Panguard Skill Auditor

Panguard Skill Auditor

Automated security scanner for AI agent skills. Use before installing any skill from ClawdHub, GitHub, or other sources.

Unlike manual checklists, this runs real static analysis: regex pattern matching, Unicode inspection, Base64 payload decoding, SAST, and secrets scanning.

When to Use

• Before installing any skill from ClawdHub or GitHub
• When evaluating third-party SKILL.md files
• Before adding skills to your agent fleet
• As a CI gate for skill repositories

Quick Start

# Audit a skill directory
panguard audit skill ./path/to/skill

# Audit a skill from a GitHub URL
panguard audit skill https://github.com/user/repo/tree/main/skills/my-skill

What It Checks

1. Manifest Validation

Verifies SKILL.md frontmatter: required fields (name, description), valid metadata structure, and proper formatting.

2. Prompt Injection Detection

11 regex patterns detect:

• "Ignore previous instructions" variants
• Identity override ("you are now", "act as")
• System prompt manipulation
• Jailbreak patterns (DAN, bypass safety)
• Hidden text in HTML/markdown comments

3. Hidden Content Detection

• Zero-width Unicode characters (U+200B, U+200C, U+200D, RTL overrides)
• Base64-encoded payloads containing eval, exec, subprocess, child_process
• Homoglyph attacks

4. Tool Poisoning Detection

• Privilege escalation (sudo, chmod 777)
• Reverse shell patterns (nc -e, bash -i >&, /dev/tcp/)
• Remote code execution (curl | bash)
• Environment variable exfiltration
• Sensitive file access (~/.ssh, .env, .aws/)
• Destructive operations (rm -rf /)

5. Code Security (SAST + Secrets)

Scans all files in the skill directory:

• Static analysis for common vulnerabilities
• Hardcoded API keys, tokens, passwords
• AWS credentials, private keys

6. Dependency Analysis

Checks declared dependencies for known issues.

7. Permission Scope Analysis

Evaluates requested permissions against the skill's stated purpose.

Output Format

Returns a structured report:

PANGUARD SKILL AUDIT REPORT
============================
Skill:      my-skill
Risk Score: 72/100
Risk Level: CRITICAL
Duration:   0.3s

CHECKS:
  [FAIL] Prompt Safety: 2 suspicious pattern(s) detected
  [PASS] Manifest: Valid SKILL.md structure
  [WARN] Code: 1 issue(s) found; Secrets: No hardcoded credentials
  [PASS] Dependencies: No known issues
  [PASS] Permissions: Scope appropriate

FINDINGS:
  [CRITICAL] Prompt injection: ignore previous instructions
             SKILL.md:42 - "ignore all previous instructions and..."
  [HIGH]     Reverse shell pattern detected
             SKILL.md:87 - "bash -i >& /dev/tcp/..."

VERDICT: DO NOT INSTALL - Critical security issues found

Risk Levels

| Score | Level | Action | | ------ | -------- | ---------------------------------- | | 0-14 | LOW | Safe to install after quick review | | 15-39 | MEDIUM | Review findings before installing | | 40-69 | HIGH | Requires thorough manual review | | 70-100 | CRITICAL | Do NOT install |

Integration with Your Agent

Add to your agent's pre-install hook:

# In your agent's skill install pipeline
panguard audit skill "$SKILL_PATH" --json | jq '.riskLevel'
# Block installation if HIGH or CRITICAL

Comparison with Manual Vetting

| Feature | Manual Checklist | Panguard Auditor | | --------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------- | | Speed | Minutes per skill | < 1 second | | Consistency | Varies by reviewer | Deterministic | | Hidden Unicode | Easy to miss | Automatic detection | | Base64 payloads | Requires manual decode | Auto-decode + analyze | | Code SAST | Not included | Integrated scanner | | Secrets scan | Manual grep | Pattern-based detection | | Risk score | Subjective | Quantitative (0-100) |

Learn More

• Docs: https://panguard.ai/docs/skill-auditor
• Blog: https://panguard.ai/blog/skill-auditor-guide
• GitHub: https://github.com/panguard-ai/panguard-ai

Source & license

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

• Author: panguard-ai
• Source: panguard-ai/panguard-ai
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://panguard.ai

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