| name | safety/secret-detector |
| description | Scan any export, file, or vault batch for credentials, API keys, tokens, and sensitive data before they leave the local machine. Fires automatically on all Claw export operations. Default skill for Starlight Sentinel and Attestation Claw. |
| type | safety |
Secret Detector
Nothing sensitive exits the local machine without explicit human awareness.
When This Skill Activates
- Any content is about to be written outside
~/.starlight/ to an external destination
- Any vault export is generated for a platform adapter
- Any content is passed to an external MCP server
- Keywords: "export", "publish", "send", "upload", "share", "transmit"
- Default for: Starlight Sentinel
What This Skill Does
Scans content for credential patterns, personal identifiers, and sensitive data before it leaves the local machine. Blocks export if secrets are found. Never auto-redacts — always surfaces findings to the user for an explicit decision.
Procedures
Procedure 1: Pre-Export Scan
-
Receive content blob pending export
-
Run pattern detection against the full content:
| Pattern | Example | Action on match |
|---|
| API keys | sk-..., pk_..., ghp_..., xoxb-... | BLOCK + report |
| Private keys | -----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY----- | BLOCK + report |
| Passwords in config | password=, passwd=, secret= | BLOCK + report |
| Email addresses | user@domain.com in unexpected context | WARN + report |
| Phone numbers | +1-555-..., formatted phone patterns | WARN + report |
| Credit card patterns | 16-digit sequences with separators | BLOCK + report |
| Government IDs | SSN patterns, national ID formats | BLOCK + report |
-
If BLOCK patterns found: halt export, generate SECRET_SCAN_REPORT.md, present to user
-
If WARN patterns found: present to user with option to proceed or redact
-
If clean: return APPROVED for export
Procedure 2: Scan Report Generation
- Create
/security/SECRET_SCAN_REPORT.md
- Include: content source, patterns detected, line references (not the secrets themselves)
- Present options: [redact and retry] / [cancel export] / [I confirm this is safe, proceed]
- Log the decision with user action
Procedure 3: False Positive Handling
- User declares a detected pattern is not sensitive
- Record the declaration with timestamp + user confirmation
- Add to local allowlist for this session (not persisted globally)
- Proceed with export
Integration Points
- Vaults: No vault access needed — operates purely on content in transit
- Agents: Starlight Sentinel
- Skills: Composes with
private-public-split for structural classification; permission-gate for the approval flow
- Claws: Called by every Claw that generates exports (Memory, Creator, Attestation, Reclamation)
Quality Criteria
- Zero false negatives on common credential patterns
- False positives surface clearly as warnings, not blocks (where safe)
- User is always in control — no silent redaction or silent pass
- Scan report is human-readable, not a raw regex dump
