| name | inspect-package |
| description | Audit a published akua Package or Helm chart before deploying it — schema, sources, cosign signature, SLSA attestation chain, rendered output with sample inputs. Use when evaluating a third-party package, checking signatures, verifying supply-chain provenance, or inspecting a chart from ArtifactHub, GHCR, or any OCI registry. |
| license | Apache-2.0 |
Inspect and audit a package before using it
Before consuming any package — first-party, community, or vendor — know what you're getting. This skill runs the full audit: schema, sources, signatures, attestation, rendered output.
When to use
- Evaluating a package before adding it as a dependency
- Checking that a published package is signed by the expected publisher
- Verifying a chart's claimed behavior matches its actual rendered output
- Comparing a package version against another before upgrading
- Reviewing a third-party package in a browser tab with no local install
Steps
1. Basic inspection
akua inspect oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2 --json
Returns:
- The package's schema (required/optional inputs, types, defaults)
- Source list (Helm charts, RGDs, KCL modules consumed)
- Cosign signature + signer identity
- SLSA attestation predicate
- Declared output formats
Look at the signer field — it should match an identity you trust (a GitHub Actions workflow URL, a known team keyring, etc.). Unsigned packages are rejected by default unless --insecure is passed.
2. Show rendered output with sample inputs
akua inspect oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2 \
--inputs '{"appName":"demo","hostname":"demo.example.com"}' \
--show=manifests
Renders the package with your inputs and prints the resulting Kubernetes YAML. This is exactly what would deploy. Audit it before committing.
3. Verify signatures directly
akua verify oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2
Output includes:
- Signature valid / invalid
- Certificate identity (who signed)
- Certificate issuer (root of trust — Sigstore, custom CA)
- Attestation subjects and predicates
4. Browser audit (no install required)
If the package is on a public OCI registry, open it in the akua playground:
https://akua.dev/inspect?ref=oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2
The playground renders in the browser using WASM — zero install, zero cluster, zero backend. Useful for sharing an audit link in a PR review or security ticket.
5. Diff against another version
akua diff oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.1 oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2 --json
Shows structural changes: schema fields added/removed/type-changed, source version bumps, policy-compatibility verdict. Non-zero exit if any structural change present.
Expected output
On akua inspect --json:
{
"ref": "oci://pkg.example.com/webapp:3.2",
"digest": "sha256:…",
"signed": true,
"signer": "https://github.com/example/webapp/.github/workflows/release.yml",
"schema": {
"required": ["appName", "hostname"],
"optional": ["replicas", "database"],
"fields": 6
},
"sources": [
{"kind": "helm", "chart": "cnpg-cluster", "version": "0.20.0"}
],
"attestation": {
"slsa_level": 3,
"builder": "github.com/example/webapp/.github/workflows/release.yml"
}
}
Red flags to look for
signed: false — unsigned. Do not deploy to any production environment.signer unexpected — a different GitHub workflow or identity than the project's known pipeline. Possible compromise or confusion attack.slsa_level below 2 — no provenance recorded. Reduced trust.- Undocumented sources — sources listed that the package's README doesn't mention. Could be legitimate; could be supply-chain injection.
policy_compat: deny in a diff — upgrading this version would violate your current policy tier. Investigate before proceeding.
Failure modes
E_SIG_VERIFY_FAILED — signature does not verify. Either the artifact is tampered with, or the verification key is wrong. Do not proceed.E_FETCH_FAILED — cannot fetch the artifact. Check the OCI ref, check akua whoami for registry auth.E_ATTESTATION_MISSING — no SLSA predicate attached. Rendered output is unverifiable against a build pipeline. May be acceptable for community packages but is a red flag for production dependencies.
Reference
