CRITICAL - Detect if the Supabase service_role key is leaked in client-side code. This is a P0 severity issue.
Scanned 2/12/2026
Install via CLI
openskills install yoanbernabeu/supabase-pentest-skills---
name: supabase-extract-service-key
description: CRITICAL - Detect if the Supabase service_role key is leaked in client-side code. This is a P0 severity issue.
---
# Supabase Service Key Detection
> 🔴 **CRITICAL: PROGRESSIVE FILE UPDATES REQUIRED**
>
> You MUST write to context files **AS YOU GO**, not just at the end.
> - Write to `.sb-pentest-context.json` **IMMEDIATELY after each discovery**
> - Log to `.sb-pentest-audit.log` **BEFORE and AFTER each action**
> - **DO NOT** wait until the skill completes to update files
> - If the skill crashes or is interrupted, all prior findings must already be saved
>
> **This is not optional. Failure to write progressively is a critical error.**
This skill detects if the **service_role key** (admin key) is accidentally exposed in client-side code.
## When to Use This Skill
- As part of every security audit (this is critical)
- When reviewing code before production deployment
- After detecting Supabase usage to check for this common mistake
## Prerequisites
- Target application accessible
- Supabase detection completed (auto-invokes if needed)
## Why This Is Critical
The **service_role key** bypasses ALL Row Level Security (RLS) policies. If exposed:
| Impact | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| 🔴 Full DB Access | Read/write/delete all data in all tables |
| 🔴 Auth Bypass | Access all user data without authentication |
| 🔴 Storage Access | Read/write all files in all buckets |
| 🔴 User Impersonation | Generate tokens for any user |
**This is a P0 (Critical) finding that requires immediate action.**
## Service Key vs Anon Key
| Aspect | Anon Key | Service Key |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| Role claim | `"role": "anon"` | `"role": "service_role"` |
| RLS | ✅ Respects RLS | ❌ Bypasses RLS |
| Client-side | ✅ Expected | ❌ NEVER |
| Server-side | ✅ Can use | ✅ Should use |
## Detection Patterns
The skill searches for:
### 1. Key with service_role Claim
```javascript
// Decoded JWT payload contains:
{
"role": "service_role", // ❌ CRITICAL if in client code
"iss": "supabase",
"ref": "abc123def"
}
```
### 2. Variable Names
```javascript
// Common naming patterns
SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY
SUPABASE_ADMIN_KEY
SUPABASE_SECRET_KEY
SERVICE_ROLE_KEY
```
### 3. Accidental Exposure
```javascript
// Sometimes exposed alongside anon key
const keys = {
anon: 'eyJ...',
service: 'eyJ...' // ❌ Should not be here
}
```
## Usage
### Basic Check
```
Check for service key leak on https://myapp.example.com
```
### Deep Scan
```
Deep scan for service key exposure on https://myapp.example.com
```
## Output Format
### No Service Key Found (Good)
```
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
SERVICE KEY CHECK
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Status: ✅ No service_role key detected in client code
Scanned:
├── HTML source: Clean
├── JavaScript bundles: 5 files, 2.3MB analyzed
├── Inline scripts: 12 blocks checked
└── Source maps: Not exposed (good)
JWT Analysis:
└── 1 key found, confirmed role=anon (safe)
Result: PASS - No critical key exposure
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
```
### Service Key FOUND (Critical)
```
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
🔴 CRITICAL: SERVICE KEY EXPOSED
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Severity: P0 - CRITICAL
Status: ❌ service_role key found in client-side code!
⚠️ IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED ⚠️
Exposed Key:
eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJzdXBh
YmFzZSIsInJlZiI6ImFiYzEyM2RlZiIsInJvbGUiOiJzZXJ2aWNlX3
JvbGUiLCJpYXQiOjE2NDAwMDAwMDAsImV4cCI6MTk1NTM2MDAwMH0
.xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Location:
└── /static/js/admin.chunk.js (line 89)
const SUPABASE_KEY = 'eyJhbG...' // Used in createClient()
Decoded Payload:
├── role: service_role ← CRITICAL
├── ref: abc123def
└── exp: 2031-12-20
Impact Assessment:
├── 🔴 Full database access possible
├── 🔴 All RLS policies bypassed
├── 🔴 All user data exposed
└── 🔴 All storage buckets accessible
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
IMMEDIATE REMEDIATION STEPS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
1. ROTATE THE KEY NOW
→ Supabase Dashboard > Settings > API > Regenerate service_role key
2. REMOVE FROM CLIENT CODE
→ Delete the key from your source code
→ Redeploy your application
3. AUDIT FOR ABUSE
→ Check Supabase logs for unauthorized access
→ Review database for unexpected changes
4. USE EDGE FUNCTIONS
→ Move privileged operations to Edge Functions
→ Client calls Edge Function, which uses service key server-side
Documentation:
→ https://supabase.com/docs/guides/api/api-keys
→ https://supabase.com/docs/guides/functions
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
```
## Context Output
Saved to `.sb-pentest-context.json`:
```json
{
"findings": [
{
"id": "SERVICE_KEY_EXPOSED",
"severity": "P0",
"title": "Service Role Key Exposed in Client Code",
"description": "The service_role key was found in client-side JavaScript",
"location": {
"file": "/static/js/admin.chunk.js",
"line": 89
},
"evidence": {
"key_prefix": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiI...",
"role": "service_role",
"project_ref": "abc123def"
},
"remediation": {
"immediate": "Rotate key in Supabase Dashboard",
"long_term": "Move to Edge Functions",
"docs": "https://supabase.com/docs/guides/api/api-keys"
}
}
],
"supabase": {
"service_key_exposed": true,
"service_key_location": "/static/js/admin.chunk.js:89"
}
}
```
## Source Maps Check
The skill also checks for exposed source maps that might reveal keys:
```
Source Maps Analysis:
├── main.js.map: ❌ Exposed (may contain secrets)
├── vendor.js.map: ❌ Exposed
└── Recommendation: Disable source maps in production
To check source maps content:
→ Add .map to JS URLs: /static/js/main.js.map
```
## Common Causes
| Cause | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Wrong env variable | Use `NEXT_PUBLIC_` only for anon key |
| Copy-paste error | Double-check which key you're using |
| Debug code left in | Remove before production build |
| Misconfigured bundler | Ensure service key env vars are not included |
## Remediation Code Examples
### Before (Wrong)
```javascript
// ❌ WRONG - Service key in client
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL,
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY // ❌ NEVER DO THIS
)
```
### After (Correct)
```javascript
// ✅ CORRECT - Only anon key in client
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
const supabase = createClient(
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL,
process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY // ✅ Safe for client
)
// For privileged operations, call an Edge Function:
const { data } = await supabase.functions.invoke('admin-action', {
body: { action: 'delete-user', userId: '123' }
})
```
### Edge Function (Server-Side)
```typescript
// supabase/functions/admin-action/index.ts
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
Deno.serve(async (req) => {
// ✅ Service key only on server
const supabase = createClient(
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_URL'),
Deno.env.get('SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY') // ✅ Safe on server
)
// Perform privileged operation
// ...
})
```
## MANDATORY: Progressive Context File Updates
⚠️ **This skill MUST update tracking files PROGRESSIVELY during execution, NOT just at the end.**
### Critical Rule: Write As You Go
**DO NOT** batch all writes at the end. Instead:
1. **Before starting any action** → Log the action to `.sb-pentest-audit.log`
2. **After each discovery** → Immediately update `.sb-pentest-context.json`
3. **After each significant step** → Log completion to `.sb-pentest-audit.log`
This ensures that if the skill is interrupted, crashes, or times out, all findings up to that point are preserved.
### Required Actions (Progressive)
1. **Update `.sb-pentest-context.json`** with findings:
```json
{
"supabase": {
"service_key_exposed": true/false,
"service_key_location": "path:line"
},
"findings": [
{
"id": "SERVICE_KEY_EXPOSED",
"severity": "P0",
"title": "Service Role Key Exposed",
...
}
]
}
```
2. **Log to `.sb-pentest-audit.log`**:
```
[TIMESTAMP] [supabase-extract-service-key] [START] Checking for service key exposure
[TIMESTAMP] [supabase-extract-service-key] [CRITICAL] Service key EXPOSED at path:line
[TIMESTAMP] [supabase-extract-service-key] [CONTEXT_UPDATED] .sb-pentest-context.json updated
```
3. **If files don't exist**, create them before writing.
**FAILURE TO UPDATE CONTEXT FILES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE.**
## MANDATORY: Evidence Collection
📁 **Evidence Directory:** `.sb-pentest-evidence/02-extraction/service-key-exposure/`
### Evidence Files to Create (if service key found)
| File | Content |
|------|---------|
| `service-key-exposure/location.txt` | File path and line number |
| `service-key-exposure/decoded-payload.json` | Decoded JWT proving it's service_role |
| `service-key-exposure/code-snippet.txt` | Code context (redacted) |
### Evidence Format (P0 Finding)
```json
{
"evidence_id": "EXT-SVC-001",
"timestamp": "2025-01-31T10:10:00Z",
"category": "extraction",
"type": "service_key_exposure",
"severity": "P0",
"finding_id": "P0-001",
"key_data": {
"key_prefix": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiI...",
"key_suffix": "...xxxx",
"role": "service_role"
},
"decoded_payload": {
"iss": "supabase",
"ref": "abc123def",
"role": "service_role",
"iat": "2021-12-20T00:00:00Z",
"exp": "2031-12-20T00:00:00Z"
},
"location": {
"file": "/static/js/admin.chunk.js",
"line": 89,
"context": "const SUPABASE_KEY = 'eyJhbG...' // [REDACTED]"
},
"impact": {
"rls_bypass": true,
"full_db_access": true,
"auth_users_access": true,
"storage_access": true
},
"curl_command": "curl -X GET 'https://abc123def.supabase.co/rest/v1/users' -H 'apikey: [SERVICE_KEY]' -H 'Authorization: Bearer [SERVICE_KEY]'"
}
```
### Add to timeline.md (P0)
```markdown
## [TIMESTAMP] - 🔴 P0 CRITICAL: Service Role Key Exposed
- Service role key found in client-side code
- Location: [file]:[line]
- Impact: Full database access, RLS bypass
- Evidence: `02-extraction/service-key-exposure/`
- **IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED**
```
## Related Skills
- `supabase-extract-anon-key` — Extract the (expected) anon key
- `supabase-audit-tables-read` — Test what data is accessible
- `supabase-report` — Generate full report including this finding
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