Files and built-in tools
Slinky vs Keychain Access
Keychain Access is still on every Mac (since Sequoia it’s in /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications), now mostly for certificates and app passwords. You can save a key as a generic password and read it back with security find-generic-password -w. It works, but it wasn’t made for keys.
Choose Keychain Access if
- It’s a certificate or a password an app saves for itself.
- You need one value in a script and don’t mind it printing.
- You don’t want to install anything.
Choose Slinky if
- You have more than a handful of keys, across projects and environments.
- You want to start your app with its keys, without printing them in your terminal.
- You want to see where a key is used, and when it was last used.
- You also keep backup codes and recovery keys.
Side by side
| Slinky | Keychain Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Made for API keys and tokens | Yes | Partly: Generic passwords |
| A project’s .env, per environment | Yes | No |
| Starts your app with its variables | Yes: slinky run | Partly: Prints values |
| AI agents see names, not values | Yes | No |
| Backup codes that cross themselves off | Yes | No |
| Where your secrets are kept | An encrypted file on your Mac | Your Mac (login keychain) |
| Works without an account | Yes | Yes |
| Share with your team | Yes: Encrypted files, no server | No |
| Opens with Touch ID | Yes | Partly: Your Mac’s password |
| Open source | Yes: MIT | No |
| Price | Free | Free with macOS |
| Runs on | Mac, Apple silicon | Mac |
Yes Partly No As of October 2026, from support.apple.com. Features and prices change.
Questions
Does Slinky use the keychain?
Slinky keeps everything in its own encrypted file. Your Mac’s Secure Enclave protects the key that opens it, and Touch ID unlocks it. Slinky never uses the security command.
What’s wrong with security find-generic-password -w?
Nothing, for one value. But it prints the value, so it ends up in your terminal, and anything you pipe it into. Used in an export line, it can land in your shell history.
Is Slinky free?
Yes. Slinky is free and open source under the MIT License, made by Testament Made, LLC. It runs on Apple silicon Macs with macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
More comparisons
Slinky vs .env files
Plain text in the project folder, or encrypted and out of it.
Slinky vs dotenvx
An encrypted .env you commit, or variables kept out of the repo.
Slinky vs direnv
Variables that load when you cd, from a plain file or an encrypted vault.
Slinky vs 1Password
A full password manager with developer tools, or a free Mac app just for keys.
Slinky vs Apple Passwords
Use Apple Passwords for sign-ins, and Slinky for keys and backup codes.
Slinky vs Bitwarden
An open-source password manager and a Secrets Manager for teams, or one Mac app.
All comparisons
Every tool side by side, in one table.