Zero Trust Local Manifesto visual concept.

Zero Trust Local Env Manifesto

A philosophy for CLI development that assumes breach, encrypts everything, and trusts nothing local, ensuring secrets never persist in plaintext on disk. 



> import zero_trust

The Zen of Zero Trust, by Davi Guides

If it's not encrypted, it's exposed.
If it's on disk, it's compromised.
If it's in memory, it's fleeting.
If it's persistent, it's vulnerable.
If it's not questioned, it's assumed unsafe.
Trust nothing. Verify everything.
Your machine is a battlefield, not a sanctuary.
Defense is built through discipline, not convenience.
Encryption is not optional. Awareness is not optional.
Ephemerality is safety. Paranoia is wisdom.
Build for failure. Assume breach. Guard the moment.
Because local is not secure. It never was.

Premise

Traditional software development workflows treat local machines as “safe”. Tokens, API keys, credentials, and secrets are often stored:

  • In plaintext .env files
  • In shell os.environ variables
  • In configuration files committed to repositories
  • In home directories without encryption

This is a critical failure of assumption.

A local machine is no safer than a production server exposed to the internet. A breach can happen via malware, supply chain attacks, browser vulnerabilities, or physical access.

Local environments must be treated with the same skepticism and rigor as external systems.

Core Beliefs

  • No trust by default: No file, process, or memory space is inherently secure.
  • No plaintext persistence: Secrets must never be stored unencrypted on disk.
  • Memory-only existence: Decryption should occur only transiently in RAM.
  • Encryption everywhere: Local secrets must be encrypted with a secure, local-only key.
  • Vault as a transport: Secrets stored in vaults should already be encrypted; the vault is not the sole protector.
  • User responsibility: Developers must be made aware when handling decrypted secrets.
  • Ephemeral workflows: Secrets exist only for the duration they are strictly needed.

Zero Trust Local Manifesto visual concept.

How to Apply Zero Trust Locally

Principle Practice
Encrypt secrets before storing them anywhere Use strong symmetric encryption (e.g., Fernet, AES)
Never save plaintext tokens or keys Avoid .env, config.json, or unprotected files
Decrypt only in memory when absolutely necessary No local caches, no temp files
Authenticate access to encrypted secrets Use vaults + biometric/device authentication
Treat your local machine as a breachable surface Don’t assume “only I have access”
Warn users about exposure points Always make explicit when secrets are shown

Why It Matters

  • Developers are often the weakest security link.
  • Local credentials often provide privileged access to production systems.
  • Breaches originating from compromised laptops are increasingly common.
  • Relying on “being careful” is not a security model. Designing for failure is.

KeySentinel: Built on Zero Trust

KeySentinel was created from these principles:

  • Two-Layer Encryption (local + vault)
  • No plaintext storage ever
  • Memory-only decrypted access
  • Immediate user warnings on sensitive operations

Using KeySentinel is an operationalization of Zero Trust Local.

Final Words

Assume breach. Encrypt everything. Trust nothing local.

Protect your secrets like they are the keys to your kingdom. Because they are.

Authored by Davi Luiz Guides
Part of the “Zero Trust Local Environment” series
Visit daviguides.github.io for more insights

Zero Trust Local Manifesto visual concept.