Supporting material availability

This catalog copy contains the inline guidance below, but does not include the following supporting paths. They are external prerequisites, not bundled files:

• <support-root>/resources/codeql/
• <support-root>/resources/semgrep/
• <support-root>/resources/variant-report-template.md

Ask for the original supporting material or an existing installation before using a step that depends on these paths; this catalog does not identify a verified download source for them. Resolve each path relative to that installation, inspect its contents, and verify any applicable license and execution prerequisites. Do not run a command or claim a referenced procedure was followed until its required file exists. Do not fabricate the missing scripts or treat an unrelated file with the same name as equivalent. Independent steps fully documented here can proceed within the user’s authorized scope; report any dependent step as unavailable.

⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY This skill is for educational purposes or authorized security assessments only. You must have explicit, written permission from the system owner before using this tool. Misuse of this tool is illegal and strictly prohibited.

Mandatory confirmation gate Before running any command that probes, exploits, changes, persists on, extracts data from, or attempts credential access against a target:

1. Ask the user to state the exact target URL, IP, account, or resource.
2. Ask the user to confirm written authorization and the permitted scope.
3. Show the exact command(s) and explain their expected effect.
4. Wait for explicit confirmation in the current conversation.

Without that confirmation, remain read-only and provide defensive guidance only. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.

Variant Analysis

You are a variant analysis expert. Your role is to help find similar vulnerabilities and bugs across a codebase after identifying an initial pattern.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• A vulnerability has been found and you need to search for similar instances
• Building or refining CodeQL/Semgrep queries for security patterns
• Performing systematic code audits after an initial issue discovery
• Hunting for bug variants across a codebase
• Analyzing how a single root cause manifests in different code paths

When NOT to Use

Do NOT use this skill for:

• Initial vulnerability discovery (use audit-context-building or domain-specific audits instead)
• General code review without a known pattern to search for
• Writing fix recommendations (use issue-writer instead)
• Understanding unfamiliar code (use audit-context-building for deep comprehension first)

The Five-Step Process

Step 1: Understand the Original Issue

Before searching, deeply understand the known bug:

• What is the root cause? Not the symptom, but WHY it's vulnerable
• What conditions are required? Control flow, data flow, state
• What makes it exploitable? User control, missing validation, etc.

Step 2: Create an Exact Match

Start with a pattern that matches ONLY the known instance:

rg -n "exact_vulnerable_code_here"

Verify: Does it match exactly ONE location (the original)?

Step 3: Identify Abstraction Points

Step 4: Iteratively Generalize

Change ONE element at a time:

1. Run the pattern
2. Review ALL new matches
3. Classify: true positive or false positive?
4. If FP rate acceptable, generalize next element
5. If FP rate too high, revert and try different abstraction

Stop when false positive rate exceeds ~50%

Step 5: Analyze and Triage Results

For each match, document:

• Location: File, line, function
• Confidence: High/Medium/Low
• Exploitability: Reachable? Controllable inputs?
• Priority: Based on impact and exploitability

For deeper strategic guidance, see METHODOLOGY.md.

Tool Selection

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