IMEX failed to complete: rPGP error: no matching packet found

Mutual Help
1

This happens when I try to import a plaintext private key which is not protected by a passwords.

Delta Chat version

(Android)

Delta Chat 1.44.0

Expected behavior

My key is imported correctly.

Actual behavior

I see the error message IMEX failed to complete: rPGP error: no matching packet found

Steps to reproduce the problem

  1. Settings
  2. Advanced
  3. Manage Keys
  4. Import Secret Keys
2

in general, Delta Chat is strict in which keys are supported. eg. OpenPGP packets must match Autocrypt Level 1: Enabling encryption, avoiding annoyances — Autocrypt 1.1.0 documentation, cypher should be Ed25519 plus Cv25519, or RSA

iirc (i am not deep in that topic), this format is used by many todays PGP implementations.

supporting arbitrary, maybe legacy, secret keys is not a primary goal and is always weighted carefully - eg. a larger codebase also means more security risk here. not to speak about implementation and maintenance effort.

some links to - maybe helpful - similar topics:

3

Delta Chat is definitely capable of importing some keys, so without additional information on the type of the key, how did you export it etc. it is not possible to reproduce the bug.

1 Like
4

I believe I am currently exporting Ed25519 and Cv25519
at once

gpg --armor --export <???>

The resulting .asc file has a “public key packet”, a “user ID packet”, a “signature packet”, a “public sub key packet”, and a second “signature packet”. I am very much out of my element right now.

5

I think you should use --export-secret-keys instead of --export. --export does not export the secret keys, only the public key.

2 Likes
6

Thanks! So my noobiness with gpg was to blame after all.