varlock SKILL.md skillC
varlock from smith-horn/skillsmith is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add smith-horn/skillsmith/varlock@v1.0.0Pins v1.0.0 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- C, 15 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- smith-horn/skillsmith
- Path
packages/mcp-server/src/assets/skills/varlock/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 2
- Latest version
- v1.0.0, committed Sep 2, 2026
- First version recorded
- Jul 8, 2026
- Size
- 13,040 bytes
- Repository stars
- 77
- License
- a license file GitHub does not identify
Secure environment variable management with Varlock. Use when handling secrets, API keys, credentials, or any sensitive configuration. Ensures secrets are never exposed in terminals, logs, traces, or Claude's context. Trigger phrases include "environment variables", "secrets", ".env", "API key", "credentials", "sensitive", "Varlock".
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Varlock Security Skill
Secure-by-default environment variable management for Claude Code sessions.
> **Repository**: https://github.com/dmno-dev/varlock
> **Documentation**: https://varlock.dev
## Core Principle: Secrets Never Exposed
When working with Claude, secrets must NEVER appear in:
- Terminal output
- Claude's input/output context
- Log files or traces
- Git commits or diffs
- Error messages
This skill ensures all sensitive data is properly protected.
---
## CRITICAL: Security Rules for Claude
### Rule 1: Never Echo Secrets
```bash
# ❌ NEVER DO THIS - exposes secret to Claude's context
echo $CLERK_SECRET_KEY
cat .env | grep SECRET
printenv | grep API
grep SECRET .env
head .env
tail .env
sed -n '1,5p' .env
awk '{print}' .env
strings .env
python3 -c "print(open('.env').read())"
docker exec <container> cat /app/.env # a bind-mounted repo root reaches the identical file
# ✅ DO THIS - validates without exposing
varlock load --quiet && echo "✓ Secrets validated"
```
### Rule 2: Never Read .env Directly
```bash
# ❌ NEVER DO THIS - exposes all secrets
cat .env
less .env
head .env
tail .env
sed .env
awk '{print}' .env
grep <pattern> .env
strings .env
…Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add smith-horn/skillsmith/varlock@sha256:2d9448e5aff4b0e6The line at the top of this page pins the label v1.0.0, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_ct4darwervtn7h4t)
4 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 2 versions of this file, between Jul 8, 2026 and Sep 2, 2026, about one every 55 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0.0 latest | 2026-09-02 | 508fc29 | 13,040 B | C | view · diff |
| v1.0.0 | 2026-07-08 | 4c6708b | 9,589 B | C | view |
Audit of the latest version
- fail: No curl or wget piped into a shell (matched: curl -sSfL https://varlock.dev/install.sh | sh)
- fail: No instruction to read or print local credentials (matched: cat .env)
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (13040 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Starting a new one? Use a template for SKILL.md on mdpantry, which passes every one of these checks and says what to change in it.
Source
smith-horn/skillsmith · 77 stars · license a license file GitHub does not identify · pushed 2026-11-05 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_ct4darwervtn7h4t GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=smith-horn/skillsmith/varlock GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/2d9448e5aff4b0e6d5fa65f28f0501dd1d9d2e5843c44bd324e23027735faea1
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.