Security

Security Overview

GSD’s workflows read files to understand your project during:

Codebase mapping (/gsd:map-codebase) — Analyzes existing code
Planning (/gsd:plan-phase) — Discovers patterns and conventions
Execution (/gsd:execute-phase) — Reads source files for context
Verification (/gsd:verify-work) — Checks implementation against goals

Critical: If your project contains secrets (API keys, credentials, private keys), GSD agents may read them unless you configure protection.

Defense-in-depth approach:

Deny list (first line of defense) — Prevent Claude from reading sensitive files
Built-in protections (second line) — GSD prevents committing common secret patterns
Manual review (third line) — Check commits before pushing

Protecting Sensitive Files

Claude Code Deny List

The deny list prevents Claude from reading specified files, regardless of what commands you run. Configuration location:

Global: ~/.claude/settings.json (affects all projects)
Project: .claude/settings.json (affects current project only)

Recommended configuration:

{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": [
      "Read(.env)",
      "Read(.env.*)",
      "Read(**/.env)",
      "Read(**/.env.*)",
      "Read(**/secrets/*)",
      "Read(**/credentials/*)",
      "Read(**/*credential*)",
      "Read(**/*secret*)",
      "Read(**/*.pem)",
      "Read(**/*.key)",
      "Read(**/*.p12)",
      "Read(**/*.pfx)",
      "Read(**/id_rsa)",
      "Read(**/id_dsa)",
      "Read(**/id_ecdsa)",
      "Read(**/id_ed25519)",
      "Read(**/*.ppk)",
      "Read(**/master.key)",
      "Read(**/credentials.yml.enc)",
      "Read(**/database.yml)",
      "Read(**/config/database.yml)",
      "Read(**/serviceAccountKey.json)",
      "Read(**/firebase-adminsdk-*.json)",
      "Read(**/*-credentials.json)",
      "Read(**/*.jks)",
      "Read(**/*.keystore)"
    ]
  }
}

Pattern syntax: Read(pattern) where pattern uses glob syntax:

* matches any characters except /
** matches any characters including /
Examples: **/.env matches .env in any directory

Common Secret File Patterns

Pattern	Description
`.env`, `.env.*`	Environment variables (API keys, database URLs)
`secrets/`, `credentials/`	Dedicated secret directories
`.pem`, `.key`	Private keys (SSL, SSH, API)
`.p12`, `.pfx`	Certificate files
`id_rsa`, `id_dsa`, etc.	SSH private keys
`master.key`	Rails master key
`serviceAccountKey.json`	Firebase/GCP service accounts
`database.yml`	Database credentials
`.jks`, `.keystore`	Java keystores

Project-Specific Secrets

Add patterns for your project’s secret storage: Example: AWS credentials

"deny": [
  "Read(~/.aws/credentials)",
  "Read(~/.aws/config)"
]

Example: Docker secrets

"deny": [
  "Read(**/docker-compose.override.yml)",
  "Read(**/secrets/*)"
]

Example: Kubernetes secrets

"deny": [
  "Read(**/k8s/secrets/*)",
  "Read(**/*-secret.yaml)"
]

Example: API keys in config

"deny": [
  "Read(config/keys.js)",
  "Read(config/api-keys.json)"
]

Built-In Protections

GSD includes safeguards to prevent committing secrets:

Commit-Time Checks

Before creating git commits, executors check for: Common secret patterns:

API keys (AKIA..., sk_live_..., ghp_...)
Tokens (token=..., Bearer ...)
Passwords (password=..., passwd=...)
Private keys (-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----)
Connection strings (database URLs with credentials)

If detected:

⚠️  WARNING: Potential secret detected in staged files

File: src/config.js
Pattern: API key (AKIA...)

Options:
1. Remove secret and continue
2. Cancel commit
3. Commit anyway (not recommended)

Gitignore Respect

GSD honors .gitignore patterns: Example .gitignore:

# Secrets
.env
.env.*
!.env.example
secrets/
credentials/
*.pem
*.key

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/

Files matching .gitignore patterns are:

Not staged by executors
Not committed in atomic commits
Not included in codebase analysis (unless planning.search_gitignored: true)

Set planning.search_gitignored: false (default) to exclude .gitignore files from broad searches during planning.

File Extension Filtering

Certain file types are automatically excluded from commits: Binary files:

.key, .pem, .p12, .pfx, .jks
.exe, .dll, .so, .dylib
Images (unless explicitly part of task)

Sensitive configs:

Files in secrets/ or credentials/ directories
Files matching *credential*, *secret* patterns

Security Best Practices

1. Configure Deny List Before First Run

# Before running GSD commands
cat > .claude/settings.json << 'EOF'
{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": [
      "Read(.env)",
      "Read(.env.*)",
      "Read(**/secrets/*)",
      "Read(**/*.pem)",
      "Read(**/*.key)"
    ]
  }
}
EOF

# Then run GSD
/gsd:map-codebase

2. Use `.env.example` for Templates

Don’t:

# .env (contains real secrets)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/db
API_KEY=sk_live_abc123...

Do:

# .env.example (safe to commit)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/db
API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# .env (gitignored, denied)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://realuser:realpass@prod.db.com/prod
API_KEY=sk_live_REAL_SECRET_KEY

GSD can read .env.example to understand config structure without exposing secrets.

3. Separate Secrets from Code

Recommended structure:

project/
├── src/
│   └── config.js       # Reads from env vars, no hardcoded secrets
├── .env                # Gitignored, denied
├── .env.example        # Safe template
├── secrets/            # Gitignored directory, denied
│   ├── api-key.txt
│   └── private.pem
└── .gitignore

config.js (safe):

export const config = {
  apiKey: process.env.API_KEY,
  dbUrl: process.env.DATABASE_URL
};

4. Review Commits Before Pushing

After phase execution:

# Check what was committed
git log --oneline -10

# Review file changes
git diff HEAD~5..HEAD

# Check for secrets (regex search)
git diff HEAD~5..HEAD | grep -E "(AKIA|sk_live|ghp_|password=)"

# If secrets found
git reset --soft HEAD~5  # Undo commits
# Remove secrets, re-commit manually

5. Audit Codebase Mapping Output

After /gsd:map-codebase, check generated files:

cat .planning/codebase/STACK.md
cat .planning/codebase/ARCHITECTURE.md
cat .planning/codebase/CONVENTIONS.md

Red flags:

API keys listed in STACK.md
Database credentials in ARCHITECTURE.md
Secret paths in file references

If found, add deny patterns and re-run:

# Add to .claude/settings.json deny list
/gsd:map-codebase  # Re-run with protections

6. Use GSD in Trusted Environments

GSD spawns agents that:

Read your codebase
Execute bash commands (install deps, run tests, git commit)
Modify files

Only run GSD in environments where you trust the AI’s actions. Use deny lists and manual review for production/sensitive projects.

Reporting Security Issues

Do NOT report security vulnerabilities through public GitHub issues. Instead, report via email: security@gsd.build Include:

Description of the vulnerability
Steps to reproduce
Potential impact
Suggested fix (optional)

Response timeline:

Acknowledgment: Within 48 hours
Initial assessment: Within 1 week
Fix timeline:
- Critical: 24-48 hours
- High: 1 week
- Medium/Low: Next release

Security Scope

Security issues in the GSD codebase that could:

Execute arbitrary code on user machines
Expose sensitive data (API keys, credentials)
Compromise the integrity of generated plans/code
Bypass deny list protections

Out of scope:

Claude AI model behavior (report to Anthropic)
Third-party dependencies (report to maintainers)
User misconfiguration (see troubleshooting docs)

Recognition

We appreciate responsible disclosure and will credit reporters in release notes (unless you prefer to remain anonymous).

Quick Reference

Minimal Deny List

{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": [
      "Read(.env)",
      "Read(.env.*)",
      "Read(**/secrets/*)",
      "Read(**/*.pem)",
      "Read(**/*.key)"
    ]
  }
}

Comprehensive Deny List

{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": [
      "Read(.env)",
      "Read(.env.*)",
      "Read(**/.env)",
      "Read(**/.env.*)",
      "Read(**/secrets/*)",
      "Read(**/credentials/*)",
      "Read(**/*credential*)",
      "Read(**/*secret*)",
      "Read(**/*.pem)",
      "Read(**/*.key)",
      "Read(**/*.p12)",
      "Read(**/*.pfx)",
      "Read(**/id_rsa)",
      "Read(**/master.key)",
      "Read(**/serviceAccountKey.json)",
      "Read(**/*-credentials.json)"
    ]
  }
}

Check for Secrets in Commits

# Search recent commits
git log -p -5 | grep -E "(AKIA|sk_live|ghp_|password=|-----BEGIN)"

# Search staged changes
git diff --cached | grep -E "(AKIA|sk_live|ghp_|password=)"

# Search working directory
grep -r "AKIA" src/
grep -r "sk_live" src/

Overview

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Workflow

Guides

Advanced

Security Overview

Protecting Sensitive Files

Claude Code Deny List

Common Secret File Patterns

Project-Specific Secrets

Built-In Protections

Commit-Time Checks

Gitignore Respect

File Extension Filtering

Security Best Practices

1. Configure Deny List Before First Run

2. Use `.env.example` for Templates

3. Separate Secrets from Code

4. Review Commits Before Pushing

5. Audit Codebase Mapping Output

6. Use GSD in Trusted Environments

Reporting Security Issues

Security Scope

Recognition

Quick Reference

Minimal Deny List

Comprehensive Deny List

Check for Secrets in Commits

Next Steps

Architecture

State Management

Overview

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Workflow

Guides

Advanced

​Security Overview

​Protecting Sensitive Files

​Claude Code Deny List

​Common Secret File Patterns

​Project-Specific Secrets

​Built-In Protections

​Commit-Time Checks

​Gitignore Respect

​File Extension Filtering

​Security Best Practices

​1. Configure Deny List Before First Run

​2. Use .env.example for Templates

​3. Separate Secrets from Code

​4. Review Commits Before Pushing

​5. Audit Codebase Mapping Output

​6. Use GSD in Trusted Environments

​Reporting Security Issues

​Security Scope

​Recognition

​Quick Reference

​Minimal Deny List

​Comprehensive Deny List

​Check for Secrets in Commits

​Next Steps

Architecture

State Management

Security Overview

Protecting Sensitive Files

Claude Code Deny List

Common Secret File Patterns

Project-Specific Secrets

Built-In Protections

Commit-Time Checks

Gitignore Respect

File Extension Filtering

Security Best Practices

1. Configure Deny List Before First Run

2. Use `.env.example` for Templates

3. Separate Secrets from Code

4. Review Commits Before Pushing

5. Audit Codebase Mapping Output

6. Use GSD in Trusted Environments

Reporting Security Issues

Security Scope

Recognition

Quick Reference

Minimal Deny List

Comprehensive Deny List

Check for Secrets in Commits

Next Steps