{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co","json":"https://digestai.news/story/apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co.md","slug":"apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co","headline":"Apiiro finds 1,122 public GitHub files with secrets saved by Claude Code","summary":"Security firm Apiiro reported yesterday that 1,122 public copies of the file .claude/settings.local.json on GitHub contain at least one secret, such as passwords, API keys, or tokens. The file is created when a developer using Anthropic's Claude Code coding assistant selects \"Yes, and don't ask again\" for a shell command; the exact command, including any secret typed into it, is saved in plain text. Across those files Apiiro counted 1,379 distinct secrets, including 379 database passwords, 43 SSH logins, 42 GitHub/GitLab/npm tokens, and 23 AWS keys. The secrets belong to 63 organizations, mostly software companies. In half the affected repositories the file had been present for at least 217 days. Older git history and forks add 734 more secrets across 509 repositories, and a related shared settings file adds 298 more, bringing the total to 2,539 secrets in 1,994 repositories. Apiiro says Claude Code is the only one of 16 coding agents studied that saves the full approved command by default. The assistant tries to keep the file out of git by adding it to the user's global git excludes, but that protection does not travel with the project and does not help files already committed. Apiiro recommends rotating every secret the file has ever held before cleaning up, adding the file to the repository's own .gitignore, and using variables from a secrets manager instead of hard-coded values. Earlier bug reports about this behavior were closed as \"not planned\" without a reply from Anthropic.","keyPoints":["1,122 public .claude/settings.local.json files on GitHub contain at least one secret, Apiiro says","1,379 distinct secrets found, including 379 database passwords and 23 AWS keys","Claude Code saves the exact approved command with secrets when users pick \"don't ask again\""],"whyItMatters":"A widely used AI coding assistant stores secrets in plain-text project files that often end up in public repositories, exposing database passwords, cloud keys, and tokens to anyone who clones or forks the code.","category":{"slug":"models","name":"Generative AI & Models","url":"https://digestai.news/category/models"},"entities":{"companies":["Anthropic","Apiiro","GitHub"],"models":["Opus 5.5","Fable 5.1"],"people":[]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-11-06T16:00:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-06T16:00:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"thehackernews.com","title":"Claude Code's “Don't Ask Again” File Exposes Passwords and Keys in 1,122 Public Copies on GitHub","url":"https://thehackernews.com/2026/11/claude-codes-dont-ask-again-file.html","publishedAt":"2026-11-06T16:00:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":{"title":"Claude Package Scandal Escalates on GitHub","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/github-flags-9-fake-claude-codex-npm-packages","storyCount":2},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Apiiro finds 1,122 public GitHub files with secrets saved by Claude Code\", 6 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Apiiro finds 1,122 public GitHub files with secrets saved by Claude Code","datePublished":"2026-11-06T16:00:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/apiiro-finds-1-122-public-github-files-with-secrets-saved-by-claude-co"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}