Why Cursor apps leak secrets
Cursor is fast at turning a prompt into working code, and that speed is exactly where secrets slip in. When the model writes a quick integration, it often drops a real API key straight into a source file to make the example run, and that file gets committed before anyone notices. A key that lives in your Git history is exposed even after you delete it from the latest commit, because the old commit is still public.
A scan that only looks at your deployed site cannot see this. The running app hides server files, and a leaked key in a config file or an old commit never appears in the browser. ShipSafeScan reads the repository source instead, so it can flag a secret that is invisible on the live URL but still sitting in your public code.
The goal is not to slow down your build. It is to give you a single reproducible score and a short issue list so you know what to fix before you share the repo or deploy it. The same commit always produces the same result, so you can re-scan after a fix and confirm it is gone.
Common Cursor security mistakes
Real API keys pasted into source
Cursor often inlines a working key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Stripe, and others) so a snippet runs immediately. Move it to an environment variable and rotate the exposed one.
Committed .env files
A .env with live credentials gets added to the repo when .gitignore is missing or incomplete. It stays in Git history even after deletion, so rotation is the real fix.
Secrets in client-side code
Keys placed in a component that ships to the browser are readable by anyone. Server-only secrets must never reach the client bundle.
Source scan vs live-site scan
Some checks only look at your deployed site. That view misses two things that matter for a Cursor project: files that never render in the browser, and your Git history. A secret can be gone from your live app and still sit in an old commit in a public repo. ShipSafeScan reads the repository source, so it can flag those cases and point you at the exact file and line.
Cursor security: frequently asked questions
How do I check if my Cursor app leaked an API key?
Paste your public GitHub repository URL into ShipSafeScan. It scans the source and Git history for hardcoded keys and secrets, masks anything it finds, and reports it with a score. If a key is flagged, rotate it and move it to an environment variable.
Does Cursor expose secrets by default?
Cursor does not intend to, but generated code frequently inlines real keys or writes them into files that get committed. The risk comes from committing those files to a public repo, which a source scan can detect.