Keeper Security VS Code Extension

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Prerequisites
• Setup
• Usage
• Extension Settings
• Troubleshooting
• Common Issues
• License

Overview

A comprehensive VS Code extension that integrates Keeper Security vault functionality directly into the development workflow. The extension provides secure secret management capabilities including saving, retrieving, generating, and running commands with secrets from Keeper Security vault.

The goal is to enable developers to manage secrets securely without leaving their development environment, while maintaining the highest security standards and providing seamless integration with existing Keeper Security infrastructure.

Features

• Secret Management: Save, retrieve, and generate secrets directly from VS Code using Keeper Security vault
• Secret Detection: Automatically detect potential secrets from configuration files using pattern recognition (API keys, passwords, tokens, JWT, AWS keys, Stripe keys, and more)
• Secure Execution: Run commands with secrets injected from Keeper vault
• Comprehensive Logging: Built-in logging system with debug mode support

Prerequisites

• Keeper Commander CLI: Must be installed and authenticated on your system
  • Download from Keeper Commander Installation Guide
  • Authenticate using Persistent login or Biometric login
• Keeper Security Account: Active subscription with vault access
• System Requirements:
  • VS Code: 1.99.0 or later

Setup

Install the extension

From the VS Code Marketplace: Search Keeper Security

Install Keeper Commander CLI

1. Follow the Keeper Commander Installation Guide
2. Ensure the CLI is accessible from your system PATH
3. Open terminal/command prompt and run keeper login
4. Enter your Keeper Security credentials
5. Verify installation with keeper --version

Authenticate with Keeper Commander CLI

1. Open terminal/command prompt
2. Run keeper login and enter your credentials
3. Authenticate using Persistent login or Biometric login

Verify Extension Access

1. Open VS Code Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Type Keeper Security to see all available commands

Usage

Available Commands

Once authenticated, you can access the following commands through the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

Command Details

Save Secrets in Keeper Vault

1. Using Command Palette

   Purpose: Save selected text as a secret in Keeper Security vault and replace it with a reference.

   Steps:

   1. Select text containing a secret (password, token, API key, ...etc)
   2. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
   3. Type Keeper Security: Save in Keeper Vault and select it
   4. Extension will authenticate with Keeper Security (if needed)
   5. Enter record / field name
   6. Extension creates new item in Keeper vault
   7. Selected text is replaced with secret reference (keeper://...)

Example:

// Before: Selected text
const apiKey = "sk-1234567890abcdef";

// After: Replaced with reference
const apiKey = "keeper://record-uid/field/openai";

2. Automatic Secret Detection

   Purpose: Automatically detect potential secrets in your code for easy identification and securing.

   Features:

   • Extension scans files for known secret patterns
   • Provides CodeLens for detected secrets
   • CodeLens shows Save in Keeper Security option
   • Click CodeLens and follow prompts to save detected secret
   • The secret reference will be automatically replaced with detected secret

   Supported File Types:

   • Environment Files: eg. .env, .env.*
   • Configuration Files: eg. config.json, docker-compose.yml

Retrieve Secrets from Keeper Vault

Purpose: Insert existing Keeper Security secrets into your code without exposing actual values.

Steps:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type Keeper Security: Get from Keeper Vault and select it
3. Extension shows list of available records
4. Select specific record and then field that you want to use
5. Extension inserts secret reference at cursor position

Reference Format: keeper://record-uid/field/item

Example:

// Cursor position before command
const databasePassword = |

// After selecting from vault
const databasePassword = keeper://record_id/field/password

Generate New Random Password

Purpose: Generate secure passwords and store them in Keeper Security vault.

Steps:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type Keeper Security: Generate Password and select it
3. Enter record / field name
4. Password reference is inserted at cursor position

Run Commands Securely

Purpose: Run commands with secrets injected from Keeper Security vault.

Steps:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type Keeper Security: Run Securely and select it
3. Enter command to run
4. Extension creates terminal with injected secrets and executes command

Choose Folder

Purpose: Specify the vault folder where secrets for this workspace will be stored.

Steps:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type Keeper Security: Choose Folder and select it
3. Extension displays available vault folders
4. Select desired folder for this workspace
5. Future Save in Keeper Security and Generate Password operations will use the selected folder to store secret

Open Logs

Purpose: View extension activity logs for debugging and monitoring.

Steps:

1. Open Command Palette
2. Type Keeper Security: Open Logs and select it
3. Extension opens output panel with detailed logs

Extension Settings

The extension provides configuration options:

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,)
2. Search for Keeper Security
3. Configure the following options:

Note: Debug mode requires reloading the extension to take effect.

Troubleshooting

Debug Mode

Enable debug logging to see detailed information about extension operations:

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, / Cmd+,)
2. Search for "Keeper Security"
3. Enable "Debug" option
4. Reload the extension (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")

Common Issues

1. Extension General Issues

Problem: Extension takes time to fetch secrets, shows loading continuously, fails to resolve keeper references, latest records not displaying from keeper vault, manual keeper commander CLI authentication changes, or other unexpected issue.

Solutions:

• Reload VS Code Window (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window")
• Ensure Keeper Commander CLI is authenticated
• Check internet connection and firewall settings
• Verify Keeper vault accessibility
• Clear extension cache if issues persist

2. Keeper Commander CLI Not Found

Problem: "Keeper Commander CLI is not installed" error

Solutions:

• Install Keeper Commander CLI following the installation guide
• Ensure CLI is accessible from your system PATH
• Verify installation with keeper --version in terminal

3. Authentication Failures

Problem: "Keeper Commander CLI is not authenticated" errors

Solutions:

• Open terminal and run keeper login
• Enter your Keeper Security credentials
• Ensure authentication is successful before using extension
• Remember that authentication is session-based

4. Commands Not Available

Problem: Keeper Security commands don't appear in Command Palette

Solution:

• Ensure Keeper Commander CLI is installed and authenticated
• Reload VS Code window if commands still don't appear
• Check the extension is properly installed and activated

5. Extension Not Loading

Problem: Extension fails to activate or shows errors

Solutions:

• Check VS Code version compatibility (requires 1.99.0 or later)
• Verify Node.js version (requires 18.0.0 or later)
• Check the Output panel for detailed error messages
• Try reinstalling the extension

7. Run Securely Command Issues

Problem: Commands don't have access to injected secrets

Solutions:

• Verify your .env file contains valid keeper:// references
• Ensure all referenced secrets exist in your vault
• Ensure other not required terminal deleted and Check that the latest terminal is created by the extension
• Verify the extension has permission to create terminals

8. Folder Selection Issues

Problem: Cannot select or change vault folders

Solutions:

• Ensure you have access to multiple folders in your vault
• Check that Keeper Commander CLI has proper permissions
• Verify folder structure in your vault
• Try refreshing the extension

License

This module is licensed under the MIT License.