diff --git a/work-items/open/20260527-000022-manifest-profiles/item.md b/work-items/open/20260527-000022-manifest-profiles/item.md
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--- a/work-items/open/20260527-000022-manifest-profiles/item.md
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@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ legacy_ticket: null
 
 This work item was migrated from an unfinished TODO.md entry that did not have a dedicated legacy ticket file.
 
+## Related work
+
+- `work-items/open/20260529-145355-manifest-profile-encrypted-secrets/item.md`: profiles should integrate with explicit encrypted secret references so API keys/tokens are not limited to process environment variables.
+
 ## Acceptance criteria
 
 - Define the concrete requirements before implementation.
diff --git a/work-items/open/20260529-145355-manifest-profile-encrypted-secrets/item.md b/work-items/open/20260529-145355-manifest-profile-encrypted-secrets/item.md
new file mode 100644
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@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+---
+id: 20260529-145355-manifest-profile-encrypted-secrets
+slug: manifest-profile-encrypted-secrets
+title: Encrypted secret store for manifest profiles
+status: open
+kind: feature
+priority: P2
+labels: [manifest, profiles, secrets, security]
+created_at: 2026-05-29T14:53:55Z
+updated_at: 2026-05-29T14:53:55Z
+assignee: null
+legacy_ticket: null
+---
+
+## Background
+
+WebSearch/WebFetch made API keys more visible as a UX problem: `WebSearch` currently expects `web.search.api_key_env`, so users must export `BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY` before starting the Pod/TUI process. That is inconvenient for long-lived Pods, profile switching, and per-project/provider configuration.
+
+This should not be solved by adding `.env` loading as an implicit side effect. `.env` files are easy to leak into projects, do not solve profile-specific credential selection cleanly, and still expose secrets through process environments. Instead, when manifest profiles are designed/implemented, add a first-class encrypted secret store that manifests/profiles can reference.
+
+Related work item: `work-items/open/20260527-000022-manifest-profiles/item.md`.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Design a typed secret reference format for manifest/profile fields that need credentials.
+  - Existing env references such as `api_key_env = "BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY"` should keep working.
+  - Add a new encrypted-store reference form, e.g. `api_key_secret = "brave.search.default"` or a more general `SecretRef` enum.
+  - Secret references must be explicit in resolved config; do not silently read arbitrary `.env` files.
+- Add an encrypted local secret store suitable for API keys/tokens.
+  - Store secrets outside tracked project files by default, under the user data/config directory.
+  - Use authenticated encryption and atomic writes.
+  - Do not log plaintext secrets, include them in session logs, expose them to model context, or return them through normal tool output.
+  - Keep encrypted blobs out of git-managed work-items/memory/session records.
+- Integrate with manifest profiles.
+  - Profiles should be able to select different secret names for different roles/providers, e.g. Orchestrator/Coder/Researcher or web search provider variants.
+  - Profile resolution should validate that referenced secrets exist or produce a clear startup/tool diagnostic.
+  - A profile switch must not require restarting the shell just to change API keys.
+- Provide a small CLI/TUI management surface.
+  - Add/update/list/delete secrets without printing plaintext by default.
+  - Support non-interactive set from stdin for scripts.
+  - Show references and metadata, not secret values.
+  - Consider migration helpers from existing env-var based configuration, but keep migration optional.
+- Update credential consumers.
+  - WebSearch should support encrypted secret refs in addition to env vars.
+  - Provider API keys/tokens and future hosted/search credentials should be able to use the same mechanism.
+  - Existing env-var behavior remains as a fallback/compatibility path.
+- Security and UX constraints.
+  - Fail closed when a referenced secret is missing or cannot be decrypted.
+  - Diagnostics should name the missing reference, not the secret value.
+  - Do not add hidden context injection or history mutation for secret resolution.
+  - Document the threat model and limitations, including OS account access and backup implications.
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+
+- Manifest/profile schema has a typed credential reference that can point either to an env var or encrypted secret-store entry.
+- Encrypted secret-store files are created outside the repository by default and use authenticated encryption with atomic update behavior.
+- A user can add/list/delete a Brave Search API key in the secret store and configure `WebSearch` to use it without exporting an environment variable.
+- Resolved configuration and diagnostics never display plaintext secrets.
+- Missing/decryption-failed secrets produce clear fail-closed errors.
+- Existing env-var based configuration continues to work.
+- Documentation explains how profiles reference secrets and how to manage them.
+- Focused tests cover config parsing/resolution, missing secret diagnostics, no-plaintext serialization/logging paths, and WebSearch secret resolution.
+- `cargo fmt --check`
+- Relevant manifest/provider/tools/pod tests pass.