# Keyhole manual

> Help an assistant initiate a credential handoff: display a guide with Porthole, request names through Keyhole, and keep secret values out of the conversation. Includes Render and Neon MCP setup guides.

Keyhole 0.1.0 · previews labeled separately. Updated 24 October 2026. Install the released extension from the overview chapter; preview contracts are not included in 0.1.0.

Source access currently requires a repository invitation.

The released 0.1.0 supports manual entry into .env. Request links, inbox records and secret_status are an implemented, unreleased preview; consult the model reference before calling them. Harness-specific writers are not yet implemented. OAuth may avoid the need to copy a service token at all.

Each chapter includes its notes, release status, and source reference. The complete manual contains the same 8 chapters. Keep real credentials out of conversations, screenshots, copied settings, and documentation reports.

## Chapters

- [Start here](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/overview.md): Your assistant prepares the instructions and requests the setting. You supply the value outside the conversation.
- [Your first secret](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/first-secret.md): Walk through the command once, using a setting that cannot unlock anything.
- [For assistants](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/for-assistants.md): Exact commands for displaying a guide, registering a request and checking status, with their availability made explicit.
- [Render MCP](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/render-mcp.md): Choose browser authorization or an API key, then give the Render MCP server the access it needs.
- [Neon MCP](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/neon-mcp.md): Authorize the hosted MCP server, or choose an API key when your client needs one. A database connection string is a separate setting.
- [Assistant settings](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/assistant-settings.md): Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Grok Build have different environment and MCP configuration paths.
- [Protect the file](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/keeping-secrets-out-of-the-conversation.md): Choose the application running your assistant, then check its protections before adding a real key.
- [Troubleshooting](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/troubleshooting.md): Find the message or symptom, then check the next step without exposing the value.

## Complete manual

- [Full manual](https://jlumbroso.github.io/keyhole-docs/manual.md): All 8 chapters in one Markdown file.