is-this-path-sensitive

name	is-this-path-sensitive
description	Assess whether a path-like or path-adjacent value is safe to persist in source code, docs, tests, plans, or committed notes. Use when deciding if a path, username, hostname, share name, dataset name, version clue, product code, or similar string should be written down or should require user confirmation first.
argument-hint	Describe the value, where it would be persisted, who would see it, and whether the user already approved publication

Is This Path Sensitive?

Use this skill before persisting path-like values or nearby strings that may leak more than they appear to. This is a risk assessment skill, not a binary classifier.

Outcome

Produce a recommendation that answers:

• what the value reveals
• how public that revelation would be in the chosen artifact
• whether the agent may persist it immediately
• whether the user must be asked first
• whether a redacted or templated form would be safer

Core Rule

If the value is non-obvious and would be written into source code or committed project artifacts, ask the user before persisting it unless the risk is clearly trivial.

Risk Dimensions

Evaluate the value across these dimensions:

• personal identity: usernames, family names, initials, home directories
• organization disclosure: company names, internal share names, machine naming schemes, customer names
• product disclosure: codenames, internal product codes, repository names not meant for publication
• environment disclosure: installed tools, SDK roots, dataset names, cache locations, versioned folders
• access disclosure: network shares, drive mappings, storage layout, backup paths
• inference disclosure: strings that indirectly reveal versions, vendors, or internal practices

Publicity Levels

Assess risk relative to where the value would land:

• private: only the current user or transient session
• family or close collaborators: small trusted audience
• company: visible to coworkers or internal systems
• public: committed source, public docs, screenshots, issue trackers, shared prompts, or published skills

The same string can be acceptable at one level and unacceptable at another.

Decision Buckets

Use one of these outcomes:

• safe to persist as-is
• persist only in redacted or templated form
• ask the user before persisting
• do not persist; keep it transient

Heuristics

• A plain project-relative path is usually low risk.
• A user home path is often medium risk because it reveals identity.
• A network share or mapped drive can reveal internal structure even when the path looks ordinary.
• Versioned folders can reveal stack choices and update posture.
• Dataset names, customer names, and product codenames often matter more than the path syntax itself.
• If the value would surprise the user to see committed, ask first.

Preferred Safer Rewrites

When possible, suggest:

• %USERPROFILE%\... instead of a specific home path
• <repo-root>/... instead of an absolute checkout path
• <dataset-root> instead of a machine-specific dataset location
• <company-share> or a redacted placeholder instead of an internal UNC path

Response Shape

When using this skill, produce:

1. the candidate value
2. what it reveals
3. publicity level for the target artifact
4. recommended action
5. safer rewrite if needed

Examples Of Ask-First Cases

• absolute home directory paths
• OneDrive or personal cloud paths
• company share names
• machine-specific caches that include usernames
• internal product codes or customer names
• values embedded in source code, tests, screenshots, or public docs

Examples Of Usually-Safe Cases

• repo-relative paths
• generic placeholder examples
• documented config keys without machine-specific literals
• non-identifying temp paths that are already obviously synthetic