Keeper Security JetBrains Plugin

A comprehensive JetBrains IDE plugin that integrates Keeper Security vault functionality directly into your development workflow. The plugin provides secure secret management capabilities including saving, retrieving, generating, and running commands with secrets from Keeper Security vault.

The goal is to enable developers to manage secrets securely without leaving their development environment, while maintaining the highest security standards and providing seamless integration with existing Keeper Security infrastructure.

Supported IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, PhpStorm, RubyMine, CLion, GoLand, and all other JetBrains IDEs.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Prerequisites
• Setup
• Usage
  • Available Actions
  • Command Details
• Troubleshooting
• Common Issues
• License

Overview

A comprehensive JetBrains IDE plugin that integrates Keeper Security vault functionality directly into your development workflow. The plugin provides secure secret management capabilities including saving, retrieving, generating, and running commands with secrets from Keeper Security vault.

The goal is to enable developers to manage secrets securely without leaving their development environment, while maintaining the highest security standards and providing seamless integration with existing Keeper Security infrastructure.

Supported IDEs: IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, PhpStorm, RubyMine, CLion, GoLand, and all other JetBrains IDEs.

Features

• Secret Management: Save, retrieve, and generate secrets directly from JetBrains IDEs using Keeper Security vault
• Secure Execution: Run commands with secrets injected from Keeper vault through .env file processing
• Fast Performance: Uses persistent Keeper shell for blazing-fast secret operations
• Folder Management: Select and manage Keeper vault folders for organized secret storage
• Record Operations: Create new records, update existing ones, and retrieve field references
• Comprehensive Logging: Built-in logging system with detailed operation tracking
• Retry Logic: Robust error handling with automatic retry for shell startup timing

Prerequisites

• Keeper Commander CLI: Must be installed and authenticated on your system
  • Download from Keeper Commander Installation Guide
  • Authenticate using persistent login or biometric login
• Keeper Security Account: Active subscription with vault access
• System Requirements:
  • JetBrains IDE: 2021.1 or later
  • Java: 11 or later

Setup

1. Install the Plugin

• From JetBrains Marketplace: Search "Keeper Security" (when published)
• Or install manually from plugin file

2. Install Keeper Commander CLI

• Follow the Keeper Commander Installation Guide
• Ensure the CLI is accessible from your system PATH
• Open terminal/command prompt and run keeper login
• Enter your Keeper Security credentials
• Verify installation with keeper --version

3. Authenticate with Keeper Commander CLI

• Open terminal/command prompt
• Run keeper login and enter your credentials
• Authenticate using persistent login or biometric login
• Important: Wait for the "My Vault>" prompt to appear before using the plugin

4. Verify Plugin Access

• Open any JetBrains IDE
• Go to Tools → Keeper Vault → Check Keeper Authorization
• Verify the authentication status shows success

Usage

Available Actions

All Keeper actions are available through two locations:

1. Tools Menu: Tools → Keeper Vault → [Action]
2. Right-click Context Menu: Right-click in editor → [Action]

Action	Description	Use Case
Check Keeper Authorization	Verify Keeper CLI installation and authentication	Troubleshoot connection issues
Get Keeper Secret	Insert existing secrets from vault as references	Retrieve stored secrets without exposing values
Add Keeper Record	Create new vault record from selected text	Replace hardcoded secrets with vault references
Update Keeper Record	Update existing vault record and replace text	Modify existing secret values
Generate Keeper Secret	Generate secure passwords and store in vault	Create new secure credentials
Get Keeper Folder	Select vault folder for organized storage	Choose storage location for new records
Run Keeper Securely	Execute commands with injected secrets from .env	Run applications with vault credentials

Command Details

Check Keeper Authorization

Purpose: Verify that Keeper Commander CLI is properly installed and authenticated.

Steps:

1. Go to Tools → Keeper Vault → Check Keeper Authorization
2. Plugin verifies CLI installation and authentication status
3. Shows detailed status including biometric auth availability
4. Use this if other commands fail or for initial setup verification

Get Keeper Secret

Purpose: Insert existing Keeper Security secrets into your code without exposing actual values.

Steps:

1. Position cursor where you want to insert the secret reference
2. Right-click → Get Keeper Secret or Tools → Keeper Vault → Get Keeper Secret
3. Plugin shows list of available vault records
4. Select the specific record you want to use
5. Choose the field from that record
6. Plugin inserts secret reference at cursor position

Reference Format: keeper://record-uid/field/field-name

Example:

# Cursor position before command
database_password = |

# After selecting from vault  
database_password = keeper://abc123def456/field/password

Add Keeper Record

Purpose: Save selected text as a secret in Keeper Security vault and replace it with a reference.

Steps:

1. Select text containing a secret (password, token, API key, etc.)
2. Right-click → Add Keeper Record or Tools → Keeper Vault → Add Keeper Record
3. Enter record title when prompted
4. Enter field name for the secret
5. Plugin creates new vault record
6. Selected text is replaced with secret reference

Example:

// Before: Selected text
const apiKey = "sk-1234567890abcdef";

// After: Replaced with reference  
const apiKey = keeper://new-record-uid/field/api_key;

Update Keeper Record

Purpose: Update an existing Keeper record with new secret value and replace selected text with reference.

Steps:

1. Select text containing the updated secret value
2. Right-click → Update Keeper Record
3. Choose existing record from the list
4. Select field to update
5. Plugin updates the vault record
6. Selected text is replaced with reference

Generate Keeper Secret

Purpose: Generate secure passwords and store them in Keeper Security vault.

Steps:

1. Position cursor where you want the secret reference
2. Right-click → Generate Keeper Secret
3. Enter record title and field name
4. Plugin generates secure password and stores it in vault
5. Secret reference is inserted at cursor position

Example:

# Before
admin_password: |

# After  
admin_password: keeper://generated-record-uid/field/password

Get Keeper Folder

Purpose: Select the vault folder where new secrets will be stored for this project.

Steps:

1. Go to Tools → Keeper Vault → Get Keeper Folder
2. Plugin displays available vault folders
3. Select desired folder for this workspace
4. Future Add Keeper Record and Generate Keeper Secret operations will use this folder

Run Keeper Securely

Purpose: Run commands with secrets injected from Keeper Security vault through .env file processing.

Steps:

1. Ensure your project has a .env file with keeper:// references
2. Open any file in your project
3. Right-click → Run Keeper Securely
4. Select or confirm the .env file to use
5. Enter the command to run (e.g., python3 app.py)
6. Plugin fetches actual secret values from vault
7. Creates terminal with injected environment variables
8. Executes your command with real secret values

Example .env file:

DATABASE_URL=keeper://db-record-uid/field/connection_string
API_KEY=keeper://api-record-uid/field/key
SECRET_KEY=keeper://app-record-uid/field/secret

Command execution:

# Plugin runs your command with actual values injected
python3 app.py
# DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db
# API_KEY=ak_live_1234567890abcdef  
# SECRET_KEY=super-secret-key-value

Troubleshooting

Enable Debug Logging

If you encounter issues, enable detailed logging:

1. Go to Help → Diagnostic Tools → Debug Log Settings
2. Add: keepersecurity
3. Restart IDE
4. Check logs in Help → Show Log in Files

Common Issues

1. Plugin Commands Not Working

Problem: Actions fail with authentication or connection errors

Solutions:

• Run Tools → Keeper Vault → Check Keeper Authorization first
• Ensure Keeper Commander CLI is installed and in PATH
• Verify authentication with keeper login in terminal
• Wait for "My Vault>" prompt to appear after login
• Restart IDE if commands were working before

2. "No JSON array found in output" Error

Problem: Plugin fails to parse Keeper CLI output

Solutions:

• This is usually a timing issue with shell startup
• Plugin has built-in retry logic, wait for completion
• Check internet connection and firewall settings
• Verify Keeper vault accessibility
• Try the command again after a moment

3. Keeper Commander CLI Not Found

Problem: "Keeper Commander CLI is not installed" error

Solutions:

• Install Keeper Commander CLI following the installation guide
• Ensure CLI is accessible from your system PATH
• Verify installation with keeper --version in terminal
• Restart IDE after CLI installation

4. Authentication Failures

Problem: "Keeper Commander CLI is not authenticated" errors

Solutions:

• Open terminal and run keeper login
• Enter your Keeper Security credentials
• Wait for successful authentication and "My Vault>" prompt
• Ensure authentication persists between sessions
• Try biometric authentication if available

5. Empty Folder or Record Lists

Problem: No folders or records appear when trying to select them

Solutions:

• Verify you have access to folders/records in your vault
• Check that Keeper CLI has proper permissions
• Try refreshing by running the command again
• Ensure your Keeper account has the necessary access rights

6. Run Securely Command Issues

Problem: Commands don't have access to injected secrets or fail to execute

Solutions:

• Verify your .env file contains valid keeper:// references
• Ensure all referenced secrets exist in your vault
• Check that plugin created the terminal correctly
• Verify the command syntax is correct for your system
• Ensure no other terminals are interfering with environment variables

7. Plugin Performance Issues

Problem: Commands are slow or hang

Solutions:

• Plugin uses persistent shell for speed after first use
• First command may take longer (shell startup)
• Subsequent commands should be much faster
• Check internet connection stability
• Verify Keeper vault server accessibility

License

This plugin is licensed under the MIT License.

---

Support: For issues specific to the Keeper Security service, visit Keeper Security Support. For plugin-specific issues, check the plugin documentation and logs.