Enabling secret scanning for your repository

You can configure how GitHub scans your repositories for leaked secrets and generates alerts.

Who can use this feature?

Secret scanning alerts for partners runs automatically on public repositories and public npm packages to notify service providers about leaked secrets on GitHub.

Secret scanning alerts for users are available for public repositories for free. Organizations using GitHub Enterprise Cloud with a license for GitHub Advanced Security can also enable secret scanning alerts for users on their private and internal repositories. For more information, see "About secret scanning alerts" and "About GitHub Advanced Security."

For information about how you can try GitHub Enterprise with GitHub Advanced Security for free, see "Setting up a trial of GitHub Enterprise Cloud" and "Setting up a trial of GitHub Advanced Security" in the GitHub Enterprise Cloud documentation.

In this article

About enabling secret scanning alerts for users

Secret scanning alerts for users can be enabled on any free public repository that you own.

If you're an organization owner, you can enable secret scanning for multiple repositories at the same time using a security configuration. For more information, see "Securing your organization."

Enabling secret scanning alerts for users

  1. On GitHub, navigate to the main page of the repository.

  2. Under your repository name, click Settings. If you cannot see the "Settings" tab, select the dropdown menu, then click Settings.

    Screenshot of a repository header showing the tabs. The "Settings" tab is highlighted by a dark orange outline.

  3. In the "Security" section of the sidebar, click Code security and analysis.

  4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click Enable for secret scanning. If you see a Disable button, it means that secret scanning is already enabled for the repository.

    Screenshot of the "Secret scanning" section of the "Code security and analysis" page, with the "Enable" button highlighted in a dark orange outline.

A repository administrator can choose to disable secret scanning for a repository at any time. For more information, see "Managing security and analysis settings for your repository."

Next steps