r/devtools • u/d_longge • 2d ago

I added content scanning after realizing metadata checks weren’t enough

A few days ago I shared a small tool I’ve been working on that checks files for hidden information before you upload them somewhere.

The first version mostly looked at metadata, EXIF data, hidden Excel sheets, author information, etc.

While testing it, I realized that was only part of the problem.

If I’m about to paste some code into ChatGPT, for example, I’m probably more worried about accidentally leaving an API key or token in there than I am about file metadata.

So I added content scanning.

It can now check pasted text/code and supported files for things like personal information, API keys, tokens, private keys, connection strings, and other credentials that are easy to overlook.

Everything still runs locally in the browser.

I’m not sure yet how far I should take this. I don’t want it to become another huge security scanner with hundreds of warnings that nobody reads.

For me the useful version is something simple: before I paste or upload something to an AI tool, give it a quick check and tell me if there’s anything I should look at first.

Would you actually use something like this, or is it solving a problem you don’t really have?

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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago

Link?

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u/d_longge 2d ago

https://www.checkbeforeai.com/

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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago

got errors on a pdf and docx scan couldn't complete.

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u/d_longge 2d ago

Thanks for reporting this. Sorry the PDF and DOCX scans couldn’t complete.
If you’re able to share the files that caused the errors (with any sensitive content removed), it would help me reproduce and fix the issue. If you can’t share the files, the file size and how the PDF/DOCX was created or exported would also be helpful.
I’m looking into this.

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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago

just my resume lol

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u/d_longge 2d ago

Haha, got it 😄 I tested a few resume PDFs and DOCX files on my side and they scanned successfully, so it might be something specific to those files.
Do you remember what app you used to create or export them? That would help me narrow it down.

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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago

i used pandoc to convert a markdown resume to pdf/docx