The prod.keys file contains essential cryptographic keys that Nintendo uses to encrypt their content. These keys are crucial for hactool to decrypt and process certain files. Without the correct prod.keys file or if hactool cannot find it, operations like decrypting firmware updates, game dumps, or other encrypted data will fail.
The error hactool prod.keys does not exist is not a bug; it is a feature of responsible open-source development. It protects the tool's maintainers from legal liability while giving you, the user, full control over what keys you use. hactool prod.keys does not exist