sanitize
// Detect and redact PII from text files. Supports 15 categories including credit cards, SSNs, emails, API keys, addresses, and more — with zero dependencies.
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updated:March 4, 2026
SKILL.mdreadonly
SKILL.md Frontmatter
namesanitize
descriptionDetect and redact PII from text files. Supports 15 categories including credit cards, SSNs, emails, API keys, addresses, and more — with zero dependencies.
version1.0.0
metadata[object Object]
AgentWard Sanitize
Detect and redact personally identifiable information (PII) from text files.
IMPORTANT — PII Safety Rules
- Do NOT read the input file directly. It may contain sensitive PII.
- ALWAYS use
--output FILEto write sanitized output to a file. - Only read the OUTPUT file, never the raw input.
- Only show the user the redacted output, never the raw input.
--jsonand--previeware safe — they do NOT print raw PII values to stdout.- The entity map (raw PII → placeholder mapping) is written to a separate sidecar file (
*.entity-map.json) only when--outputis used. Do NOT read the entity map file.
What it does
Scans files for PII — credit cards, SSNs, emails, phone numbers, API keys, IP addresses, mailing addresses, dates of birth, passport numbers, driver's license numbers, bank routing numbers, medical license numbers, and insurance member IDs — and replaces each instance with a numbered placeholder like [CREDIT_CARD_1].
Usage
Sanitize a file (RECOMMENDED — always use --output)
python scripts/sanitize.py patient-notes.txt --output clean.txt
Preview mode (detect PII categories/offsets without showing raw values)
python scripts/sanitize.py notes.md --preview
JSON output (safe — no raw PII in stdout)
python scripts/sanitize.py report.txt --json --output clean.txt
Filter to specific categories
python scripts/sanitize.py log.txt --categories ssn,credit_card,email --output clean.txt
Supported PII categories
See references/SUPPORTED_PII.md for the full list with detection methods and false positive mitigation.
| Category | Pattern type | Example |
|---|---|---|
credit_card | Luhn-validated 13-19 digits | 4111 1111 1111 1111 |
ssn | 3-2-4 digit groups | 123-45-6789 |
cvv | Keyword-anchored 3-4 digits | CVV: 123 |
expiry_date | Keyword-anchored MM/YY | expiry 01/30 |
api_key | Provider prefix patterns | sk-abc..., ghp_..., AKIA... |
email | Standard email format | user@example.com |
phone | US/intl phone numbers | +1 (555) 123-4567 |
ip_address | IPv4 addresses | 192.168.1.100 |
date_of_birth | Keyword-anchored dates | DOB: 03/15/1985 |
passport | Keyword-anchored alphanumeric | Passport: AB1234567 |
drivers_license | Keyword-anchored alphanumeric | DL: D12345678 |
bank_routing | Keyword-anchored 9 digits | routing: 021000021 |
address | Street + city/state/zip | 742 Evergreen Terrace Dr, Springfield, IL 62704 |
medical_license | Keyword-anchored license ID | License: CA-MD-8827341 |
insurance_id | Keyword-anchored member/policy ID | Member ID: BCB-2847193 |
Security and Privacy
- All processing is local. The script makes zero network calls. No data leaves your machine.
- Zero dependencies. Uses only Python standard library — no third-party packages to audit.
- PII never reaches stdout. The
--jsonand--previewmodes strip raw PII values from output. The entity map (containing raw PII to placeholder mappings) is only written to a sidecar file on disk when--outputis used. - Designed for agent safety. The skill instructions above tell the agent to never read the raw input file or the entity map file — only the sanitized output.
Requirements
- Python 3.11+
- No external dependencies (stdlib only)
About
Built by AgentWard — the open-source permission control plane for AI agents.