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Benchmarks

redact-secret · Report

Bot token

digits:secret bot token.

  • Telegram
  • Detectors: telegram-bot-token
  • Run 2026-10-07
  • Mode published · redact-secret 0.1.0-beta.14
All providers
  • Dossier verdictReady
  • Dossier evidence levelT2 · Tool-corroborated
  • Dossier researched2026-09-24

Research record

From credential-evidence snapshot-2026.10.06.4 · records at 77ce761 · schema 1.8.0. It describes the research on the format, not what any scanner or the product does, and not a support status.
  • Review stateDraft, not reviewed
  • Format revision1 · current
  • ResearchResearched
  • Researched2026-09-24

3 events in the review history: 2 observed, 1 reviewed. Latest: observed on 2026-10-03 by automation, project maintainer. Project-maintained review is not independent validation. The family record at this release.

Format

Provider format research from credential-evidence snapshot-2026.10.06.4 · records at 77ce761 · schema 1.8.0.

What it looks like

Descriptive pattern
^[0-9]{5,}:[A-Za-z0-9_-]{34,}$

Parts are shown as recorded. Evidence classes belong to the facts below; no class is assigned to a part.

Format facts

  • Provider documented · mutable-property-source · current · observed 2026-09-24

    Documentation for the one property varied in legacy twin fixtures (digits:secret bot token; provider-code delimiter and alphabet, tool-corroborated body length): Un-probeable record lifted 2026-09-24 (#207): twins mutate only the : delimiter and a / inside the secret, both rejected by Telegram's Bot API server acceptance check (tdlib/telegram-bot-api ClientManager.cpp, provider code on github.com), and the secret body below this contract's tool-corroborated 34-character floor. No twin shortens the bot id: provider code accepts 1 to 16 digits.

    • github.com/redact-secret/redact-secret/issues/660provider-documentation · last read 2026-09-24 · latest outcome read · supports Un-probeable record lifted 2026-09-24 (#207): twins mutate only the : delimiter and a / inside the secret, both rejected by Telegram's Bot API server acceptance check (tdlib/telegram-bot-api ClientManager.cpp, provider code on github.com), and the secret body below this contract's tool-corroborated 34-character floor. No twin shortens the bot id: provider code accepts 1 to 16 digits.

  • Unresolved · tool-corroboration · current · observed 2026-09-22

    Pinned scanner rules are consistent with the contract grammar (1 artifact: trufflehog 3.97.4).

  • Provider documented · field-delimiter · current · observed 2026-09-22

    delimiter: a single : between the numeric bot id and the secret; the token contains no /

  • Provider documented · field-bot-id · current · observed 2026-09-22

    bot id: digits, no leading 0, below 2^54; the contract floor is 5 digits and real ids are usually 8–10 (Provider code allows 1–16 digits, so no fixture asserts silence on a short id.)

  • Unresolved · field-secret-body · current · observed 2026-09-22

    secret body: [A-Za-z0-9_-], at least 34 characters: docs examples show 34, community reports and most tools say 35, usually starting AA

  • Tool corroborated · dossier-research · current · observed 2026-09-24

    Legacy dossier research (verdict ready, tier T2) cited 4 sources; the dossier does not attribute sources to individual properties.

Open questions

No open question is recorded for this revision.

Benchmark dossier notes

From the provider dossier, as written. The evidence level above says how well the format is backed; a fact the dossier does not record is not shown.
Shape
the bot's numeric user id, a literal :, then a secret from [A-Za-z0-9_-]. The Bot API server rejects a token that lacks :, contains /, is longer than 80 characters, starts with 0, or whose id is not in (0, 2^54). Real ids are usually 8 to 10 digits. Secret width is disputed: all three Telegram examples show 34 characters, while most tools and community reports say 35; two of three Telegram examples and most scanner rules show a leading AA or A, which no source explains.
Basis
T2. tdlib/telegram-bot-api ClientManager.cpp (server acceptance code, not documentation), TruffleHog telegrambottoken and detect-secrets (\d{8,10}:[0-9A-Za-z_-]{35}). The TDLib maintainer answered in issue 300 on that repo that "everything can completely change in the future", so Telegram deliberately publishes no format.
Issuance
not attempted; a fresh BotFather token would settle width and lead.
Contract in core
detector-families.md; evidence #660 record.

In this benchmark

Fixture rows on the current run. Counts are for redact-secret in published · redact-secret 0.1.0-beta.14 mode.
Fixtures
40
Left readable
0
Redacted too much
0
False alarms
0

40 fixtures: 14 expect a redaction, 22 must stay quiet, 4 record project policy. See every row

redact-secret fixture counts by evidence level
Evidence levelFixturesLeft readableToo muchFalse alarms
T1Provider-documented4000
T2Tool-corroborated21000
T3Project policy15000

Every scanner on the same fixtures

In run order. Counts are what each scanner recorded on this family's fixtures, whichever rules it has; a scanner with no rule for the family has nothing to report on it.

Counts per scanner on this family's fixtures
ScannerFixturesLeft readableToo muchFalse alarms
flare-redactRuntime library · 1.6.1 · Published npm package · secrets-only (pii, generic_assignment disabled) · JavaScript engine1 rule targets it40500
gitleaksRepository scanner · 8.30.1 · Directory scan · default rules1 rule targets it401600
redact-secretProduct measured here · 0.1.0-beta.14 · Published npm package · default detectors1 detector mapped40000
trufflehogRepository scanner · 3.97.4 · Filesystem scan · verification disabled1 rule targets it40700

Benchmark dossier questions

Things the sources do not settle. They are listed so nobody reads them as settled.
Open caveat
Telegram documents only example tokens and says the format may change; the secret width (34 in docs, 35 in tools) and the leading AA are unexplained; no fresh token measured.

Looks like it, but isn't

Values the dossier records as resembling this credential without being one.
Collisions
any short digits:string pair; the numeric id part alone is a weak marker, so the secret body carries the discrimination.

Scanner rules for this family

Mapped by hand (reviewed 2026-09-30) from each scanner's pinned rule file, never from what a scanner found on the fixtures.
Peer scanner rules that target this family
ScannerRuleWhat the rule matches
flare-redact · rules 1.6.1telegram_bot_token8-10 digits + : + 34-46 characters
gitleaks · rules 8.30.1telegram-bot-api-tokentelegr keyword + digits + :A + 34 characters
trufflehog · rules 3.97.4telegrambottokentelegram keyword + 8-10 digits + : + 35 characters

No rule maps to this family in openredaction.

40 of 40 rows

Fixtures in this family

40 rows, redact-secret's outcome on each. Rows that need a look come first (0), then the rest in corpus order. Choose "Every scanner" to see each scanner's outcome for the same rows.
Fixtures in Bot token
FixtureKind and evidenceredact-secret
telegram-bot-token-bomtelegram · multibyte-text-offsetsMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-bot-api-urltelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-bot-yamltelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-botfather-replytelegram · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
telegram-bot-token-compose-envtelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-jsontelegram · structured-text-valueMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-markdowntelegram · markdown-and-comment-valueMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-no-final-newlinetelegram · value-at-input-edgesMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-ptb-buildertelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-pythontelegram · source-code-string-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-shape-1-baretelegram · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
telegram-bot-token-shape-1-quotedtelegram · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
telegram-bot-token-shape-1-unicode-crlftelegram · documented-format-literalProject policyT3 · Project policyRedacted
telegram-bot-token-single-quotestelegram · quoted-value-extentMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-tomltelegram · structured-text-valueMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-yamltelegram · structured-text-valueMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-actions-envtelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-actions-secret-referencetelegram · templated-referenceMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-angle-brackets-placeholdertelegram · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-bot-username-public-idtelegram · public-identifierMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-botfather-note-prosetelegram · prose-mentionMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-chat-id-public-idtelegram · public-identifierMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-envtelegram · documented-format-literalMust redactT2 · Tool-corroboratedRedacted
telegram-bot-token-label-prosetelegram · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-masktelegram · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-masked-placeholdertelegram · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-missing-delimiter-twintelegram · boundary-violationMust not flagT1 · Provider-documented · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-plus-body-twintelegram · wrong-alphabetMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-prefix-onlytelegram · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
telegram-bot-token-referencetelegram · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-short-bodytelegram · benign-lookalikeMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
telegram-bot-token-short-body-docs-width-twintelegram · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-short-body-twintelegram · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-short-body-yaml-twintelegram · wrong-lengthMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroborated · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-slash-body-env-twintelegram · wrong-alphabetMust not flagT1 · Provider-documented · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-slash-body-twintelegram · wrong-alphabetMust not flagT1 · Provider-documented · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-timestamp-colon-near-misstelegram · format-near-missMust not flagT2 · Tool-corroboratedQuiet
telegram-bot-token-underscore-delimiter-twintelegram · boundary-violationMust not flagT1 · Provider-documented · twinQuiet
telegram-bot-token-update-json-public-idtelegram · public-identifierMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet
telegram-bot-token-url-template-placeholdertelegram · documentation-placeholderMust not flagT3 · Project policyQuiet

Sources

Researched 2026-09-24.

Documentation and code

Research log