v0.2.0.0 feat: sync gradle.properties keys via .secrets-files (EGB-531)

Add a committed .secrets-files manifest that lets secrets track designated keys from files outside the project root (motivating case: ~/.gradle/gradle.properties for Android Clerk publishable keys, which Android Studio GUI builds read but terminal env vars can't reach). - push extracts only the named keys, encrypts under <project>/external/ - pull MERGES them into the target, preserving unrelated keys/comments/order - pure-bash merge (no sed/regex): exact-string key match, opaque values - path validator: basename gradle.properties, within $HOME, no symlink/.. - external/ subdir keeps blobs out of the dotenv *.age globs; rekey + list recurse explicitly - which reads back the manifest; list shows [external]; pre-commit blocks plaintext gradle.properties Also fixes two latent bugs in 'secrets rekey' (never completed before, no prior test): age-keygen refusing to overwrite key.txt, and an EXIT trap referencing an out-of-scope local under set -u. Tests: 80 -> 104. Reviewed via /autoplan (CEO/Eng/DX). EGB-531.
2026-05-26 12:42:04 -07:00 · 2026-05-26 12:42:04 -07:00 · 110ac514cc
commit 110ac514cc
parent ac2195d830
7 changed files with 816 additions and 13 deletions
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@ -5,6 +5,31 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 and this project adheres to a four-digit MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.MICRO version scheme.

+## [0.2.0.0] - 2026-05-26
+
+### Added
+
+- **Sync designated keys from external files (Gradle properties).** A new committed `.secrets-files` manifest lets `secrets` track specific keys from files that live *outside* the project root — the motivating case being `~/.gradle/gradle.properties`, where Android builds read Clerk publishable keys (`beaconClerkPkTest`, `beaconClerkPkLive`) that Android Studio's GUI builds can only get from that persistent global file, not from terminal env vars. One entry per line: `gradle-properties  ~/.gradle/gradle.properties  beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive`. (EGB-531)
+  - **push** extracts only the named keys and encrypts them under `<project>/external/` in the store.
+  - **pull** *merges* those keys into the target file, preserving every unrelated key, comment, and line order. An existing managed key is updated in place; the target is backed up to `gradle.properties.secrets-bak` before the first merge.
+  - `secrets which` reads back the parsed manifest; `secrets list` shows `[external]` entries; `secrets rekey` re-encrypts external blobs alongside dotenv ones.
+  - Backward compatible: no `.secrets-files` → identical behavior to before.
+
+### Security
+
+- **The merge is pure bash with exact-string key matching — no `sed`/regex.** This is deliberate: a `sed`-based substitution would corrupt values containing `&`, `\`, or `/` (common in API keys) and would false-match substring keys (`beaconClerkPk` vs `beaconClerkPkTest`). Values are treated as opaque literals and round-trip byte-exact.
+- **External write targets are validated against an attacker-controlled path.** Because the target path comes from a *committed* manifest, the writable target is locked down: basename must be `gradle.properties`, the path must resolve inside `$HOME`, `..` traversal is rejected, and symlinked targets (file or parent dir) are refused — blocking a malicious manifest from appending decrypted keys to `~/.gitconfig`, `~/.bashrc`, etc. Manifest parsing rejects shell metacharacters and control characters in paths and keys, mirroring the `.secrets-store` posture. Writes are atomic (temp-in-same-dir + rename), mode-preserving, and default to `600` on create.
+- **Storage isolation.** External blobs live in a `<project>/external/` subdir so the existing broad `*.age` globs (pull, list, rekey) structurally never decrypt them into the working directory or orphan them.
+- **Note on plaintext.** Merged Gradle keys are written as permanent plaintext into the target file (`secrets clear` does not remove them) — appropriate for publishable/low-secrecy values like Clerk publishable keys, by design.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **`secrets rekey` was broken and never completed.** Two latent bugs, exposed by the new rekey test: (1) `age-keygen -o key.txt` aborts because age-keygen refuses to overwrite an existing file — the new key is now generated into a temp dir and moved into place only on success, so the old key survives a failed rotation; (2) the `EXIT` trap referenced the function-local `$tmpdir` after the function returned, erroring under `set -u` and leaking the plaintext temp dir — the temp dir is now removed explicitly and the trap cleared on normal completion.
+
+### Tests
+
+- 80 → 104 (+24). New coverage: manifest parse/read-back, key extraction across `=`/`:`/space separators, merge (preserve unrelated/comments/order, substring-key isolation, sed-metachar value round-trip, duplicate-key collapse, continuation-line safety, idempotency), path validation (wrong basename, outside `$HOME`, symlink), first-create mode `600`, manifest injection/symlink rejection, rekey round-trip of external blobs, glob isolation (blob not leaked to cwd), `list` surfacing, pre-commit blocking plaintext `gradle.properties`, and backward compatibility.
+
 ## [0.1.1.0] - 2026-05-09

 ### Added
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@ -26,16 +26,18 @@ Single bash script (`secrets`) with subcommands: init, push, pull, list, rm, rek
 - Encryption: `age` with key files (not passphrases — age passphrases are non-scriptable)
 - Storage: Private git repo at `~/.secrets/`
 - Convention: Tracks `.env`, `.env.*`, and `.dev.vars` (not `.envrc`, `.environment-*`)
+- External files: `.secrets-files` manifest tracks designated keys from files outside the project (e.g. `~/.gradle/gradle.properties`) — merged, not overwritten (EGB-531, see below)
 - Workspaces: `--workspaces` flag reads `package.json` workspaces, requires `jq`
- Safety: Pre-commit hook rejects plaintext secret files
+- Safety: Pre-commit hook rejects plaintext secret files (`.env`, `.dev.vars`, `gradle.properties`)
+- Portability: must run on system bash 3.2 (macOS) — no associative arrays or bash-4 features

 ## Project Structure

 ```
-secrets              # CLI script (~300 lines bash)
+secrets              # CLI script (~600 lines bash)
 hooks/pre-commit     # Pre-commit hook template
 test/
-  secrets.bats       # bats-core test suite (25 tests)
+  secrets.bats       # bats-core test suite (104 tests)
  test_helper.bash   # Shared setup/teardown
 README.md            # User-facing documentation
 CLAUDE.md            # This file
@ -58,6 +60,19 @@ The active store directory is picked by `resolve_store()` using these rules, hig

 `.secrets-store` parsing is deliberately conservative: first non-empty non-comment line wins, no shell expansion (no `$VAR`, `$()`, backticks). Bare names map via `_expand_store_path`: `work` → `$HOME/.secrets-work`, `default` → `$HOME/.secrets`. An optional remote URL after the spec on the same line is captured as `_REMOTE_URL` and passed through to `check_initialized`, which uses it to fill in a runnable `git clone <url> <path>` in the missing-store error (EGB-282). The URL is parsed via `read -r spec rest` (no `set -- $line`, no glob expansion) and then **sanitized**: any URL containing shell metacharacters (`;&|<>$\`(){}*?!"'\\`), control characters (incl. ANSI escapes), or whitespace is dropped with a stderr warning. The directed error then falls back to the `<their-store-remote>` placeholder. This matters because the rendered `git clone` line is meant to be copy-pasted by a teammate — without sanitization, `work evil.git;rm -rf ~` would render verbatim and execute the payload on paste. Internal flow: `_parse_secrets_store_file` returns `<spec>\t<url>`; `_find_secrets_store_file` returns `<dir>\t<source-path>\t<url>`; `resolve_store` splits the 3-tuple via `IFS=$'\t' read -r ...`.

+## External files (.secrets-files) — EGB-531
+
+`.secrets-files` is a committed, project-root manifest declaring keys to sync from files **outside** the project (motivating case: `~/.gradle/gradle.properties`, which Android Studio GUI builds read but terminal env vars can't reach). One entry per line: `<type> <path> <key>...`. Only type `gradle-properties` is supported; the type token leaves room for future types **without** a plugin-dispatch framework (build the concrete case — a deliberate scope cut).
+
+Key design decisions (all driven by /autoplan review):
+
+- **Wire-in is at command scope** (`cmd_push`/`cmd_pull`), via `push_external_files` / `pull_external_files`, **not** inside `push_dir_to_project` / `pull_project_to_dir` (those loop per-workspace and `pull_project_to_dir` uses stdout as a data channel).
+- **Storage:** blobs live in `$SECRETS_DIR/<project>/external/<slug>.gradle-properties.age`. The `external/` subdir keeps them out of the existing non-recursive `*.age` / `.*.age` globs (pull, list, rekey), so the old dotenv path can never decrypt a blob into cwd. `cmd_rekey` and `cmd_list` recurse into `external/` explicitly (rekey MUST, or the blob is orphaned after rotation = data loss). `<slug>` = manifest path token with non-`[A-Za-z0-9._-]` chars → `_`, so it's machine-independent.
+- **Merge is pure bash, no `sed`/regex** (`merge_gradle_keys`): exact-string key comparison (avoids `beaconClerkPk` vs `beaconClerkPkTest` substring bug), value treated as opaque literal (survives `& \ /` in values). Updates a managed key in place at its first occurrence, collapses duplicates, appends new keys, preserves unrelated lines/comments/order. Continuation lines (trailing odd backslashes, tracked by `_trailing_bs_odd`) are never matched as keys. Atomic write: temp in the same dir → `chmod` to match (or `600` on create) → `mv`. Backs up to `<target>.secrets-bak` before the first merge.
+- **Properties separator parsing** (`_props_get`): key ends at the first `=`, `:`, or whitespace (after lstrip); handles `key=value`, `key = value`, `key:value`, `key value`; last definition wins.
+- **Security:** the write target comes from a committed file, so `_validate_external_target_path` locks it down — basename must be `gradle.properties`, must resolve inside `$HOME` (deepest-existing-ancestor resolved, symlink target/parent refused, `..` rejected). This blocks a malicious manifest from appending decrypted keys to `~/.gitconfig`/`~/.bashrc`. `_parse_secrets_files_manifest` rejects shell metacharacters/control chars in path and keys (path allows `[A-Za-z0-9/._~-]` only; keys allow `[A-Za-z0-9._-]` + space), mirrors the `.secrets-store` posture (no shell expansion, symlinked manifest skipped).
+- **Plaintext tradeoff (accepted, documented):** merged keys are permanent plaintext in the target; `secrets clear` does not remove them. Fine for the Clerk *publishable* keys this was built for; not for high-value secrets (use `secrets run` + `.env`).
+
 ## Deploy Configuration

 - Platform: NONE (distributed via `git clone` from GitHub)
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ flowchart TD

 Files like `.envrc` (direnv) and `.environment-*` are intentionally **not** tracked.

+Beyond project files, `secrets` can also sync designated keys from files that live *outside* the project — like `~/.gradle/gradle.properties` — merging them in without clobbering unrelated keys. See [External files (Gradle properties)](#external-files-gradle-properties).
+
 ## Prerequisites

 - **macOS** (uses Homebrew for installation)
@ -346,6 +348,47 @@ Inside `~/.secrets/`, workspace secrets are organized by path:

 Requires `jq` (`brew install jq`).

+### External files (Gradle properties)
+
+Some credentials don't live in your project at all. Android builds, for example, read keys from `~/.gradle/gradle.properties` — a global file, outside any project, shared by every Gradle project on your machine (the project's own `gradle.properties` is git-tracked, so it's the wrong home for secrets). `secrets` can sync specific keys from such a file without touching the unrelated keys around them.
+
+You declare what to sync in a committed `.secrets-files` manifest at your project root, one entry per line:
+
+```
+# <type>             <path>                        <keys...>
+gradle-properties    ~/.gradle/gradle.properties   beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive
+```
+
+- **type** — `gradle-properties` (the only supported type today).
+- **path** — absolute or `~/`-relative. The basename must be `gradle.properties` and must resolve inside `$HOME`.
+- **keys** — the property names to sync. Only these keys are read on push and merged on pull; everything else in the file is left alone.
+
+#### Syncing to a second machine
+
+On the machine that already has the keys set:
+
+```bash
+cd ~/myapp
+echo "gradle-properties ~/.gradle/gradle.properties beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive" > .secrets-files
+git add .secrets-files && git commit -m "sync gradle Clerk keys"
+secrets push
+# ==> Extracted 2 key(s) from ~/.gradle/gradle.properties
+```
+
+`secrets push` extracts just those keys, encrypts them, and stores them under `<project>/external/` in your secrets repo. Run `secrets which` from the project to confirm the manifest parsed.
+
+On the other machine (after the usual key + repo setup):
+
+```bash
+cd ~/myapp
+secrets pull
+# ==> Merged 2 key(s) into ~/.gradle/gradle.properties (beaconClerkPkTest, beaconClerkPkLive)
+```
+
+`secrets pull` merges those keys into the local `~/.gradle/gradle.properties`, leaving every other key untouched. If a managed key already exists, its value is updated in place; comments, ordering, and unrelated entries are preserved. The file is backed up to `gradle.properties.secrets-bak` before the first merge.
+
+> **Note:** unlike `.env` files, merged Gradle keys are written as **permanent plaintext** into the target file — `secrets clear` does **not** remove them. This is appropriate for publishable / low-secrecy values (like Clerk publishable keys, `pk_*`). For high-value secrets that should never sit on disk, use `secrets run` with a `.env` instead.
+
 ## Safety features

 - **`secrets run` auto-clears** — plaintext files are deleted when the command exits, errors, or is interrupted with Ctrl-C
@ -389,7 +432,7 @@ For complete rotation with no historical exposure, create a fresh `~/.secrets/`
 ## Development

 ```bash
-# Run the test suite (37 tests)
+# Run the test suite (104 tests)
 brew install bats-core
 bats test/secrets.bats
 ```
--- a/2
+++ b/2
@ -1 +1 @@
-0.1.1.0
+0.2.0.0
--- a/hooks/pre-commit
+++ b/hooks/pre-commit
@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Pre-commit hook for the secrets repo.
-# Rejects staged files matching .env patterns without .age extension.
+# Rejects staged plaintext secret files (.env, .dev.vars, gradle.properties)
+# without a .age extension.
 # This is a safety net, not a security boundary (--no-verify bypasses it).

-BLOCKED=$(git diff --cached --name-only | grep -E '\.(env|dev\.vars)' | grep -v '\.age$' || true)
+BLOCKED=$(git diff --cached --name-only | grep -E '(\.env|\.dev\.vars|gradle\.properties)' | grep -v '\.age$' || true)
 if [ -n "$BLOCKED" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: Plaintext secret files staged for commit:"
  echo "$BLOCKED"
--- a/427
+++ b/427
@ -319,6 +319,325 @@ collect_env_files() {
  [ ${#COLLECTED_FILES[@]} -gt 0 ]
 }

+# ─── External files (.secrets-files) — EGB-531 ─────────────────────────
+#
+# A committed, project-local `.secrets-files` manifest declares files that
+# live OUTSIDE the project root (e.g. global Gradle properties) whose
+# *designated keys* should sync. One entry per non-empty non-comment line:
+#
+#     gradle-properties  ~/.gradle/gradle.properties  beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive
+#     <type>             <path>                        <key> [key...]
+#
+# push extracts only the named keys → encrypts a subset blob under
+# <project>/external/. pull decrypts it and MERGES those keys into <path>,
+# preserving every unrelated line. Only type `gradle-properties` is
+# supported (the type token leaves room for future types without a plugin
+# framework). Parsing mirrors `.secrets-store`: no shell expansion, no
+# symlink following, conservative sanitization. The merge is pure bash
+# (no sed/regex) with exact-string key matching, so it is safe against
+# values containing `& \ /` and against substring keys
+# (beaconClerkPk vs beaconClerkPkTest).
+
+SECRETS_FILES_NAME=".secrets-files"
+SUPPORTED_EXTERNAL_TYPE="gradle-properties"
+
+# True if the string ends in an odd number of backslashes (a Java/Gradle
+# properties line-continuation). Used to skip continuation lines when
+# matching keys so an unrelated continued value is never clobbered.
+_trailing_bs_odd() {
+  local s="$1" n=0
+  while [ "${s%\\}" != "$s" ]; do s="${s%\\}"; n=$((n + 1)); done
+  [ $((n % 2)) -eq 1 ]
+}
+
+# Parse .secrets-files. Emits "<type>\t<path>\t<keys>" per valid entry on
+# stdout; warnings (skipped/unsafe lines) to stderr. Conservative: rejects
+# shell/control chars and `..` in the path, restricts keys to a safe
+# charset. No shell expansion is applied to file content.
+_parse_secrets_files_manifest() {
+  local file="$1"
+  local line lineno=0 mtype mpath mkeys
+  while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do
+    lineno=$((lineno + 1))
+    line="${line%$'\r'}"
+    line="${line#"${line%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+    line="${line%"${line##*[![:space:]]}"}"
+    [ -z "$line" ] && continue
+    case "$line" in '#'*) continue ;; esac
+    # `read -r` does not glob-expand and keeps the key list intact in $mkeys.
+    read -r mtype mpath mkeys <<< "$line"
+    if [ "$mtype" != "$SUPPORTED_EXTERNAL_TYPE" ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: $file line $lineno: unknown type '$mtype' (supported: $SUPPORTED_EXTERNAL_TYPE). Skipping." >&2
+      continue
+    fi
+    if [ -z "$mpath" ] || [ -z "$mkeys" ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: $file line $lineno: expected '<type> <path> <key> [key...]'. Skipping." >&2
+      continue
+    fi
+    # Path: allow alnum and / . _ ~ - only; reject everything else (blocks
+    # \$ \` ; & | ( ) * ? whitespace etc.) and reject `..` traversal.
+    case "$mpath" in
+      *[!A-Za-z0-9/._~-]* | *..*)
+        echo "WARNING: $file line $lineno: unsafe characters in path. Paths may contain letters, digits, / . _ - ~ only. Skipping." >&2
+        continue
+        ;;
+    esac
+    # Keys: space-separated; each may contain alnum and . _ - (covers the
+    # systemProp. prefix). Reject anything else (=, *, control chars, ...).
+    case "$mkeys" in
+      *[!A-Za-z0-9._\ -]*)
+        echo "WARNING: $file line $lineno: unsafe characters in key list. Skipping." >&2
+        continue
+        ;;
+    esac
+    printf '%s\t%s\t%s\n' "$mtype" "$mpath" "$mkeys"
+  done < "$file"
+}
+
+# Validate a writable external target path. Refuses anything that isn't a
+# `gradle.properties` resolving inside $HOME, blocks `..`, and refuses
+# symlinks (target file or its parent dir) — the path comes from a
+# committed file, so it is attacker-controllable. Returns 0 if safe.
+_validate_external_target_path() {
+  local p="$1"
+  local base; base=$(basename "$p")
+  if [ "$base" != "gradle.properties" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: target basename must be 'gradle.properties' (got '$base'). Refusing." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  case "$p" in *..*) echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: target path may not contain '..'. Refusing." >&2; return 1 ;; esac
+  local home_real; home_real=$(cd -P "$HOME" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P) || home_real="$HOME"
+  local dir; dir=$(dirname "$p")
+  # Resolve the deepest existing ancestor and require it inside $HOME.
+  local probe="$dir"
+  while [ ! -e "$probe" ] && [ "$probe" != "/" ] && [ -n "$probe" ]; do
+    probe=$(dirname "$probe")
+  done
+  local probe_real
+  probe_real=$(cd -P "$probe" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P) || {
+    echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: cannot resolve target ancestor '$probe'. Refusing." >&2
+    return 1
+  }
+  case "$probe_real/" in
+    "$home_real"/*) ;;
+    *) echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: target '$p' must resolve inside \$HOME. Refusing." >&2; return 1 ;;
+  esac
+  if [ -L "$p" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: target '$p' is a symlink. Refusing to follow." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  if [ -e "$dir" ] && [ -L "$dir" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: target dir '$dir' is a symlink. Refusing." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+# Print the value of an exact key from a properties file (last definition
+# wins, matching Gradle). Returns 1 if the key is absent. Pure bash; the
+# key is compared by string equality (never as a regex), and the value is
+# read verbatim. Skips comments and continuation lines.
+_props_get() {
+  local file="$1" want="$2"
+  [ -f "$file" ] || return 1
+  local line t key after val="" found=0 cont=0
+  while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do
+    line="${line%$'\r'}"
+    if [ "$cont" -eq 1 ]; then
+      _trailing_bs_odd "$line" && cont=1 || cont=0
+      continue
+    fi
+    _trailing_bs_odd "$line" && cont=1 || cont=0
+    t="${line#"${line%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+    case "$t" in ''|'#'*|'!'*) continue ;; esac
+    key="${t%%[=:[:space:]]*}"
+    [ "$key" = "$want" ] || continue
+    after="${t#"$key"}"
+    after="${after#"${after%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+    case "$after" in [=:]*) after="${after#?}" ;; esac
+    after="${after#"${after%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+    val="$after"
+    found=1
+  done < "$file"
+  [ "$found" -eq 1 ] || return 1
+  printf '%s' "$val"
+}
+
+# Turn a manifest path token into a machine-independent blob slug.
+_secrets_files_slug() {
+  local p="$1"
+  printf '%s' "${p//[!A-Za-z0-9._-]/_}"
+}
+
+# Merge managed key=value lines (from $2) into target file $1, preserving
+# all unrelated lines/comments/order. Updates a managed key in place (first
+# occurrence), collapses duplicates, appends new keys. Atomic + mode-safe.
+merge_gradle_keys() {
+  local target="$1" kvfile="$2"
+  local -a mkey=() mval=() seen=()
+  local line key val i
+  while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do
+    [ -n "$line" ] || continue
+    key="${line%%=*}"
+    val="${line#*=}"
+    mkey+=("$key"); mval+=("$val"); seen+=(0)
+  done < "$kvfile"
+  local n=${#mkey[@]}
+  [ "$n" -gt 0 ] || return 0
+
+  local dir; dir=$(dirname "$target")
+  mkdir -p "$dir"
+  local tmp; tmp=$(mktemp "$dir/.gradle-merge.XXXXXX") || return 1
+
+  local cont=0 t tkey matched
+  if [ -f "$target" ]; then
+    while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do
+      local stripped="${line%$'\r'}"
+      if [ "$cont" -eq 1 ]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "$line" >> "$tmp"
+        _trailing_bs_odd "$stripped" && cont=1 || cont=0
+        continue
+      fi
+      _trailing_bs_odd "$stripped" && cont=1 || cont=0
+      t="${stripped#"${stripped%%[![:space:]]*}"}"
+      case "$t" in ''|'#'*|'!'*) printf '%s\n' "$line" >> "$tmp"; continue ;; esac
+      tkey="${t%%[=:[:space:]]*}"
+      matched=-1
+      for ((i = 0; i < n; i++)); do
+        if [ "$tkey" = "${mkey[$i]}" ]; then matched=$i; break; fi
+      done
+      if [ "$matched" -ge 0 ]; then
+        if [ "${seen[$matched]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+          printf '%s=%s\n' "${mkey[$matched]}" "${mval[$matched]}" >> "$tmp"
+          seen[$matched]=1
+        fi
+      else
+        printf '%s\n' "$line" >> "$tmp"
+      fi
+    done < "$target"
+  fi
+  for ((i = 0; i < n; i++)); do
+    if [ "${seen[$i]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+      printf '%s=%s\n' "${mkey[$i]}" "${mval[$i]}" >> "$tmp"
+    fi
+  done
+
+  # Back up the existing target before overwriting (seatbelt for the merge
+  # engine touching a hand-maintained file), preserve mode, atomic rename.
+  if [ -f "$target" ]; then
+    cp "$target" "$target.secrets-bak" 2>/dev/null || true
+    local mode
+    mode=$(stat -f '%Lp' "$target" 2>/dev/null || stat -c '%a' "$target" 2>/dev/null || echo 600)
+    chmod "$mode" "$tmp" 2>/dev/null || true
+  else
+    chmod 600 "$tmp" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  # TOCTOU recheck before the write into $HOME.
+  if [ -L "$target" ]; then
+    rm -f "$tmp"
+    echo "ERROR: $target became a symlink; aborting merge." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  mv "$tmp" "$target"
+}
+
+# Encrypt the managed keys declared in <root>/.secrets-files into
+# <project>/external/. Returns 0 if at least one entry was pushed, 1 if
+# there is no usable manifest. Dies on unsafe targets or all-missing keys.
+push_external_files() {
+  local root="$1" project="$2" pubkey="$3"
+  local manifest="$root/$SECRETS_FILES_NAME"
+  [ -e "$manifest" ] || return 1
+  if [ -L "$manifest" ]; then
+    echo "WARNING: $manifest is a symlink; ignoring." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  [ -f "$manifest" ] || return 1
+
+  local pushed=0 mtype mpath mkeys
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r mtype mpath mkeys; do
+    [ -n "$mtype" ] || continue
+    local expanded; expanded=$(_expand_store_path "$mpath")
+    if ! _validate_external_target_path "$expanded"; then
+      die "Refusing unsafe external target in $SECRETS_FILES_NAME: $mpath"
+    fi
+    if [ ! -f "$expanded" ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: source '$mpath' not found on this machine; skipping." >&2
+      continue
+    fi
+    local tmp; tmp=$(mktemp)
+    local found=0 k v
+    for k in $mkeys; do
+      if v=$(_props_get "$expanded" "$k"); then
+        printf '%s=%s\n' "$k" "$v" >> "$tmp"
+        found=$((found + 1))
+      else
+        echo "WARNING: key '$k' not found in $mpath — not synced. Set it locally first, or remove it from $SECRETS_FILES_NAME." >&2
+      fi
+    done
+    if [ "$found" -eq 0 ]; then
+      rm -f "$tmp"
+      die "No managed keys found in $mpath (looked for: $mkeys)."
+    fi
+    mkdir -p "$SECRETS_DIR/$project/external"
+    local slug; slug=$(_secrets_files_slug "$mpath")
+    age -r "$pubkey" -o "$SECRETS_DIR/$project/external/$slug.$mtype.age" "$tmp"
+    rm -f "$tmp"
+    info "Extracted $found key(s) from $mpath"
+    pushed=$((pushed + 1))
+  done < <(_parse_secrets_files_manifest "$manifest")
+
+  [ "$pushed" -gt 0 ]
+}
+
+# Decrypt the external blobs named by <root>/.secrets-files and merge their
+# keys into the declared targets. Skips (with a warning) unsafe targets or
+# missing blobs rather than aborting the whole pull.
+pull_external_files() {
+  local root="$1" project="$2"
+  local manifest="$root/$SECRETS_FILES_NAME"
+  [ -e "$manifest" ] || return 0
+  if [ -L "$manifest" ]; then
+    echo "WARNING: $manifest is a symlink; ignoring." >&2
+    return 0
+  fi
+  [ -f "$manifest" ] || return 0
+
+  local mtype mpath mkeys
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r mtype mpath mkeys; do
+    [ -n "$mtype" ] || continue
+    local expanded; expanded=$(_expand_store_path "$mpath")
+    if ! _validate_external_target_path "$expanded"; then
+      echo "WARNING: skipping unsafe external target: $mpath" >&2
+      continue
+    fi
+    local slug; slug=$(_secrets_files_slug "$mpath")
+    local blob="$SECRETS_DIR/$project/external/$slug.$mtype.age"
+    if [ ! -f "$blob" ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: $SECRETS_FILES_NAME names '$mpath' but no encrypted data exists in the store yet. Run 'secrets push' on a machine that has these keys. Skipping." >&2
+      continue
+    fi
+    local tmp; tmp=$(mktemp)
+    if ! age -d -i "$KEY_FILE" -o "$tmp" "$blob"; then
+      rm -f "$tmp"
+      die "Decryption failed for external target $mpath."
+    fi
+    local k
+    for k in $mkeys; do
+      grep -q "^$k=" "$tmp" 2>/dev/null || echo "WARNING: '$k' listed in $SECRETS_FILES_NAME but absent from synced data for $mpath." >&2
+    done
+    if [ ! -d "$(dirname "$expanded")" ]; then
+      echo "WARNING: creating $(dirname "$expanded")" >&2
+    fi
+    local count; count=$(grep -c '=' "$tmp" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if merge_gradle_keys "$expanded" "$tmp"; then
+      local klist; klist=$(printf '%s' "$mkeys" | tr ' ' ',' | sed 's/,/, /g')
+      info "Merged $count key(s) into $expanded ($klist)"
+    fi
+    rm -f "$tmp"
+  done < <(_parse_secrets_files_manifest "$manifest")
+}
+
 # Read package.json workspaces and expand globs to actual directories.
 # Prints one workspace path per line (relative to the monorepo root).
 get_workspaces() {
@ -353,7 +672,7 @@ install_hook() {
    # Inline hook if template not found (e.g. secrets installed standalone)
    cat > "$hook_dst" << 'HOOKEOF'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-BLOCKED=$(git diff --cached --name-only | grep -E '\.(env|dev\.vars)' | grep -v '\.age$' || true)
+BLOCKED=$(git diff --cached --name-only | grep -E '(\.env|\.dev\.vars|gradle\.properties)' | grep -v '\.age$' || true)
 if [ -n "$BLOCKED" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: Plaintext secret files staged for commit:"
  echo "$BLOCKED"
@ -480,8 +799,11 @@ cmd_push() {
  local pubkey
  pubkey=$(get_pubkey)

-  if ! push_dir_to_project "$PWD" "$project" "$pubkey"; then
-    die "No secret files (.env, .env.*, .dev.vars) found in $PWD"
+  local did=0
+  if push_dir_to_project "$PWD" "$project" "$pubkey"; then did=1; fi
+  if push_external_files "$PWD" "$project" "$pubkey"; then did=1; fi
+  if [ "$did" -eq 0 ]; then
+    die "No secret files (.env, .env.*, .dev.vars) or $SECRETS_FILES_NAME entries found in $PWD"
  fi

  commit_and_push_secrets "update $project"
@ -522,6 +844,12 @@ cmd_push_workspaces() {
    fi
  done <<< "$workspaces"

+  # External files (.secrets-files) are monorepo-root-scoped, like
+  # .secrets-store — handle once, not per-workspace.
+  if push_external_files "$root" "$monorepo_name" "$pubkey"; then
+    total=$((total + 1))
+  fi
+
  if [ "$total" -eq 0 ]; then
    die "No secret files found in any workspace"
  fi
@ -569,6 +897,9 @@ cmd_pull() {

  info "Decrypted $count file(s) into $target_dir"

+  # Merge any external files (.secrets-files) declared in this project.
+  pull_external_files "$PWD" "$project"
+
  # Reinstall hook if missing
  if [ ! -x "$SECRETS_DIR/.git/hooks/pre-commit" ]; then
    install_hook
@ -644,6 +975,12 @@ cmd_pull_workspaces() {
    fi
  done <<< "$workspaces"

+  # External files (.secrets-files) are monorepo-root-scoped — once.
+  if [ -f "$root/$SECRETS_FILES_NAME" ] && [ ! -L "$root/$SECRETS_FILES_NAME" ]; then
+    pull_external_files "$root" "$monorepo_name"
+    total=$((total + 1))
+  fi
+
  if [ "$total" -eq 0 ]; then
    die "No secrets found for any workspace in $monorepo_name"
  fi
@ -674,6 +1011,14 @@ cmd_list() {
      echo "  $(basename "$f" .age)"
      found=1
    done
+    # External files live in a subdir, invisible to the globs above.
+    if [ -d "${dir}external" ]; then
+      for f in "${dir}external"/*.age; do
+        [ -f "$f" ] || continue
+        echo "  [external] $(basename "$f" .age)"
+        found=1
+      done
+    fi
  done

  if [ "$found" -eq 0 ]; then
@ -720,7 +1065,10 @@ cmd_rekey() {
  # Create temp dir with cleanup trap
  local tmpdir
  tmpdir=$(mktemp -d)
-  trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT INT TERM
+  # `${tmpdir:-}` guards against `set -u` if the trap somehow fires after the
+  # function returns (the local would be out of scope). Normal completion
+  # cleans up explicitly and clears the trap at the end of this function.
+  trap 'rm -rf "${tmpdir:-}"' EXIT INT TERM

  info "Decrypting all files with current key..."

@ -741,6 +1089,20 @@ cmd_rekey() {
      fi
      file_count=$((file_count + 1))
    done
+    # External files live in a subdir; rekey them too or they become
+    # undecryptable after rotation.
+    if [ -d "${dir}external" ]; then
+      mkdir -p "$tmpdir/$project/external"
+      for f in "${dir}external"/*.age; do
+        [ -f "$f" ] || continue
+        local ename
+        ename=$(basename "$f" .age)
+        if ! age -d -i "$KEY_FILE" -o "$tmpdir/$project/external/$ename" "$f"; then
+          die "Decryption failed for $project/external/$ename. Rekey aborted. Old key preserved."
+        fi
+        file_count=$((file_count + 1))
+      done
+    fi
  done

  if [ "$file_count" -eq 0 ]; then
@ -749,8 +1111,12 @@ cmd_rekey() {

  info "Decrypted $file_count file(s). Generating new key pair..."

-  # Generate new key (overwrites old)
-  age-keygen -o "$KEY_FILE" 2>&1
+  # Generate the new key. age-keygen refuses to overwrite an existing
+  # file, so generate into the temp dir and move it into place only on
+  # success — the old key stays intact if generation fails.
+  local newkey="$tmpdir/key.txt.new"
+  age-keygen -o "$newkey" 2>&1
+  mv "$newkey" "$KEY_FILE"
  local pubkey
  pubkey=$(get_pubkey)

@ -768,6 +1134,15 @@ cmd_rekey() {
      name=$(basename "$f")
      age -r "$pubkey" -o "$SECRETS_DIR/$project/${name}.age" "$f"
    done
+    if [ -d "${dir}external" ]; then
+      mkdir -p "$SECRETS_DIR/$project/external"
+      for f in "${dir}external"/*; do
+        [ -f "$f" ] || continue
+        local ename
+        ename=$(basename "$f")
+        age -r "$pubkey" -o "$SECRETS_DIR/$project/external/${ename}.age" "$f"
+      done
+    fi
  done

  # Commit and push
@ -787,6 +1162,11 @@ cmd_rekey() {
  echo ""
  echo "WARNING: Old ciphertext remains in git history."
  echo "For full rotation, create a fresh repo."
+
+  # Clean up the plaintext temp dir while $tmpdir is still in scope, then
+  # drop the trap so it can't fire (and error under set -u) post-return.
+  rm -rf "$tmpdir"
+  trap - EXIT INT TERM
 }

 cmd_clear() {
@ -893,6 +1273,22 @@ cmd_which() {
  resolve_store
  echo "store:  $SECRETS_DIR"
  echo "source: $STORE_SOURCE"
+
+  # Read back any external-file manifest in cwd (validates the format and
+  # gives the user a way to confirm it parsed, since there's no add-file
+  # command). Skips symlinked manifests.
+  local manifest="$PWD/$SECRETS_FILES_NAME"
+  if [ -f "$manifest" ] && [ ! -L "$manifest" ]; then
+    local mtype mpath mkeys printed=0
+    while IFS=$'\t' read -r mtype mpath mkeys; do
+      [ -n "$mtype" ] || continue
+      if [ "$printed" -eq 0 ]; then
+        echo "external files ($SECRETS_FILES_NAME at $manifest):"
+        printed=1
+      fi
+      echo "  $mtype  $mpath  $mkeys"
+    done < <(_parse_secrets_files_manifest "$manifest")
+  fi
 }

 cmd_help() {
@ -946,6 +1342,25 @@ Workspaces:
  <monorepo>/<workspace-path>/ in the secrets repo. Root secret files
  are stored under <monorepo>/ directly. Requires jq.

+External files (.secrets-files):
+  Sync specific keys from files OUTSIDE the project root (e.g. global
+  Gradle properties). Create a committed .secrets-files in the project
+  root, one entry per line:
+
+      # <type>             <path>                        <keys...>
+      gradle-properties    ~/.gradle/gradle.properties   beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive
+
+  On push, the named keys are extracted from <path> and encrypted under
+  <project>/external/ in the store. On pull, they are MERGED back into
+  <path>, leaving all unrelated keys untouched. Only type
+  'gradle-properties' is supported; the target basename must be
+  'gradle.properties' and must resolve inside $HOME. Run 'secrets which'
+  from the project to confirm the manifest parsed.
+
+  Note: merged keys are written as permanent plaintext into the target
+  file (suitable for publishable/low-secrecy values). 'secrets clear'
+  does NOT remove them.
+
 Environment:
  SECRETS_DIR    Path to secrets repo (default: ~/.secrets). See also
                 the .secrets-store file and --store flag above.
--- a/test/secrets.bats
+++ b/test/secrets.bats
@ -1045,3 +1045,307 @@ PKG
  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
  [[ "$output" == *"git+ssh://user@host:2222/path/to-repo_v2.git"* ]]
 }
+
+# ─── EGB-531: gradle.properties external file support ──────────────────
+
+# Helper: write a fake global gradle.properties under the sandboxed HOME.
+gradle_src() {
+  mkdir -p "$HOME/.gradle"
+  printf '%s' "$1" > "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+# Helper: bind a project dir to a gradle entry via .secrets-files, cd into it.
+gradle_project() {
+  local name="${1:-gproj}"
+  local keys="${2:-beaconClerkPkTest beaconClerkPkLive}"
+  local dir="$WORK_DIR/$name"
+  mkdir -p "$dir"
+  printf 'gradle-properties ~/.gradle/gradle.properties %s\n' "$keys" > "$dir/.secrets-files"
+  cd "$dir"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: which shows parsed .secrets-files entries" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_project gproj
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" which
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"gradle-properties"* ]]
+  [[ "$output" == *"~/.gradle/gradle.properties"* ]]
+  [[ "$output" == *"beaconClerkPkTest"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: push extracts managed keys into external/ blob (no .env needed)" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\nbeaconClerkPkLive=pk_live_xyz\nunrelated=keep\n'
+  gradle_project gproj
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Extracted 2 key"* ]]
+  run bash -c "ls $SECRETS_DIR/gproj/external/*.gradle-properties.age"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: push dies if all managed keys missing from source" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'somethingelse=1\n'
+  gradle_project gproj
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"not found"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: pull merges managed keys, preserves unrelated entries" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\nbeaconClerkPkLive=pk_live_xyz\n'
+  gradle_project gproj
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  # Simulate a second machine: target holds only unrelated keys
+  gradle_src $'unrelated.key=keepme\norg.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx2g\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Merged 2 key"* ]]
+  grep -q 'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q 'beaconClerkPkLive=pk_live_xyz' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q 'unrelated.key=keepme' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q 'org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx2g' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: merge does NOT touch a substring key" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=secretval\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  # Target has the shorter key AND a stale managed key
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPk=DONOTCHANGE\nbeaconClerkPkTest=old\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPk=DONOTCHANGE$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=secretval$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: value with sed/regex metacharacters round-trips byte-exact" {
+  init_with_remote
+  local val='a/b&c\d.e|f$g'
+  gradle_src "$(printf 'beaconClerkPkTest=%s\n' "$val")"
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'other=1\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  run grep -F "beaconClerkPkTest=$val" "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: colon and space separators are parsed" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest : pk_colon\nbeaconClerkPkLive pk_space\n'
+  gradle_project gproj
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'x=1\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=pk_colon$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkLive=pk_space$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: pull is idempotent (second pull leaves file byte-identical)" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\nbeaconClerkPkLive=pk_live_xyz\n'
+  gradle_project gproj
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'unrelated=x\n# a comment\n'
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  cp "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties" "$TEST_TMPDIR/snap1"
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  run diff "$TEST_TMPDIR/snap1" "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: merge preserves comments and blank lines" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'# header comment\n\nunrelated=x\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  grep -q '^# header comment$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q '^unrelated=x$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: duplicate managed key in target collapses to one canonical line" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=newval\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=old1\nx=1\nbeaconClerkPkTest=old2\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  run grep -c '^beaconClerkPkTest=' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  [ "$output" -eq 1 ]
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=newval$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  grep -q '^x=1$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: continuation-line-adjacent managed key is not clobbered" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=realval\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  # 'beaconClerkPkTest=...' here is a CONTINUATION of unrelated's value, not a definition
+  printf 'unrelated=foo\\\nbeaconClerkPkTest=continuation\n' > "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  # continuation line preserved verbatim
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=continuation$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  # and the real managed key appended
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=realval$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: first-create target gets mode 600" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  rm -f "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ -f "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties" ]
+  local mode
+  mode=$(stat -f '%Lp' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties" 2>/dev/null || stat -c '%a' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties")
+  [ "$mode" = "600" ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: target with wrong basename is refused" {
+  init_with_remote
+  mkdir -p "$HOME/.gradle"
+  printf 'beaconClerkPkTest=x\n' > "$HOME/.gradle/custom.properties"
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  printf 'gradle-properties ~/.gradle/custom.properties beaconClerkPkTest\n' > .secrets-files
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"gradle.properties"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: target outside HOME is refused" {
+  init_with_remote
+  local outside
+  outside=$(mktemp -d)
+  mkdir -p "$outside/.gradle"
+  printf 'beaconClerkPkTest=x\n' > "$outside/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  printf 'gradle-properties %s/.gradle/gradle.properties beaconClerkPkTest\n' "$outside" > .secrets-files
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  rm -rf "$outside"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"HOME"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: symlinked target is refused" {
+  init_with_remote
+  mkdir -p "$HOME/.gradle"
+  printf 'beaconClerkPkTest=x\n' > "$HOME/realgradle"
+  ln -s "$HOME/realgradle" "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"symlink"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: unknown type in manifest warns and skips" {
+  init_with_remote
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  printf 'gradle-props ~/.gradle/gradle.properties beaconClerkPkTest\n' > .secrets-files
+  echo "X=1" > .env
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj
+  [[ "$output" == *"unknown type"* ]]
+  [ ! -d "$SECRETS_DIR/gproj/external" ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: malformed manifest line (no path/keys) is skipped with warning" {
+  init_with_remote
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  printf 'gradle-properties\n' > .secrets-files
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" which
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"WARNING"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: manifest path with command-substitution chars is rejected" {
+  init_with_remote
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  local pwn="$TEST_TMPDIR/pwn-$$"
+  rm -f "$pwn"
+  printf 'gradle-properties ~/.gradle/gradle.properties$(touch %s) beaconClerkPkTest\n' "$pwn" > .secrets-files
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" which
+  [ ! -f "$pwn" ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"WARNING"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: symlinked .secrets-files is ignored" {
+  init_with_remote
+  printf 'gradle-properties ~/.gradle/gradle.properties beaconClerkPkTest\n' > "$HOME/realmanifest"
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  ln -s "$HOME/realmanifest" .secrets-files
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" which
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" != *"beaconClerkPkTest"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: rekey re-encrypts the external blob (still decryptable after)" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" rekey >/dev/null 2>&1
+  gradle_src $'other=1\n'
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  grep -q '^beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc$' "$HOME/.gradle/gradle.properties"
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: gradle blob is NOT decrypted into cwd by dotenv pull" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\n'
+  mkdir -p "$WORK_DIR/gproj"; cd "$WORK_DIR/gproj"
+  printf 'gradle-properties ~/.gradle/gradle.properties beaconClerkPkTest\n' > .secrets-files
+  echo "DOTENV=1" > .env
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  local pulldir="$WORK_DIR/pull-gproj"
+  mkdir -p "$pulldir"
+  cp "$WORK_DIR/gproj/.secrets-files" "$pulldir/.secrets-files"
+  cd "$pulldir"
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" pull gproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ -f "$pulldir/.env" ]
+  [ ! -f "$pulldir/gradle.properties" ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: list shows external entry" {
+  init_with_remote
+  gradle_src $'beaconClerkPkTest=pk_test_abc\n'
+  gradle_project gproj beaconClerkPkTest
+  "$SECRETS_BIN" push gproj >/dev/null 2>&1
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" list
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"external"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: no .secrets-files behaves exactly as before (backward compat)" {
+  init_with_remote
+  create_project_dir plainproj
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push plainproj
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ ! -d "$SECRETS_DIR/plainproj/external" ]
+}
+
+@test "EGB-531: pre-commit blocks plaintext gradle.properties in store" {
+  init_with_remote
+  cd "$SECRETS_DIR"
+  echo "beaconClerkPkTest=leak" > gradle.properties
+  git add -f gradle.properties
+  run git commit -m "should fail"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Plaintext"* ]]
+}
 @ -1 +1 @@
 .1.1.0
 .2.0.0