> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vibelearn.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Private Tags

> Control what gets stored — wrap sensitive content in <private> tags

## Overview

Wrap any content in `<private>` tags to prevent it from being stored in the database or synced upstream.

```
Please review <private>my-api-key: sk-abc123</private> — is this config structure correct?
```

The `<private>` tags and everything between them are stripped **at the hook layer** before any data reaches the worker or SQLite database. VibeLearn never stores or syncs the private content.

## How It Works

Stripping happens in `src/utils/tag-stripping.ts`, called from the `UserPromptSubmit` hook:

```
User types prompt
      │
      ▼
UserPromptSubmit hook
      │
      ├─ stripPrivateTags(prompt)
      │    └─ regex removes <private>...</private> blocks
      │
      └─ sends sanitized prompt to worker
```

The original prompt (with private content) reaches the AI unchanged. Only the version stored by VibeLearn is sanitized.

## Use Cases

**API keys and credentials**

```
Set up auth with <private>STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_abc123</private>
```

**Sensitive business logic**

```
Build a pricing calculator for <private>our margin is 40% on all products</private>
```

**Personal information**

```
Write a test using <private>user: john@example.com, password: hunter2</private>
```

**Temporary debugging context**

```
The error is at line 47 — <private>full stack trace with internal paths</private>
```

## What Is Still Stored

Content **outside** `<private>` tags is captured normally:

* File paths you edited (basename only in upstream sync)
* File content from Write/Edit tools (up to 10KB per file)
* Bash command text and output

## Best Practices

* Use `<private>` for API keys, passwords, personal data, and internal business logic
* The tag content is completely removed — the sanitized prompt still makes sense to the AI
* Tags work in any prompt position: beginning, middle, or end
* Nested tags are not supported — one level only

## Verification

After a session, you can inspect what was stored:

```bash theme={null}
sqlite3 ~/.vibelearn/vibelearn.db \
  "SELECT content FROM observations ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 5;"
```

Private content will not appear in the results.