diff --git a/playbooks/templates/borg/borgmatic-config.yaml.j2 b/playbooks/templates/borg/borgmatic-config.yaml.j2
index 247b65a..9beff46 100644
--- a/playbooks/templates/borg/borgmatic-config.yaml.j2
+++ b/playbooks/templates/borg/borgmatic-config.yaml.j2
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ location:
   # ✅ Include hostname in archive names for multi-host dedupe
   archive_name_format: "{hostname}-{now:%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S}"
 
+  # ✅ Use a dedicated SSH key for Borg backups
+  ssh_command: "ssh -i /root/.ssh/borg"
+
 storage:
   # ✅ Encryption key; supply via vault/secret
   encryption_passphrase: "{{ borg_encryption_passphrase | default('changeme') }}"