GoKawiilApiiro finds 1,122 public GitHub repos leaking secrets via Claude Code settings file
Security firm Apiiro found that Claude Code's local project settings file, .claude/settings.local.json, can store approved commands verbatim—including passwords and API keys—when users choose 'don't ask again.' Scanning GitHub, researchers located 104,185 copies of the file across 103,617 repositories, with 1,122 copies containing at least 1,379 exposed secrets, including 379 database passwords. One notified company confirmed its leaked key was still active.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The file's secrets persist in git history and forks even after deletion, meaning simple cleanup is insufficient; Apiiro recommends rotating all exposed credentials first. Claude Code's protective git-exclude mechanism only works locally and doesn't stop the file from being committed, and researchers note Claude itself appears to have committed the file as co-author in over half the traced cases—suggesting the AI tool's default behavior may be contributing to accidental credential exposure at scale.
- 1,122 of 104,185 public copies of Claude Code's settings file contain at least one secret, totaling 1,379 secrets.
- More than a third of exposed secrets grant direct database access, including 379 database passwords.
- Deleting the file doesn't remove leaked secrets from git history or forks, so Apiiro advises rotating credentials before cleanup.
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Published there as: “Claude Code's 'Don't Ask Again' File Exposes Passwords and Keys in 1,122 Public Copies on GitHub”
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