One Keychain item for all shell secrets (base64 or bust)
Keep every API key in one locked vault instead of in shell config files, without slowing down new terminals.
built Aug 2026
The server in the closet
how it works
Store base64 of NAME=VALUE lines in a single Keychain item (one ~32ms read vs ~1.3s for 41 items); base64 is load-bearing because `security -w` silently switches to hex when data has newlines, which also fools naive round-trip checks.
Technique: A pattern or hard-won lesson, written down so it isn't learned twice.
The code for this one lives in a private repo. This page explains the idea so you can build your own.