Free tool: runs in your browser
AI coding assistant settings file secrets checklistif an AI coding assistant may have saved a password or key in a project file
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Check where an assistant may have saved an approved command with a secret in it, whether the file was committed, whether you have rotated, and the dated copies you can still show.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page cannot scan your repositories or tell you whether a key was used. It is not security or legal advice.
Check the settings files, the history and the copies you can still show
Tick what is true about your projects and the files an assistant keeps in them. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true about your AI coding assistant settings files
This looks at where an assistant may have saved an approved command with a password or key in it, whether the file was committed, whether you have rotated, and the dated copies you can still show. It is not a scan and not a way to tell whether a key was used.
What to do now
What should I check if an AI coding assistant saved a secret in a project settings file? The short answer
Rotate first, then clean up. The Hacker News reported on 7 November 2026 that Apiiro found 1,122 public copies of Claude Code’s .claude/settings.local.json that hold at least one secret, because choosing “Yes, and don’t ask again” can save the approved command word for word, including any password or token typed into it. Removing the file does not undo a leak, because older versions stay in git history and in forks. Change every password, token and key the file has ever held, open the file on your own computer, stop tracking it with git, and keep secrets out of commands.
This checklist cannot scan your repositories or tell you whether a key was used. A TimeBind of a file you already hold, such as a settings file or a saved git log, can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show that a secret was not used.
Why this came up in November 2026
On 6 November 2026 the security company Apiiro published research, reported by The Hacker News on 7 November 2026, on one assistant’s project settings file. It said it found 104,185 copies of the file in public GitHub repositories, that 1,122 of them held at least one secret, and that it did not test whether the secrets still work. Ars Technica also reported the findings and said the assistant’s team is looking at ways to prevent this. These are the researchers’ findings as reported, and this page does not treat them as more than that.
Measured demand is current. On YouTube, Checked on 13 November 2026, about 2:20 AM Australia/Brisbane. “El peligro oculto de la carpeta .claude” (midudev, 12 November 2026) had 7,728 views and 643 likes, and “Claude Code Just Leaked 1,379 Secrets On GitHub” (Firecrawl, 12 November 2026) had 685 views and 12 likes. Google autocomplete returned “claude code settings.local.json”, “claude code settings.local.json permissions” and “claude code settings.local.json example”. Autocomplete shows what people type. It is not search volume.
The checks apply to any assistant that saves approvals in a file in your project, not only the one in the report, and the researchers say they compared 16 assistants’ documentation and confirmed this default behaviour for one. Always read your own assistant’s current documentation.
Sources: The Hacker News, 7 November 2026 and Ars Technica.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to put the steps in the right order, rotate before you clean up, not to audit any repository. See also the glossary entries for existed no later than and fingerprint.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| The settings file | Reminds you to open the assistant’s project settings file on your own computer and look for passwords, tokens and keys typed into saved commands. | Find a secret for you, or scan your repositories. |
| Rotate, then clean up | Reminds you to change every secret the file has ever held before you delete anything, and to check git history and forks. | Tell you whether a key was used, or who saw it. |
| Keeping secrets out of commands | Reminds you to use variables from a secrets manager and to approve patterns rather than single exact commands. | Change your assistant’s behaviour or settings. |
| A TimeBind of a file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, using a SHA-256 fingerprint made in your browser. The file stays on your device. | Undo a leak, or show that a secret was not used. |
If a settings file or a git log is something you may need to show later
Before you clean up:
- Keep a dated copy of the settings file as it stands, and a saved copy of the git log lines that touch it.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the files, the list of secrets you rotated and the certificate together, with a note of when you rotated each one.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It cannot show that a secret was not used or who saw it.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
If you are also reviewing the instruction files an agent reads, see the free AI agent instruction file review checklist. It cannot scan files or show that one is safe.
AI coding assistant settings file secrets checklist: FAQ
Which file is this about?
The reports describe .claude/settings.local.json, a project file where Claude Code can save a command you approved with “Yes, and don’t ask again”. Other assistants keep their own files, so check your assistant’s documentation for where it saves approvals.
Should I delete the file or rotate the secret first?
Rotate first. The researchers’ advice, as reported, is to change every password, token and key the file has ever held, then clean up, because older versions stay in git history and in forks.
Will a secret scanner find these?
Not always. The researchers reported that gitleaks and TruffleHog each missed some files, mostly passwords typed inside commands. Check your own scanner against commands, not only known key formats.
Does a dated file record undo a leak?
No. A TimeBind of a file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not undo a leak or show that a secret was not used.
Is this checklist a security audit?
No. It runs in your browser and only helps you plan the order of the checks. For a real incident, follow your organisation’s security process.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Related guides and tools
- Cloud coding assistant checklistPlan, terms and secrets before you share code with an assistant
- Vibe-coding review checklistA checklist for reviewing code an assistant helped write
- GitHub Actions workflow lockfile checklistA neighbouring job for CI workflows
- Developer timestampingThe TimeBinder hub for developer file records
- GlossaryPlain definitions of fingerprint, SHA-256 and existed no later than
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the exact files you already hold
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact settings files and logs, kept before you clean up.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.