The documentation for import-clean claims:
This option is the same as running the --edit-key command "clean" after import.
The documentation for export-clean claims:
This option is the same as running the --edit-key command "clean" before export
except that the local copy of the key is not modified.
Neither of these appears to be the case. With the attached transferable public
key (pulled from the debian keyring), i can --import and --export it (both using
the appropriate -clean options) and the resultant exported transferable public
key is unchanged.
if i manually use the --edit-key subcommand "clean" and then re-export the key,
then the emitted key is actually cleaned.
Below is an example transcript using 2.1.13 with the attached transferable
public key in a new home directory.
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ gpg --list-keys
gpg: keybox '/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI/pubring.kbx' created
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ gpg --import-options import-clean --import <
0x06EAA066E397832F.orig.asc
gpg: key 06EAA066E397832F: public key "Luca Capello <luca@pca.it>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ gpg --armor --export-options export-clean
--export 0x06EAA066E397832F > 0x06EAA066E397832F.exported.asc
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ gpg --edit-key 0x06EAA066E397832F clean
gpg (GnuPG) 2.1.13; Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
uid Luca Capello <gismo@debian.org>
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2010-10-10 never [self-signature]*
uid Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.ch>
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2016-01-24 never [self-signature]*
uid Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.com>
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2016-01-29 never [self-signature]*
sub 90C02DEC2BB95F4B
sig! 06EAA066E397832F 2009-07-01 never [self-signature]*
uid Luca Capello <luca@pca.it> (reordered signatures follow)
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2009-07-01 never [self-signature]
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2009-07-01 never [self-signature]
[primary]
sig!3 06EAA066E397832F 2010-10-10 never [self-signature]
[primary]
sub D91D57A03BE9F36D
sig! 06EAA066E397832F 2009-07-01 never [self-signature]*
sub F37834C0675E1031
sig! 06EAA066E397832F 2016-02-22 never [self-signature]*
[expires: 2010-07-01 14:44:59]
sub 669F597AA0ACD061
sig! 06EAA066E397832F 2016-02-22 never [self-signature]*
[expires: 2010-07-01 14:44:59]
sub CBAA74B5D18542FA
sig! 06EAA066E397832F 2016-02-22 never [self-signature]*
[expires: 2010-07-01 14:44:59]
key 06EAA066E397832F:
1 duplicate signature removed
3 signatures reordered
Warning: errors found and only checked self-signatures, run 'check' to check all
signatures.
pub rsa4096/06EAA066E397832F
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: SC
trust: unknown validity: unknown
sub rsa4096/90C02DEC2BB95F4B
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: E
sub rsa4096/D91D57A03BE9F36D
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: SEA
sub rsa4096/F37834C0675E1031
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: S
sub rsa4096/669F597AA0ACD061
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: E
sub rsa4096/CBAA74B5D18542FA
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: A
[ unknown] (1). Luca Capello <luca@pca.it>
[ unknown] (2) Luca Capello <gismo@debian.org>
[ unknown] (3) Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.ch>
[ unknown] (4) Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.com>
User ID "Luca Capello <luca@pca.it>": 3 signatures removed
User ID "Luca Capello <gismo@debian.org>": already clean
User ID "Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.ch>": already clean
User ID "Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.com>": already clean
pub rsa4096/06EAA066E397832F
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: SC
trust: unknown validity: unknown
sub rsa4096/90C02DEC2BB95F4B
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: E
sub rsa4096/D91D57A03BE9F36D
created: 2009-07-01 expires: never usage: SEA
sub rsa4096/F37834C0675E1031
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: S
sub rsa4096/669F597AA0ACD061
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: E
sub rsa4096/CBAA74B5D18542FA
created: 2016-02-22 expires: 2017-02-21 usage: A
[ unknown] (1). Luca Capello <luca@pca.it>
[ unknown] (2) Luca Capello <gismo@debian.org>
[ unknown] (3) Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.ch>
[ unknown] (4) Luca Capello <luca.capello@infomaniak.com>
gpg> save
Preferred keyserver: hkp://keyring.debian.org
Preferred keyserver: hkp://pool.sks-keyservers.net
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ gpg --armor --export-options export-clean
--export 0x06EAA066E397832F > 0x06EAA066E397832F.exported-after.asc
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ ls -la 0x06EAA066E397832F.*.asc
-rw-r--r-- 1 dkg dkg 221833 Jun 27 12:35 0x06EAA066E397832F.exported-after.asc
-rw-r--r-- 1 dkg dkg 225018 Jun 27 12:35 0x06EAA066E397832F.exported.asc
-rw-r--r-- 1 dkg dkg 225018 Jun 27 12:29 0x06EAA066E397832F.orig.asc
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$ sha256sum 0x06EAA066E397832F.*.asc
833f1372ef7d38271610ebce9b7b3cbe7ed8434e271b0e90a2e0769ce1b4a969
0x06EAA066E397832F.exported-after.asc
0ab203cc7ba50520be4085f7855b3e5bfd878bc1738a63d5da7b66ea6bf438f3
0x06EAA066E397832F.exported.asc
0ab203cc7ba50520be4085f7855b3e5bfd878bc1738a63d5da7b66ea6bf438f3
0x06EAA066E397832F.orig.asc
0 dkg@alice:/tmp/cdtemp.3Gj0sI$