A Snyk API token authenticates the Snyk command line, the API and CI integrations as the user or service account that owns it. The holder can read vulnerability reports for your projects, list the repositories you scan, change organization settings and in some setups import or delete projects. Vulnerability data is a map of where your code is weak, and Snyk integrations often hold access to your source hosting. Replace the token first, then check scope.
Check your GitHub account for leaked secrets — free
- Provider
- Snyk
- Severity
- Critical
- Impact
- Source code and build access
- Checked live by LeakWatch
- No
What a Snyk API token looks like
A Snyk token is a UUID: 32 hexadecimal characters in five groups separated by dashes.
…XXXX-…-…-…-…XXXX Snyk API token (masked UUID, 8-4-4-4-12 hex characters)
A UUID says nothing about its owner, and plenty of identifiers share the form, such as database IDs and request IDs. So the meaning comes from the label: SNYK_TOKEN, snyk_api_token, an Authorization: token … header on a call to api.snyk.io, or the snyk auth command. Do not confuse it with a Snyk organization ID, which is also a UUID but is not a secret.
How Snyk API tokens get leaked
- CI workflows.
SNYK_TOKENhardcoded in a pipeline file rather than stored as a secret. - Environment files. A
.envfile used for local scans committed with the project. - Config files. A copy of the CLI configuration from a home directory, committed with a dotfiles repository.
- Docker images. A token passed as a build argument or environment variable in a scanning image.
- Pasted help requests. A token shown in an issue or a chat to explain a failing scan.
What to do in the first hour
- Locate the token. In Snyk, open your account settings and the general section, where the personal auth token is shown. Service account tokens are managed from the group or organization settings.
- Regenerate or replace it. For a personal token, use the option to revoke and regenerate it. For automation, create a service account with a narrow role and a new token for it.
- Update your pipelines with the new value and confirm a scan still runs.
- Make sure the old token is dead. Test that a call with the old value now fails. For a service account token, delete the old one in the organization settings.
- Review access. Check which organizations the owner belongs to, which projects exist, and the audit log for imports, deletions, changed integrations and new members.
- Rotate integration credentials. If the organization stores access to your source hosting or container registries, review those integrations and rotate the credentials they use.
- Look at the rest of the repository. See I accidentally pushed an API key to GitHub.
Not sure what else leaked from the same repository? Run a free scan.
Revoke it at Snyk
For a personal token, sign in to Snyk, open your account settings and look in the general section for the authentication token; Snyk’s documentation describes regenerating it, which makes the previous value stop working. Service account tokens are managed in the group or organization settings, where you can delete an account or rotate its token. The interface can change, and some actions depend on your role, so if the labels differ from this guide, look for the section where tokens are shown or created. Ask an organization admin if you cannot see it.
How LeakWatch detects it
The rule is called Snyk API Token. It is contextual: a label such as snyk_token, snyk.key or SNYK_API_TOKEN must appear before an assignment sign, followed by a UUID in lowercase hexadecimal. A UUID without that label is not reported, so a token pasted bare will be missed. The severity is critical. This type is not checked live: LeakWatch does not test the value against Snyk, so a finding means a matching string was seen, not that the token is valid.
LeakWatch detects this format but does not check it live: it can tell you the key is exposed, not whether it still works. Assume it does until you have revoked it.
FAQ
Is a Snyk token the same as my organization ID?
No. The organization ID is a UUID too, but it only names the organization and is not a credential. The token proves who you are.
Can someone read my vulnerability reports with this token?
Yes, within the owner’s access. That includes the projects and issues of the organizations the user belongs to. Review the audit log, and treat the reports as exposed.
Should I use a personal token in CI?
Preferably a service account. A token tied to a person disappears when they leave and carries all their access, while a service account can be limited.