# 04. Secrets and API keys policy

> **Template.** Part of the open-source [AI App Policy Kit](https://www.puglieseweb.com/ai-policy-kit), version 1.0. Replace everything in [square brackets], delete what does not apply, and have the person who runs the business approve it. A starting point, not legal advice.

| | |
|---|---|
| **Business** | [Business name] |
| **Document owner** | [Name and role] |
| **Approved by, and date** | [Name], [date] |
| **Next review** | [Date, at most 12 months on] |

## Why this matters

A secret is anything that lets software in: a password, an API key, a token, a private key. AI coding tools often paste keys straight into code, and code is shared, copied and published. A leaked AI key can also run up a large bill in hours.

## Who it covers

Everyone who writes, deploys or configures software for [Business name], and every tool that does so on their behalf.

## The rules

1. **No secrets in code.** Not in source files, not in comments, not in example files, not in the app that runs in a customer's browser or phone.
2. **Keep secrets in a secrets store.** Use [the cloud provider's secrets manager, or the hosting platform's encrypted environment settings]. The app reads them when it runs.
3. **Browser and mobile code holds no secret.** Anything shipped to a user's device can be read. Calls that need a key go through your own server.
4. **Scan for secrets.** Turn on secret scanning and push protection on the code host. A commit that contains a key is blocked before it lands.
5. **Different keys for different places.** Development, test and production each have their own keys. A developer's laptop never holds a production key.
6. **Narrow keys.** Give each key only the rights it needs, and restrict it by address or service where the supplier allows.
7. **Cap the spend.** Set a budget or usage limit and an alert on every AI and cloud key.
8. **Rotate.** Replace keys every [6 or 12] months, when someone with access leaves, and at once if a key may have leaked.
9. **A leaked key is an incident.** Revoke it first, then find out what it was used for (document 06). Deleting the commit is not enough: the key is in the history and may already be copied.
10. **Never paste secrets into AI tools, chats, tickets or email.** Share them through the password manager.

## Secrets register

Record that each secret exists and where it is kept. Never write the secret itself here.

| Secret (name only) | What it opens | Where it is stored | Who can read it | Spend limit | Last rotated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [AI supplier production key] | [AI model calls] | [Secrets manager] | [Names] | [£ per month] | [Date] |
| [Database password] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [n/a] | [ ] |
| [Payment provider key] | [ ] | [ ] | [ ] | [n/a] | [ ] |

## Checklist

- [ ] Secret scanning and push protection are on for every repository.
- [ ] The repository's history was scanned once for old secrets, and any found were revoked.
- [ ] No key is present in the browser or mobile app's code.
- [ ] Every AI and cloud key has a spend limit and an alert.
- [ ] Every secret in the register was rotated on schedule.

## References

- OWASP, *Secrets Management Cheat Sheet*.
- NCSC, *Secure development and deployment guidance*.

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AI App Policy Kit, version 1.0. © 2026 PuglieseWeb LTD, licensed under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): use it, change it and share it, with credit. The whole kit, and a free Software Health Check of your app against it: <https://www.puglieseweb.com/ai-policy-kit>