# Show HN: Hamza Mask secrets and PII before Claude Code or Codex sends them

> Source: <https://github.com/softcane/hamza>
> Published: 2026-07-28 21:35:54+00:00

*The name Hamza is inspired by the undercover operative in
*

*Dhurandhar*.

Hamza is a proxy for Claude Code and Codex. It masks detected secrets and approved types of personal data before sending prompts to Anthropic or OpenAI.

## hamza-claude-code-demo.mp4

An agent debugging an import job may read a CSV, an `.env`

file, and application
logs. That context can contain customer data and credentials. Hamza masks
detected values while leaving the rest of the prompt intact:

```
Before: patient=priya.fixture@example.com  key=AKIAABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP
After:  patient=<EMAIL_482191>             key=<SECRET_730044>
```

The same value gets the same placeholder within a request. This lets the model follow references without receiving the original value.

Existing security tools may not see the final request assembled by a coding agent.

| Control | What it sees | What it can miss |
|---|---|---|
| Git secret scanning | Committed files | A key read from `.env` but never committed |
| Endpoint DLP | Files, email, and removable storage | Data inside an allowed HTTPS request |
| Web security tools | Browser traffic | A CLI process calling an approved API |
| Code review | Source-code changes | Logs and files added to a prompt |

A developer may ask an agent to debug an import job without knowing which files the agent will read. Customer records or credentials can then leave the network inside a normal request to an approved AI service.

This creates work for security and compliance teams. They may need to rotate a credential, investigate which records left the network, or change the contract with the AI vendor. Hamza reduces that exposure by masking detected values before the request leaves.

Hamza does not replace access controls, retention rules, or legal agreements.

``` php
flowchart LR
    A["Claude Code or Codex"] --> B["Hamza proxy"]
    B --> C["Find secrets and personal data"]
    C --> D["Apply the configured action"]
    D -->|"mask"| E["Replace the detected value"]
    D -->|"allow"| F["Anthropic or OpenAI"]
    D -->|"block"| G["Stop the request"]
    E --> F
```

- Hamza inspects supported request bodies from Claude Code or Codex.
- It finds the text sent to the AI service.
- The secret scanner, registered-value detector, and Presidio inspect that text.
- Depending on the rule, Hamza records, masks, or blocks the finding.
- For masking rules, it replaces the detected value with a placeholder such as
`<SECRET_1>`

or`<EMAIL_1>`

.

Hamza also writes an audit record with the action, detector, and byte counts. The record contains no prompt text or matched values.

| Detector | Finds |
|---|---|
| Secret scanner | Cloud, source-control, package-registry, and SaaS credentials |
| Presidio | Email, phone, payment-card, IP, and other approved data types |

You can also register customer values that Hamza should recognize.

The full Presidio entity list and thresholds are in
[ detector/presidio/approved-profile.json](/softcane/hamza/blob/main/detector/presidio/approved-profile.json).

You need Docker Compose.

```
HAMZA_POSTURE=MASK docker compose up -d --build
```

The first start may take a minute while Presidio loads.

Set the Anthropic base URL:

```
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:10000
claude
```

Add the export to your shell profile if you want to keep it across sessions.
Claude Code also accepts `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`

in the `env`

section of
`settings.json`

.

Add this to `~/.codex/config.toml`

:

```
[model_providers.hamza]
name = "hamza"
base_url = "http://127.0.0.1:10000/backend-api/codex"
wire_api = "responses"
requires_openai_auth = true

[profiles.hamza]
model_provider = "hamza"
```

Then start Codex with the profile:

```
codex --profile hamza
```

| Address | Service |
|---|---|
`http://127.0.0.1:10000` |
Proxy used by Claude Code and Codex |
`http://127.0.0.1:3000` |
Grafana dashboard |
`http://127.0.0.1:8080/actuator/prometheus` |
Prometheus metrics |

Presidio runs inside the Docker network and has no host port.

To disable Presidio:

```
HAMZA_PRESIDIO_ENABLED=false \
  HAMZA_POSTURE=MASK \
  docker compose up -d --build --scale presidio=0
```

Hamza requires Java 25 and Maven 3.9.11.

```
mvn -B clean verify
docker build .
```

See [ CONTEXT.md](/softcane/hamza/blob/main/CONTEXT.md) for the domain model and

[for the complete test suite.](/softcane/hamza/blob/main/AGENTS.md)

`AGENTS.md`