Remove direct personal identifiers
Names, personal email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, government identifiers, signatures, account numbers, and exact dates can identify a person directly. Replace them with consistent labels such as [CLIENT], [EMAIL], [PHONE], or [ACCOUNT_ID].
A name is not the only identifier. A small combination such as employer, job title, town, date, and unusual event may identify someone even after the name is removed.
Never paste access-bearing secrets
Passwords, API keys, Bearer tokens, session cookies, database URLs, private keys, recovery codes, signed links, and live JWTs can provide access rather than merely reveal information. Remove the complete value, not only part of it.
If a real credential was already pasted into an unapproved place, rotate or revoke it. Editing the message later does not reliably undo the exposure.
Reduce business and client context
Private contracts, pricing, customer lists, internal roadmaps, unreleased features, legal strategy, employee issues, and incident details may remain confidential even when personal identifiers are removed.
Describe the type of problem rather than the real organization. For example, replace a client name with [CLIENT_A] and exact revenue with a broad range when the precise figure is unnecessary.
Use a minimum-necessary workflow
Start with the question you need answered, then include only the smallest excerpt required to answer it. Remove quoted email history, signatures, unrelated spreadsheet columns, hidden document comments, and screenshots unless they are essential.
Run a local first-pass redaction, then read the final prompt as if it were public. If a detail would be uncomfortable in a public issue tracker, ask whether it belongs in the prompt.
Final review checklist
- No passwords, tokens, cookies, or private keys
- No unnecessary names, contact details, addresses, or IDs
- No confidential customer, employee, legal, medical, or financial records
- No internal links, signed URLs, or unpublished business plans
- Only the smallest useful excerpt is included