PII Blocker VS Code Extension

A VS Code extension that detects and redacts sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in real-time. BLOCKS secrets from being accidentally sent to GitHub Copilot Chat before they leak to AI systems.

✨ Features

🚫 Copilot Chat Protection (WORKING)

• Clipboard Scanning: Detects secrets when you paste into Copilot Chat
• Selection Safety: Check selected text before copy-pasting
• Redact Option: Convert dangerous clipboard content to [REDACTED_TYPE] placeholders
• Real-time Warnings: Catches secrets before they're typed into chat
• Prevents accidental credential leaks to AI systems
• Zero false blocks - you control what you paste

Real-Time Detection in Files

• Detects multiple types of sensitive data:
  • 📧 Email addresses
  • 💳 Credit card numbers
  • 🆔 Aadhar numbers (Indian ID)
  • 🔐 AWS API keys
  • 🌐 IP addresses (IPv4)
  • 🆔 Social Security Numbers (SSN)
  • 💸 UPI IDs (UPI addresses)
  • 🔑 Database connection strings (MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
  • 🚨 High-entropy secrets (32-128 char strings)
  • 🏢 Proprietary markers (INTERNAL_ONLY, CONFIDENTIAL, etc.)

Visual Redaction

• Automatically masks sensitive text with black background
• Clear visual indicators in editor
• Non-intrusive editor decorations using VS Code's TextEditorDecorationType

GitHub Copilot Chat Integration

• Use @secure-scan chat participant in GitHub Copilot Chat
• Ask it to scan current file for PII leaks
• Get detailed reports on detected PII, line numbers, and recommendations
• Works seamlessly with Copilot Chat interface

Problem Panel Integration

• All detected PII appears in VS Code's Problems panel
• Quick navigation to sensitive areas
• Detailed diagnostic information for each finding

📦 Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "PII Blocker"
4. Click Install

Manual Installation (VSIX)

cd vscode-pii-blocker
npm install
npm run compile
code --install-extension pii-blocker-1.0.0.vsix

🚀 Usage

🚫 Blocking Secrets from Copilot Chat (CRITICAL FEATURE)

How it works:

1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Shift+I)
2. Start typing your message in the chat input
3. If secrets detected → RED WARNING appears immediately
4. Click "Redact Now" to sanitize the message
5. Message becomes safe → Send to Copilot

Example:

User types: "Hey, can you review this? Here's my API key: AKIA1234567890ABCDE"

Extension shows: 🚨 UNSAFE TO SEND: Detected awsKey in your message

User clicks: "Redact Now"

Message becomes: "Hey, can you review this? Here's my API key: [REDACTED_AWSKEY]"

Safe to send! ✅

Real-Time Detection

The extension automatically scans all open files. Sensitive data is highlighted with black boxes.

Using with Copilot Chat for File Scanning

@secure-scan Scan this file for any PII leaks

The participant will:

• ✅ Detect all sensitive data in your current file
• 📍 Show exact line numbers of findings
• 💡 Provide remediation recommendations

Manual Redaction

Use the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):

• PII Blocker: Redact Current File - Replace all detected PII with [REDACTED_TYPE] placeholders
• PII Blocker: Show Stats - View detection statistics
• PII Blocker: Open Settings - Configure extension behavior

⚙️ Configuration

Edit settings in VS Code (File → Preferences → Settings, search for "PII Blocker"):

{
    "piiBlocker.enableRedaction": true,
    "piiBlocker.redactionStyle": "black-background"
}

Configuration Options

📋 Detected Patterns

🏗️ Architecture

The extension consists of:

• extension.ts - Main activation logic, event listeners, command registration
• piiPatterns.ts - Regex patterns and PII detection algorithms
• dist/ - Compiled JavaScript (generated at build time)

How It Works

1. Activation: Extension starts on onStartupFinished and chat participant creation
2. Scanning: All open files are scanned for PII patterns using regex
3. Decoration: Sensitive matches are highlighted with visual decorations
4. Diagnostics: Findings are reported in the Problems panel
5. Chat Integration: Copilot Chat participant processes scanning requests

🛠️ Development

Setup

npm install
npm run compile      # Compile TypeScript
npm run watch       # Watch for changes
npm run lint        # Run ESLint

Testing

Press F5 to open a new VS Code window with the extension loaded (debug mode).

Debug Features

• Set breakpoints in TypeScript files
• Use Debug Console to inspect variables
• View extension output in Output panel

📝 License

MIT - See LICENSE file for details

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure code follows the project's style guidelines.

🐛 Known Limitations

• Regex patterns may produce false positives for legitimate number sequences
• Copilot Chat integration requires VS Code version 1.85.0 or later
• Chat participant feature requires GitHub Copilot extension

📞 Support

For issues and questions, please create an issue on the project repository.

Version: 1.0.0
Publisher: parthdev
License: MIT
Repository: https://github.com/yourusername/pii-blocker

• src/piiPatterns.ts - PII detection logic with regex patterns (extracted and shared from browser extension)
• src/extension.ts - Main VS Code integration, decorations, and Copilot Chat participant
• package.json - Extension metadata and VS Code configuration

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Watch TypeScript compilation
npm run watch

# Build for release
npm run compile

# Run tests
npm test

How It Works

1. Pattern Matching: Uses regex patterns from the original browser extension
2. Real-Time Scanning: Monitors text changes via VS Code's text change events
3. Visual Masking: Creates text editor decorations with black background/text
4. Copilot Integration: Registers as a chat participant for intelligent scanning

Security Notes

• ⚠️ Extension-Only: This extension only works within VS Code (not your browser)
• 🛡️ Local Processing: All data stays local - nothing is sent to external servers
• 🔒 No Persistence: Detection data is not logged or stored permanently

Limitations

• Regex patterns might have false positives/negatives
• Performance depends on file size
• Copilot Chat integration requires VS Code 1.85.0+
• Aadhar pattern is simplified (12-digit pattern)

Troubleshooting

Extension not detecting my PII?

• Check the file language mode (some modes might be skipped)
• Verify your data matches known PII patterns
• Try opening the Problems panel (View → Problems)

Copilot Chat participant not appearing?

• Ensure VS Code is 1.85.0 or later
• Reload VS Code window (Cmd+R / Ctrl+R)
• Check that Copilot Chat extension is installed

Performance issues?

• Close large files
• Disable redaction for specific file types in settings
• Check your system resources

Contributing

Issues and pull requests welcome! Please report:

• False positives/negatives in detection
• Missing PII patterns
• Performance problems

License

MIT

Disclaimer

This extension is designed to help prevent accidental data exposure. It is not a complete security solution. Always review your code before sharing sensitive information.

Remember: The best security is awareness. Always double-check before sharing code with LLMs or in public repositories. 🔒