Dependency Audit

/dependency-audit Workflow

Role

This skill is a pipeline coordinator. It orchestrates a sequential supply chain security workflow by delegating scanner invocation and synthesis to appropriate tools. It does NOT perform LLM-based CVE lookup — it coordinates real CLI scanners that use live vulnerability databases, then synthesizes their output. The LLM's training data has a knowledge cutoff and cannot reliably detect post-cutoff CVEs.

Inputs

• Package manifest path or scope: $ARGUMENTS (optional — auto-detected if omitted)
• Supported: package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Pipfile, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pom.xml, Gemfile

Step 0 — Pre-flight: detect manifest and scanner availability

Tool: Bash (direct — coordinator does this), Glob

Detect manifest type by searching for known manifest files:

Tool: Glob

Search patterns (in order):

• **/package.json → ecosystem: Node.js, scanner: npm audit
• **/requirements.txt or **/pyproject.toml or **/Pipfile → ecosystem: Python, scanners: pip-audit or safety
• **/go.mod → ecosystem: Go, scanner: govulncheck
• **/Cargo.toml → ecosystem: Rust, scanner: cargo audit
• **/pom.xml → ecosystem: Java, scanner: mvn dependency:analyze
• **/Gemfile → ecosystem: Ruby, scanner: bundle audit

If $ARGUMENTS specifies a manifest path, use that directly. Otherwise, use the first manifest found.

Check scanner availability via which:

Tool: Bash

TIMESTAMP=$(date -u +"%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ")
echo "Run timestamp: $TIMESTAMP"

# Detect ecosystem and check scanners
ECOSYSTEM=""
MANIFEST=""
SCANNER=""
SCANNER_CMD=""

# Check for manifests and their scanners
if [ -f "package.json" ] || [ -f "$(find . -name 'package.json' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -maxdepth 3 | head -1)" ]; then
  MANIFEST=$(find . -name 'package.json' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -maxdepth 3 | head -1)
  ECOSYSTEM="Node.js"
  if which npm >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="npm"; SCANNER_CMD="npm audit --json"; fi
fi

if [ -z "$ECOSYSTEM" ] && ([ -f "requirements.txt" ] || [ -f "pyproject.toml" ] || [ -f "Pipfile" ]); then
  MANIFEST=$(ls requirements.txt pyproject.toml Pipfile 2>/dev/null | head -1)
  ECOSYSTEM="Python"
  if which pip-audit >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="pip-audit"; SCANNER_CMD="pip-audit --format json";
  elif which safety >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="safety"; SCANNER_CMD="safety check --json"; fi
fi

if [ -z "$ECOSYSTEM" ] && [ -f "go.mod" ]; then
  MANIFEST="go.mod"
  ECOSYSTEM="Go"
  if which govulncheck >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="govulncheck"; SCANNER_CMD="govulncheck ./..."; fi
fi

if [ -z "$ECOSYSTEM" ] && [ -f "Cargo.toml" ]; then
  MANIFEST="Cargo.toml"
  ECOSYSTEM="Rust"
  if which cargo >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="cargo audit"; SCANNER_CMD="cargo audit --json"; fi
fi

if [ -z "$ECOSYSTEM" ] && [ -f "pom.xml" ]; then
  MANIFEST="pom.xml"
  ECOSYSTEM="Java"
  if which mvn >/dev/null 2>&1; then SCANNER="mvn"; SCANNER_CMD="mvn dependency:analyze -q"; fi
fi

if [ -z "$ECOSYSTEM" ] && [ -f "Gemfile" ]; then
  MANIFEST="Gemfile"
  ECOSYSTEM="Ruby"
  if which bundle >/dev/null 2>&1 && bundle exec gem list 2>/dev/null | grep -q bundler-audit; then
    SCANNER="bundle-audit"; SCANNER_CMD="bundle audit check --update";
  fi
fi

echo "ECOSYSTEM=$ECOSYSTEM"
echo "MANIFEST=$MANIFEST"
echo "SCANNER=$SCANNER"
echo "SCANNER_CMD=$SCANNER_CMD"
echo "TIMESTAMP=$TIMESTAMP"

Pre-flight outcomes:

• If no manifest found: Stop workflow. Output: "No supported package manifest found. Supported: package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Pipfile, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pom.xml, Gemfile"
• If manifest found but no scanner available: Log SCANNER="" — workflow continues. Steps 1–3 will be skipped for CVE scanning; Steps 4–5 (license + supply chain) still run. Verdict will be INCOMPLETE.
• If manifest and scanner found: Full workflow runs.

Step 1 — Read and parse manifest

Tool: Read (direct — coordinator does this)

Read the manifest file identified in Step 0. Extract:

• All direct dependencies (name + version or version constraint)
• All dev/test dependencies (if present and relevant)
• Lock file location (e.g., package-lock.json, Pipfile.lock, go.sum, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) for precise version data

If a lock file exists alongside the manifest, note it — the scanner will use it for exact vulnerability matching.

Output summary of dependency count to stdout (e.g., "Found 42 direct dependencies, 87 total including transitive").

Step 2 — Invoke scanner

Tool: Bash (direct — coordinator does this)

If no scanner is available (SCANNER="" from Step 0):

Output:

SCANNER STATUS: INCOMPLETE — no vulnerability scanner available for [ecosystem]

To enable full vulnerability scanning, install the appropriate scanner:
  Node.js:  npm (included with Node.js)
  Python:   pip install pip-audit   (or: pip install safety)
  Go:       go install golang.org/x/vuln/cmd/govulncheck@latest
  Rust:     cargo install cargo-audit
  Java:     Apache Maven required (https://maven.apache.org)
  Ruby:     gem install bundler-audit

Continuing with license compliance and supply chain risk assessment only.
Steps 4–5 will still run. CVE vulnerability data will NOT be reported.

Set SCANNER_OUTPUT="(no scanner available)" and skip to Step 3 synthesis with empty CVE data.

If scanner is available:

Run the scanner. Note: non-zero exit codes from vulnerability scanners indicate findings, not errors.

# Run scanner — non-zero exit = findings found, not a command error
SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE="./plans/dependency-audit-${TIMESTAMP}.scanner-raw.json"

case "$SCANNER" in
  npm)
    npm audit --json 2>/dev/null > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  pip-audit)
    pip-audit --format json 2>/dev/null > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  safety)
    safety check --json 2>/dev/null > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  govulncheck)
    govulncheck -json ./... 2>/dev/null > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  "cargo audit")
    cargo audit --json 2>/dev/null > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  mvn)
    mvn dependency:analyze -q 2>&1 > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
  bundle-audit)
    bundle audit check --update 2>&1 > "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE" || true
    ;;
esac

echo "Scanner output saved to: $SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE"
cat "$SCANNER_OUTPUT_FILE"

Step 3 — LLM synthesis of scanner output

Tool: Task, subagent_type=general-purpose, model=claude-sonnet-4-6

Prompt: "You are a security analyst synthesizing vulnerability scanner output for a dependency audit report.

Read the scanner output file at ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].scanner-raw.json. Also read the manifest file at [MANIFEST].

Your task:

1. Parse the scanner output and extract all vulnerability findings.
2. For each finding, identify:

• Package name and affected version
• CVE/vulnerability ID (e.g., CVE-2024-XXXXX, GHSA-XXXXX)
• Severity (Critical / High / Medium / Low — use scanner-reported severity)
• Description (one sentence)
• Whether a fixed version is available
• Whether the vulnerable package is a direct dependency or transitive

1. Categorize findings by severity:

• Critical: RCE, authentication bypass, data exfiltration — must fix before shipping
• High: Significant security impact — should fix soon
• Medium: Limited impact or requires unusual conditions — review and plan fix
• Low: Minimal impact — track but lower priority

1. Note any findings where the scanner could not complete (e.g., network errors, auth required).

Output: Write your synthesis to ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].cve-synthesis.md with:

## CVE Findings

**Scanner:** [scanner name and version if available]
**Ecosystem:** [ecosystem]
**Scan date:** [timestamp]
**Total vulnerabilities:** [count by severity: X Critical, X High, X Medium, X Low]

### Critical Findings
[table: Package | CVE ID | Description | Fixed Version | Direct/Transitive]

### High Findings
[table]

### Medium Findings
[table]

### Low Findings
[table]

### Scanner Notes
[any warnings, incomplete scans, or limitations from the scanner output]

If scanner output was empty or indicated no findings, write: 'No vulnerabilities found by scanner.' If no scanner was available (SCANNER_STATUS=INCOMPLETE), write: 'CVE scan skipped — no scanner available.'"

Step 4 — License compliance check

Tool: Task, subagent_type=general-purpose, model=claude-sonnet-4-6

Prompt: "You are reviewing a software project's dependency manifest for license compliance issues.

Read the manifest at [MANIFEST]. If a lock file exists (package-lock.json, Pipfile.lock, go.sum, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock), also read it for exact package versions.

Your task:

Analyze the dependencies for license compliance concerns. LLM analysis is appropriate for license review since license data is stable (licenses don't change after release) and license terms are documented.

1. Identify licenses for each dependency (use your knowledge of well-known packages' licenses).

Note: You may not know every package's license. For packages you are uncertain about, flag them as 'license unknown — verify manually'.

1. Flag compliance concerns:

• Copyleft (strong): GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, AGPL-3.0 — may require source disclosure
• Copyleft (weak): LGPL, MPL — generally OK for linking but review usage
• Restricted: Commercial licenses, proprietary, no-license (all-rights-reserved)
• Patent risk: Check for packages with known patent encumbrances
• License conflicts: GPL-incompatible combinations

1. Approve without concern:

• MIT, Apache-2.0, BSD-2-Clause, BSD-3-Clause, ISC, Unlicense, CC0

Output: Write to ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].license-check.md with:

## License Compliance

### Summary
[X packages reviewed, Y flagged for review, Z unknown]

### Flagged Dependencies
| Package | License | Concern | Recommendation |
|---------|---------|---------|----------------|

### Unknown Licenses (verify manually)
| Package | Notes |

### Approved Licenses
[Count of packages with permissive licenses — no individual listing needed]

### Notes
[Any license conflict combinations, usage-specific caveats]
```"

## Step 5 — Supply chain risk assessment

Tool: `Task`, `subagent_type=general-purpose`, `model=claude-sonnet-4-6`

Prompt:
"You are performing a supply chain risk assessment of a software project's dependencies.

Read the manifest at `[MANIFEST]`.

**Your task:**

Assess supply chain health indicators using your knowledge of packages and general patterns. This is LLM heuristic analysis — flag concerns for human verification, not definitive findings.

1. **Typosquatting indicators** — Check for package names that are:
   - Very similar to popular packages (e.g., 'lodash' vs 'l0dash', 'react' vs 'reeact')
   - Unusual character substitutions
   - Suspicious name patterns for the ecosystem

2. **Maintenance health indicators** — For packages you know about:
   - Packages known to be unmaintained or deprecated
   - Packages that had ownership transfers recently
   - Packages with known malicious versions in their history

3. **Dependency sprawl** — Flag:
   - Unusually large number of dependencies for the project type
   - Dependencies that duplicate functionality of other dependencies
   - Dependencies for trivial functionality (e.g., single-function packages)

4. **Version pinning** — Check if:
   - Dependencies use exact versions (good) vs. wide ranges (risk)
   - Lock file is present (good) vs. absent (risk)
   - Any dependency uses `*` or `latest` as version (high risk)

**Output:** Write to `./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].supply-chain.md` with:

Supply Chain Risk Assessment

Typosquatting Suspects

[Table: Package | Similar To | Risk Level | Recommendation] [Or: 'No typosquatting suspects identified.']

Maintenance Concerns

[Table: Package | Concern | Risk Level] [Or: 'No known maintenance concerns.']

Version Pinning

[Summary: Lock file present? Loose version ranges? Specific risky patterns found?]

Dependency Health Summary

[Overall assessment: HEALTHY / REVIEW_NEEDED / CONCERNING]

Disclaimer

This is LLM heuristic analysis. Findings require human verification. Check package registries (npmjs.com, PyPI, crates.io, etc.) for current status.

```"

Step 6 — Generate consolidated report

Tool: Task, subagent_type=general-purpose, model=claude-sonnet-4-6

Prompt: "You are generating a consolidated dependency audit report from three analysis documents.

Read all three analysis files:

• ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].cve-synthesis.md
• ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].license-check.md
• ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].supply-chain.md

Also read the manifest at [MANIFEST].

Your task:

Write a consolidated report to ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].report.md with:

# Dependency Audit Report

**Date:** [TIMESTAMP]
**Ecosystem:** [ecosystem]
**Manifest:** [manifest path]
**Scanner used:** [scanner name or 'none — INCOMPLETE']

## Executive Summary

[2-3 sentences summarizing the overall security posture of the dependencies]

**Verdict:** [PASS / PASS_WITH_NOTES / BLOCKED / INCOMPLETE — see Step 7 criteria]

## Vulnerability Findings
[Paste CVE synthesis content]

## License Compliance
[Paste license check content]

## Supply Chain Risk
[Paste supply chain content]

## Remediation Priorities

### Immediate (Critical/High vulnerabilities)
[Numbered list with: package, CVE, fix command (e.g., npm update package@version)]

### Short-term (Medium vulnerabilities, license concerns)
[Numbered list]

### Monitor (Low vulnerabilities, supply chain flags)
[Numbered list]

## Scanner Installation (if INCOMPLETE)
[Only if no scanner was available — installation instructions for this ecosystem]

Preliminary verdict guidance for your report (final verdict set in Step 7):

• BLOCKED: Any Critical CVE present
• PASSWITHNOTES: High CVEs, license flags, or supply chain concerns — no Critical CVEs
• INCOMPLETE: No scanner available — CVE data missing
• PASS: No findings across all three analyses"

Step 7 — Verdict gate

Tool: Read (direct — coordinator does this)

Read ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].report.md and determine final verdict.

Verdict rules (in priority order):

1. BLOCKED — Any Critical severity CVE found. Mandatory remediation before shipping.
2. INCOMPLETE — No scanner was available. CVE vulnerability data is missing. Cannot report PASS. License and supply chain data may be present.
3. PASSWITHNOTES — No Critical CVEs, but any of: High severity CVEs, license compliance flags, supply chain concerns.
4. PASS — Scanner ran successfully, no CVEs found, no license flags, no supply chain concerns.

IMPORTANT: The skill MUST NOT report PASS when SCANNER was unavailable. INCOMPLETE is the correct verdict — it honestly represents that the vulnerability check could not be performed.

Output verdict and archive:

Tool: Bash

mkdir -p ./plans/archive/dependency-audit/${TIMESTAMP}
mv ./plans/dependency-audit-${TIMESTAMP}.scanner-raw.json \
   ./plans/dependency-audit-${TIMESTAMP}.cve-synthesis.md \
   ./plans/dependency-audit-${TIMESTAMP}.license-check.md \
   ./plans/dependency-audit-${TIMESTAMP}.supply-chain.md \
   ./plans/archive/dependency-audit/${TIMESTAMP}/ 2>/dev/null || true
echo "Archived analysis files to ./plans/archive/dependency-audit/${TIMESTAMP}/"

Final output by verdict:

• PASS: "Dependency audit PASS. No vulnerabilities, license issues, or supply chain concerns found. Report: ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].report.md"
• PASSWITHNOTES: "Dependency audit PASSWITHNOTES. Review findings in report: ./plans/dependency-audit-[TIMESTAMP].report.md. Address High severity items before next release."
• INCOMPLETE: "Dependency audit INCO

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: backspace-shmackspace
• Source: backspace-shmackspace/claude-devkit
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://bksp.ca

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.