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npx skills add github/copilot-plugins --skill dependency-scanning
Scan repository dependencies for known vulnerabilities using the GitHub MCP Server's Dependabot toolset and the GitHub Advisory Database. Use when asked to check dependency security, audit lockfiles, or verify packages before merging.
npx skills add github/copilot-plugins --skill dependency-scanning
This skill uses the GitHub MCP Server's Dependabot toolset and the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool to find known vulnerabilities in project dependencies. It can check existing Dependabot alerts, look up specific packages, and verify new dependencies before merging.
Dependency vulnerabilities are known security flaws (CVEs) in third-party packages your project depends on. Examples include:
A single vulnerable dependency can allow remote code execution in your application, enable denial-of-service attacks, expose sensitive data through library flaws, fail compliance audits (SOC 2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA), or introduce supply chain attack vectors.
Important: Only use this skill when a user explicitly asks to check dependencies or scan for vulnerabilities. Do not run dependency scanning unprompted or as part of general workflows.
| User goal | How to respond | Tools needed |
|---|---|---|
| Check existing alerts | Check Dependabot Alerts | MCP only |
| Check a specific package | Look Up a Specific Package | MCP only |
| Verify new deps before pushing | Scan Local Branch Changes | Bash + MCP |
| Full dependency audit | Audit All Dependencies | Bash + MCP |
| Deterministic post-commit check | Post-Commit Safety Net | dependabot CLI + MCP |
Lightweight vs. heavyweight operations: For lightweight operations (checking alerts, looking up a package), proceed automatically. For heavyweight operations (downloading the Dependabot CLI, running a full repository audit), ask the user for confirmation before proceeding.
When to use: The repository is hosted on GitHub and has Dependabot enabled.
How:
List all open alerts:
This returns all open Dependabot alerts including package name, ecosystem, severity, CVE identifiers, and patched version (if available).
Get details on a specific alert:
This returns the vulnerability description, CVSS score, affected version range, fixed version, and advisory links.
Fallback: If Dependabot is not enabled on the repository, fall back to "Look Up a Specific Package" below.
Example (vulnerabilities found)
Example (no alerts)
When to use: Checking a specific package/version before adding it, or when Dependabot is not available.
How: Use the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool with a single dependency:
Supported ecosystem values: npm, pip, maven, nuget, composer, pub, actions, bundler, gomod, cargo, hex, swift.
The tool checks for high-severity, critical-severity, and malware advisories in the GitHub Advisory Database.
Example:
When to use: The current branch adds or updates dependencies and you want to check them before pushing.
Steps:
check_dependency_vulnerabilities (batch up to 30 per call)Step 1 — Detect changed dependency files:
If no dependency files changed, no further scanning is needed — exit early.
Example (clean)
Example (vulnerabilities found)
When to use: Running a full supply chain security audit of the entire project.
Ask the user for confirmation before proceeding. Example: "This will scan all dependency files in the repository. For large projects this may take a few minutes. Would you like me to proceed?"
Step 1 — Discover all dependency files:
Supported ecosystems and manifest files:
package.json, package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yamlrequirements.txt, Pipfile.lock, poetry.lock, pyproject.toml, setup.pygo.mod, go.sumGemfile, Gemfile.lockCargo.toml, Cargo.lockpom.xml, build.gradle, build.gradle.kts*.csproj, packages.config, *.deps.jsoncomposer.json, composer.lockpubspec.yaml, pubspec.lockPackage.swift, Package.resolvedSearch up to 4 directories deep, excluding node_modules/, .git/, and vendor/.
Step 2 — Parse and check dependencies:
For each discovered manifest/lockfile, parse the dependency names, versions, and ecosystem, then check them with check_dependency_vulnerabilities (batch up to 30 per call):
Map manifest files to ecosystem values: package.json/yarn.lock/pnpm-lock.yaml → npm, requirements.txt/Pipfile.lock/poetry.lock/pyproject.toml → pip, go.mod/go.sum → gomod, Gemfile/Gemfile.lock → bundler, Cargo.toml/Cargo.lock → cargo, pom.xml/build.gradle → maven, *.csproj/packages.config → nuget, composer.json/composer.lock → composer, pubspec.yaml/pubspec.lock → pub, Package.swift/Package.resolved → swift.
Example
When to use: After the agent commits changes, before merge — a deterministic backstop that ensures nothing slips through.
If the Dependabot CLI is not already installed, ask the user before downloading it. Example: "This check requires the Dependabot CLI (~50MB). Would you like me to download and install it?"
Use the same git diff command from "Scan Local Branch Changes" above. If no dependency files changed, exit early.
Map changed files to Dependabot CLI ecosystem values (using the ecosystem table in "Audit All Dependencies" above — e.g., package.json → npm_and_yarn, go.mod → go_modules, Gemfile → bundler).
Note: Replace
origin/mainwith your base branch. You can extract<owner>/<repo>from your git remote:git remote get-url origin | sed -E 's|.*github\.com[:/]([^/]+/[^/]+?)(\.git)?$|\1|'
The dependabot graph output is a JSON object with a dependencies array. Each entry has name, version, and relationship ("direct" or "transitive").
Feed the changed dependencies from Step 3 into the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool (batch up to 30 per call):
Map the Dependabot CLI ecosystem to check_dependency_vulnerabilities ecosystem values: npm_and_yarn → npm, pip → pip, go_modules → gomod, bundler → bundler, cargo → cargo, maven → maven, nuget → nuget, composer → composer, pub → pub, swift → swift.
If vulnerabilities are found, report them back to the agent with specific remediation instructions. The agent should fix the vulnerable dependencies and the check runs again — repeating until all newly-introduced vulnerabilities are resolved.
Key insight: Running this as a post-result hook (after the agent commits) is more reliable than a pre-commit hook. Pre-commit hooks cause agents to add warnings to the PR description rather than actually fixing the vulnerability.
Example
The check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool returns a formatted report with ✓/⚠ per dependency, GHSA IDs, severity, and summaries. Present this output directly to the user, supplemented with remediation guidance.
| Severity | CVSS Score | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 9.0–10.0 | Fix immediately |
| High | 7.0–8.9 | Fix as soon as possible |
| Medium | 4.0–6.9 | Schedule fix |
| Low | 0.1–3.9 | Track and fix when convenient |
For automated remediation, only block on Critical and High severity. Medium and low issues should be reported but should not block the agent's work. Focus remediation on direct dependencies (listed in manifests). Transitive dependencies require updating the parent to a version that pulls in the patched transitive dep, or adding resolutions (Yarn), overrides (npm), or equivalent. For each vulnerability, provide the exact package and target version, the fix command, any breaking-change warnings, and a mitigation if no patch exists.
GitHub MCP Server: The skill requires the GitHub MCP Server with the dependabot toolset enabled. This repository includes a default .mcp.json configured for the GitHub MCP Server, allowing the skill to communicate with it out of the box.
Configure in your MCP settings:
Note: Cursor uses
serversinstead ofmcpServersas the top-level key.
Required information for scanning:
git remote get-url origin or ask the usergit remote get-url origin or ask the userOptional — Dependabot CLI: Required for the Post-Commit Safety Net use case. Ask the user before downloading.
check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool, which queries the GitHub Advisory Database.For more details on dependency security, vulnerability scanning, and GitHub security features:
Use the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool:
owner: <repo-owner>
repo: <repo-name>
dependencies:
- name: <package-name>
version: <version>
ecosystem: <ecosystem>You: Is lodash 4.17.15 safe to use?
Agent: ⚠️ lodash@4.17.15 has 1 known vulnerability:
- CVE-2021-23337 (Critical): Command Injection via template function
Fixed in: 4.17.21 — Recommendation: Update to lodash>=4.17.21# Check which dependency files changed on the current branch vs base
# Filter out vendor, build, and generated directories
git diff --name-only origin/main...HEAD \
| grep -v -E '(^|/)vendor/' \
| grep -v -E '(^|/)node_modules/' \
| grep -v -E '(^|/)(build|dist|out|target)/' \
| grep -E \
'(package\.json|package-lock\.json|yarn\.lock|pnpm-lock\.yaml|requirements\.txt|Pipfile\.lock|poetry\.lock|pyproject\.toml|setup\.py|go\.mod|go\.sum|Gemfile|Gemfile\.lock|Cargo\.toml|Cargo\.lock|pom\.xml|build\.gradle|build\.gradle\.kts|.*\.csproj|packages\.config|composer\.json|composer\.lock|pubspec\.yaml|pubspec\.lock|Package\.swift|Package\.resolved)'You: Check if the new dependencies on this branch are safe
Agent: Scanning package-lock.json changes...
✅ All new dependencies are clean — no known vulnerabilities found.You: Check if the new dependencies on this branch are safe
Agent: Scanning package-lock.json changes...
⚠️ Found 1 vulnerability in newly added dependencies:
- lodash@4.17.15: Critical — CVE-2021-23337 (Command Injection) → Fix: 4.17.21Use the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool:
owner: <repo-owner>
repo: <repo-name>
dependencies:
- name: <package-1>
version: <version-1>
ecosystem: <ecosystem>
- name: <package-2>
version: <version-2>
ecosystem: <ecosystem>
...You: Audit all dependencies in this repository for security issues
Agent: Discovering dependency files...
Found: package-lock.json, poetry.lock, go.sum
Scan Results:
- npm: 2 vulnerabilities (1 high, 1 medium)
- pip: 0 vulnerabilities
- Go: 1 vulnerability (1 low)
Total: 3 vulnerabilities across 3 ecosystems┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Detect Changed Manifests │ From git diff; filter vendor/build
└──────────────┬───────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ 2. Build Dependency Graphs │ Base + HEAD using `dependabot graph`
└──────────────┬───────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ 3. Diff Dependency Graphs │ Find newly added/updated direct deps
└──────────────┬───────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 4. check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool │ Query GitHub Advisory Database
└──────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
▼
┌──────────────────────────────┐
│ 5. Report & Re-iterate │ Report vulns; agent iterates to fix
└──────────────────────────────┘ECOSYSTEM="npm_and_yarn" # set based on the mapping table above
# Use a git worktree to get the base commit without modifying the working tree
git worktree add /tmp/base-ref origin/main --detach 2>/dev/null
# Build dependency graph at the base commit (before changes)
dependabot graph $ECOSYSTEM /tmp/base-ref --output=/tmp/before-deps.json
# Build dependency graph at current HEAD (after changes)
dependabot graph $ECOSYSTEM . --output=/tmp/after-deps.json
# Clean up the worktree
git worktree remove /tmp/base-ref 2>/dev/nullpython3 -c "
import json
# Load before/after dependency graphs produced by 'dependabot graph'
with open('/tmp/before-deps.json') as f:
before_data = json.load(f)
with open('/tmp/after-deps.json') as f:
after_data = json.load(f)
# Extract direct dependencies from the graph output
def get_direct_deps(data):
deps = {}
for dep in data.get('dependencies', []):
if dep.get('relationship') == 'direct':
deps[dep['name']] = dep['version']
return deps
before = get_direct_deps(before_data)
after = get_direct_deps(after_data)
# Find new or version-changed direct dependencies
changed = []
for name, version in after.items():
if name not in before:
changed.append({'name': name, 'version': version, 'change': 'added'})
elif before[name] != version:
changed.append({'name': name, 'version': version, 'change': f'updated from {before[name]}'})
print(json.dumps(changed, indent=2))
print(f'\n{len(changed)} direct dependencies added or updated')
"Use the check_dependency_vulnerabilities tool:
owner: <repo-owner>
repo: <repo-name>
dependencies:
- name: <changed-dep-1>
version: <version>
ecosystem: <ecosystem>
- name: <changed-dep-2>
version: <version>
ecosystem: <ecosystem>
...Vulnerable dependencies detected in your changes:
1. lodash@4.17.15 (added in package.json)
- GHSA-35jh-r3h4-6jhm: Command Injection (Critical, CVSS 9.8)
- Fixed in: 4.17.21
- Action: Update to lodash@4.17.21 in package.json
2. requests@2.25.0 (added in requirements.txt)
- GHSA-j8r2-6x86-q33q: Proxy-Authorization header leak (Medium, CVSS 6.1)
- Fixed in: 2.31.0
- Action: Update to requests>=2.31.0 in requirements.txt
Please fix these vulnerabilities and commit the changes. The check will re-run automatically.[Agent finishes work and commits changes]
Hook: Detecting changed dependency files...
Changed: package-lock.json
Building dependency graphs with `dependabot graph`...
3 direct dependencies added: lodash (new) 4.17.15, axios 0.21.1→1.6.0, express 4.17.1→4.18.2
1 vulnerability found — requesting agent fix:
- Critical — lodash@4.17.15 (GHSA-35jh-r3h4-6jhm: Command Injection → Fix: 4.17.21)
Agent: Updating package.json to use lodash@4.17.21... ✅ Fixed. Committing changes.
Hook: ✅ All newly-introduced dependencies are clean.