?) support for the OpenSSH agent.

PS: Keep the good work up. :)

@RouL: Thanks for your feedback and the perspective. I'm taking it into consideration :)