API credentials hygiene: env vars, rotation, least privilege, auditability

PURPOSE

Audits and hardens API credential handling (env vars, separation, rotation plan, least privilege, auditability).

WHEN TO USE

• TRIGGERS:
• Harden the credentials setup for this integration and move secrets into env vars.
• Design a key rotation plan for these APIs with minimal downtime.
• Audit this service for least-privilege access and document what each key can do.
• Create an environment variable map and a secure .env template for this project.
• Set up credential separation for dev versus prod with clear audit trails.
• DO NOT USE WHEN…
• You want to obtain keys without authorization or bypass security controls.
• You need legal/compliance sign-off (this outputs technical documentation, not legal advice).

INPUTS

• REQUIRED:
• List of integrations/APIs and where credentials are currently stored/used.
• Deployment context (local dev, server, container, n8n, etc.).
• OPTIONAL:
• Current config files/redacted snippets (.env, compose, systemd, n8n creds list).
• Org rules (rotation intervals, secret manager preference).
• EXAMPLES:
• “Keys are hard-coded in a Node script and an n8n HTTP Request node.”
• “We have dev and prod n8n instances and need separation.”

OUTPUTS

• Credential map (service → env vars → scopes/permissions → owner → rotation cadence).
• Rotation runbook (steps + rollback).
• Least-privilege checklist and audit log plan.
• Optional: .env template (placeholders only).

Success = no secrets committed or embedded, permissions minimized, rotation steps documented, and auditability defined.

WORKFLOW

1. Inventory credentials:

• where stored, where used, and who owns them.

1. Define separation:

• dev vs prod; human vs service accounts; per-integration boundaries.

1. Move secrets to env vars / secret manager references:

• create an env var map and update config plan (no raw keys in code/workflows).

1. Least privilege:

• for each API, enumerate required actions and reduce scopes/roles accordingly.

1. Rotation plan:

• dual-key overlap if supported; steps to rotate with minimal downtime; rollback.

1. Auditability:

• define what events are logged (auth failures, token refresh, key use where available).

1. STOP AND ASK THE USER if:

• required operations are unknown,
• secret injection method is unclear,
• rotation cadence/owners are unspecified.

OUTPUT FORMAT

Credential map template:

CREDENTIAL MAP
- Integration: <name>
  - Env vars:
    - <VAR_NAME>: <purpose> (secret/non-secret)
  - Permissions/scopes: <list>
  - Used by: <service/workflow>
  - Storage: <secret manager/env var>
  - Rotation: <cadence> | <owner> | <procedure>
  - Audit: <what is logged and where>

If providing a template, output assets/dotenv-template.example with placeholders only.

SAFETY & EDGE CASES

• Never output real secrets, tokens, or private keys. Use placeholders.
• Read-only by default; propose changes as a plan unless explicitly asked to modify files.
• Avoid over-broad scopes/roles unless justified by a documented requirement.

EXAMPLES

• Input: “n8n HTTP nodes contain API keys.”

Output: Env var map + plan to move to n8n credentials/env vars + rotation runbook.

• Input: “Need dev vs prod separation.”

Output: Two env maps + naming scheme + access boundary checklist.