> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.ox.security/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.ox.security/scan-and-analyze-with-ox/scanning/managing-secret-and-pii-detection/managing-secret-and-pii-detection.md).
# Defining Custom Secret and PII Patterns
> **Note:** This capability is currently in Early Access (EA) and is not generally available. To request access, please contact OX technical support.
You can define custom patterns to detect proprietary secrets, internal credentials, or organization-specific PII formats that are not recognized by OX by default.
After a custom pattern is added, it becomes active in subsequent scans across supported OX scanning engines.
1. Go to **Settings** > **Scan settings** > **Secrets**.
2. Enable **Custom Secret/PII Pattern Detection**.
3. In the **Custom patterns** section, select **Add**.
4. In the **Basics** tab, configure the pattern settings.
| Field | Description |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Secret / PII | Defines whether the pattern detects secrets or PII |
| Name | Display name for the custom pattern |
| Severity | Severity assigned to matching findings |
| Pattern (regex) | Regex expression used for matching |
| Notes | Internal notes for the pattern |
| Custom Issue Description | Custom description displayed in related findings |
5. Optional: In the **Validation** tab, test the Regex pattern against example values before saving the rule.
| Field | Description |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| Example Secret | Example value used to validate the Regex pattern |
6. Optional: In the **Advanced** tab, configure additional matching controls.
| Field | Description |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Entropy | Additional validation used to improve detection accuracy |
| Secret group | Group identifier used during matching |
7. Select **Add**.
The pattern becomes active in subsequent scans after it is saved.
## Limits and permissions
| Configuration | Value |
| ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| Maximum custom patterns per organization | 20 |
| Default state | Disabled |
| Required permissions | Admin or Policy Manager |
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