| name | shannon |
| description | Autonomous AI pentest framework for web apps and APIs. Use for: pentest, penetration test, security scan, vulnerability audit, hack this, security review, AppSec, OWASP. Runs via ./shannon start URL=url REPO=name in ~/d/git/shannon/. NOT for routine code review — use argus or webcopilot for lightweight checks. |
shannon-skill
Wrapper skill for running Shannon, an autonomous AI pentesting framework. Located at ~/d/git/shannon/.
Prerequisites
- Docker must be running
- ANTHROPIC_API_KEY set in
~/d/git/shannon/.env
- Target repo cloned/symlinked into
~/d/git/shannon/repos/NAME
Quick Start
cd ~/d/git/shannon
ln -s /path/to/target-repo ./repos/my-target
./shannon start URL=https://target.example.com REPO=my-target
./shannon start URL=https://target.example.com REPO=my-target WORKSPACE=my-audit
./shannon workspaces
./shannon logs
./shannon stop
Architecture
Five-phase pipeline:
| Phase | Agent | What It Does |
|---|
| 1 | Pre-Recon | Static code analysis — maps attack surface from source |
| 2 | Recon | Browser automation — correlates live app with code findings |
| 3 | Vuln Analysis (x5 parallel) | Injection, XSS, SSRF, AUTH, AUTHZ agents |
| 4 | Exploitation (x5 parallel) | POC exploits via Playwright — proof or it didn't happen |
| 5 | Reporting | Executive pentest report with remediation steps |
Workspace and Resume
./shannon start URL=... REPO=... WORKSPACE=audit-2024-01
./shannon start URL=... REPO=... WORKSPACE=auto
./shannon workspaces
Resume picks up from last checkpoint — completed agents are skipped.
Output
- Reports saved to
audit-logs/WORKSPACE/
- Deliverables saved to
deliverables/ in the target repo
- Temporal Web UI at
http://localhost:8233
Common Options
CONFIG=./configs/my-config.yaml
OUTPUT=./custom-output/
WORKSPACE=my-audit
PIPELINE_TESTING=true
REBUILD=true
ROUTER=true
CLEAN=true
Config File
For authenticated testing (login flows, MFA/TOTP), create a YAML config in configs/:
auth:
type: form | sso | api | basic
credentials:
username: user@example.com
password: secret
See configs/ directory for full schema with SSO, OAuth, and TOTP support.
When to Use This vs Other Tools
| Tool | Scope | Use Case |
|---|
| shannon | Full pentest, autonomous, 5-phase | Production security assessment, AppSec review |
| argus | Lightweight reconnaissance | Quick surface scan, one-off checks |
| webcopilot | Automated vuln scanning | Light scan, known CVE patterns |
| manual code review | Focused security review | Auth, RLS, specific feature |
Shannon is heavyweight — runs 10+ parallel agents, Docker containers, Temporal workflow. Use for full-scope pentests, not quick checks.
Tips
- Always symlink existing repos rather than cloning fresh to save space
- The
./shannon logs command tails worker output in real time
- If exploitation phase finds nothing exploitable, those agents exit early (normal)
- Pipeline is crash-safe — Temporal preserves workflow state across restarts