If you use the IDE atom.io with some sort of remote sync/scp/sftp package you can’t just use ssh-keys out of the box, if you set them up with a passphrase (which you should!). Here’s the 3 options most plugins offer:

1. Use password (unless you disabled the option on the server)
2. Use ssh-key
3. Use ssh-agent

The problem with #2 is, that you would have to save your passphrase in a clear-text file which is never a good idea. But you can use the ssh-agent on MacOS the following way:

1. create a ~/.ssh/config file
2. add this line: AddKeysToAgent yes
3. $ ssh-add .ssh/id_rsa
4. restart atom