Secret Scanner Skill
Prevent accidental secret exposure in your codebase.
When I Activate
- ✅ Before git commits
- ✅ Files modified/saved
- ✅ User mentions secrets, keys, or credentials
- ✅ .env files changed
- ✅ Configuration files modified
What I Detect
API Keys & Tokens
- AWS access keys (AKIA...)
- Stripe API keys (sk_live_..., pk_live_...)
- GitHub tokens (ghp_...)
- Google API keys
- OAuth tokens
- JWT secrets
Database Credentials
- Database connection strings
- MySQL/PostgreSQL passwords
- MongoDB connection URIs
- Redis passwords
Private Keys
- SSH private keys
- RSA/DSA keys
- PGP/GPG keys
- SSL certificates
Authentication Secrets
- Password variables
- Auth tokens
- Session secrets
- Encryption keys
Alert Examples
API Key Detection
javascript// You type: const apiKey = 'sk_live_1234567890abcdef'; // I immediately alert: 🚨 CRITICAL: Exposed Stripe API key detected! 📍 File: config.js, Line 3 🔧 Fix: Use environment variables const apiKey = process.env.STRIPE_API_KEY; 📖 Add to .gitignore: .env
AWS Credentials
python# You type: aws_access_key = "AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE" # I alert: 🚨 CRITICAL: AWS access key exposed! 📍 File: aws_config.py, Line 1 🔧 Fix: Use AWS credentials file or environment variables aws_access_key = os.getenv("AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID") 📖 Never commit AWS credentials
Database Password
yaml# You type in docker-compose.yml: environment: DB_PASSWORD: "mySecretPassword123" # I alert: 🚨 CRITICAL: Database password in configuration file! 📍 File: docker-compose.yml, Line 5 🔧 Fix: Use .env file DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD} 📖 Add .env to .gitignore
Detection Patterns
Pattern Types
High Confidence:
- Known API key formats (Stripe, AWS, etc.)
- Private key headers
- JWT tokens
- Connection strings with credentials
Medium Confidence:
- Variables named "password", "secret", "key"
- Base64 encoded strings in sensitive contexts
- Long random strings in assignments
Low Confidence (Flagged for Review):
- Generic secret patterns
- Potential credentials in comments
Git Integration
Pre-Commit Protection
bash# Before commit, I scan: git add . git commit # I block if secrets found: 🚨 CRITICAL: Cannot commit - secrets detected! 📍 3 secrets found: - config.js:12 - API key - .env:5 - Database password (in gitignore - OK) - auth.js:45 - JWT secret ❌ Commit blocked - remove secrets first
.gitignore Validation
I check if sensitive files are in .gitignore:
✅ .env - In .gitignore (good) ⚠️ config/secrets.json - NOT in .gitignore (add it!) ✅ .aws/credentials - In .gitignore (good)
False Positive Handling
Example Files
javascript// I understand these are examples: // Example: const apiKey = 'your_api_key_here'; // TODO: Add your API key from environment
Test Files
javascript// Test fixtures are OK (but flagged for review): const mockApiKey = 'sk_test_1234567890abcdef'; // ✅ Test key
Documentation
markdown<!-- Documentation examples are flagged but low priority --> Set your API key: `export API_KEY=your_key_here`
Relationship with security-auditor
secret-scanner (me): Exposed secrets and credentials security-auditor: Code vulnerability patterns
Together
secret-scanner: Finds hardcoded API key security-auditor: Finds how the key is used insecurely Combined: Complete security picture
Quick Fixes
Move to Environment Variables
javascript// Before: const apiKey = 'sk_live_abc123'; // After: const apiKey = process.env.API_KEY; // .env file (add to .gitignore): API_KEY=sk_live_abc123
Use Secret Management
javascript// AWS Secrets Manager const AWS = require('aws-sdk'); const secrets = new AWS.SecretsManager(); const secret = await secrets.getSecretValue({ SecretId: 'myApiKey' }).promise();
Configuration Files
yaml# docker-compose.yml services: app: environment: - API_KEY=${API_KEY} # From .env file # .env (gitignored) API_KEY=sk_live_abc123
Sandboxing Compatibility
Works without sandboxing: ✅ Yes (recommended) Works with sandboxing: ✅ Yes
- Filesystem: Read-only access
- Network: None required
- Configuration: None required
Customization
Add company-specific secret patterns:
bashcp -r ~/.claude/skills/security/secret-scanner \ ~/.claude/skills/security/company-secret-scanner # Edit SKILL.md to add: # - Internal API key formats # - Company-specific secret patterns # - Custom detection rules
Best Practices
- Never commit secrets - Use environment variables
- Use .gitignore - Add .env, secrets.json, etc.
- Rotate exposed secrets - If committed, rotate immediately
- Use secret management - AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault
- Audit regularly - Review code for exposed secrets
Emergency Response
If Secret Committed
- Rotate the secret immediately
- Remove from git history
bash
git filter-branch --force --index-filter \ "git rm --cached --ignore-unmatch config/secrets.json" \ --prune-empty --tag-name-filter cat -- --all - Force push (coordinate with team)
- Update all deployments with new secret
Related Tools
- security-auditor skill: Vulnerability detection
- @code-reviewer sub-agent: Security review
- /review command: Comprehensive security check


