plugin-scanner

# Plugin Scanner Use HOL's local `plugin-scanner` when a user asks to inspect an AI agent skill, plugin, MCP server, agent package, or repository before installation or use. The scanner is shipped by the open-source `plugin-scanner` Python distribution. It is built from the same HOL Guard source repository, but it is intentionally packaged separately from the `hol-guard` runtime CLI. Scanning runs locally and does not require Guard Cloud. ## When to use this skill Use this skill when the user asks to: - scan or audit a `SKILL.md` before installing it; - inspect an MCP server or agent plugin for security risks; - check a third-party agent repository before trusting it; - look for prompt injection, credential exposure, unsafe commands, or suspicious package/install behavior; - validate a skill/plugin repository in CI or before publishing it. ## Safety rules - Never execute code from the target repository just to scan it. - Never run its install scripts, package lifecycle hooks, or arbitrary shell commands. - Never read `.env` files, credential stores, private keys, or unrelated user secrets. - Prefer scanning a local path or a repository the user has already chosen to inspect. - Treat scanner findings as security evidence, not a guarantee that a package is safe. - Ask before installing `plugin-scanner` if the command is not already available. ## Workflow ### 1. Check for the scanner ```bash command -v plugin-scanner ``` If it is not installed, explain that `plugin-scanner` is a separate open-source CLI distribution from the HOL Guard repository and, with user approval, install it in an isolated CLI environment: ```bash pipx install plugin-scanner ``` Do not assume an existing `hol-guard` installation also provides the `plugin-scanner` command. If `pipx` is unavailable, point the user to the plugin-scanner installation instructions rather than silently changing their Python environment. ### 2. Scan the target without executing it For a repository or directory: ```bash plugin-scanner scan PATH --format markdown ``` For machine-readable results: ```bash plugin-scanner scan PATH --format json ``` For Agent Skill / plugin structure validation: ```bash plugin-scanner lint PATH plugin-scanner verify PATH ``` Use the narrowest target path that contains the material the user asked to inspect. ### 3. Interpret findings Summarize: 1. the target that was scanned; 2. the highest severity finding; 3. concrete files/rules involved; 4. whether the scanner found prompt-injection, secret/exfiltration, command-execution, dependency/install, or MCP-specific risks; 5. the recommended next action. Do not claim "safe" solely because no finding was returned. Say that no covered issue was detected by the current scan. ## Common prompts - "Scan this skill before I install it." - "Check this MCP server for prompt injection or suspicious commands." - "Audit this agent plugin repository." - "Verify this SKILL.md and tell me what is risky." - "Run a security check on this AI tool before we add it to our project." ## Source - Plugin Scanner source: https://github.com/hashgraph-online/hol-guard - Plugin Scanner package: https://pypi.org/project/plugin-scanner/ - Distribution companion: https://github.com/hashgraph-online/hol-guard-plugin