[GH-ISSUE #5456] Cannot remove ssh config as instructed #10599

New Issue

saavagebueno · 2026-08-05T01:26:34-04:00

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:26:34 -04:00

Originally created by @wpyoga on GitHub (Feb 26, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5456

Describe the problem

Following #5455 , I tried to remove the SSH config. It says at the top of the config file /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf:

# To disable SSH config management, use:
#   netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true

So I tried it:

$ sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true
Removing existing service configuration...
Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1
$ ls -l /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf 
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 673 Feb 26 15:22 /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf

To Reproduce

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

Install netbird
Enable & bring up a netbird client instance
Check the contents of the file /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf
Run the command inside the file, as instructed
See the error message, and see that the file has not been removed

Expected behavior

The command should succeed and the file should be removed.

Are you using NetBird Cloud?

NetBird Cloud

NetBird version

0.66.0

Is any other VPN software installed?

Tailscale

Additional context

NetBird 0.66.0 installed from AUR (Arch Linux)

Have you tried these troubleshooting steps?

Reviewed client troubleshooting (if applicable)
Checked for newer NetBird versions
Searched for similar issues on GitHub (including closed ones)
Restarted the NetBird client
Disabled other VPN software
Checked firewall settings

Originally created by @wpyoga on GitHub (Feb 26, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/issues/5456 **Describe the problem** Following #5455 , I tried to remove the SSH config. It says at the top of the config file `/etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf`: ``` # To disable SSH config management, use: # netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true ``` So I tried it: ``` $ sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true Removing existing service configuration... Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1 $ ls -l /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 673 Feb 26 15:22 /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf ``` **To Reproduce** Steps to reproduce the behavior: 1. Install netbird 2. Enable & bring up a netbird client instance 3. Check the contents of the file `/etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/99-netbird.conf` 4. Run the command inside the file, as instructed 5. See the error message, and see that the file has not been removed **Expected behavior** The command should succeed and the file should be removed. **Are you using NetBird Cloud?** NetBird Cloud **NetBird version** 0.66.0 **Is any other VPN software installed?** Tailscale **Additional context** NetBird 0.66.0 installed from AUR (Arch Linux) **Have you tried these troubleshooting steps?** - [x] Reviewed [client troubleshooting](https://docs.netbird.io/how-to/troubleshooting-client) (if applicable) - [x] Checked for newer NetBird versions - [x] Searched for similar issues on GitHub (including closed ones) - [x] Restarted the NetBird client - [x] Disabled other VPN software - [x] Checked firewall settings

saavagebueno added the triage-needed label 2026-08-05 01:26:34 -04:00

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:26:34 -04:00

@lixmal commented on GitHub (Feb 26, 2026):

Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1

You should check why this failed. But I think it's because the service was not installed via service install on arch

@lixmal commented on GitHub (Feb 26, 2026): >Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1 You should check why this failed. But I think it's because the service was not installed via `service install` on arch

saavagebueno commented

2026-08-05 01:26:35 -04:00

@wpyoga commented on GitHub (Feb 27, 2026):

I tried this without much success:

$ sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true --log-file console --log-level trace
Removing existing service configuration...
Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1

Thanks for the pointer though, I didn't read the documentation carefully and just went ahead and enabled the netbird service using systemctl. Here's what I did:

Disable the systemd service sudo systemctl disable --now netbird@main.service -> the file is removed
Install the service using the recommended command: sudo netbird service install then sudo netbird service start -> the ssh config file re-appears
Run the instructed command to remove the file: sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true -> the file is removed, no errors this time

Now, the initial problem seems to be that I installed the service using systemctl enable netbird@main.service. So is this not a bug, since I didn't follow the documentation? Or, should the user be warned when using systemctl enable directly, that doing so will introduce problems later on?

@wpyoga commented on GitHub (Feb 27, 2026): I tried this without much success: ``` $ sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true --log-file console --log-level trace Removing existing service configuration... Error: uninstall existing service: exit status 1 ``` Thanks for the pointer though, I didn't read the documentation carefully and just went ahead and enabled the netbird service using systemctl. Here's what I did: 1. Disable the systemd service `sudo systemctl disable --now netbird@main.service` -> the file is removed 1. Install the service using the recommended command: `sudo netbird service install` then `sudo netbird service start` -> the ssh config file re-appears 1. Run the instructed command to remove the file: `sudo netbird service reconfigure --service-env NB_DISABLE_SSH_CONFIG=true` -> the file is removed, no errors this time Now, the initial problem seems to be that I installed the service using `systemctl enable netbird@main.service`. So is this not a bug, since I didn't follow the documentation? Or, should the user be warned when using `systemctl enable` directly, that doing so will introduce problems later on?

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Reference: DYNR/netbird#10599