## TL;DR

A redacted line contains no secret, so any secret the agent sees there is invented. Forbid acting on redacted content: the agent must fetch the raw finding from the scanner before triaging or rotating.

## Error

```text
agent hallucinated a secret in a redacted log line: verification error
```

## Steps

1. Confirm the hallucination: the log line shows a redaction marker, not a value. Expected: the invention proven.
2. Add a guard: findings sourced from redacted lines are unverifiable and must not trigger rotation. Expected: the guard in place.
3. Require the agent to cite the scanner's raw finding id for every claimed secret. Expected: traceability.
4. Re-fetch the raw finding from the scanner's report store when triage needs the value. Expected: real data, not guesses.
5. Test with redacted fixtures to prove the guard holds. Expected: no more invented secrets.

## When to use

- Agents inventing secrets from redacted logs.
- Building trustworthy triage agents.

## When not to use

- Real findings with values (triage normally).
- The redaction itself is broken (fix the redactor).

## Tool compatibility

- Scanner report stores; agent triage logic.

## Variant phrasings

### agent invented a secret

Require raw findings.

### hallucinated leak from redacted log

Guard the triage.

## Why it happens

Models pattern-complete; a redaction marker plus context is enough for them to invent a plausible value.

## Edge cases

- Raw findings are sensitive; the fetch path must be access-controlled.
- Guards must apply to all actions, including notifications, not just rotation.
- Log the guard triggers; they indicate prompt or data issues.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_UVjLeAcEeIyOD1by_ktpaw