[duplicate-code] Duplicate Code Pattern: Manual truncation bypassing strutil/sanitize utilities

[github-actions]

Part of duplicate code analysis: #3735

Summary

Two files in the latest commit perform manual inline string truncation using raw byte-index slicing + "..." concatenation, bypassing the established strutil.Truncate and sanitize.TruncateSecret utilities that already exist in the codebase for exactly this purpose.

Duplication Details

Pattern: Inline truncation instead of strutil.Truncate / sanitize.TruncateSecret

• Severity: Medium
• Occurrences: 2 (bypassing 2 different established utilities)
• Locations:
  • internal/logger/rpc_helpers.go (line 133)
  • internal/cmd/root.go (line 608)

---

Instance 1 — rpc_helpers.go:133 (bypasses strutil.Truncate):

// Current — manual truncation:
if len(cleanedLine) > 200 {
    cleanedLine = cleanedLine[:197] + "..."
}

// Should be:
cleanedLine = strutil.Truncate(cleanedLine, 197)

The package already imports strutil (used in truncateAndSanitize on line 48). The manual pattern repeats logic already in strutil.Truncate.

---

Instance 2 — root.go:608 (bypasses sanitize.TruncateSecret):

// Current — custom 10-char truncation for secret display:
displayValue := value
if len(value) > 0 {
    displayValue = value[:min(10, len(value))] + "..."
}
log.Printf("  Loaded: %s=%s", key, displayValue)

// Should use the established secret truncation utility:
log.Printf("  Loaded: %s=%s", key, sanitize.TruncateSecret(value))

The codebase uses sanitize.TruncateSecret throughout for exactly this purpose (auth headers, env vars in launcher, session IDs). The custom code truncates to 10 chars whereas TruncateSecret truncates to 4 chars — an inconsistency in security logging depth.

Impact Analysis

• Maintainability: If strutil.Truncate or sanitize.TruncateSecret semantics change, these inline versions won't track the change
• Bug Risk: Medium — root.go:608 exposes 10 chars of environment variable values in logs; TruncateSecret consistently exposes only 4 chars. This inconsistency could leak more of a secret value than intended
• Code Bloat: Minor — but the inconsistency creates confusion about which truncation approach is authoritative

Refactoring Recommendations

1. rpc_helpers.go:133 — Replace 4-line manual truncation with strutil.Truncate:

   cleanedLine = strutil.Truncate(cleanedLine, 197)

   Note: strutil.Truncate(s, 197) produces s[:197] + "..." for strings longer than 197 bytes, which is equivalent to the current code.

2. root.go:608 — Replace custom secret truncation with sanitize.TruncateSecret:

   log.Printf("  Loaded: %s=%s", key, sanitize.TruncateSecret(value))

   Add import: "github.com/github/gh-aw-mcpg/internal/logger/sanitize" (or the existing import if present).

Implementation Checklist

• Replace manual truncation in rpc_helpers.go:133 with strutil.Truncate
• Replace custom secret display in root.go:608 with sanitize.TruncateSecret
• Verify import paths are correct in both files
• Run make test-unit to confirm no regressions
• Note: TruncateSecret shows 4 chars vs the current 10 — confirm with security posture

Parent Issue

See parent analysis report: #3735
Related to #3735

Generated by Duplicate Code Detector · ● 2.4M · ◷

• expires on Apr 21, 2026, 6:13 AM UTC

[github-actions]

---

Note

The pull request was not created — a fallback review issue was created instead due to protected file changes: #3751

🤖 This is an automated response from Repo Assist.

I've implemented both fixes described in this issue and created a PR: [Repo Assist] refactor: replace inline truncation with strutil/sanitize utilities (branch repo-assist/fix-issue-3737-inline-truncation).

Changes made:

1. internal/logger/rpc_helpers.go — replaced the 3-line if len(cleanedLine) > 200 block with strutil.Truncate(cleanedLine, 197). strutil was already imported; no import changes needed.

2. internal/cmd/root.go — replaced the custom 10-char prefix display with sanitize.TruncateSecret(value). Added internal/logger/sanitize import.

Security note on the root.go change: TruncateSecret exposes 4 chars vs the previous 10. This is a stricter security posture, consistent with how auth headers, launcher env vars, and session IDs are all logged throughout the codebase.

Note

🔒 Integrity filter blocked 1 item

The following item were blocked because they don't meet the GitHub integrity level.

• Bug: HTTP MCP backend tools missing from agent when tools/list response is slow #3718 list_issues: has lower integrity than agent requires. The agent cannot read data with integrity below "unapproved".

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    min-integrity: approved  # merged | approved | unapproved | none

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