This repository is designed to be safe for public sharing. Follow these guidelines to ensure no sensitive information is exposed.

The following files are automatically ignored by .gitignore:

• config.sh - Contains your specific paths and settings
  • Use config.template.sh as a template
  • Never commit your actual config.sh

• com.<username>.*.plist - Contains your username and absolute paths
  • Templates are OK: com.example.*.plist
  • Actual configured files should stay local

• SESSION_SUMMARY.md - May contain usernames, paths, timestamps
  • This file is generated per session
  • Reference the templates instead

• .claude/settings.local.json - Contains user-specific paths and permissions
  • Shared Claude configs are OK: .claude/claude.json, .claude/commands/*

• logs/ directory - Contains backup logs with timestamps
• *.log files - May contain file paths and commit messages
• .DS_Store - macOS metadata files

✅ Template Files

• config.template.sh
• com.example.backup-obsidian.template.plist
• com.example.backup-personal-docs.template.plist

✅ Scripts

• All .sh files (they use template/variable paths)
• lib/backup-functions.sh

✅ Documentation

• README.md
• SETUP_GUIDE.md
• TESTING_CHECKLIST.md
• Other .md files (except SESSION_SUMMARY.md)

✅ Shared Claude Configs

• .claude/claude.json
• .claude/commands/*.md

✅ IDE Settings (if generic)

• .vscode/settings.json (color themes, etc.)

Run this before every commit:

# 1. Check git status
git status
# 2. Verify no sensitive files are staged
git diff --cached --name-only | grep -E "config.sh|com\.[^e].*\.plist|SESSION_SUMMARY|settings.local"# Should return nothing# 3. Check for hardcoded credentials
git diff --cached | grep -iE "password|api_key|secret|token"| grep -v "example"# Should return nothing# 4. Check for email addresses
git diff --cached | grep "@"| grep -v "example.com"# Should only show safe examples# 5. Check for absolute paths with usernames
git diff --cached | grep "/Users/"| grep -v "YOUR_USERNAME\|yourusername\|username"# Should return nothing

# Remove the file from the last commit
git reset HEAD~1
# Or amend the commit
git commit --amend

# Remove file from git history entirely
git filter-branch --force --index-filter \
"git rm --cached --ignore-unmatch path/to/sensitive/file" \
--prune-empty --tag-name-filter cat -- --all
# Force push (⚠️ DANGEROUS - notifies all collaborators)
git push origin --force --all

Better approach: Use GitHub's support to purge the file:

• Go to Settings > Support
• Request sensitive data removal
• GitHub will help clean the history

1. Update .gitignore to prevent future commits
2. Rotate any exposed credentials
3. Update remote repository URLs if needed
4. Notify collaborators if this was a shared repo

• Usernames - Use placeholders like YOUR_USERNAME
• Email addresses - Use your-email@example.com
• Absolute paths - Use $HOME or /path/to/directory
• Repository URLs - Use examples like https://github.com/yourusername/repo.git
• API keys or tokens - Never, ever
• Passwords - Obviously
• Private git repository URLs - Shows repo names and organization

• Generic examples - "your-email@example.com"
• Template paths - "/path/to/backup-scripts"
• Variable references - "$HOME", "$USER"
• Public examples - GitHub repository structure

Your .gitignore should include:

# User-specific configurationconfig.sh# User-specific launchd plist filescom.*.plist!com.example.*.plist # Allowtemplates# Session-specific documentationSESSION_SUMMARY.md# Claude Code settings.claude/settings.local.json# Log fileslogs/
*.log*.log.*# macOS.DS_Store# Backup files*.bak*~# Temporary files*.tmp*.swp

Run these commands periodically:

# Find all tracked files
git ls-files
# Search for potential secrets
git grep -iE "password|api_key|secret|token" -- ':!SECURITY.md'# Find email addresses
git grep "@" -- ':!*.md'':!*.template.*'# Find absolute paths with usernames
git grep -E "/Users/[^/]+" -- ':!SECURITY.md'':!*.md'

On GitHub, configure:

1. Branch Protection

   • Require pull request reviews
   • Enable status checks

2. Security Alerts

   • Enable Dependabot alerts
   • Enable secret scanning (GitHub Advanced Security)

3. Collaborators

   • Review who has write access
   • Use teams for organization

If you're unsure whether something is safe to commit:

1. Check this SECURITY.md file
2. Review .gitignore
3. When in doubt, leave it out!

Remember: It's easier to add a file later than to remove it from git history.