claw-ideas/ideas/security-privacy/secrets-scanner.md

Secrets Scanner

Continuously scan repositories and local environments for exposed credentials before they reach production or public history.

Problem

Accidental secret leaks happen quickly and can remain unnoticed long enough to be exploited.

Core capabilities

• Detect API keys, tokens, and private keys with pattern and entropy checks.
• Scan commits, pull requests, and working directories.
• Trigger rotation workflows and incident checklists on detection.
• Suppress known false positives through scoped allow rules.

MVP scope

• Pre-commit hook and CI pipeline integration.
• Alerting to chat and issue tracker.
• Baseline scan across existing repository history.

Success criteria

• Fewer leaked credentials reaching remote repositories.
• Faster incident response when leaks are detected.

Stretch ideas

• Automatic secret revocation through provider APIs.
• Developer education snippets in alert messages.