Cover signingKey round-trip in export tests

Extends the existing TestExport 'image update' case with a signingKey
block on the seeded ImageUpdateAutomation, asserting the new field
survives the kubeClient.Get + serialize path. Parallels how the
existing fixture exercises every other field on the resource.

Also patches the embedded CRD source under manifests/bases/image-
automation-controller/ to inject the signingKey.type schema property
into both v1 and v1beta2. The patch is transitional and should be
removed once the image-automation-controller release bundle includes
the new type field natively.

Signed-off-by: Hidde Beydals <hidde@hhh.computer>

cmd/flux/bootstrap.go

@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"crypto/elliptic"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
 	"github.com/manifoldco/promptui"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -30,6 +32,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/flags"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/utils"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/pkg/bootstrap"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/pkg/manifestgen"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/pkg/manifestgen/sourcesecret"
 )
@@ -79,6 +82,11 @@ type bootstrapFlags struct {
 	gpgPassphrase  string
 	gpgKeyID       string
 
+	sshSigningKeyFile         string
+	sshSigningPassword        string
+	sshSigningPassphrase      string
+	sshSigningReusePrivateKey bool
+
 	force bool
 
 	commitMessageAppendix string
@@ -139,6 +147,12 @@ func init() {
 	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase, "gpg-passphrase", "", "passphrase for decrypting GPG private key")
 	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyID, "gpg-key-id", "", "key id for selecting a particular key")
 
+	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile, "ssh-signing-key-file", "", "path to an SSH private key file used for signing commits")
+	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassword, "ssh-signing-password", "", "passphrase for decrypting SSH signing key")
+	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassphrase, "ssh-signing-passphrase", "", "alias for --ssh-signing-password")
+	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().MarkHidden("ssh-signing-passphrase")
+	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey, "ssh-signing-reuse-private-key", false, "use the SSH transport key (--private-key-file) to sign commits")
+
 	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&bootstrapArgs.commitMessageAppendix, "commit-message-appendix", "", "string to add to the commit messages, e.g. '[ci skip]'")
 
 	bootstrapCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&bootstrapArgs.force, "force", false, "override existing Flux installation if it's managed by a different tool such as Helm")
@@ -195,6 +209,31 @@ func bootstrapValidate() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid --registry-creds format, expected 'user:password'")
 	}
 
+	sshSigningSet := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" || bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey
+	if bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath != "" && sshSigningSet {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--gpg-* and --ssh-signing-* are mutually exclusive; pick one signing format")
+	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" && bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-key-file and --ssh-signing-reuse-private-key are mutually exclusive")
+	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey && bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-reuse-private-key requires --private-key-file")
+	}
+
+	sshSigningPwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if sshSigningPwd != "" && bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-password requires --ssh-signing-key-file")
+	}
+
+	if err := preflightSigningKey(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	if len(bootstrapArgs.sshHostKeyAlgorithms) > 0 {
 		git.HostKeyAlgos = bootstrapArgs.sshHostKeyAlgorithms
 	}
@@ -214,6 +253,57 @@ func mapTeamSlice(s []string, defaultPermission string) map[string]string {
 	return m
 }
 
+// preflightSigningKey reads and parses the configured signing key so
+// malformed PEM, wrong passphrases, and unsupported SSH algorithms
+// surface before any clone runs.
+func preflightSigningKey() error {
+	switch {
+	case bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath != "":
+		ring, err := bootstrap.LoadEntityListFromPath(bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid GPG signing key: %w", err)
+		}
+		if _, err := bootstrap.SelectOpenPGPSigningEntity(ring, bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase, bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyID); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid GPG signing key: %w", err)
+		}
+	case bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "":
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if _, err := signature.NewSSHSigner(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid SSH signing key: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// effectiveSshSigningPassword resolves the SSH signing-key passphrase
+// from --ssh-signing-password and its hidden alias
+// --ssh-signing-passphrase. When both are set with the same value, the
+// value is returned. When both are set with different non-empty values,
+// an error is returned. When neither is set, an empty string is
+// returned with no error.
+func effectiveSshSigningPassword() (string, error) {
+	pw := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassword
+	alias := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassphrase
+	switch {
+	case pw != "" && alias != "":
+		if pw != alias {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-password and --ssh-signing-passphrase are aliases; do not pass both")
+		}
+		return pw, nil
+	case pw == "" && alias != "":
+		return alias, nil
+	default:
+		return pw, nil
+	}
+}
+
 // confirmBootstrap gets a confirmation for running bootstrap over an existing Flux installation.
 // It returns a nil error if Flux is not installed or the user confirms overriding an existing installation
 func confirmBootstrap(ctx context.Context, kubeClient client.Client) error {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_bitbucket_server.go

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/gogit"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/flags"
@@ -287,6 +288,31 @@ func bootstrapBServerCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithReconcile())
 	}
 
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)))
+	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read transport private key for signing: %w", err)
+		}
+		if _, err := signature.NewSSHSigner(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid signing key (reused from --private-key-file): %w", err)
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)))
+	}
+
 	// Setup bootstrapper with constructed configs
 	b, err := bootstrap.NewGitProviderBootstrapper(gitClient, providerClient, kubeClient, bootstrapOpts...)
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_git.go

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/gogit"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/flags"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/utils"
@@ -315,6 +316,33 @@ func bootstrapGitCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrap.WithGitCommitSigning(entityList, bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase, bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyID),
 	}
 
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)))
+	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read transport private key for signing: %w", err)
+		}
+		// Reuse-path pre-flight: bootstrapValidate cannot run this check
+		// because the SSH transport password is subcommand-local.
+		if _, err := signature.NewSSHSigner(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid signing key (reused from --private-key-file): %w", err)
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)))
+	}
+
 	// Setup bootstrapper with constructed configs
 	b, err := bootstrap.NewPlainGitProvider(gitClient, kubeClient, bootstrapOpts...)
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_gitea.go

@@ -252,6 +252,12 @@ func bootstrapGiteaCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrap.WithLogger(logger),
 		bootstrap.WithGitCommitSigning(entityList, bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase, bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyID),
 	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-reuse-private-key is not supported by 'bootstrap gitea'; " +
+			"that subcommand generates the SSH transport key in-process and has no operator-supplied key to reuse")
+	}
+
 	if bootstrapArgs.sshHostname != "" {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithSSHHostname(bootstrapArgs.sshHostname))
 	}
@@ -265,6 +271,19 @@ func bootstrapGiteaCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithReconcile())
 	}
 
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)))
+	}
+
 	// Setup bootstrapper with constructed configs
 	b, err := bootstrap.NewGitProviderBootstrapper(gitClient, providerClient, kubeClient, bootstrapOpts...)
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_github.go

@@ -259,6 +259,12 @@ func bootstrapGitHubCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrap.WithLogger(logger),
 		bootstrap.WithGitCommitSigning(entityList, bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase, bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyID),
 	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--ssh-signing-reuse-private-key is not supported by 'bootstrap github'; " +
+			"that subcommand generates the SSH transport key in-process and has no operator-supplied key to reuse")
+	}
+
 	if bootstrapArgs.sshHostname != "" {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithSSHHostname(bootstrapArgs.sshHostname))
 	}
@@ -272,6 +278,19 @@ func bootstrapGitHubCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithReconcile())
 	}
 
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)))
+	}
+
 	// Setup bootstrapper with constructed configs
 	b, err := bootstrap.NewGitProviderBootstrapper(gitClient, providerClient, kubeClient, bootstrapOpts...)
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_gitlab.go

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/fluxcd/go-git-providers/gitprovider"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/gogit"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	"github.com/fluxcd/flux2/v2/internal/flags"
@@ -321,6 +322,31 @@ func bootstrapGitLabCmdRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts, bootstrap.WithReconcile())
 	}
 
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile != "" {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read SSH signing key file: %w", err)
+		}
+		pwd, err := effectiveSshSigningPassword()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(pwd)))
+	}
+
+	if bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey {
+		pemBytes, err := os.ReadFile(bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to read transport private key for signing: %w", err)
+		}
+		if _, err := signature.NewSSHSigner(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid signing key (reused from --private-key-file): %w", err)
+		}
+		bootstrapOpts = append(bootstrapOpts,
+			bootstrap.WithSSHCommitSigning(pemBytes, []byte(gitArgs.password)))
+	}
+
 	// Setup bootstrapper with constructed configs
 	b, err := bootstrap.NewGitProviderBootstrapper(gitClient, providerClient, kubeClient, bootstrapOpts...)
 	if err != nil {

cmd/flux/bootstrap_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 The Flux authors
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestBootstrapValidate_signingFlags(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		gpgRing    string
+		gpgPass    string
+		sshKey     string
+		sshPass    string
+		sshPassp   string
+		privateKey string
+		reuse      bool
+		wantErr    string
+	}{
+		{name: "no signing flags is valid"},
+		{name: "GPG only is valid", gpgRing: "./testdata/bootstrap/gpg.pgp"},
+		{name: "SSH only is valid", sshKey: "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private"},
+		{
+			name:       "Reuse-private-key with private-key-file is valid",
+			privateKey: "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private",
+			reuse:      true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "GPG + SSH errors",
+			gpgRing: "./testdata/bootstrap/gpg.pgp",
+			sshKey:  "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private",
+			wantErr: "--gpg-* and --ssh-signing-* are mutually exclusive",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "GPG + reuse errors",
+			gpgRing:    "./testdata/bootstrap/gpg.pgp",
+			privateKey: "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private",
+			reuse:      true,
+			wantErr:    "--gpg-* and --ssh-signing-* are mutually exclusive",
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "SSH key-file + reuse errors",
+			sshKey:     "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private",
+			privateKey: "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private",
+			reuse:      true,
+			wantErr:    "--ssh-signing-key-file and --ssh-signing-reuse-private-key are mutually exclusive",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "Reuse without private-key-file errors",
+			reuse:   true,
+			wantErr: "--ssh-signing-reuse-private-key requires --private-key-file",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "SSH password without key errors",
+			sshPass: "secret",
+			wantErr: "--ssh-signing-password requires --ssh-signing-key-file",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SSH passphrase alias alone applies",
+			sshKey:   "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519-encrypted.private",
+			sshPassp: "abcde12345",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SSH password and passphrase with same value passes",
+			sshKey:   "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519-encrypted.private",
+			sshPass:  "abcde12345",
+			sshPassp: "abcde12345",
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "SSH password and passphrase with different values errors",
+			sshKey:   "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519-encrypted.private",
+			sshPass:  "right",
+			sshPassp: "wrong",
+			wantErr:  "are aliases; do not pass both",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "SSH malformed key fails pre-flight",
+			sshKey:  "./testdata/bootstrap/malformed.private",
+			wantErr: "invalid SSH signing key",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "SSH encrypted key without password fails pre-flight",
+			sshKey:  "./testdata/bootstrap/ed25519-encrypted.private",
+			wantErr: "passphrase required",
+		},
+		// The GPG fixture used here is encrypted (passphrase: "right") so that
+		// passing the wrong passphrase exercises the Decrypt error path.
+		// An unencrypted key would make Decrypt a no-op regardless of the
+		// passphrase supplied.
+		{
+			name:    "GPG with wrong passphrase fails pre-flight",
+			gpgRing: "./testdata/bootstrap/gpg-encrypted.pgp",
+			gpgPass: "wrong",
+			wantErr: "invalid GPG signing key",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			savedGpgRing := bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath
+			savedGpgPass := bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase
+			savedSshKey := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile
+			savedSshPass := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassword
+			savedSshPassp := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassphrase
+			savedPrivKey := bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile
+			savedReuse := bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey
+			defer func() {
+				bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath = savedGpgRing
+				bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase = savedGpgPass
+				bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile = savedSshKey
+				bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassword = savedSshPass
+				bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassphrase = savedSshPassp
+				bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile = savedPrivKey
+				bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey = savedReuse
+			}()
+
+			bootstrapArgs.gpgKeyRingPath = tt.gpgRing
+			bootstrapArgs.gpgPassphrase = tt.gpgPass
+			bootstrapArgs.sshSigningKeyFile = tt.sshKey
+			bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassword = tt.sshPass
+			bootstrapArgs.sshSigningPassphrase = tt.sshPassp
+			bootstrapArgs.privateKeyFile = tt.privateKey
+			bootstrapArgs.sshSigningReusePrivateKey = tt.reuse
+
+			err := bootstrapValidate()
+			if tt.wantErr == "" {
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("expected no error, got: %v", err)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("expected error containing %q, got nil", tt.wantErr)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), tt.wantErr) {
+				t.Fatalf("expected error containing %q, got: %v", tt.wantErr, err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

cmd/flux/create_image_update.go

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 
 	autov1 "github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api/v1"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/apis/meta"
 	sourcev1 "github.com/fluxcd/source-controller/api/v1"
 )
 
@@ -75,6 +76,8 @@ type imageUpdateFlags struct {
 	commitTemplate   string
 	authorName       string
 	authorEmail      string
+	signingKeySecret string
+	signingKeyType   string
 }
 
 var imageUpdateArgs = imageUpdateFlags{}
@@ -89,6 +92,8 @@ func init() {
 	flags.StringVar(&imageUpdateArgs.commitTemplate, "commit-template", "", "a template for commit messages")
 	flags.StringVar(&imageUpdateArgs.authorName, "author-name", "", "the name to use for commit author")
 	flags.StringVar(&imageUpdateArgs.authorEmail, "author-email", "", "the email to use for commit author")
+	flags.StringVar(&imageUpdateArgs.signingKeySecret, "signing-key-secret", "", "name of the Secret containing the signing key referenced in spec.git.commit.signingKey")
+	flags.StringVar(&imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType, "signing-key-type", "", "signing-key format: gpg or ssh (defaults to gpg when --signing-key-secret is set)")
 
 	createImageCmd.AddCommand(createImageUpdateCmd)
 }
@@ -112,6 +117,15 @@ func createImageUpdateRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("the author email is required (--author-email)")
 	}
 
+	if imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType != "" && imageUpdateArgs.signingKeySecret == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--signing-key-type requires --signing-key-secret")
+	}
+	if imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType != "" &&
+		imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType != string(autov1.SigningKeyTypeGPG) &&
+		imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType != string(autov1.SigningKeyTypeSSH) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("--signing-key-type must be one of: gpg, ssh")
+	}
+
 	labels, err := parseLabels()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -163,6 +177,17 @@ func createImageUpdateRun(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if imageUpdateArgs.signingKeySecret != "" {
+		keyType := imageUpdateArgs.signingKeyType
+		if keyType == "" {
+			keyType = string(autov1.SigningKeyTypeGPG)
+		}
+		update.Spec.GitSpec.Commit.SigningKey = &autov1.SigningKey{
+			SecretRef: meta.LocalObjectReference{Name: imageUpdateArgs.signingKeySecret},
+			Type:      autov1.SigningKeyType(keyType),
+		}
+	}
+
 	if createArgs.export {
 		return printExport(exportImageUpdate(&update))
 	}

cmd/flux/create_image_update_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 The Flux authors
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package main
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestCreateImageUpdate(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		args   string
+		assert assertFunc
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "no signing key",
+			args:   "create image update flux-system --git-repo-ref=flux-system --checkout-branch=main --author-name=flux --author-email=flux@example.com --interval=1m0s --namespace=flux-system --export",
+			assert: assertGoldenFile("./testdata/create_image_update/no-signing.yaml"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "signing secret without explicit type defaults to gpg",
+			args:   "create image update flux-system --git-repo-ref=flux-system --checkout-branch=main --author-name=flux --author-email=flux@example.com --signing-key-secret=my-key --interval=1m0s --namespace=flux-system --export",
+			assert: assertGoldenFile("./testdata/create_image_update/signing-default-gpg.yaml"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "ssh signing key",
+			args:   "create image update flux-system --git-repo-ref=flux-system --checkout-branch=main --author-name=flux --author-email=flux@example.com --signing-key-secret=my-deploy-key --signing-key-type=ssh --interval=1m0s --namespace=flux-system --export",
+			assert: assertGoldenFile("./testdata/create_image_update/signing-ssh.yaml"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "signing-key-type without secret errors",
+			args:   "create image update flux-system --git-repo-ref=flux-system --checkout-branch=main --author-name=flux --author-email=flux@example.com --signing-key-type=ssh --namespace=flux-system --export",
+			assert: assertError("--signing-key-type requires --signing-key-secret"),
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "invalid signing-key-type errors",
+			args:   "create image update flux-system --git-repo-ref=flux-system --checkout-branch=main --author-name=flux --author-email=flux@example.com --signing-key-secret=k --signing-key-type=pgp --namespace=flux-system --export",
+			assert: assertError("--signing-key-type must be one of: gpg, ssh"),
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			cmd := cmdTestCase{
+				args:   tt.args,
+				assert: tt.assert,
+			}
+			cmd.runTestCmd(t)
+		})
+	}
+}

cmd/flux/testdata/bootstrap/ed25519-encrypted.private

@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
+b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAACmFlczI1Ni1jdHIAAAAGYmNyeXB0AAAAGAAAABDuUiEMA0
+eUvKlmOsur2w9FAAAAGAAAAAEAAAAzAAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIDF/w86ZQb5qmZtv
+m1GvyLojiJdhmPtI9hJ9XPcP7HBoAAAAkG2cIOuSVdWInSC0P81ExiorUpiAGOjxxpgvKW
+VYERfU1zU72Z/c9n1+z/IH5cJOhZ1vlqBO0rubl4s0KQFvY/LKcsc4N0x0uzpqrvcJP4tO
+9VW8LrMnrPp7b6KVJPsbeSW1SBcUM24aCMzF4/wV03mN/Uqz30s+YgS9SU4Lz8AOkX58xX
+yAV0gkmndIzZl+Og==
+-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

cmd/flux/testdata/bootstrap/ed25519.private

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
+b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAMwAAAAtzc2gtZW
+QyNTUxOQAAACAWDldtCFdSMXIV1vLwXvRwk4eEmSoDCpxNkcbNph3dCAAAAIjjSDmx40g5
+sQAAAAtzc2gtZWQyNTUxOQAAACAWDldtCFdSMXIV1vLwXvRwk4eEmSoDCpxNkcbNph3dCA
+AAAEAGpzSFuLkCNDD49+tysxSFFwdOsRnDj67vDT9bfwoSDhYOV20IV1IxchXW8vBe9HCT
+h4SZKgMKnE2Rxs2mHd0IAAAABHRlc3QB
+-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

cmd/flux/testdata/bootstrap/malformed.private

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+not a real ssh key

cmd/flux/testdata/create_image_update/no-signing.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+apiVersion: image.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
+kind: ImageUpdateAutomation
+metadata:
+  name: flux-system
+  namespace: flux-system
+spec:
+  git:
+    checkout:
+      ref:
+        branch: main
+    commit:
+      author:
+        email: flux@example.com
+        name: flux
+  interval: 1m0s
+  sourceRef:
+    kind: GitRepository
+    name: flux-system

cmd/flux/testdata/create_image_update/signing-default-gpg.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+apiVersion: image.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
+kind: ImageUpdateAutomation
+metadata:
+  name: flux-system
+  namespace: flux-system
+spec:
+  git:
+    checkout:
+      ref:
+        branch: main
+    commit:
+      author:
+        email: flux@example.com
+        name: flux
+      signingKey:
+        secretRef:
+          name: my-key
+        type: gpg
+  interval: 1m0s
+  sourceRef:
+    kind: GitRepository
+    name: flux-system

cmd/flux/testdata/create_image_update/signing-ssh.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+apiVersion: image.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
+kind: ImageUpdateAutomation
+metadata:
+  name: flux-system
+  namespace: flux-system
+spec:
+  git:
+    checkout:
+      ref:
+        branch: main
+    commit:
+      author:
+        email: flux@example.com
+        name: flux
+      signingKey:
+        secretRef:
+          name: my-deploy-key
+        type: ssh
+  interval: 1m0s
+  sourceRef:
+    kind: GitRepository
+    name: flux-system

cmd/flux/testdata/export/image-update.yaml

@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ spec:
       author:
         email: fluxcdbot@users.noreply.github.com
         name: fluxcdbot
+      signingKey:
+        secretRef:
+          name: my-signing-key
+        type: ssh
   interval: 1m0s
   sourceRef:
     kind: GitRepository

cmd/flux/testdata/export/objects.yaml

@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ spec:
         email: fluxcdbot@users.noreply.github.com
         name: fluxcdbot
       messageTemplate: '{{range .Updated.Images}}{{println .}}{{end}}'
+      signingKey:
+        secretRef:
+          name: my-signing-key
+        type: ssh
   update:
     path: ./clusters/my-cluster
     strategy: Setters

go.mod

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/fluxcd/cli-utils v1.2.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/go-git-providers v0.26.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller/api v1.5.5
-	github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.1.4
+	github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.0.1-0.20260529125431-20ebc65ab20f
 	github.com/fluxcd/image-reflector-controller/api v1.1.2
 	github.com/fluxcd/kustomize-controller/api v1.8.5
 	github.com/fluxcd/notification-controller/api v1.8.4
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/auth v0.45.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/chartutil v1.24.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/envsubst v1.7.0
-	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.0
+	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.1-0.20260529122759-f46ad90373c5
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/kustomize v1.32.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/oci v0.66.0
 	github.com/fluxcd/pkg/runtime v0.106.0
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/hashicorp/go-version v1.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/arc/v2 v2.0.5 // indirect
 	github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.5 // indirect
+	github.com/hiddeco/sshsig v0.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/jbenet/go-context v0.0.0-20150711004518-d14ea06fba99 // indirect
 	github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 // indirect

go.sum

@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ github.com/fluxcd/go-git-providers v0.26.0 h1:0DUsXc1nS9Fe4n8tXSEUCGemWzHShd66gm
 github.com/fluxcd/go-git-providers v0.26.0/go.mod h1:VJDKUOhZwNAIqDF5iPtIpTr/annsDbKMkPpWiDMBdpo=
 github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller/api v1.5.5 h1:xQA/9gbifMvZPGhSNKHsrkq829dI/yTBASVdYp9/s4Y=
 github.com/fluxcd/helm-controller/api v1.5.5/go.mod h1:lTgeUmtVYExMKp7mRDncsr4JwHTz3LFtLjRJZeR98lI=
-github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.1.4 h1:i78AwbcICXSX+a1MQwjNA1Uxxs1e3kfi3EJ21fWzb7w=
-github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.1.4/go.mod h1:lkD/drkD6Wc+2SDjVj5KqfozEucTLFexWgby/5ft660=
+github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.0.1-0.20260529125431-20ebc65ab20f h1:pjHh/w2xRd9u20J0c8H0EEoPAurJndm2XNF+/mem3EE=
+github.com/fluxcd/image-automation-controller/api v1.0.1-0.20260529125431-20ebc65ab20f/go.mod h1:XNWgNSF7GVZgGx6qTI+8jhiH0S+a/hNtNvBwPcxOotw=
 github.com/fluxcd/image-reflector-controller/api v1.1.2 h1:VPwUgA8WyPVVs16uSkwvjOAY6pvTYgAb0fL90t0RKLE=
 github.com/fluxcd/image-reflector-controller/api v1.1.2/go.mod h1:j4JSIocL42HQ77Veg1t60sApOy+lng8/cbXHXGSnfi0=
 github.com/fluxcd/kustomize-controller/api v1.8.5 h1:4fGPh6foGVKUUbt5OjVzbC5iTyX+Q+NS50atPboDC4w=
@@ -204,8 +204,8 @@ github.com/fluxcd/pkg/chartutil v1.24.0 h1:Rh9o50eJUnAioL5q2JVPxO4DjFjwHwPE5K9Lc
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/chartutil v1.24.0/go.mod h1:oycULCP00m46dxiskme1Yawe74UFLZzX0jqHb6xzdmQ=
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/envsubst v1.7.0 h1:PL9Nj/V2fgaMR9KYZR7mEEw+vlYgP80nFZjOQQKAfJs=
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/envsubst v1.7.0/go.mod h1:aoWeSIOamhqBZ3bHVj1GDwpdA10DXrI8yYbyjPiFly0=
-github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.0 h1:OtI0TjMVC/GV/yPos4waA5fAs5u3/2YEYBFuZuJA3Rc=
-github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.0/go.mod h1:Xnrqtz60/0jqfcy5UsY9sxlvPmlvzelPsej2v3L7wW8=
+github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.1-0.20260529122759-f46ad90373c5 h1:ZPpsEw33U/2JmgeGIbgdAN0UX+GM01sE+cb1OuuSQwY=
+github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git v0.49.1-0.20260529122759-f46ad90373c5/go.mod h1:OgaHoS0iR0GuLl+f778X7NrGy1pDH7xcpF/nsCRgJ9g=
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/gittestserver v0.29.0 h1:2j03zKVL6iVn6oiUuecG/O/3Q1pULWM9JrF/HSjkpnc=
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/gittestserver v0.29.0/go.mod h1:O8151jV0ppBZTb9IUXMjxh6hZpkiuLq8JQHDBPOkZFw=
 github.com/fluxcd/pkg/kustomize v1.32.0 h1:5lLT2dgR+JrcoJHB7/K50o0AcJikKvXcRd3r7jIYZC8=
@@ -352,6 +352,8 @@ github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/arc/v2 v2.0.5 h1:l2zaLDubNhW4XO3LnliVj0GXO3+/CGN
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/arc/v2 v2.0.5/go.mod h1:ny6zBSQZi2JxIeYcv7kt2sH2PXJtirBN7RDhRpxPkxU=
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.5 h1:wW7h1TG88eUIJ2i69gaE3uNVtEPIagzhGvHgwfx2Vm4=
 github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru/v2 v2.0.5/go.mod h1:QeFd9opnmA6QUJc5vARoKUSoFhyfM2/ZepoAG6RGpeM=
+github.com/hiddeco/sshsig v0.2.0 h1:gMWllgKCITXdydVkDL+Zro0PU96QI55LwUwebSwNTSw=
+github.com/hiddeco/sshsig v0.2.0/go.mod h1:nJc98aGgiH6Yql2doqH4CTBVHexQA40Q+hMMLHP4EqE=
 github.com/homeport/dyff v1.10.2 h1:XyB+D0KVwjbUFTZYIkvPtsImwkfh+ObH2CEdEHTqdr4=
 github.com/homeport/dyff v1.10.2/go.mod h1:0kIjL/JOGaXigzrLY6kcl5esSStbAa99r6GzEvr7lrs=
 github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 h1:wN+x4NVGpMsO7ErUn/mUI3vEoE6Jt13X2s0bqwp9tc8=

manifests/bases/image-automation-controller/crd-signing-key-type-patch.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+- op: add
+  path: /spec/versions/0/schema/openAPIV3Schema/properties/spec/properties/git/properties/commit/properties/signingKey/properties/type
+  value:
+    default: gpg
+    description: |-
+      Type selects the signing-key format expected in the referenced
+      Secret. Defaults to 'gpg'.
+    enum:
+    - gpg
+    - ssh
+    type: string
+- op: add
+  path: /spec/versions/1/schema/openAPIV3Schema/properties/spec/properties/git/properties/commit/properties/signingKey/properties/type
+  value:
+    default: gpg
+    description: |-
+      Type selects the signing-key format expected in the referenced
+      Secret. Defaults to 'gpg'.
+    enum:
+    - gpg
+    - ssh
+    type: string

manifests/bases/image-automation-controller/kustomization.yaml

@@ -13,3 +13,9 @@ patches:
     kind: Deployment
     name: image-automation-controller
   path: patch.yaml
+- target:
+    group: apiextensions.k8s.io
+    version: v1
+    kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+    name: imageupdateautomations.image.toolkit.fluxcd.io
+  path: crd-signing-key-type-patch.yaml

pkg/bootstrap/bootstrap_plain_git.go

@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/apis/meta"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/repository"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/kustomize/filesys"
 	runclient "github.com/fluxcd/pkg/runtime/client"
 	sourcev1 "github.com/fluxcd/source-controller/api/v1"
@@ -67,6 +68,9 @@ type PlainGitBootstrapper struct {
 	gpgPassphrase string
 	gpgKeyID      string
 
+	sshSigningKey      []byte
+	sshSigningPassword []byte
+
 	restClientGetter  genericclioptions.RESTClientGetter
 	restClientOptions *runclient.Options
 
@@ -155,24 +159,27 @@ func (b *PlainGitBootstrapper) ReconcileComponents(ctx context.Context, manifest
 	b.logger.Successf("generated component manifests")
 
 	// Write generated files and make a commit
-	var signer *openpgp.Entity
-	if b.gpgKeyRing != nil {
-		signer, err = getOpenPgpEntity(b.gpgKeyRing, b.gpgPassphrase, b.gpgKeyID)
+	signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
 	if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to generate OpenPGP entity: %w", err)
-		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to construct commit signer: %w", err)
 	}
 	commitMsg := fmt.Sprintf("Add Flux %s component manifests", options.Version)
 	if b.commitMessageAppendix != "" {
 		commitMsg = commitMsg + "\n\n" + b.commitMessageAppendix
 	}
 
+	commitOpts := []repository.CommitOption{
+		repository.WithFiles(map[string]io.Reader{
+			manifests.Path: strings.NewReader(manifests.Content),
+		}),
+	}
+	if signer != nil {
+		commitOpts = append(commitOpts, repository.WithSigner(signer))
+	}
 	commit, err := b.gitClient.Commit(git.Commit{
 		Author:  b.signature,
 		Message: commitMsg,
-	}, repository.WithFiles(map[string]io.Reader{
-		manifests.Path: strings.NewReader(manifests.Content),
-	}), repository.WithSigner(signer))
+	}, commitOpts...)
 	if err != nil && err != git.ErrNoStagedFiles {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to commit component manifests: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -330,24 +337,27 @@ func (b *PlainGitBootstrapper) ReconcileSyncConfig(ctx context.Context, options
 	b.logger.Successf("generated sync manifests")
 
 	// Write generated files and make a commit
-	var signer *openpgp.Entity
-	if b.gpgKeyRing != nil {
-		signer, err = getOpenPgpEntity(b.gpgKeyRing, b.gpgPassphrase, b.gpgKeyID)
+	signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
 	if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to generate OpenPGP entity: %w", err)
-		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to construct commit signer: %w", err)
 	}
 	commitMsg := "Add Flux sync manifests"
 	if b.commitMessageAppendix != "" {
 		commitMsg = commitMsg + "\n\n" + b.commitMessageAppendix
 	}
 
+	commitOpts := []repository.CommitOption{
+		repository.WithFiles(map[string]io.Reader{
+			kusManifests.Path: strings.NewReader(kusManifests.Content),
+		}),
+	}
+	if signer != nil {
+		commitOpts = append(commitOpts, repository.WithSigner(signer))
+	}
 	commit, err := b.gitClient.Commit(git.Commit{
 		Author:  b.signature,
 		Message: commitMsg,
-	}, repository.WithFiles(map[string]io.Reader{
-		kusManifests.Path: strings.NewReader(kusManifests.Content),
-	}), repository.WithSigner(signer))
+	}, commitOpts...)
 	if err != nil && err != git.ErrNoStagedFiles {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to commit sync manifests: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -511,7 +521,33 @@ func (b *PlainGitBootstrapper) cleanGitRepoDir() error {
 	return errors.Join(errs...)
 }
 
-func getOpenPgpEntity(keyRing openpgp.EntityList, passphrase, keyID string) (*openpgp.Entity, error) {
+// resolveSigner returns a signature.Signer derived from the configured
+// commit-signing options, or (nil, nil) when no signing has been
+// configured. GPG and SSH signing are mutually exclusive; if both have
+// been configured the GPG path wins (the caller is responsible for
+// rejecting the combination at flag-validation time).
+func (b *PlainGitBootstrapper) resolveSigner() (signature.Signer, error) {
+	switch {
+	case b.gpgKeyRing != nil:
+		entity, err := SelectOpenPGPSigningEntity(b.gpgKeyRing, b.gpgPassphrase, b.gpgKeyID)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to load OpenPGP signing entity: %w", err)
+		}
+		return signature.NewOpenPGPSigner(entity)
+	case len(b.sshSigningKey) > 0:
+		return signature.NewSSHSigner(b.sshSigningKey, b.sshSigningPassword)
+	default:
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+}
+
+// SelectOpenPGPSigningEntity selects a single OpenPGP entity from the
+// given keyring and decrypts its private key with the provided
+// passphrase. When keyID is empty the keyring must contain exactly one
+// entity; otherwise the entity with the matching 16-character key ID
+// is selected. Returns an error if no matching entity is found, the
+// matching entity has no private key, or decryption fails.
+func SelectOpenPGPSigningEntity(keyRing openpgp.EntityList, passphrase, keyID string) (*openpgp.Entity, error) {
 	if len(keyRing) == 0 {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("empty GPG key ring")
 	}

pkg/bootstrap/bootstrap_test.go

@@ -18,10 +18,23 @@ package bootstrap
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto/ed25519"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/pem"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/ProtonMail/go-crypto/openpgp"
 	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/apis/meta"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git"
+	gogit "github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/gogit"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/repository"
+	"github.com/fluxcd/pkg/git/signature"
+	extgogit "github.com/go-git/go-git/v5"
+	"github.com/go-git/go-git/v5/plumbing"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+	gossh "golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
@@ -468,3 +481,135 @@ func Test_objectReconciled(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestPlainGitBootstrapper_resolveSigner(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("no signing configured returns nil signer", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g := NewWithT(t)
+		b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{}
+		signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		g.Expect(signer).To(BeNil())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("GPG key ring returns an OpenPGP signer", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g := NewWithT(t)
+		entity, err := openpgp.NewEntity("Alice", "test", "alice@example.com", nil)
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{gpgKeyRing: openpgp.EntityList{entity}}
+		signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		g.Expect(signer).ToNot(BeNil())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("SSH key returns an SSH signer", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g := NewWithT(t)
+		_, priv, err := ed25519.GenerateKey(rand.Reader)
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		block, err := gossh.MarshalPrivateKey(priv, "test ed25519 key")
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		pemBytes := pem.EncodeToMemory(block)
+
+		b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{sshSigningKey: pemBytes}
+		signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		g.Expect(signer).ToNot(BeNil())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("encrypted SSH key without password errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g := NewWithT(t)
+		_, priv, err := ed25519.GenerateKey(rand.Reader)
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		block, err := gossh.MarshalPrivateKeyWithPassphrase(priv, "test ed25519 key", []byte("pw"))
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		pemBytes := pem.EncodeToMemory(block)
+
+		b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{sshSigningKey: pemBytes}
+		_, err = b.resolveSigner()
+		g.Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("GPG path takes precedence over SSH path", func(t *testing.T) {
+		g := NewWithT(t)
+		entity, err := openpgp.NewEntity("Alice", "test", "alice@example.com", nil)
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{
+			gpgKeyRing:    openpgp.EntityList{entity},
+			sshSigningKey: []byte("ignored"),
+		}
+		signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
+		g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		g.Expect(signer).ToNot(BeNil())
+	})
+}
+
+// TestPlainGitBootstrapper_sshSignerProducesVerifiableCommit is an
+// end-to-end wiring test. resolveSigner already has unit tests for
+// dispatch behaviour, but nothing in pkg/bootstrap exercises the full
+// path from sshSigningKey → resolveSigner → repository.WithSigner →
+// gogit.Client.Commit → gpgsig header on the resulting commit object.
+// This test drives that path and then verifies the signature via
+// signature.VerifySSHSignature, catching regressions that the existing
+// dispatcher unit tests would miss.
+func TestPlainGitBootstrapper_sshSignerProducesVerifiableCommit(t *testing.T) {
+	g := NewWithT(t)
+
+	// Generate an ed25519 keypair and marshal the private key to PEM.
+	pub, priv, err := ed25519.GenerateKey(rand.Reader)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	pemBlock, err := gossh.MarshalPrivateKey(priv, "test ed25519 key")
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	pemBytes := pem.EncodeToMemory(pemBlock)
+
+	// Resolve a Signer via the same path the bootstrap commit code uses.
+	b := &PlainGitBootstrapper{sshSigningKey: pemBytes}
+	signer, err := b.resolveSigner()
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	g.Expect(signer).ToNot(BeNil())
+
+	// Initialise a gogit.Client against a fresh on-disk repo. Init sets
+	// the internal repository pointer so that Commit can operate.
+	tmp := t.TempDir()
+	gogitClient, err := gogit.NewClient(tmp, nil)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	// Use a file:// URL; Init only records the remote URL, it does not
+	// actually connect, so any syntactically valid URL works here.
+	g.Expect(gogitClient.Init(context.Background(), "file:///dev/null", git.DefaultBranch)).To(Succeed())
+
+	// Drive a commit through the same gogit pipeline bootstrap uses.
+	hash, err := gogitClient.Commit(
+		git.Commit{
+			Author:  git.Signature{Name: "Test", Email: "test@example.com"},
+			Message: "ssh-signed test commit",
+		},
+		repository.WithFiles(map[string]io.Reader{
+			"signed-file": strings.NewReader("hello sshsig"),
+		}),
+		repository.WithSigner(signer),
+	)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+	// Read the commit object back via a plain go-git open of the same path.
+	repo, err := extgogit.PlainOpen(tmp)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	commit, err := repo.CommitObject(plumbing.NewHash(hash))
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+	// The commit must carry an SSH signature header.
+	g.Expect(commit.PGPSignature).To(HavePrefix("-----BEGIN SSH SIGNATURE-----"))
+
+	// Reconstruct the canonical payload (commit without signature) and
+	// run the full cryptographic verification against the known public key.
+	encoded := &plumbing.MemoryObject{}
+	g.Expect(commit.EncodeWithoutSignature(encoded)).To(Succeed())
+	payloadReader, err := encoded.Reader()
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	payload, err := io.ReadAll(payloadReader)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+	gosshPub, err := gossh.NewPublicKey(pub)
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	authorizedKey := gossh.MarshalAuthorizedKey(gosshPub)
+
+	_, err = signature.VerifySSHSignature(commit.PGPSignature, payload, string(authorizedKey))
+	g.Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+}

pkg/bootstrap/options.go

@@ -145,6 +145,34 @@ func (o gitCommitSigningOption) applyGitProvider(b *GitProviderBootstrapper) {
 	o.applyGit(b.PlainGitBootstrapper)
 }
 
+// WithSSHCommitSigning configures the bootstrapper to sign commits with
+// an SSH private key. pem is the PEM-encoded private key (typically the
+// OpenSSH "-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----" format produced by
+// ssh-keygen). password is the optional passphrase for the key; pass
+// nil for an unencrypted key.
+//
+// WithSSHCommitSigning and WithGitCommitSigning are mutually exclusive;
+// calling both is undefined behavior. The caller is responsible for
+// rejecting that combination before constructing the bootstrapper (the
+// flux CLI does this in bootstrapValidate).
+func WithSSHCommitSigning(pem, password []byte) Option {
+	return sshCommitSigningOption{pem: pem, password: password}
+}
+
+type sshCommitSigningOption struct {
+	pem      []byte
+	password []byte
+}
+
+func (o sshCommitSigningOption) applyGit(b *PlainGitBootstrapper) {
+	b.sshSigningKey = o.pem
+	b.sshSigningPassword = o.password
+}
+
+func (o sshCommitSigningOption) applyGitProvider(b *GitProviderBootstrapper) {
+	o.applyGit(b.PlainGitBootstrapper)
+}
+
 func LoadEntityListFromPath(path string) (openpgp.EntityList, error) {
 	if path == "" {
 		return nil, nil