This document describes how we handle security-sensitive information for WatchTower AI and this repository.

We care about vulnerabilities that affect:

• The probe engine (FastAPI backend) when misconfiguration or code flaws could leak API keys, expose local diagnostics to unintended callers, or allow unauthorized control of probe behavior.
• The dashboard (Next.js frontend) when deployed with a public BACKEND_URL, including proxy routes that forward to the probe engine.
• Local data in backend/data/watchtower.db when issues stem from this application's code or documented deployment practices.
• Observability (Sentry) when events or traces could leak provider API keys or other secrets before redaction.

We do not provide a formal bug bounty program. Reports are handled best-effort.

Do not open a public GitHub issue with exploit details, payloads, or step-by-step instructions that put other users at risk.

Instead:

1. Contact the maintainer privately, using one of:

   • Email: kaichen0728@gmail.com, or
   • GitHub private security advisories for this repository (if enabled), or
   • A direct message to @kaiiiichen for non-sensitive coordination only (not for long exploit write-ups).

2. Include what component is affected (e.g. route path, env var, file), impact, and minimal reproduction steps where safe.

3. Allow reasonable time for triage before public disclosure. Coordinated disclosure is appreciated.

• Acknowledge receipt when possible.
• Investigate and patch or mitigate critical issues in production configuration or code when they fall within project control.
• Credit reporters in release notes or advisories if they want attribution (optional).

WatchTower AI is designed as a local developer tool: your provider API keys and probe history stay on your machine.

• Never commit backend/.env, frontend/.env.local, API keys, or backend/data/watchtower.db.
• If a secret was ever committed — even briefly — rotate it in the provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Sentry) and purge from git history if the repo was public.
• The backend redacts API keys from Sentry payloads (including Gemini ?key= query params). Report gaps in redaction through private channels.
• When deploying the backend publicly, restrict network access and set CORS_ORIGINS deliberately. The probe engine is not intended as an open multi-tenant service.

See also README.md — Configuration and CONTRIBUTING.md.

Reports may be declined or redirected when they concern:

• Third-party provider outages or API policy (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google) — use their official channels.
• Social engineering or account takeover of maintainer accounts outside this codebase.
• Theoretical issues without a plausible attack path against deployed configuration.
• Missing API keys showing a provider as unknown — this is expected behavior.

If you make a good-faith effort to avoid privacy violations, data destruction, or service disruption — and you report issues responsibly — we will not pursue legal action against you. Do not access data that is not yours, and do not perform destructive tests on production.

• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md — community behavior.
• CONTRIBUTING.md — how to submit code changes.
• README.md — architecture and API overview.