ci-audit

name	ci-audit
description	CI/CD pipeline audit for speed, cost, reliability, and security. 10 dimensions (CI1-CI10): caching, parallelism, conditional execution, artifacts, secret handling, action pinning, timeouts, Docker optimization, test integration, and pipeline speed. Primary support: GitHub Actions. Detection-level: GitLab CI, CircleCI. Switches: zuvo:ci-audit full | [path] | --speed-only | --security-only
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zuvo:ci-audit

Audit CI/CD pipelines for wasted time, insecure practices, and reliability gaps. Single-pass execution, no sub-agents needed.

Primary support: GitHub Actions (full coverage of all 10 dimensions). Detection-level: GitLab CI, CircleCI (adapted patterns, unsupported checks scored as N/A).

When to use: After changing CI workflows, when pipelines are slow, before release hardening, when CI costs are high, quarterly optimization. When NOT to use: Application security (/security-audit), test quality (/test-audit), test runner config (/tests-performance).

Mandatory File Loading

Read every file below before starting. Print the checklist.

CORE FILES LOADED:
  1. ../../shared/includes/codesift-setup.md   -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  2. ../../shared/includes/env-compat.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  3. ../../shared/includes/run-logger.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  4. ../../shared/includes/retrospective.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]

If any file is MISSING, STOP. Do not proceed from memory.

---

Argument Parsing

Token	Behavior
(empty) or full	All 10 dimensions, auto-detect CI config
[path]	Audit specific workflow file or CI config directory
--speed-only	CI1, CI7, CI9, CI10 only -- focus on pipeline duration
--security-only	CI5, CI6 only -- focus on secret handling and action pinning

---

Safety Gate

This audit is read-only. The only write target is audits/.

FORBIDDEN:

• Modifying any workflow or pipeline file
• Running CI pipelines or triggering builds
• Modifying secrets or environment variables
• Installing CI plugins or actions

---

Phase 0: Detect and Scope

0.1 Platform Detection

Detect the CI platform and set scan targets.

Signal	Platform
.github/workflows/*.yml or uses: pattern	GitHub Actions
.gitlab-ci.yml or stages: / include: pattern	GitLab CI
.circleci/config.yml or orbs: / jobs: pattern	CircleCI

If a [path] argument is provided:

• File: scan that file, detect platform from content
• Directory: find CI config within, detect platform

If no argument: auto-detect from project root.

If no CI config found: report error and suggest checking file locations.

0.2 Workflow Inventory

List all CI workflows/jobs with their trigger events.

Print:

CI PIPELINE INVENTORY
------------------------------------
Platform:    [GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / CircleCI]
Scope:       [auto-detected / user-specified path]
Workflows:   [N]
Total jobs:  [N]
Docker builds: [Y/N]
------------------------------------

---

Phase 1: Dimension Analysis (CI1-CI10)

Single-pass inline execution. No sub-agents required.

CI1: Caching Strategy -- Weight 15, Max 15

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Dependency cache	Cache configured for package manager	No caching, full install every run	HIGH
Cache key includes lockfile hash	Key derived from lockfile content (hashFiles)	Static key or no key	MEDIUM
Build cache	Turbo/nx cache, Docker layer cache	Rebuild from scratch every run	HIGH
Cache restore fallback	Fallback keys for partial cache hits	Cache miss = full rebuild	LOW

What to search for:

• GitHub Actions: actions/cache, setup-node with cache:, hashFiles, restore-keys
• GitLab CI: cache: sections, key: with $CI_COMMIT or lockfile reference
• CircleCI: save_cache / restore_cache, checksum

Score 0-15 based on coverage.

CI2: Parallelism and Job Structure -- Weight 12, Max 12

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Independent jobs in parallel	Jobs without dependencies run simultaneously	Everything sequential	HIGH
Matrix strategy	Multi-version/platform via matrix	Duplicated jobs per version	MEDIUM
Fan-out/fan-in	Parallel test shards with final merge	Single monolithic test job	MEDIUM

What to search for:

• needs: / dependencies: / requires: chains
• strategy: / matrix: / parallel: blocks

CI3: Conditional Execution -- Weight 8, Max 8

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Path filters	Triggers filtered by changed files	Every push triggers every workflow	HIGH
Skip conditions	Draft PRs and skip labels handled	Draft PRs run full pipeline	MEDIUM
Reusable workflows	Shared logic via templates	Copy-paste across workflows	MEDIUM
Concurrency control	Cancel stale runs on new push	Duplicate runs pile up	MEDIUM

What to search for:

• paths: / paths-ignore:, only: / except: / rules:, filters:
• if: conditions, workflow_call (reusable)
• concurrency: with cancel-in-progress, interruptible:

CI4: Artifact Management -- Weight 5, Max 5

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Selective uploads	Only needed artifacts uploaded	Everything uploaded	MEDIUM
Retention policy	Short retention days configured	Default retention (90 days)	LOW
Download scope	Jobs download only what they need	All artifacts pulled into every job	LOW

CI5: Secret Handling -- Weight 12, Max 12, Critical Gate

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Secret access	Secrets referenced via env: block	Secrets interpolated directly in run: scripts	HIGH
Environment scoping	Secrets scoped to environment (prod/staging)	All secrets available to all jobs	MEDIUM
OIDC usage	Keyless auth where possible (cloud providers)	Long-lived credentials	MEDIUM
Permissions	Minimal permissions: declared	Default write-all permissions	HIGH
Hardcoded secrets	Zero hardcoded secrets	Secrets in workflow YAML	CRITICAL

Critical gate: CI5=0 (hardcoded secrets or secrets likely logged) triggers FAIL.

Verification: For each secret reference found, read the surrounding step to check whether it is set via env: block (safe) or inlined in run: script (can leak to logs).

CI6: Action Pinning -- Weight 10, Max 10, Critical Gate

GitHub Actions only. GitLab CI / CircleCI: score N/A.

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
SHA pinning	All actions pinned to commit SHA	Actions pinned to @main or @master	CRITICAL
Trusted sources	Only actions/* namespace or verified publishers	Unknown third-party actions	HIGH
Dependabot	Dependabot configured for github-actions updates	No automated update mechanism	MEDIUM
Tag pinning	First-party actions at @vN (acceptable)	Third-party at @vN (risky)	MEDIUM

Critical gate: CI6=0 (unverified actions from unknown sources) triggers FAIL.

CI7: Timeout and Resource Config -- Weight 8, Max 8

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Job timeouts	Every job has timeout-minutes	No timeouts, stuck jobs run until cancelled	HIGH
Runner sizing	Appropriate runner labels for workload	Oversized runners for simple tasks	MEDIUM
Resource limits	Self-hosted runners have resource constraints	Self-hosted without limits	MEDIUM

CI8: Docker Optimization -- Weight 8, Max 8, N/A if no Docker

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Multi-stage builds	Separate build and runtime stages	Single-stage with build tools in prod image	HIGH
.dockerignore	Exists with meaningful exclusions	Missing or empty	HIGH
Base image pinning	Specific version tag or digest	FROM node:latest	HIGH
Layer caching in CI	cache-from / cache-to configured	Full rebuild on every push	MEDIUM

CI9: Test Integration -- Weight 12, Max 12, Critical Gate

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Tests in pipeline	Test command runs in CI	No tests in CI at all	CRITICAL
Coverage gate	Threshold enforced, build fails below minimum	Coverage reported but not gated	HIGH
Lint/typecheck separation	Lint and typecheck run as separate early steps	Mixed into test step or absent	MEDIUM
Test sharding	Large suites split across parallel runners	Single long-running test job	MEDIUM

Coverage gate detection: Finding codecov or coveralls alone is NOT a gate -- it is just reporting. A gate requires a threshold that fails the build (e.g., --coverageThreshold, fail_under, Codecov threshold in config).

Critical gate: CI9=0 (no tests in CI) triggers FAIL.

CI10: Pipeline Speed -- Weight 10, Max 10

Evaluated from workflow structure analysis, not by running pipelines.

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Critical path depth	<= 3 sequential jobs	> 5 sequential job chain	HIGH
Repeated installs	Shared setup step, cached deps	npm install in every job	HIGH
Trigger scope	Heavy jobs only on merge to main	Everything runs on every push	MEDIUM
Stale cancellation	cancel-in-progress: true	Duplicate runs stack up	MEDIUM

Critical path estimation: Trace the longest chain of needs: dependencies. Each link adds one sequential step.

---

Phase 2: Scoring

CI1  = [0-15]   Caching Strategy
CI2  = [0-12]   Parallelism
CI3  = [0-8]    Conditional Execution
CI4  = [0-5]    Artifact Management
CI5  = [0-12]   Secret Handling              (critical gate)
CI6  = [0-10]   Action Pinning               (critical gate, N/A if not GHA)
CI7  = [0-8]    Timeout & Resources
CI8  = [0-8]    Docker Optimization          (N/A if no Docker)
CI9  = [0-12]   Test Integration             (critical gate)
CI10 = [0-10]   Pipeline Speed

N/A handling: CI6 = N/A if not GitHub Actions. CI8 = N/A if no Docker. Excluded from both score and max.

Score = sum / applicable_max x 100

Critical gates: CI5=0 OR CI6=0 (GHA only) OR CI9=0 triggers FAIL.

Grade	Percentage
HEALTHY	>= 80%
NEEDS ATTENTION	60-79%
AT RISK	40-59%
CRITICAL	< 40%

---

Phase 3: Report

Save to: audits/ci-audit-[YYYY-MM-DD].md

Report Structure

# CI/CD Pipeline Audit Report

## Metadata
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Project | [name] |
| Date | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
| Platform | [GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / CircleCI] |
| Scope | [auto / user path] |
| Workflows | [N] |
| Total jobs | [N] |

## Executive Summary

**Score: [N] / 100** -- [HEALTHY / NEEDS ATTENTION / AT RISK / CRITICAL]

| Metric | Count |
|--------|-------|
| CRITICAL findings | N |
| HIGH findings | N |
| MEDIUM findings | N |

[2-3 sentence summary]

## Dimension Scores

| # | Dimension | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|-----------|-------|-----|-------|
| CI1 | Caching | [N] | 15 | |
| CI2 | Parallelism | [N] | 12 | |
| CI3 | Conditional Execution | [N] | 8 | |
| CI4 | Artifacts | [N] | 5 | |
| CI5 | Secret Handling | [N] | 12 | |
| CI6 | Action Pinning | [N] | 10 | |
| CI7 | Timeouts & Resources | [N] | 8 | |
| CI8 | Docker | [N] | 8 | |
| CI9 | Test Integration | [N] | 12 | |
| CI10 | Pipeline Speed | [N] | 10 | |
| **Total** | | **[N]** | **[M]** | |

## Findings (sorted by severity)
[Per finding: dimension, severity, file:line, description, fix]

## Optimization Roadmap

### Quick Wins (< 1 hour)
### Short-term (1 day)
### Medium-term (1 week)

Report Validation

After writing, verify:

• Dimension scores sum to total in Executive Summary
• Finding counts match Executive Summary
• All workflow files from inventory are covered

---

Phase 4: Next-Step Routing

RECOMMENDED NEXT ACTION
------------------------------------
CI5 CRITICAL (secrets)    -> /security-audit --static
CI9 = 0 (no tests)       -> add test step to pipeline
CI6 = 0 (unpinned actions)-> pin all actions to SHA + add Dependabot
CI1 < 5 (no caching)     -> add dependency + build caching
Score < 60%              -> prioritize quick wins, re-audit in 1 week
Score >= 80%             -> schedule next audit in 3 months
------------------------------------

---

CI-AUDIT COMPLETE

Score: [N] / 100 -- [grade] Platform: [GitHub Actions / GitLab CI / CircleCI] Dimensions: [N scored] | Critical gates: [PASS/FAIL] Findings: [N critical] / [N total] Run: ci-audit - -dimensions

Retrospective (REQUIRED)

Follow the retrospective protocol from retrospective.md. Gate check → structured questions → TSV emit → markdown append. If gate check skips: print "RETRO: skipped (trivial session)" and proceed.

After printing this block, append the Run: line value (without the Run: prefix) to the log file path resolved per run-logger.md.

VERDICT: PASS (0 critical findings), WARN (1-3 critical), FAIL (4+ critical).

---

Execution Notes

• Single-pass inline execution, no sub-agents required
• All search commands use the resolved CI target path from Phase 0
• GitHub Actions: full coverage of all 10 dimensions
• GitLab CI: CI1-CI5, CI7-CI10 supported; CI6 = N/A
• CircleCI: CI1-CI5, CI7-CI10 supported; CI6 = N/A
• Dimensions checking project-root files (Dockerfile, .dockerignore, dependabot.yml) reference the project root explicitly
• If gh run list is accessible, pipeline speed analysis can be supplemented with actual run durations
• CodeSift is not heavily used in this skill (CI files are YAML, not code), but codesift-setup.md is still loaded for consistency with other audit skills