LocalVault

Zero-infrastructure secrets manager. Encrypted secrets stored locally, unlocked with a passphrase.

No servers. No cloud. No config files to leak. Just encrypted files on disk.

Part of InventList Tools — free, open-source developer utilities for indie builders.

Install

Homebrew (macOS)

brew install inventlist/tap/localvault

RubyGems

gem install localvault

Requires libsodium:

# macOS
brew install libsodium

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libsodium-dev

# Fedora
sudo dnf install libsodium-devel

Quick Start

# Create a vault (prompts for passphrase)
localvault init

# Store any sensitive values — API keys, tokens, credentials, database URLs
localvault set OPENAI_API_KEY "sk-proj-..."
localvault set STRIPE_SECRET_KEY "sk_live_..."
localvault set GITHUB_TOKEN "ghp_..."

# Retrieve a secret (pipeable)
localvault get OPENAI_API_KEY

# List all keys
localvault list

# Export as shell variables
localvault env
# => export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_..."
# => export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-proj-..."
# => export STRIPE_SECRET_KEY="sk_live_..."

# Run a command with secrets injected
localvault exec -- rails server
localvault exec -- node app.js

Commands

Command	Description
init [NAME]	Create a vault (prompts for passphrase with confirmation)
set KEY VALUE	Store a secret
get KEY	Retrieve a secret (raw value, pipeable)
list	List all keys
delete KEY	Remove a secret
env	Export all secrets as export KEY="value" lines
exec -- CMD	Run a command with all secrets as env vars
vaults	List all vaults
unlock	Output a session token for passphrase-free access
reset [NAME]	Destroy all secrets and reinitialize with a new passphrase
version	Print version

All vault commands accept --vault NAME (or -v NAME) to target a specific vault. Defaults to default.

Session Caching

Avoid typing your passphrase repeatedly:

# Unlock once per terminal session
eval $(localvault unlock)

# All subsequent commands skip the passphrase prompt
localvault get API_KEY
localvault list
localvault exec -- rails server

The session token is stored in LOCALVAULT_SESSION and contains the derived master key (base64-encoded). It lives only in your shell's memory and disappears when the terminal closes.

Multiple Vaults

Separate secrets by project, environment, or service — each vault has its own passphrase and encryption:

# Create separate vaults
localvault init production
localvault init staging
localvault init x          # all X / Twitter API credentials

# Use --vault to target a specific vault
localvault set API_KEY "sk-prod-xxx" --vault production
localvault set API_KEY "sk-staging-xxx" --vault staging

# Store multiple X accounts in one vault using handle-prefixed keys
localvault set MYHANDLE_API_KEY        "..." --vault x
localvault set MYHANDLE_API_SECRET     "..." --vault x
localvault set MYHANDLE_ACCESS_TOKEN   "..." --vault x
localvault set MYHANDLE_ACCESS_SECRET  "..." --vault x
localvault set MYHANDLE_BEARER_TOKEN   "..." --vault x

localvault set MYBRAND_API_KEY         "..." --vault x
localvault set MYBRAND_ACCESS_TOKEN    "..." --vault x

# List all vaults
localvault vaults
# => default (default)
# => production
# => staging
# => x

# Unlock a specific vault for a session
eval $(localvault unlock --vault x)
localvault exec --vault x -- ruby scripts/post.rb

Resetting a Vault

Forgot your passphrase? Use reset to destroy all secrets and start fresh with a new one:

localvault reset
# WARNING: This will permanently delete all secrets in vault 'default'.
# This cannot be undone.
# Type 'default' to confirm: default
# New passphrase:
# Confirm passphrase:
# Vault 'default' has been reset.

Works on named vaults too: localvault reset production. All secrets are gone — there is no recovery.

MCP Server (AI Agents)

LocalVault includes an MCP server so AI coding agents can read and manage secrets via the Model Context Protocol — without ever seeing your passphrase.

# Unlock your vault first
eval $(localvault unlock)

Then add to your MCP config (.mcp.json, .cursor/mcp.json, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "localvault": {
      "command": "localvault",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "LOCALVAULT_SESSION": "<your-session-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you've already run eval $(localvault unlock) in your terminal, the agent inherits the session automatically — no need to paste the token.

Available tools: get_secret, list_secrets, set_secret, delete_secret

See MCP Setup Guide for Claude Code and Cursor configuration details.

Security

Crypto Stack

Layer	Algorithm	Purpose
Key derivation	Argon2id (64 MB, 2 iterations)	Passphrase to master key
Encryption	XSalsa20-Poly1305	Authenticated encryption of secrets
Key exchange	X25519	Future: shared vaults

• Every encryption uses a random 24-byte nonce
• Authentication tag prevents tampering (Poly1305)
• Argon2id is memory-hard, resistant to GPU/ASIC attacks
• All crypto via libsodium (RbNaCl bindings)

Storage Layout

~/.localvault/

• Secrets are stored as a single encrypted JSON blob per vault
• Atomic writes (temp file + rename) prevent corruption
• Salt is stored in plaintext metadata (this is standard and safe)
• The master key is never written to disk

Development

git clone https://github.com/inventlist/localvault.git
cd localvault
bundle install
bundle exec rake test

Used by

Powers credentials management at InventList — where indie builders ship, share, and get discovered.

License

MIT