Security Analysis

Is Sourcegraph Cody Safe?

Last updated: January 12, 2026

An honest security analysis of Sourcegraph Cody for developers considering it for their projects.

Quick Answer

Safe - self-hosted option for maximum control

Sourcegraph Cody is enterprise-focused with self-hosted options for maximum security. Unlike Copilot, Cody understands your entire codebase context through Sourcegraph's code intelligence. This requires code indexing, but self-hosting keeps everything on-premises.

Security Assessment

Security Strengths

  • Self-hosted deployment: keep all code and AI on your own infrastructure
  • Sourcegraph's code graph provides context without sending raw code to LLMs
  • Enterprise SSO with SAML/SCIM and role-based access controls
  • Audit logs for all Cody interactions on enterprise tier
  • Choose your own LLM provider (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, or local models)

Security Concerns

  • Cloud tier sends code context to Sourcegraph's servers for AI processing
  • Deep codebase indexing means Sourcegraph needs broad repository access
  • AI suggestions are only as secure as the underlying LLM you choose
  • Context window may include sensitive code patterns inadvertently
  • Generated code needs security review like any AI tool

Security Checklist for Sourcegraph Cody

  • 1
    For proprietary code: deploy Sourcegraph self-hosted with on-premises LLM
  • 2
    Configure repository permissions - Cody respects Sourcegraph access controls
  • 3
    Use 'cody.contextFilters' to exclude sensitive directories from context
  • 4
    Enable audit logging on Enterprise to track AI interactions
  • 5
    Choose LLM provider based on your data sensitivity (self-hosted > cloud)
  • 6
    Review generated code especially for authentication/authorization logic

The Verdict

Cody's killer feature is the self-hosted option - you can run Sourcegraph and even the AI on your own infrastructure for complete control. This makes it the most security-flexible AI coding assistant for enterprises with strict data requirements. The trade-off is complexity vs. simpler cloud solutions.

Security Research & Industry Data

Understanding Sourcegraph Cody security in the context of broader industry trends and research.

10.3%

of Lovable applications (170 out of 1,645) had exposed user data in the CVE-2025-48757 incident

Source: CVE-2025-48757 security advisory

4.45 million USD

average cost of a data breach in 2023

Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023

500,000+

developers using vibe coding platforms like Lovable, Bolt, and Replit

Source: Combined platform statistics 2024-2025

What Security Experts Say

There's a new kind of coding I call 'vibe coding', where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists.

Andrej KarpathyFormer Tesla AI Director, OpenAI Co-founder

It's not really coding - I just see stuff, say stuff, run stuff, and copy paste stuff, and it mostly works.

Andrej KarpathyFormer Tesla AI Director, OpenAI Co-founder

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Cody be fully self-hosted?

Yes. Sourcegraph offers self-hosted deployment where both the code intelligence platform and AI processing can run on your infrastructure. You can even use local LLMs for complete data isolation. This is the most secure configuration for sensitive codebases.

Does Cody need access to my entire codebase?

Cody uses Sourcegraph's code intelligence to understand your codebase, which requires indexing. You control which repositories are indexed and can exclude sensitive paths using contextFilters. Self-hosted keeps all indexing on-premises.

How is Cody different from GitHub Copilot?

Cody is codebase-aware through Sourcegraph's code graph, understanding your entire repo context. Copilot primarily uses the current file. Cody offers self-hosted deployment; Copilot is cloud-only. Cody lets you choose LLM providers; Copilot uses OpenAI.

What LLMs can Cody use?

Cody supports Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4 (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), and local models through Ollama. On self-hosted enterprise, you can run entirely local LLMs for zero cloud exposure. This flexibility lets you balance capability vs. security requirements.

Verify Your Sourcegraph Cody App Security

Don't guess - scan your app and know for certain. VAS checks for all the common security issues in Sourcegraph Cody applications.