A credential-shaped value is publicly served
A secret key is supposed to stay private on your server. When it ends up in the code your app ships to the browser, anyone can copy it and act as you. Here is what it means, why it happens, how to check, and how to fix it properly.
What it means
A value shaped like a private key or password is in code your site serves, where anyone can read it. If it still works, anyone who copies it can act as you: run up bills, read your data, or send email in your name. xlogs did not test it.
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 18 key formats covering Stripe (live, test and webhook secrets), OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS, Google, GitHub, Slack, private key blocks, and Supabase server keys (service_role and sb_secret_).
Check your own app for this
How to fix it
The goal: The exposed key has been replaced and revoked at the provider, because removing it from the code does not stop it working, and the new value is stored only in a server-side secret or environment variable, never in code or the client bundle.
- Contain and rotate the exposed key first, because removing it from the code does not stop it working: if you suspect it is being misused, revoke it at the provider now; otherwise create a replacement, put it in the app's server-side secret settings, confirm the app works with it, and then revoke the exposed key promptly
- Remove the literal value from the code and any client-side bundle (the affected spot), so the key is read only from a server-only environment variable
- Make sure the .env file is in .gitignore
- Clear the old value from deployed builds and caches, and from the repository's history where you can; once the key is revoked, a copy left there no longer works
In my app (the spot the scan shows): a credential-shaped value is publicly served. Please make this true: The exposed key has been replaced and revoked at the provider, because removing it from the code does not stop it working, and the new value is stored only in a server-side secret or environment variable, never in code or the client bundle. Steps: Contain and rotate the exposed key first, because removing it from the code does not stop it working: if you suspect it is being misused, revoke it at the provider now; otherwise create a replacement, put it in the app's server-side secret settings, confirm the app works with it, and then revoke the exposed key promptly; Remove the literal value from the code and any client-side bundle (the spot the scan shows), so the key is read only from a server-only environment variable; Make sure the .env file is in .gitignore; Clear the old value from deployed builds and caches, and from the repository's history where you can; once the key is revoked, a copy left there no longer works. Then tell me exactly what you changed, and do not print any secret values back to me or write one into a commit message, a pull request description or a log.
Then verify: After you deploy the fix, xlogs re-scans your live app and reports whether the key is still found in what it reads. That cannot show the old key was revoked, so revoke it at the provider either way.
Full step-by-step fix guide, with a copy-paste block for each AI tool →
Common questions
What can someone do with my exposed API key?
It depends on the key, but it can be severe: charge your Stripe account, run up an OpenAI or AWS bill, read your data, or send email in your name. Treat any exposed secret key as already compromised.
Is it enough to just delete the key from my code?
No. The old value is already public (in git history, in someone's cache, or in a shipped bundle). You must rotate it: regenerate the key at the provider so the exposed copy stops working, and store the new one in a server-only environment variable.