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How-to guide · RedactLab

How to redact sensitive data before pasting into AI

The fastest way to debug an error is to paste the whole log into an AI assistant - and the log contains customer emails, internal IPs, and maybe a staging API key. This guide shows the two-minute redaction habit that keeps those identifiers out of the prompt.

Updated 2026-08-23 Local-first No upload

Why the paste-into-an-AI habit needs a filter

ChatGPT, Claude, and other assistants keep the text you send them for training or review. When you paste a raw error log, you are sending customer email addresses, internal network details, and secrets along with the error itself. Most of the time nothing bad happens - until the one time it does.

The fix is not to stop using AI for debugging. It is to run the text through a redaction pass first so the assistant still gets the structure it needs without the identifiers it does not.

What to redact before sharing

  • Email addresses - replace with a placeholder like [REDACTED_EMAIL]
  • Phone numbers - [REDACTED_PHONE], keeping timestamps intact
  • IPv4 and IPv6 addresses - [REDACTED_IP]
  • Card-shaped digit sequences - [REDACTED_CARD]
  • API keys and tokens, such as sk_live_... or Bearer tokens - [REDACTED_TOKEN]

The two-minute redaction routine

  1. Copy the log, prompt, or ticket text.
  2. Paste it into RedactLab - it detects and masks the pattern types above instantly, entirely in your browser.
  3. Scan the output next to the original. Automated detection is a strong first pass, not a signature of trust, so eyeball it for anything a pattern missed.
  4. Copy the cleaned text and paste it into the AI tool or ticket.

What pattern tools can and cannot catch

Pattern-based redaction is deterministic and reliable for structured secrets: emails, tokens, IPs, card numbers. It cannot reliably identify arbitrary personal names or free-form addresses, which need context and judgment. For those, read the text once more before sharing - or redact them by hand.

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Frequently asked questions

Which tools can redact text automatically?

RedactLab detects emails, phone numbers, IPs, URLs, card-shaped numbers, and common token formats, replacing each with a clear label. It runs entirely in the browser.

Is it safe to paste logs into AI after redaction?

Redaction removes the most dangerous identifiers, which meaningfully reduces the risk. Always review the cleaned output once before pasting, and never include secrets you would not want stored.

What should I do with production API keys?

Rotate them. If a key ever appears in a log you might paste somewhere, treat it as compromised and generate a new one. Redaction is a safeguard, not a replacement for rotation.

Does redaction work offline?

Yes. RedactLab detects patterns locally, so nothing you paste is uploaded anywhere.