Protection

A synced .env is plaintext on your disk. These four guards exist because that plaintext has more ways to escape than most people expect.

Commit guard#

Dual-layer protection against committing a .env:

1. Staging guard — VS Code warns when you stage a managed .env and offers to unstage it.
2. Pre-commit hook — a git hook that blocks the commit at the git level, so it also catches commits made outside the editor.

Both are on by default (envpilot.commitGuard.enabled, envpilot.commitGuard.autoInstallHook). Manage the hook by hand with Envpilot: Install Commit Guard Hook and Envpilot: Remove Commit Guard Hook.

Clipboard guard#

Copy and cut are blocked inside Envpilot-managed files, because "copy the whole .env into a chat window" is how most secrets actually travel.

Cmd+C / Cmd+X inside a protected file trigger an explanation instead of a copy. Secret files are always treated as strict read-only, because the dashboard and CLI are their write path.

Value cloaking#

envpilot.cloakValues (on by default) masks values in managed .env files with a fixed-length •••••• decoration. The mask is a constant width, so it does not leak the real value's length, and the file on disk is untouched — sync, diff, and saving all see the real text.

• Envpilot: Toggle Value Cloaking turns masking off or on.
• Envpilot: Reveal Values for 30 Seconds unmasks temporarily and re-masks itself.

Both the reveal command and the unmasking direction of the toggle are role-gated on the project.secrets.reveal capability. Re-masking is always allowed — someone who loses the capability while cloaking is off must still be able to hide values again.

Unauthorised-edit reversion#

Managed files are watched. Hand-editing a synced .env or a secret file triggers a warning and a revert to the server's version, restoring the file's own mode — a keystore goes back to 0600/0400, not to a .env's more permissive bits.

The write path is the dashboard, the CLI, or a request. Editing the file on disk is not a write path, and pretending otherwise would mean silent divergence between what you run and what your team ships.

Revocation cleanup#

When access is revoked, the extension deletes the synced files it wrote (envpilot.preventCopyOnRevoke, on by default). Combined with Security Hold, that turns "revoke this person" into "their disk is clean within seconds", not "their disk is clean at their next sign-in".

Limits#

• Guards apply to files Envpilot manages. A .env you created by hand is not tracked, and nothing about it is protected.
• The pre-commit hook is a local git hook — a fresh clone has no hook until the extension or envpilot sync installs one.
• Clipboard guard covers the editor's copy and cut. It cannot stop a screenshot, a terminal cat, or a file manager.
• None of this survives the file leaving your machine. If a secret is exposed, rotate it.

Next#

• Editor features
• Security