AI coding agents like Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and others store user-pasted secrets (API keys, database URLs, .env contents, cloud credentials) in local plaintext history files. These files are read repeatedly by the agents to provide context, causing secrets to remain accessible long after initial input. There is no indication that these history files are routinely scanned or audited for sensitive data leakage. The issue affects multiple AI coding agents and poses a risk of secret exposure on developer machines. A community-developed CLI tool, agentsweep, uses detection rules to scan and redact secrets from these history files safely.

The impact is the potential unintended exposure of sensitive secrets stored in plaintext on local developer machines. These secrets could be accessed by unauthorized users or malware if the local environment is compromised. The persistence of secrets in agent history files increases the risk of accidental leakage or misuse. However, there is no evidence of active exploitation in the wild at this time.

No official patches or vendor advisories are available for this issue. Organizations should audit their use of AI coding agents and assess whether secrets are being stored in plaintext history files. The open-source tool agentsweep can be used to scan and redact secrets from these files safely. Developers should avoid pasting sensitive secrets into AI coding agents or use environment variables and secure vaults instead. Regularly reviewing and cleaning local history files is recommended until official mitigations are provided.