The Secret Management Standard: Automating AI Agent Protection
Hardcoded credentials are a governance failure. Learn the static analysis standard for detecting and auto-fixing secrets in AI-native codebases.
Hardcoded secrets in AI prompts are a catastrophic governance failure. Here is the automated static analysis standard for detecting and auto-fixing credentials inside your AI-native codebases.
Every week, secrets leak. API keys committed to GitHub. Database passwords in config files. AWS credentials in environment variable defaults.
The fix is trivial. The detection is not.
Until now.
The Problem
// ❌ This ships to production more than you'd think
const db = new Pool({
host: 'prod-db.example.com',
user: 'admin',
password: 'super_secret_password_123', // CWE-798
});
const stripe = new Stripe('sk_live_abc123xyz789'); // Hardcoded API key
These patterns are obvious in isolation. In a 50,000-line codebase? They hide in plain sight.
Why Traditional Tools Fail
| Tool | Problem |
|---|---|
| grep for "password" | Too many false positives |
| Secret scanners | Only catch committed secrets |
| Code review | Humans miss things |
The ESLint Solution
// eslint.config.js
import secureCoding from 'eslint-plugin-secure-coding';
export default [secureCoding.configs.recommended];
Now run npx eslint . and get:
src/db.ts
5:3 error 🔒 CWE-798 OWASP:A02 CVSS:7.5 | Hardcoded credential detected
Fix: Use environment variable: process.env.DATABASE_PASSWORD
The Fixed Code
// ✅ Secure pattern
const db = new Pool({
host: process.env.DATABASE_HOST,
user: process.env.DATABASE_USER,
password: process.env.DATABASE_PASSWORD,
});
const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY);
Why AI Agents Love This Rule
The error message is structured for AI consumption:
- CWE-798: Machine-readable vulnerability ID
- Fix instruction: Exact pattern to apply
- Location: Precise line and column
Cursor, Copilot, and Claude can read this and auto-fix without human intervention.
Quick Install
npm install --save-dev eslint-plugin-secure-coding — 89 security rules. Zero hardcoded secrets.
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📦 [npm: eslint-plugin-secure-coding](https://www.npmjs.com/package/eslint-plugin-secure-coding)
📖 [Rule docs: no-hardcoded-credentials](https://github.com/ofri-peretz/eslint/blob/main/packages/eslint-plugin-secure-coding/docs/rules/no-hardcoded-credentials.md)
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**The Interlace ESLint Ecosystem**
Interlace is a high-fidelity suite of static code analyzers designed to automate security, performance, and reliability for the modern Node.js stack. With over 330 rules across 18 specialized plugins, it provides 100% coverage for OWASP Top 10, LLM Security, and Database Hardening.
[Explore the full Documentation](https://eslint.interlace.tools)
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© 2026 Ofri Peretz. All rights reserved.
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**Build Securely.**
I'm Ofri Peretz, a Security Engineering Leader and the architect of the Interlace Ecosystem. I build static analysis standards that automate security and performance for Node.js fleets at scale.
[ofriperetz.dev](https://ofriperetz.dev) | [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/ofri-peretz) | [GitHub](https://github.com/ofri-peretz)