Is it safe to paste code into ChatGPT?

It depends on what's in the code. Logic, algorithms and general structure are safe to share. Hardcoded API keys, database passwords, JWT secrets, private keys and real customer data are not. Always sanitize code before pasting it into any AI assistant.

Does ChatGPT store the code I paste into it?

By default, ChatGPT may use conversations to improve its models unless you opt out in settings or use a paid plan with data controls. Even with opt-out enabled, the data is transmitted to OpenAI's servers. Credentials in code should be removed before sharing regardless of retention settings.

How do I remove secrets from code before sharing with AI?

Replace real values with placeholder strings like YOUR_API_KEY or REDACTED before pasting. For log files containing code output, use ResourceCentral's free Log Sanitizer to automatically detect and replace API keys, tokens and credentials.

AI Safety

How to Share Code With ChatGPT
Without Leaking Secrets

Developers leak API keys, database passwords and private tokens to AI assistants every day. Here's how to avoid it.

6 min read·Updated Feb 2026

Asking ChatGPT to review your code is one of the most useful things you can do as a developer. It's also one of the easiest ways to accidentally hand over your AWS credentials, database password or Stripe secret key to a third-party server. This guide covers exactly what's at risk and how to share code safely.

What Secrets Actually Hide in Code

Most developers know not to paste an obvious password = "abc123" into a chat window. The real risk is subtler — credentials that have been in your codebase so long you've stopped seeing them:

High risk Hardcoded API keys

OPENAI_API_KEY = "sk-proj-..." in a config file you copied from a colleague

High risk Database connection strings

postgresql://user:PASSWORD@prod-db.company.com/mydb

High risk .env file contents

Developers often paste whole files including the .env block at the top

Medium risk JWT signing secrets

SECRET_KEY = "my-super-secret-jwt-key" used to sign tokens

Medium risk Private keys and certificates

Partial PEM blocks that appear in error messages or debug output

Medium risk Real customer data in test code

Hardcoded test fixtures with real emails, IDs or payment data

Low risk Internal URLs and IPs

Internal service URLs that expose your infrastructure layout

Low risk Session tokens in comments

Debug comments like # token: eyJhbGc... left in while troubleshooting

What ChatGPT Does With What You Paste

When you paste code into ChatGPT, it's transmitted to OpenAI's servers over HTTPS. What happens next depends on your plan and settings:

Plan	Training use	How to opt out
Free	Yes, by default	Settings → Data Controls → turn off "Improve the model"
Plus	Opt-out available	Settings → Data Controls → turn off "Improve the model"
Team / Enterprise	Off by default	No action needed — not used for training

Even with training opt-out enabled, your code still travels to OpenAI's servers for processing. Opt-out controls whether it's used to train future models — it doesn't make the transmission disappear.

The 3-Step Safe Sharing Workflow

Scan for secrets before you copy

Before selecting any code to paste, visually scan for anything that looks like a key, password, token or connection string. Search your file for common patterns: SECRET, PASSWORD, TOKEN, KEY, sk-, ghp_, AKIA.

Replace with obvious placeholders

Swap real values with clearly fake ones. Use YOUR_API_KEY_HERE rather than deleting the variable — it preserves the code structure so ChatGPT understands the context without seeing the real value.

For logs and stack traces, use the sanitizer

If you're sharing error output or logs alongside code, run them through ResourceCentral's Log Sanitizer first. It automatically catches API keys, JWTs, emails and IPs that are easy to miss manually.

Safe vs Unsafe — Quick Examples

❌ Don't paste this

import openai
openai.api_key = "sk-proj-xK9mN..."

db = psycopg2.connect(
  "postgresql://admin:P@ssw0rd!@prod.db.io/users"
)

✅ Paste this instead

import openai
openai.api_key = "YOUR_OPENAI_KEY"

db = psycopg2.connect(
  "postgresql://user:PASSWORD@host/dbname"
)

Use Environment Variables — Don't Hardcode at All

The deeper fix is to never have secrets in your code in the first place. If credentials live in environment variables, you can safely paste the code without any sanitization step:

# Safe to paste — no secrets in the code at all
import os
import openai

openai.api_key = os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")
db_url = os.getenv("DATABASE_URL")

If ChatGPT needs to understand what the variable contains to help you debug, you can describe it in plain text: "the API key is a standard OpenAI key starting with sk-proj-".

The Fastest Tool for Log + Code Cleanup

If you're debugging an issue and need to share both code and its log output, the quickest workflow is to paste both into the Log Sanitizer together. It'll catch keys and tokens in both the code and the output in one pass.

Sanitize Before You Share — Free

Catches API keys, tokens, emails and IPs. Runs in your browser — nothing uploaded.

Open Log Sanitizer — Free →

FAQ

What if I accidentally already pasted an API key into ChatGPT? +

Rotate the key immediately — treat it as compromised. Most API providers (OpenAI, AWS, GitHub, Stripe) let you revoke and regenerate keys in their dashboard. Do it before anything else. Then delete the conversation from ChatGPT's history.

Is Claude or Gemini safer than ChatGPT for sharing code? +

All major AI assistants transmit your input to their servers for processing. The data retention and training policies differ between providers and plan tiers, but none of them are the right place for real credentials. The safe approach is the same regardless of which tool you use: sanitize first.

Can I use GitHub Copilot safely with secret-containing code? +

GitHub Copilot sends code context to Microsoft/OpenAI servers for completions. If your file contains hardcoded secrets, they can be included in that context. Use environment variables and a .env file excluded from your repo — then Copilot never sees the actual values.