Detection reference · Credentials and secrets · Updated 2026-11-03
npm access tokens (npm_)
An npm token in an .npmrc file or a CI log can publish packages as you. npm tokens have an exact length, which keeps false matches rare.
At a glance
| Reported as | API key or token |
|---|---|
| Category | Credentials and secrets |
| Severity | critical: direct account or system compromise, as with keys, passwords and tokens |
| Replaced with | [SECRET] |
| Where it runs | The same engine runs in the Chrome extension (free checks, on your device), in the web check and the Windows app (on Redaxa's server; the text is not stored) and in public repository checks. |
| Engine rule | scanner.ts, line 205 |
What it looks like
npm_ followed by exactly 36 letters or digits.
Example
You paste
//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=npm_RedaxaDocsSampleNotReal0RedaxaDocsSa
Redaxa returns
//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=[SECRET]
| Reported as | API key or token |
|---|---|
| Severity | critical: direct account or system compromise, as with keys, passwords and tokens |
| Replaced with | [SECRET] |
| Probable service | npm |
| Credential type | Access token |
| Evidence | npm-specific prefix; account, scopes and validity are not verified. |
| Recommended action | Revoke or rotate if genuine |
All values on this page are synthetic or published specimens; none is a working credential or a real person's data.
In a repository check
The same example, committed to a public repository and run through the free repository check:
.npmrc: API key or token, listed for review (severity critical). Credential pattern matched. Validity is not tested; review and rotate if genuine.- Same value in
tests/fixtures/.npmrc: Test or example value, counted but not listed. Real-looking keys in test files are still reported.
Values are always shown masked in repository reports. No key is ever tested against its provider.
What it does not flag
_authToken=npm_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx: not flagged. A body of x is a placeholder.old value npm_RedaxaDocsSampleNotReal0RedaxaDocsS: not flagged. One character short of the npm format: not a token.
If it already leaked
Revoke the token on npmjs.com (Access Tokens) or with npm token revoke, create a granular replacement, and check the packages you maintain for versions you did not publish.
What Redaxa adds to every finding of this kind: If genuine, revoke or rotate it at the issuing service, update the application, then remove the exposed value from code and review Git history. Deleting it from Git does not revoke access.
Official guidance: docs.npmjs.com.
Step by step: pasted a key into ChatGPT, or committed one to GitHub.
Check before you paste
The free Chrome extension runs this check inside ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity before a message is sent, on your device and with no daily limit. On the web you get 5 free prompt checks a day with no account.
Add the Chrome extensionTry a free web checkWorried it is already in your code? Check a public GitHub repository free (3 checks a day).
Related
- GitHub tokens
- GitLab personal access tokens
- OpenAI API keys
- Anthropic API keys
- Stripe keys and webhook secrets
- Supabase keys
- Slack tokens and webhook URLs
- Google API keys
- AWS access keys
- PyPI API tokens
- Hugging Face access tokens
- SendGrid API keys
- JSON Web Tokens (JWT)
- Bearer tokens
- Passwords in URLs
- Secrets in configuration values
- Passwords written in text
- Private keys (PEM)
- I pasted an API key into ChatGPT: what to do
- Stop API keys leaking into AI prompts
- Check a public GitHub repository for leaked API keys
- Free GitHub secret scanner
- Everything Redaxa detects
Sources
- Redaxa engine: scanner.ts line 205, credential-context.ts line 36 (npm). Every output on this page was produced by that code when the page was built.
- npm Docs: Revoking access tokens