Secrets Discipline

Secrets Discipline

When to run this skill

• The user is adding a new integration (Stripe, Supabase, OpenAI, etc.).
• The user pastes a string that looks like a secret (long random, starts with sk_, pk_, re_, etc.).
• Before any commit if any file in the changeset contains an = followed by a long opaque string.
• The user says "vou colocar a chave" / "where do I put my key".

Rules

1. Never paste real secrets into source code. Always use process.env.X (or framework equivalent).
2. Always update .env.example when introducing a new env var. The example file documents the existence of the variable, not its value.
3. Never commit .env, .env.local, .env.production. They are gitignored — verify before commit.
4. Server-only secrets must stay server-only. In Next.js, anything starting with NEXT_PUBLIC_ is shipped to the browser. If it's a secret, do NOT prefix it.
5. One secret, one env var. Don't reuse the same key for unrelated services.
6. Rotate after exposure. If a secret was committed at any point (even in a deleted file), rotate it. Git history retains it.

Vibe coder explanation

Secrets are like the keys to your house. The .env file is the keychain you keep at home. The .env.example is the description of what keys you need (front door, garage, mailbox) without showing what they look like. When you share your project on GitHub, you share the description — never the actual keys.

Workflow

1. Identify all secret-like values in the proposed change.
2. Confirm each is referenced via process.env.X (or equivalent).
3. Confirm .env.example documents each new variable with a comment explaining purpose.
4. Confirm .env, .env.local are in .gitignore.
5. Run a quick scan: search for accidental literal API keys (regex: sk_[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}, pk_[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}, re_[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}, AIza[a-zA-Z0-9\-_]{35}).
6. If any literal secret is found in a tracked file, stop and ask the user to rotate.

Output

✅ secrets-discipline check
- New variables documented in .env.example: STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
- No literal secrets in source code
- .gitignore covers .env files
- Server-only vars not exposed via NEXT_PUBLIC_

⚠️  If you committed a real key earlier, rotate it now in the provider dashboard.