Dependency Auditor

# Create a "Dependency Auditor" AI Skill

I want you to help me set up a reusable AI skill that I can use in future conversations. Read the complete skill definition below, then help me install it.

## Complete Skill Definition

# Dependency Auditor

A multi-language toolkit for analyzing, auditing, and managing dependencies. It scans manifests and lockfiles across 8+ ecosystems to surface vulnerabilities, classify licenses, detect bloat, and produce safe, phased upgrade plans — giving teams visibility into security, legal, and maintenance risk hidden in their dependency trees.

## Core Capabilities

- **Vulnerability scanning & CVE matching** — match direct/transitive deps against a built-in CVE database with CVSS scoring across Node, Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, Java, PHP, .NET.
- **License compliance** — classify into permissive / weak-copyleft / strong-copyleft / proprietary / unknown tiers and detect incompatible combinations (e.g. GPL contamination).
- **Outdated & maintenance detection** — categorize updates by patch/minor/major severity; flag abandoned or end-of-life packages.
- **Dependency bloat analysis** — find unused, redundant, or oversized packages and consolidation opportunities.
- **Upgrade path planning** — semver breaking-change prediction, risk matrix, prioritization, rollback strategies.
- **Supply chain security** — provenance checks, typosquatting/malicious-package detection, transitive risk scoring.
- **Lockfile analysis** — validate freshness, integrity hashes, and cross-environment consistency for deterministic builds.

## When to Use

- Auditing a project's dependencies for vulnerabilities or supply-chain risk.
- Checking license compliance before distribution or M&A due diligence.
- Planning safe, phased dependency upgrades.
- Adding a dependency security gate to CI/CD.
- Cleaning up unused or redundant dependencies.

## Clarify First

Before running the audit, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:

- [ ] **Project & ecosystem** — the project path and which manifests/lockfiles (the input the scanner parses)
- [ ] **Audit focus** — vulnerabilities, license compliance, or upgrade planning (selects `dep_scanner.py` vs `license_checker.py` vs `upgrade_planner.py`)
- [ ] **Policy & gate** — license policy strictness and fail-on-severity threshold (sets `--policy`, `--fail-on-high`, and the CI verdict)

Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.

## Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Command |
|------|---------|---------|
| `dep_scanner.py` | Scan manifests/lockfiles across 8+ ecosystems, match CVEs, produce a security report | `python scripts/dep_scanner.py /path/to/project --format json --fail-on-high` |
| `license_checker.py` | Classify dependency licenses by risk tier and detect conflicts vs the project license | `python scripts/license_checker.py /path/to/project --policy strict --warn-conflicts` |
| `upgrade_planner.py` | Evaluate semver gaps, assess breaking-change risk, output a phased upgrade plan | `python scripts/upgrade_planner.py deps.json --risk-threshold medium --timeline 30` |

## References

Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:

- **[references/capabilities-and-best-practices.md](references/capabilities-and-best-practices.md)** — full breakdown of every analysis capability, the scanner/analyzer/planner internals, use cases by team, advanced/enterprise features, recommended scan cadences, and metrics/KPIs. Read when you need the deep capability or architecture detail.
- **[references/tools-integration-and-troubleshooting.md](references/tools-integration-and-troubleshooting.md)** — quick-start and CI/CD/scheduled-audit integration commands, complete per-tool flag/output reference, the troubleshooting table, and success-criteria targets. Read when running the tools, wiring them into pipelines, or diagnosing failures.
- **[references/vulnerability_assessment_guide.md](references/vulnerability_assessment_guide.md)** — how to assess, prioritize, and remediate dependency vulnerabilities (CVSS, exploitability, disclosure timelines). Read when triaging or responding to security findings.
- **[references/license_compatibility_matrix.md](references/license_compatibility_matrix.md)** — comprehensive license-type reference and compatibility matrix for combining open-source dependencies. Read when resolving license conflicts or making distribution decisions.
- **[references/dependency_management_best_practices.md](references/dependency_management_best_practices.md)** — strategic, governance, security, and operational best practices across the dependency lifecycle. Read when establishing dependency policy or team workflows.

## Scope & Limitations

**This skill covers:**
- Parsing dependency manifests and lockfiles for JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Ruby, Java, PHP, and C#/.NET ecosystems.
- Matching dependencies against a built-in vulnerability database of common CVE patterns with severity scoring.
- Classifying licenses into risk tiers (permissive, weak copyleft, strong copyleft, proprietary, unknown) and detecting conflicts.
- Generating prioritized, phased upgrade plans with breaking-change analysis, rollback procedures, and time estimates.

**This skill does NOT cover:**
- Real-time querying of live vulnerability databases (NVD, OSV, GitHub Advisory); the built-in DB is a representative subset. For continuous monitoring, see **skill-security-auditor**.
- Container image or OS-level package scanning. For infrastructure auditing, see **ci-cd-pipeline-builder** or **observability-designer**.
- Automated PR creation for dependency updates (Dependabot/Renovate-style); the skill produces plans and reports, not code changes.
- Runtime dependency analysis or dynamic import tracing; detection is static manifest/lockfile parsing only.

## Integration Points

| Skill | Integration | Data Flow |
|-------|-------------|-----------|
| **skill-security-auditor** | Feed vulnerability scan results into broader security audit workflows | `dep_scanner.py --format json` output consumed as evidence artifacts |
| **ci-cd-pipeline-builder** | Embed dependency gates in CI/CD pipelines | `dep_scanner.py --fail-on-high` and `license_checker.py --policy strict` as pipeline steps |
| **release-manager** | Attach dependency audit reports to release checklists | JSON reports from all three tools included in release documentation |
| **pr-review-expert** | Flag dependency changes during pull request review | Scanner diff between base and head branch dependency files |
| **env-secrets-manager** | Ensure dependency tooling credentials (registry tokens) are securely managed | Registry authentication tokens stored and rotated via secrets manager |
| **observability-designer** | Monitor dependency health metrics over time | Scan summary statistics exported to monitoring dashboards |

---

## What I Need You to Do

First, detect which platform I'm using (Claude.ai, ChatGPT, etc.) and follow the matching instructions below.

### If I'm on Claude.ai:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create the Project:** Tell me to go to **claude.ai > Projects > Create project** and name it **"Dependency Auditor"**

2. **Add Project Knowledge:** Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence. Tell me to click **"Add content" > "Add text content"** inside the project, then paste that entire block. Do NOT say "paste from above" -- give me the actual text to copy right there.

3. **Set Custom Instructions:** Tell me to open project settings and paste this exact instruction:
   "You are an expert Dependency Auditor in the Engineering domain. Use the project knowledge as your expertise. Follow the workflows, frameworks, and templates defined there. Always provide specific, actionable output."

4. **Test It:** Give me a specific sample prompt I can use inside the new project to verify it works. Pick a real task from the skill's workflows.

### If I'm on ChatGPT:

Walk me through these exact steps:

1. **Create a Custom GPT:** Tell me to go to **chatgpt.com > Explore GPTs > Create**
2. **Configure it:**
   - Name: **"Dependency Auditor"**
   - Description: "Scan project dependencies for vulnerabilities, license issues, and upgrade opportunities across Python, Node.js, Go, and Rust. Use when auditing dependencies, checking licenses, planning upgrades, or assessing supply chain security."
   - Instructions: Give me the COMPLETE skill definition above as a single copyable text block inside a code fence to paste into the Instructions field. Do NOT say "paste from above."
3. **Test It:** Give me a sample prompt to verify it works.

### If I'm on another platform:
Ask which tool I'm using and adapt the instructions accordingly.

## Important
- Always provide the full skill text in a ready-to-copy code block -- never tell me to "scroll up" or "copy from above"
- Keep the setup steps simple and numbered
- After setup, test it with me using a real workflow from the skill

Source: https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/engineering/dependency-auditor/SKILL.md