| name | third-party-code-vetting |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | Vet third-party code before it enters the repo or runs on a host — upstream patches, vendored scripts, installer snippets, peer-submitted cron scripts. Use when integrating external code of any kind. |
| triggers | ["vet third-party code","external code review","vendored script","upstream patch"] |
Third-Party Code Vetting
Vet external code before it enters the repo or runs on a host: upstream
patches, vendored scripts, installer snippets, cron scripts from peers,
MCP server code. The bar is provenance + behavior, not a glance at the diff.
Checklist
- Source integrity — where did it come from? Commit hash, signed
release, PR number, or named peer. Reject code with no provenance.
- Read the whole file — never vet from a diff summary or a
description. A 200-line upstream patch shipped on an unexamined premise
is the classic failure (2026-08-03).
- Static scan —
adversarial-verify.py --file <script> --level A4 --gate on any scripts; secret-leak-detector.sh for PII/creds.
- Behavior check — run it with boundary inputs in a sandbox: tmp
workdir, no network, no sudo. Attack the implicit assumptions
(Technique F), don't just execute the happy path.
- Dependency check — stdlib-only unless declared; no silent network
calls; no writes outside the declared scope.
- Persistence check — what does it install or change? (crons,
systemd units, config files, auto-start hooks). Reject silent
persistence; require explicit opt-in.
- License — compatible with the target repo (MIT for hermes-cortex).
Decision
| Finding | Decision |
|---|
| No provenance | REJECT |
| Injection / exfiltration / hidden persistence | REJECT |
| Unaudited runtime network access | REJECT or fix + WARN |
| Provenance + clean scan + sandbox pass | APPROVE |
| Minor issues (paths, PII, naming) | APPROVE after fix, note it |
Verify after approval
- Commit with
-F message citing the source (hash/PR/author)
- Deploy and run the real invocation (doctor Script run evidence)
- Never
--no-verify to ship a vet-rejected change
