The preference file leaks sensitive search history

• iTerm2 version: 3.3.6
• OS version: macOS 10.15.1

It is common to store the preference file of the iTerm2 to a git repo in order to synchronise or backup the configuration. Much to my surprise that the preference file com.googlecode.iterm2.plist contains the history of keyword search, like the following:

<key>NoSyncSearchHistory</key>
<array>
  <string>keyword 1</string>
  <string>keyword 2</string>
</array>
<key>NoSyncSearchHistory2</key>
<array>
  <string>keyword 3</string>
  <string>keyword 4</string>
</array>

In my opinion, this is bad for two reasons:

• The preference file should only contain the long-term settings of iTerm2. It should not contain such a short-term temporary data. Since many people track the settings in a git repo, this would create unnecessary changes in the git history.
• More importantly, there is a serious privacy concern. Many people make their shell config (dotfiles) public without realising their search history would be public as well. I think the search history is sensitive and may include sensitive data such as tokens, file path, IP address, etc. You can find many example of such privacy data leakage at Github: https://github.com/search?q=NoSyncSearchHistory+extension%3Aplist&type=Code

Please consider to remove non-setting data from the preference file if the users choose to store them in a custom folder. Thanks.