gha-security-review
Enables your agent to find security flaws in GitHub Actions workflows. It describes how to exploit each vulnerability found.
What it does
This tool analyzes GitHub 'workflow' files to find security flaws that an external attacker could exploit. It focuses on real, concrete attacks, not theoretical issues.
When to use it
- ✓When reviewing the security of GitHub workflows.
- ✓When you need to trace a real attack from an external attacker.
- ✓To check if workflow files or related scripts are secure.
Example of what to ask your AI
“Review this GitHub workflow file (.github/workflows/main.yml) and find vulnerabilities exploitable by an external attacker, with a concrete attack scenario.”
Want more? Open the sections below.
How to use
The easiest way: copy the message below and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or any AI. It reads the skill and follows the instructions.
Skill link
Ready-to-paste message
How it works
The tool examines workflow triggers and checks for known attack patterns, like code injection or credential theft. It only reports issues that can be demonstrably exploited, detailing how the attack would occur.
Installation
Easiest way: copy the skill link and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor asking it to follow the instructions.
In the terminal (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor), in your project folder:
npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill gha-security-reviewOr download just the file:
curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills/main/plugins/agentic-awesome-skills-claude/skills/gha-security-review/SKILL.md -o SKILL.mdTechnical content (original SKILL.md)
Original text by the author, straight from GitHub.
Bundled upstream support
Supporting files are included at skill-relative paths. See UPSTREAM-NOTICE.md for their pinned sources, licenses, hashes, and import changes.
<!-- Attack patterns and real-world examples sourced from the HackerBot Claw campaign analysis by StepSecurity (2025): https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/hackerbot-claw-github-actions-exploitation -->GitHub Actions Security Review
Find exploitable vulnerabilities in GitHub Actions workflows. Every finding MUST include a concrete exploitation scenario — if you can't build the attack, don't report it.
This skill encodes attack patterns from real GitHub Actions exploits — not generic CI/CD theory.
When to Use
- You are reviewing GitHub Actions workflows for exploitable security issues.
- The task requires tracing a concrete attack path from an external attacker to workflow execution or secret exposure.
- You need a security review of workflow files, composite actions, or workflow-related scripts with evidence-based findings only.
Scope
Review the workflows provided (file, diff, or repo). Research the codebase as needed to trace complete attack paths before reporting.
Files to Review
.github/workflows/*.yml— all workflow definitionsaction.yml/action.yaml— composite actions in the repo.github/actions/*/action.yml— local reusable actions- Config files loaded by workflows:
CLAUDE.md,AGENTS.md,Makefile, shell scripts under.github/
Out of Scope
- Workflows in other repositories (only note the dependency)
- GitHub App installation permissions (note if relevant)
Threat Model
Only report vulnerabilities exploitable by an external attacker — someone without write access to the repository. The attacker can open PRs from forks, create issues, and post comments. They cannot push to branches, trigger workflow_dispatch, or trigger manual workflows.
Do not flag vulnerabilities that require write access to exploit:
workflow_dispatchinput injection — requires write access to trigger- Expression injection in
push-only workflows on protected branches workflow_callinput injection where all callers are internal- Secrets in
workflow_dispatch/schedule-only workflows
Confidence
Report only HIGH and MEDIUM confidence findings. Do not report theoretical issues.
| Confidence | Criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| HIGH | Traced the full attack path, confirmed exploitable | Report with exploitation scenario and fix |
| MEDIUM | Attack path partially confirmed, uncertain link | Report as needs verification |
| LOW | Theoretical or mitigated elsewhere | Do not report |
For each HIGH finding, provide all five elements:
- Entry point — How does the attacker get in? (fork PR, issue comment, branch name, etc.)
- Payload — What does the attacker send? (actual code/YAML/input)
- Execution mechanism — How does the payload run? (expression expansion, checkout + script, etc.)
- Impact — What does the attacker gain? (token theft, code execution, repo write access)
- PoC sketch — Concrete steps an attacker would follow
If you cannot construct all five, report as MEDIUM (needs verification).
Step 1: Classify Triggers and Load References
For each workflow, identify triggers and load the appropriate reference:
| Trigger / Pattern | Load Reference |
|---|---|
pull_request_target |
references/pwn-request.md |
issue_comment with command parsing |
references/comment-triggered-commands.md |
${{ }} in run: blocks |
references/expression-injection.md |
| PATs / deploy keys / elevated credentials | references/credential-escalation.md |
| Checkout PR code + config file loading | references/ai-prompt-injection-via-ci.md |
| Third-party actions (especially unpinned) | references/supply-chain.md |
permissions: block or secrets usage |
references/permissions-and-secrets.md |
| Self-hosted runners, cache/artifact usage | references/runner-infrastructure.md |
| Any confirmed finding | references/real-world-attacks.md |
Load references selectively — only what's relevant to the triggers found.
Step 2: Check for Vulnerability Classes
Check 1: Pwn Request
Does the workflow use pull_request_target AND check out fork code?
- Look for
actions/checkoutwithref:pointing to PR head - Look for local actions (
./.github/actions/) that would come from the fork
…
FAQ
What is a GitHub 'workflow'?
It's a set of automated instructions that run on GitHub, like compiling code or testing a project. They are defined in files with a .yml extension.
What does 'external attacker' mean?
It's someone who doesn't have direct write access to your repository but can interact in other ways, like opening pull requests from forks or submitting comments.
Why does the tool only report 'concrete' attacks?
To ensure that the issues found are real and exploitable, avoiding reports on theoretical flaws that might not be a practical risk.
Details
Original description by the author
Find exploitable vulnerabilities in GitHub Actions workflows. Every finding MUST include a concrete exploitation scenario — if you can't build the attack, don't report it.
Popularity
- GitHub stars
- 48k
- Ranking position
- #3117
- License
- MIT
- Updated
- 10/15/2026
Comments
- …
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