How do I know if my API key is exposed?
Open your live app, then open the browser's developer tools and look at the JavaScript it downloads. If a secret key is in there, it is exposed, because anything the browser downloads, any visitor can read.
That manual check works but is easy to get wrong, because keys hide inside large minified bundles. A scanner does the same thing more thoroughly: it reads your live JavaScript and matches it against known key formats for Stripe, OpenAI, AWS, Supabase, and more.
One nuance worth knowing: not every key is a secret. A public key that is designed to ship (like the Supabase anon key) is fine. The ones that matter are secret keys and service keys, which should only ever live on your server.
Scan your app for exposed keys
What it means
A password-like key that is supposed to stay private is sitting in your app where other people can find it. Anyone who copies it can act as you — run up bills, read your data, or send email in your name.
Why AI tools cause it
AI coding tools often paste an API key straight into a file to make something work, instead of hiding it in a private environment variable. It runs fine, so nothing warns you.
How xlogs checks it
xlogs scans your live JavaScript against 9 key formats covering Stripe, OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google, GitHub, Slack, private key blocks, and Supabase service_role tokens.
How to fix it
The goal: The key is stored only in a server-side secret / environment variable, never in code or the client bundle, and the exposed value has been rotated (regenerated) because the old one is public.
- Move the key's value into a server-only environment variable
- Remove the literal value from the code and any client-side bundle (the affected spot)
- Make sure the .env file is in .gitignore
- Rotate (regenerate) the key at the provider — assume the old one is compromised
In my app (the spot the scan shows): a secret key is exposed. Please make this true: The key is stored only in a server-side secret / environment variable, never in code or the client bundle, and the exposed value has been rotated (regenerated) because the old one is public. Steps: Move the key's value into a server-only environment variable; Remove the literal value from the code and any client-side bundle (the spot the scan shows); Make sure the .env file is in .gitignore; Rotate (regenerate) the key at the provider — assume the old one is compromised. Then tell me exactly what you changed, and do not print any secret values back to me.
Then verify: After you deploy the fix, xlogs re-scans your live app and your files and confirms the key is no longer present.
Full step-by-step fix guide, with a copy-paste block for each AI tool →
Common questions
I found an exposed key. Is deleting it from the code enough?
No. The old value is already public, so assume it is compromised. Move it to a server-only environment variable, remove it from the code and bundle, and rotate (regenerate) it at the provider so the exposed copy stops working.