managing-whitesource

name	managing-whitesource
description	Use when working with Whitesource — mend (formerly WhiteSource) software composition analysis for open-source security, license compliance, and automated remediation. Covers vulnerability detection, library inventory, policy violations, fix recommendations, and project health tracking. Use when reviewing open-source vulnerabilities, analyzing dependency risks, managing license compliance, or tracking remediation progress across projects.
connection_type	whitesource
preload	false

Mend (WhiteSource) Management Skill

Manage and analyze Mend vulnerability findings, library inventory, license compliance, and policy violations.

API Conventions

Authentication

All API calls use the API key in request body or Authorization: Bearer $MEND_API_TOKEN -- injected automatically. Never hardcode tokens.

Base URL

https://api-$MEND_ENV.mend.io/api/v2.0

Core Helper Function

#!/bin/bash

mend_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"
    local base="https://api-${MEND_ENV}.mend.io/api/v2.0"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $MEND_API_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${base}${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Bearer $MEND_API_TOKEN" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "${base}${endpoint}"
    fi
}

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Extract only needed fields with jq
• Target <=50 lines per script output
• Never dump full API responses

Discovery Phase

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Organization Summary ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs" \
    | jq -r '.retVal[] | "\(.uuid)\t\(.name)"' | head -5

echo ""
echo "=== Products ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/products" \
    | jq '{total_products: (.retVal | length)}'

echo ""
echo "=== Projects ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/projects" \
    | jq '{total_projects: (.retVal | length)}'

Analysis Phase

Vulnerability Overview

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Vulnerability Summary ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/vulnerabilities?pageSize=1" \
    | jq '"Total vulnerabilities: \(.additionalData.totalItems)"' -r

echo ""
echo "=== Critical/High Vulnerabilities ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/vulnerabilities?pageSize=20&severity=CRITICAL,HIGH&sort=severity,desc" \
    | jq -r '.retVal[] | "\(.severity)\tCVSS:\(.cvss3_score // .cvss_score // "N/A")\t\(.name)\t\(.library.artifactId[0:25])\tv\(.library.version)"' \
    | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Vulnerabilities by Severity ==="
for sev in CRITICAL HIGH MEDIUM LOW; do
    COUNT=$(mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/vulnerabilities?pageSize=1&severity=${sev}" | jq '.additionalData.totalItems')
    echo "$sev: $COUNT"
done

Library Inventory

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Library Count ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/libraries?pageSize=1" \
    | jq '"Total libraries: \(.additionalData.totalItems)"' -r

echo ""
echo "=== Libraries with Known Vulnerabilities ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/libraries?pageSize=15&vulnerabilities=true&sort=vulnerabilities,desc" \
    | jq -r '.retVal[] | "\(.vulnerabilities // 0) vulns\t\(.artifactId[0:30])\tv\(.version)\t\(.type)"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Outdated Libraries ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/libraries?pageSize=15&outdated=true" \
    | jq -r '.retVal[] | "\(.artifactId[0:30])\tcurrent:\(.version)\tlatest:\(.newestVersion // "N/A")"' | column -t

Policy Violations

#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Policy Violations ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/policies/violations?pageSize=20" \
    | jq -r '.retVal[] | "\(.policyName[0:25])\t\(.library.artifactId[0:25])\t\(.project.name[0:25])\t\(.status)"' \
    | column -t | head -20

echo ""
echo "=== Violations by Policy ==="
mend_api GET "/orgs/$MEND_ORG_UUID/policies/violations?pageSize=500" \
    | jq -r '[.retVal[].policyName] | group_by(.) | map({policy: .[0][0:40], count: length}) | sort_by(.count) | reverse | .[] | "\(.count)\t\(.policy)"' | head -10 | column -t

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Managing Whitesource Report
═══════════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. NEVER assume resource names — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions — verify against the service documentation or --help output.
3. NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

Counter-Rationalizations

Shortcut	Counter	Why
"I'll skip discovery and check known resources"	Always run Phase 1 discovery first	Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors
"The user only asked for a quick check"	Follow the full discovery → analysis flow	Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures
"Default configuration is probably fine"	Audit configuration explicitly	Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled
"Metrics aren't needed for this"	Always check relevant metrics when available	API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues
"I don't have access to that"	Try the command and report the actual error	Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative

Common Pitfalls

• Environment-specific URL: API base URL varies by environment (saas, saas-eu, app)
• Org UUID required: Most endpoints require the organization UUID in the path
• Pagination: Use pageSize and page parameters -- check additionalData.totalItems
• Rate limits: Varies by plan -- check response headers for remaining quota
• Legacy vs v2 API: Older v1.x API uses POST with requestType -- prefer v2.0 REST API