github / github/copilot-cli

Undocumented `logs/security/.security-key` file created in every working directory on startup

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area:configuration area:sessions
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Description

# Description

Copilot CLI creates a `logs/security/.security-key` file in the current working directory as soon as a session starts. This happens in every directory, including a brand-new empty one, so it appears to be unconditional CLI startup behavior rather than something tied to a specific repo or project config.

I can't find this documented anywhere - not in the CLI config-directory reference, the command reference, or recent changelogs (checked back through v1.0.76). Filing this to understand what the file is for and whether it's expected to live in the project directory rather than `~/.copilot/`.

# Steps to reproduce

```bash
mkdir /tmp/test-copilot && cd /tmp/test-copilot && copilot
# exit the session
ls -la logs/security/
```

# Observed

```bash
harshit@Harshits-MacBook-Pro /tmp/test-copilot » ls -la logs/security
total 8
drwxr-xr-x@ 3 harshit wheel 96 Jul 31 10:52 .
drwxr-xr-x@ 3 harshit wheel 96 Jul 31 10:52 ..
-rw-------@ 1 harshit wheel 32 Jul 31 10:52 .security-key
```

The file contains 32 bytes of what appears to be binary/random data (confirmed via xxd), not human-readable text.

# Questions

1. What is this file used for (e.g., local encryption of session state, sandbox integrity verification, telemetry)?
2. Is it intentional that it's written under `/logs/security/` rather than under `~/.copilot/`? This means every project directory a user runs copilot in accumulates this file, which could easily get committed to version control if not gitignored.
3. Should this path be added to a default `.gitignore` suggestion, or documented in the config-directory reference alongside the other `~/.copilot/` contents?

# Environment

- Copilot CLI version: GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.77
- OS: macOS 26.4 (25E246)
- Install method: I don't remember, I have been using copilot for a while now. The only change that happened is I recently updated the version.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Run the provided mkdir, cd, copilot, and ls reproduction in an empty directory, then trace the CLI startup path that creates logs/security/.security-key. Read the CLI config-directory reference, command reference, and changelogs mentioned in the report. Done means the file's purpose and intended location are established, with the behavior corrected or documented together with any gitignore guidance.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
cli, documentation
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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