Security Expertise

Directive knowledge for configuring and using security tooling in AgentFlow projects.

When to Use This Skill

Load this skill when you need to:

• Configure Dependabot for dependency updates
• Add security scanning to CI workflows
• Audit a project's security posture
• Set up secret detection
• Understand security best practices

Quick Reference

Rules

Security Configuration Rules (MUST)

1. MUST add Dependabot to all new projects - it's zero-maintenance security.

2. MUST add npm audit to CI workflows - fail builds on high/critical vulnerabilities.

3. MUST NOT commit secrets - use Doppler for all credentials.

4. MUST document manual steps - GitHub secret scanning requires UI enablement.

Security Configuration Rules (SHOULD)

5. SHOULD enable GitHub secret scanning on all repositories.

6. SHOULD review Dependabot PRs weekly - don't let them pile up.

7. SHOULD use npm audit --audit-level=high - moderate issues can wait.

Workflows

Workflow: Add Security to New Project

When: Setting up greenfield or brownfield project.

Steps:

1. Create Dependabot config:

   bashCopy

   cp .claude/templates/github/dependabot.yml .github/dependabot.yml
   

2. Add npm audit to CI (if GitHub Actions exist):

   yamlCopy

   - name: Security audit
     run: npm audit --audit-level=high
   

3. Enable secret scanning (manual):

   • Go to repo Settings → Security → Secret scanning
   • Enable "Secret scanning"
   • Enable "Push protection" (blocks commits with secrets)

4. Verify setup:

   bashCopy

   # Check Dependabot config exists
   test -f .github/dependabot.yml && echo "✅ Dependabot configured"
   
   # Check for npm audit in CI
   grep -r "npm audit" .github/workflows/ && echo "✅ npm audit in CI"
   

Workflow: Security Audit

When: Running /security:audit command or checking project security posture.

Checks to perform:

Output format:

Security Audit Results:

✅ Dependabot configured (.github/dependabot.yml)
✅ npm audit in CI workflow
⚠️  GitHub secret scanning - check manually: [repo settings link]
❌ npm audit found 2 high vulnerabilities

Run `npm audit fix` to resolve vulnerabilities.

Workflow: Fix Vulnerabilities

When: npm audit reports issues.

Steps:

1. Try automatic fix:

   bashCopy

   npm audit fix
   

2. If breaking changes required:

   bashCopy

   npm audit fix --force  # Use with caution
   

3. If fix unavailable:

   • Check if vulnerability is exploitable in your context
   • Consider alternative packages
   • Document accepted risk if proceeding

Templates

Dependabot Configuration

Location: .claude/templates/github/dependabot.yml

version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 10
    labels:
      - "dependencies"
      - "security"

CI Security Step

Add to GitHub Actions workflow:

- name: Security audit
  run: npm audit --audit-level=high

For GainInsight Standard projects, add after install step in workflow.

Integration Points

With Setup Process

• Greenfield: Creates .github/dependabot.yml during initial setup
• Brownfield: Adds security phase to setup process

With GainInsight Standard

• Layer 4 (CI/CD): npm audit step in GitHub Actions workflows
• Templates: Security workflow snippet in templates

With af:sync

• Checks for missing security configs
• Offers to create if missing

With Hook

• git-commit-reminder includes security awareness prompt

Common Pitfalls

Future Expansion

This skill can be extended to cover:

• SonarQube - Code quality and security analysis
• Snyk - Advanced vulnerability scanning
• OWASP ZAP - Dynamic application security testing
• License compliance - Dependency license checking
• Container scanning - Docker image vulnerabilities

Related Documentation

• GainInsight Layer 4: CI/CD
• Setup Process
• Dependabot Template