anonymize.dev — Privacy-as-Code for Developers
Privacy layer for developers using AI tools. Auto detects and replaces PII in prompts — API keys, credentials, client data — before they reach outside AI services. 50+ item types, 48 languages, MCP Server for Claude Desktop and Cursor.
Platform Overview
anonymize.dev is a privacy layer for developers who use AI tools like Claude Desktop, Cursor, or ChatGPT. It auto detects and replaces personally identifiable info in prompts sent to AI models, then restores first values in responses. Designed for developers who work with real client data, API keys, and systems credentials in their daily AI workflows.
What Makes anonymize.dev Unique
Credential & Secret Detection
Detects API keys, SSH keys, JWT tokens, AWS secrets, OAuth tokens, private keys, client secrets, and database URLs. Prevents accidental credential leakage to AI services.
MCP Server Integration
Native link-up with Claude Desktop and Cursor via MCP Server. Install via npm package, configure with your API key, and PII is intercepted auto.
Zero Data Leakage
No real PII ever leaves your machine. AI models only see anonymized tokens. First values are stored locally and restored in responses.
Custom Entity Patterns
Define your own regex patterns for proprietary IDs — in-house IDs, project codes, client refs. Extend finding beyond built-in item types.
How It Works
anonymize.dev acts as a privacy shield between your AI tools and outside AI services. Four steps, fully auto.
- You Write a Prompt — Your prompt contains touchy data: client names, API keys, emails, database credentials.
- MCP Server Anonymizes — PII is found and replaced with tokens (e.g., [PERSON_1], [EMAIL_1], [API_KEY_1]). First values stored locally.
- AI Processes Safely — Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT gets only the anonymized version. No real PII ever leaves your machine.
- Response Restored — Tokens in the AI response are replaced with first values. You get full context back.
What anonymize.dev Detects
Secrets & Credentials
- API_KEY — API keys and tokens.
- SSH_KEY — SSH private/public keys.
- JWT_TOKEN — JSON Web Tokens.
- AWS_SECRET — AWS access keys.
- DATABASE_URL — Connection strings.
- OAUTH_TOKEN — OAuth credentials.
- PRIVATE_KEY — Private keys.
- CLIENT_SECRET — Client secrets.
Infrastructure & Network
- IP_ADDRESS — IPv4 and IPv6.
- MAC_ADDRESS — Hardware addresses.
- HOSTNAME — Server hostnames.
- URL — In-house URLs and endpoints.
- FILE_PATH — File system paths.
- CONTAINER_ID — Docker/container IDs.
Customer PII
- PERSON — Full names.
- EMAIL — Email addresses.
- PHONE — Phone numbers.
- ADDRESS — Physical addresses.
- CREDIT_CARD — Card numbers.
- IBAN — Bank accounts.
- SSN — Social safety numbers.
- PASSPORT — Passport numbers.
Custom Entities
Define your own regex patterns for proprietary IDs. Detect in-house project codes, client reference numbers, and team-specific data formats.
Extend the built-in 50+ item types with unlimited custom patterns.
PII Detection & Anonymization
50+ Entity Types
Credentials, systems data, client PII, and custom patterns. Purpose-built for developer workflows where code meets client data.
5 Anonymization Methods
- Replace — Substitute with fake data.
- Redact — Full removal.
- Hash — SHA-256 hashing.
- Encrypt — AES-256-GCM encoding.
- Mask — Partial obscuring.
48 Languages
Detect PII across 48 languages. Handle multilingual codebases, comments, docs, and client data in any language.
Automatic Restoration
AI responses auto de-tokenized. First values restored seamlessly so you get full context back without manual work.
Platform Components
MCP Server
Claude Desktop & Cursor.
Main link-up method. Install via npx @anonym-legal/mcp-server, add your API key to claude_desktop_config.json or Cursor settings. Auto PII interception.
REST API
JWT Sign-in
RESTful endpoints for CI/CD pipeline link-up, auto-run testing setups, and custom workflow auto-work.
Desktop App
Drag-and-Drop Processing
Drag files for quick PII strip. Docs stay on your device while using cloud-powered item finding.
Office Add-in
Word, Excel & PowerPoint.
Real-time PII finding directly in Microsoft Office. Anonymize docs and specs without leaving your document.
Developer Scenarios
AI-Assisted Coding
Paste code containing client data into Claude or Cursor without leaking real names, emails, or API keys to outside AI services.
Code Review
Share code snippets with AI for review without exposing live credentials, database URLs, or systems details.
CI/CD Pipelines
Integrate via REST API to scan logs, test data, and setup files for PII before they enter version control or shared setups.
Test Data Generation
Create safe test datasets from live data. Replace real client info with realistic fake data for dev work setups.
Documentation
Anonymize technical docs, API specs, and in-house wikis before sharing with outside contractors or AI tools.
Compliance
GDPR audit fit for dev work teams. Ensure no client PII leaks through AI tool usage, code sharing, or log study.
Zero-Knowledge Architecture
No PII Leaves Your Machine
First values stored locally on your device. Only anonymized tokens are sent to AI services. Zero data leakage by design.
Zero-Knowledge Authentication
Your password never leaves your device. Argon2id key derivation; AES-256-GCM vault encoding.
ISO 27001-Aligned
Hosted in Hetzner data centers in Germany. Designed for GDPR with EU data residency.
npm Package Distribution
MCP Server distributed via npm (@anonym-legal/mcp-server). Standard package control, easy updates, transparent dependencies.
Transparent Token System
All tiers include the same features — API, Desktop App, Office Add-in, and MCP Server. Pay only for load.
Free
€0/month
200 tokens per cycle.
- MCP Server access.
- REST API access.
- Desktop App.
- Office Add-in.
- 48 languages
- No credit card needed.
Basic Most Popular
€3/month
1,000 tokens per cycle.
- All Free features.
- Token top-ups ready.
Pro Best Value
€15/month
4,000 tokens per cycle.
- All Basic features.
- Token top-ups ready.
Business Enterprise
€29/month
10,000 tokens per cycle.
- All Pro features.
- Priority support.
- Token top-ups ready.
anonymize.dev vs cloak.business vs anonym.legal
Same product family, other focus areas. All hosted on ISO 27001-certified German servers.
| Feature | anonymize.dev | cloak.biz | anonym.legal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Developers & AI Tools. | Firm-wide & Developers. | Legal & Privacy-First. |
| Item Types. | 50+ | 320+ | 285+ |
| Languages | 48 | 48 | 48 + RTL |
| Credential Finding. | Yes (API keys, SSH, JWT, AWS) | Yes | Limited |
| Image Redaction. | No | Yes (38 OCR langs) | No |
| MCP Server. | Yes (main link-up) | Yes | Yes |
| Custom Items. | Yes (regex) | Yes | Yes |
| Zero-Knowledge Auth. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto De-tokens. | Yes | Optional | Optional |
| Free Tokens. | 200/cycle | 200/cycle | 200/cycle |
Try anonymize.dev
Start with 200 free tokens per cycle. All features included. No credit card needed.
Related Platforms: cloak.biz — Firm-wide PII finding with image redaction | anonym.legal — Zero-Knowledge PII PII strip for legal
Best fit and known limitations
Best for
Engineers shipping AI-powered features who must keep API keys, credentials, and client data out of LLM prompts — Cursor and Claude Desktop users who want finding inside the IDE before traffic leaves the machine.
Not the right fit
Long-form document PII strip (use anonym.legal or cloak.biz); use cases that need 200+ item types or image OCR; non-developer audiences.
Known limitations
The catalogue is curated to ~50 dev-focused item types rather of the full 320+ firm-wide list; the free tier is 200 tokens per cycle; MCP link-up today targets Claude Desktop and Cursor namely.
Need privacy-as-code for your dev team?
Let's discuss how anonymize.dev can protect your AI workflows and minimize data exposure.