analyzing-semgrep

name	analyzing-semgrep
description	Use when working with Semgrep — semgrep static application security testing (SAST). Covers code scanning, custom rule creation, CI integration, autofix capabilities, multi-language support, and vulnerability triage. Use when scanning source code for security vulnerabilities, creating custom detection rules, or integrating SAST into CI pipelines.
connection_type	semgrep
preload	false

Semgrep SAST Analysis Skill

Analyze source code for security vulnerabilities, bugs, and anti-patterns using Semgrep.

MANDATORY: Discovery-First Pattern

Always check Semgrep version and project languages before running scans.

Phase 1: Discovery

#!/bin/bash

echo "=== Semgrep Version ==="
semgrep --version 2>/dev/null

echo ""
echo "=== Project Languages ==="
find . -maxdepth 3 -type f \( -name "*.py" -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.java" -o -name "*.go" -o -name "*.rb" -o -name "*.php" \) 2>/dev/null | sed 's|.*\.||' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn | head -10

echo ""
echo "=== Semgrep Config ==="
cat .semgrep.yml 2>/dev/null || cat .semgrep.yaml 2>/dev/null || echo "No local config found"

echo ""
echo "=== Available Rulesets ==="
echo "  p/default       - Semgrep default rules"
echo "  p/security-audit - Security-focused rules"
echo "  p/owasp-top-ten - OWASP Top 10"
echo "  p/ci            - CI-optimized rules"

Core Helper Functions

#!/bin/bash

# Semgrep wrapper with JSON output
semgrep_cmd() {
    semgrep "$@" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null
}

# Scan with specific ruleset
semgrep_scan() {
    local ruleset="${1:-p/default}"
    local target="${2:-.}"
    semgrep --config "$ruleset" "$target" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null
}

# Summary extractor
semgrep_summary() {
    jq '{
        findings: (.results | length),
        by_severity: (.results | group_by(.extra.severity) | map({severity: .[0].extra.severity, count: length})),
        by_rule: (.results | group_by(.check_id) | map({rule: .[0].check_id, count: length}) | sort_by(-.count) | .[0:10])
    }'
}

Output Rules

• TOKEN EFFICIENCY: Target <=50 lines per output
• Use --json --quiet for structured results
• Group findings by rule and severity
• Never dump full file contents -- show finding location and context

Common Operations

Security Scan

#!/bin/bash
TARGET="${1:-.}"
RULESET="${2:-p/security-audit}"

echo "=== Security Scan: $RULESET ==="
semgrep --config "$RULESET" "$TARGET" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    total_findings: (.results | length),
    files_scanned: (.paths.scanned | length),
    by_severity: (.results | group_by(.extra.severity) | map({
        severity: .[0].extra.severity,
        count: length
    }) | sort_by(.severity)),
    top_findings: [.results | sort_by(.extra.severity) | .[:10][] | {
        rule: .check_id,
        severity: .extra.severity,
        message: .extra.message,
        file: .path,
        line: .start.line,
        fix: (.extra.fix // null)
    }]
}'

OWASP Top 10 Scan

#!/bin/bash
TARGET="${1:-.}"

echo "=== OWASP Top 10 Scan ==="
semgrep --config p/owasp-top-ten "$TARGET" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    total: (.results | length),
    categories: (.results | group_by(.extra.metadata.owasp // "uncategorized") | map({
        owasp: .[0].extra.metadata.owasp,
        count: length,
        examples: [.[:2][] | {rule: .check_id, file: .path, line: .start.line}]
    }) | sort_by(-.count))
}'

Custom Rule Scanning

#!/bin/bash
RULE_FILE="${1:?Rule file required}"
TARGET="${2:-.}"

echo "=== Custom Rule Scan ==="
semgrep --config "$RULE_FILE" "$TARGET" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    findings: (.results | length),
    results: [.results[:15][] | {
        rule: .check_id,
        message: .extra.message,
        file: .path,
        line: .start.line,
        code: .extra.lines
    }]
}'

echo ""
echo "=== Rule Validation ==="
semgrep --validate --config "$RULE_FILE" 2>&1 | tail -5

Autofix Preview

#!/bin/bash
TARGET="${1:-.}"
RULESET="${2:-p/default}"

echo "=== Autofix Available ==="
semgrep --config "$RULESET" "$TARGET" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    fixable: [.results[] | select(.extra.fix != null) | {
        rule: .check_id,
        file: .path,
        line: .start.line,
        original: .extra.lines,
        fix: .extra.fix
    }] | .[0:10],
    total_fixable: ([.results[] | select(.extra.fix != null)] | length),
    total_findings: (.results | length)
}'

echo ""
echo "=== To apply fixes ==="
echo "semgrep --config $RULESET $TARGET --autofix --dryrun  # Preview"
echo "semgrep --config $RULESET $TARGET --autofix           # Apply"

CI Integration Report

#!/bin/bash
TARGET="${1:-.}"

echo "=== CI Scan Report ==="
semgrep --config p/ci "$TARGET" --json --quiet 2>/dev/null | jq '{
    pass: ((.results | length) == 0),
    findings: (.results | length),
    errors: (.errors | length),
    files_scanned: (.paths.scanned | length),
    files_skipped: (.paths.skipped | length),
    severity_breakdown: (.results | group_by(.extra.severity) | map({
        severity: .[0].extra.severity,
        count: length
    })),
    blocking: ([.results[] | select(.extra.severity == "ERROR")] | length)
}'

Safety Rules

• Scans are read-only unless --autofix is used -- autofix modifies source files
• Use --autofix --dryrun first to preview changes before applying
• Custom rules should be tested with known-good and known-bad samples
• CI integration should use p/ci ruleset which is optimized for low false-positive rate
• Semgrep App uploads findings to cloud -- ensure compliance with data policies

Output Format

Present results as a structured report:

Analyzing Semgrep 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

• Rule performance: Complex patterns with deep nesting can be slow -- use --timeout and --max-memory
• Language detection: Semgrep auto-detects languages -- incorrect detection causes missed findings
• Metavariable matching: Metavariables in rules may match more broadly than expected -- test thoroughly
• Taint tracking: Taint mode rules require specific syntax -- not all rules support data flow analysis
• Ignore files: Use .semgrepignore for test files and generated code -- reduces noise
• Rule versioning: Ruleset updates can add new rules that fail CI -- pin ruleset versions
• Monorepo scanning: Large monorepos can be slow -- use --include to target specific directories
• JSON output size: Large codebases produce huge JSON output -- use --max-target-bytes to limit