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wtf is acctpass?

falcn8/acctpass — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

1CSSAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · moderate

TL;DR

A command line tool that generates strong, unique passwords for your accounts using a master password and an encrypted seed file, without storing any generated passwords.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((acctpass))
    What it does
      Generates unique passwords
      Works entirely offline
      Never saves passwords
    How it works
      Master password input
      Encrypted local seed
      Account details used
    Crypto
      Argon2id
      XChaCha20-Poly1305
      HMAC-SHA256
    Platforms
      macOS
      Linux
      Windows
    Limitations
      Not a full manager
      No autofill or sync
      Unaudited project

Code map

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Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Generate strong, unique passwords for your accounts from the command line without storing them.

REASON 2

Create reproducible passwords for the same account by reusing the same settings and master password.

REASON 3

Restrict or exclude specific symbols from generated passwords to meet site requirements.

REASON 4

Import an existing command line vault into the upcoming Rust and Tauri native app.

What's in the stack?

CSSRustTauriArgon2idXChaCha20-Poly1305HMAC-SHA256

How it stacks up

falcn8/acctpassbjori/bjori.github.comgictorbit/hugo-theme-zzo
Stars111
LanguageCSSCSSCSS
Last pushed2013-08-132020-02-20
MaintenanceDormantDormant
Setup difficultymoderateeasymoderate
Complexity2/51/52/5
Audiencedevelopergeneralwriter

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires understanding of a master password, an encrypted seed file, and consistent symbol settings to reproduce passwords correctly.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

Wtf does this do

acctpass is a small command line tool that generates strong, unique passwords for your accounts without storing any of them. It works entirely offline, meaning there is no server, no account to sign up for, no cloud sync, and no saved list of generated passwords. It runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows. The way it works is straightforward. You provide a master password and the tool holds one encrypted local seed file. When you want a password for a specific account, you give it details like the platform name, your email, and an optional counter. The tool combines your master password, the encrypted seed, and those details to produce the same strong password every time you ask for it. The generated password itself is never saved to disk. It uses Argon2id, XChaCha20-Poly1305, and HMAC-SHA256 for its cryptographic operations. The tool gives you control over the symbols that appear in generated passwords. By default it uses a set of common special characters, but you can restrict which ones appear or exclude specific ones. The important thing to remember is that symbol settings are part of what determines the password. If you change the symbol restrictions later, you will get a different password, so you need to use the same settings each time you regenerate. The author is clear about what acctpass is and is not. It is not a full password manager. It does not autofill forms, sync across devices, share credentials with a team, or help you recover lost data. It is just a deterministic generator. The README recommends using a dedicated password manager if you need those features. The project has not been professionally audited, and the README lists several limitations, including the risk that malware on your computer could steal passwords when they are generated or copied to the clipboard. There is also a cross platform native app version in development using Rust and Tauri, targeting desktop and mobile platforms. Existing command line vaults can be imported into the app without changing seeds or generated passwords. The project is released under the MIT license.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install and use acctpass to generate a strong password for a specific account on macOS?
Prompt 2
What are the exact symbol restriction settings in acctpass, and how do I ensure I use the same ones each time to get the same password?
Prompt 3
How does acctpass combine the master password, encrypted seed, and account details to reproduce the same password deterministically?
Prompt 4
What is the process to import my existing acctpass command line vault into the new Tauri native app version?

Frequently asked questions

wtf is acctpass?

A command line tool that generates strong, unique passwords for your accounts using a master password and an encrypted seed file, without storing any generated passwords.

What language is acctpass written in?

Mainly CSS. The stack also includes CSS, Rust, Tauri.

What license does acctpass use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is acctpass to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is acctpass for?

Mainly developer.

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