package-search

Vulnetix Package Search Skill

This skill searches for packages across ecosystems and provides a comprehensive security risk assessment before adding them as dependencies.

Output & Analysis Guidelines

Primary output format: Markdown. All reports, tables, summaries, and diffs MUST be presented as formatted markdown text directly — never generate scripts or programs to produce output that can be expressed as markdown.

Visual data — use Mermaid diagrams to display data visually when it aids comprehension. Mermaid renders natively in markdown and requires no external tools. Use it for:

• Dependency trees / upgrade paths → graph TD or graph LR
• Version comparison timelines → timeline
• Risk breakdowns → pie or quadrantChart
• Decision flow (add/skip/alternatives) → flowchart

Example — vulnerability distribution for a package:

```mermaid
pie title Vulnerability Severity
    "Critical" : 1
    "High" : 2
    "Medium" : 5
    "Low" : 3
```

If uv is available, richer visualizations can be generated with Python (matplotlib, plotly) and saved to .vulnetix/:

command -v uv &>/dev/null && uv run --with matplotlib python3 -c '
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# ... generate chart ...
plt.savefig(".vulnetix/chart.png", dpi=150, bbox_inches="tight")
'

When Python charts are generated, display them inline and keep the Mermaid version as a text fallback.

Data processing — tooling cascade (strict order):

1. jq / yq + bash builtins (preferred) — jq for JSON, yq for YAML. Pipe to head, tail, cut, sed, grep, sort, uniq, wc for shaping.
2. uv (for complex analysis or charts) — If aggregation, statistics, or visualization beyond Mermaid are needed, check uv first:

   command -v uv &>/dev/null && uv run --with pandas,matplotlib python3 -c '...'
   

3. python3 stdlib (last resort) — Only if uv is unavailable. Use json, csv, collections, statistics modules — no pip dependencies:

   command -v python3 &>/dev/null && python3 -c 'import json, sys; ...'
   

Never assume any runtime is available — always check with command -v before use. If all programmatic tools are unavailable, analyze manually with the Read tool and present results as markdown with Mermaid diagrams.

Version detection commands (pip show, go list -m, cargo pkgid, etc.) are exempt — they query package managers directly and are tried as-available per the version detection priority in Step 1b.

Vulnerability Memory (.vulnetix/memory.yaml)

This skill reads the .vulnetix/memory.yaml file in the repository root to surface prior vulnerability history for packages being searched. This file is shared with /vulnetix:fix and /vulnetix:exploits.

At the start of every invocation:

1. Use Glob to check if .vulnetix/memory.yaml exists in the repo root
2. If it exists, use Read to load it
3. Use Glob for .vulnetix/scans/*.cdx.json — if CycloneDX SBOMs exist from prior scans (pre-commit hook or fix skill), cross-reference package names against SBOM component lists for additional vulnerability context

During risk assessment (Step 4):

1. For each package in the search results, check if any vulnerabilities in the memory file reference that package name
2. If prior entries exist, add a Known History column or section to the output:
   • List each vuln ID, its current status (in developer-friendly language), decision date, and CWSS priority if available
   • Example: CVE-2021-44228 — Fixed (2024-01-15), CVE-2023-1234 — Risk accepted (2024-03-01), P3 (52.0)
   • If pocs exist for a vuln, note: N PoC(s) on file — do not display PoC URLs or paths in package search output
3. If a package has unresolved vulnerabilities (affected or under_investigation), flag this prominently in the risk assessment. If CWSS priority is P1 or P2, add a warning: "Active exploit intelligence available — run /vulnetix:exploits <vuln-id> for details"

After completing the search:

1. If the search reveals new vulnerabilities (from vulnerabilityCount or maxSeverity in the API response) that are NOT already tracked in the memory file, record them as new entries with:
   • status: under_investigation
   • discovery.source: scan
   • discovery.sbom: path to the relevant .vulnetix/scans/*.cdx.json if one exists for this package's manifest
   • decision.choice: investigating
   • decision.reason: "Discovered via /vulnetix:package-search"
2. Append to history: event: discovered, detail: "Found via package search for "

VEX-to-developer-language: When surfacing prior decisions, use developer-friendly language:

• not_affected → "Not affected", affected → "Vulnerable", fixed → "Fixed", under_investigation → "Investigating"

Dependabot Integration

When gh CLI is available (check with gh auth status 2>/dev/null), query Dependabot alerts for packages in the search results to enrich the risk assessment.

During Step 4 (Risk Assessment):

1. For each package in the results, check for open Dependabot alerts:

   gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts?state=open --jq '[.[] | select(.dependency.package.name == "'"$PACKAGE_NAME"'")] | length'
   

2. If alerts exist, add a Dependabot Alerts column to the comparison table showing the count and highest severity
3. If a Dependabot PR exists for the package, note it: "Dependabot PR #N open for <package> upgrade"
4. If a prior memory entry for this package has a dependabot section, surface it in the Known History output:
   • Example: CVE-2021-44228 — Fixed (2024-01-15, Dependabot: merged PR #187)

During Step 5 (Propose Dependency Addition):

• If a Dependabot PR already proposes the same version upgrade, suggest reviewing and merging that PR instead of manual editing: "Dependabot PR #N already proposes this upgrade — consider merging it instead"

This avoids duplicate work and leverages Dependabot's existing CI validation.

Code Scanning (CodeQL) Integration

When gh CLI is available, check if CodeQL has flagged issues related to packages being searched. The canonical state-to-VEX mapping is defined in /vulnetix:fix.

During Step 4 (Risk Assessment):

1. For each package with known vulnerabilities, check if CodeQL alerts match the associated CWEs:

   gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/code-scanning/alerts --jq '[.[] | select(.rule.tags[]? | test("CWE-<NUMBER>"; "i"))] | length'
   

2. If matching alerts exist, add a CodeQL Alerts column to the comparison table showing count and states
3. If a prior memory entry for this package has a code_scanning section, surface it in Known History:
   • Example: CVE-2021-44228 — Fixed (2024-01-15, CodeQL: alert #15 fixed)
4. If CodeQL default setup is not configured, note: "CodeQL not enabled — consider enabling for code-level detection"

During Step 5 (Propose Dependency Addition):

• If a CodeQL autofix is available for related alerts, mention it: "CodeQL also has an AI-suggested code fix for the related code pattern"

Secret Scanning Integration

When gh CLI is available, check for secret scanning alerts relevant to packages handling authentication or credentials.

During Step 4 (Risk Assessment):

1. If a package being evaluated handles auth/secrets (e.g., jsonwebtoken, bcrypt, passport, oauth2, crypto, keyring), check for open secret scanning alerts:

   gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/secret-scanning/alerts?state=open --jq 'length'
   

2. If active secrets exist alongside a package that handles credentials, flag: "Active secrets detected in this repo — adding/upgrading this package should include a secret rotation review"
3. If a prior memory entry has a secret_scanning section, surface it in Known History

Workflow

Step 1: Detect Repository Ecosystems

Check cached manifest data first: If .vulnetix/memory.yaml has a manifests section, use it to identify previously detected ecosystems and their scan dates. This avoids re-globbing for manifests that are already tracked. If the manifests section exists and is recent (< 24h), use the cached ecosystem list as a starting point.

Then verify with Glob to catch any new manifest files:

• package.json, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml → npm
• go.mod, go.sum → go
• Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock → cargo
• requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, Pipfile, poetry.lock, uv.lock → pypi
• Gemfile, Gemfile.lock → rubygems
• pom.xml, build.gradle, gradle.lockfile → maven
• composer.json, composer.lock → packagist

Determine which ecosystems this repository uses. If new manifest files are discovered that aren't in the manifests section of .vulnetix/memory.yaml, add them with ecosystem, path, and scan_source: package-search (without sbom_generated: true since this skill doesn't generate SBOMs).

Step 1b: Detect Currently Installed Version

For the package being searched, determine if it is already installed and what version is in use. You MUST resolve the current version using one of these methods (in priority order) and always disclose the source in your output:

1. User-supplied version — the user explicitly stated the version in their message
2. Lockfile — the most authoritative filesystem source:
   • npm: Read package-lock.json or yarn.lock or pnpm-lock.yaml for the resolved version
   • pypi: Read poetry.lock, Pipfile.lock, or uv.lock
   • go: Read go.sum for the recorded version
   • cargo: Read Cargo.lock for the resolved version
   • rubygems: Read Gemfile.lock
   • maven: Read gradle.lockfile if present
   • packagist: Read composer.lock
3. Manifest file — the declared version constraint (less precise than lockfile):
   • npm: package.json → dependencies / devDependencies
   • pypi: requirements.txt (pkg==1.2.3), pyproject.toml
   • go: go.mod (require pkg v1.2.3)
   • cargo: Cargo.toml [dependencies]
   • rubygems: Gemfile
   • maven: pom.xml <version>, build.gradle
   • packagist: composer.json
4. Installed artifacts — query the actual installed state:
   • npm: Read node_modules/<package>/package.json → version field
   • pypi: Run pip show <package> or python -c "import <pkg>; print(<pkg>.__version__)"
   • go: Run go list -m <package>
   • cargo: Run cargo pkgid <package>
   • rubygems: Run gem list <package> --local
   • system binaries: Run <binary> --version or which <binary>

If the package is not currently installed (not found in any of the above), explicitly state: "Not currently installed — no existing version detected."

Version Source Label: In all outputs, tag the version with its source, e.g.:

• 1.2.3 (from lockfile: package-lock.json)
• ^1.2.0 (from manifest: package.json — constraint, not exact)
• 1.2.3 (from node_modules)
• 1.2.3 (user-supplied)
• Not installed

Step 2: Search Packages

Run the Vulnetix VDB package search command:

vulnetix vdb packages search "$ARGUMENTS" -o json

If you detected a single ecosystem, add the --ecosystem <ecosystem> flag to filter results.

For example:

vulnetix vdb packages search "express" --ecosystem npm -o json

The output is JSON with this structure:

{
  "packages": [
    {
      "name": "express",
      "ecosystem": "npm",
      "description": "Fast, unopinionated, minimalist web framework",
      "latestVersion": "4.18.2",
      "vulnerabilityCount": 3,
      "maxSeverity": "high",
      "safeHarbourScore": 85,
      "repository": "https://github.com/expressjs/express"
    }
  ]
}

Version enrichment: After receiving results, enrich each package with the current version detected in Step 1b. The API returns latestVersion — you must pair this with the currentVersion you resolved from the filesystem.

Step 3: Filter Results

Discard packages from ecosystems not present in the repository. For example, if the repo only has package.json, filter out PyPI and Cargo results.

Step 4: Risk Assessment

Present the matching packages in a comparison table with these columns:

Package	Ecosystem	Current Version	Latest Version	Vulnerabilities	Max Severity	Safe Harbour	Confidence	Repository
express	npm	4.17.1 (lockfile)	4.18.2	3	high	0.85	High	[link]

Column definitions:

• Current Version: The version currently in use in this repository, with its source in parentheses (e.g., 4.17.1 (lockfile), ^4.17.0 (manifest), Not installed). This is resolved from Step 1b.
• Latest Version: The latest available version from the ecosystem registry (from API response).
• Vulnerability Count: Total known vulnerabilities across all versions.
• Max Severity: Highest severity rating (critical/high/medium/low).
• Safe Harbour: The API returns a 0–100 integer score. Convert to a 0–1 decimal by dividing by 100 (e.g., API returns 85 → display 0.85). This represents a safety confidence percentage where 1.0 = 100% confidence in safety.
• Confidence: A human-readable label derived from the Safe Harbour value:
  • High: Safe Harbour > 0.90 — excellent security posture, strong track record
  • Reasonable: Safe Harbour 0.35–0.90 — acceptable risk, minor or moderate issues
  • Low: Safe Harbour < 0.35 — significant risk, use with extreme caution

Below the table, always include a Version Context summary:

Version Context:
- express: 4.17.1 → 4.18.2 (patch upgrade available) — source: package-lock.json
- lodash: Not installed — no existing version detected

This gives the user full transparency on where version information was derived and what upgrade path exists.

Step 5: Propose Dependency Addition

For the best candidate (lowest vuln count, highest Safe Harbour value):

1. Identify the manifest file to edit based on ecosystem
2. State the version change clearly: If upgrading, show currentVersion → latestVersion. If new, show (new) latestVersion.
3. Show the concrete edit that would add or update this dependency:
   • npm: Add/update in dependencies in package.json
   • pypi: Add/update in requirements.txt or pyproject.toml
   • go: Provide go get command with version
   • cargo: Add/update in [dependencies] in Cargo.toml
   • maven: Provide <dependency> XML with version
   • rubygems: Add/update in Gemfile with version
   • packagist: Provide composer require command with version

Use the Edit tool to show the proposed change, but DO NOT apply it yet.

Example for npm (new dependency):

{
  "dependencies": {
+   "express": "^4.18.2",
    "other-package": "1.0.0"
  }
}

Example for npm (upgrade):

{
  "dependencies": {
-   "express": "^4.17.1",
+   "express": "^4.18.2",
    "other-package": "1.0.0"
  }
}

Always include the specific version in the proposed edit — never use * or latest.

Step 6: Planning Interview

Ask the user:

1. Would you like me to add this package to your project? (If yes, apply the edit and suggest running npm install, pip install, etc.)
2. Search for alternatives? (Suggest 2-3 alternative package names based on repository context and the search query)
3. Run deeper vulnerability check? (Suggest /vulnetix:exploits <vuln-id> for any critical/high severity vulnerabilities found)

If the user requests alternatives, repeat steps 2-6 with the suggested names.

Error Handling

• If vulnetix vdb packages search fails, inform the user to check vulnetix vdb status
• If no packages match repo ecosystems, suggest broadening the search or checking alternative ecosystems
• If manifest file structure is unfamiliar, ask the user which file to edit

Security Notes

• Always recommend the latest stable version unless there are known vulnerabilities in it
• If the latest version has critical vulnerabilities, warn the user and recommend holding off until a patch is available
• Never silently add dependencies — always get explicit user approval first
• All outputs MUST include package versions — both current (if installed) and latest. Never omit version numbers from tables, diffs, or recommendations.
• Version source transparency is mandatory — always disclose how the current version was determined (lockfile, manifest, node_modules, user-supplied, or not installed). If version detection fails for a source, note what was attempted.