A configuration file meant to store local command permissions on Anthropic’s Claude Code is exposing thousands of API keys, database credentials and other secrets, according to findings by GitGuardian.
The code security firm identified 31,088 distinct secrets in Claude Code’s “.claude/settings.local.json” files across 23,276 public GitHub repositories. Of those, 5343 were still valid when GitGuardian detected them. The exposed credentials include database connection strings, cloud provider tokens, SSH passwords, Google API keys, and AU service credentials.
“Monthly leaks in settings.local.json peaked at 12,535 occurrences in April 2026, then fell to 959 by October, and we do not yet know what changed,” GitGuardian researcher Guillaume Valadon said in a blog post.
