plan-engagement

name	plan-engagement
description	Use when starting any pentesting engagement, receiving a target domain or IP, saying "new engagement", "start a pentest", "plan this target", or beginning any offensive security assessment. Invoke this FIRST before any other skill. Also triggers on "bug bounty on X", "test X for me", "attack X", "scope is X".

Plan Engagement — Attack Graph Engine

Philosophy

You are not filling out a form. You are an attack planner initializing a live intelligence system.

Extract everything from the user's message. Ask at most one question — only if the target itself is completely missing. Everything else has smart defaults. Your job is to generate a dynamic attack graph, not a static checklist, and hand the user a running start.

---

Step 0: Bootstrap from Cross-Engagement Memory

Before anything else, read ~/.akira/memory.json to seed this engagement with prior intelligence.

MEMORY=~/.akira/memory.json

# Read global SCL counter for this session
SCL_COUNTER=$(jq -r '.scl_id_counter // 1' $MEMORY 2>/dev/null || echo 1)

# Read ATW flagged techniques (hallucination guard)
FLAGGED=$(jq -r '.hallucination_guard | to_entries[] | select(.value.flagged==true) | .key' $MEMORY 2>/dev/null)

# Read DNA registry for pattern matching
DNA_REGISTRY=$(jq -r '.dna_registry' $MEMORY 2>/dev/null)

echo "Memory loaded. SCL counter: $SCL_COUNTER | Flagged techniques: $(echo $FLAGGED | wc -w)"

If ~/.akira/memory.json does not exist:

mkdir -p ~/.akira
# Write initial memory.json with defaults - see references/memory-schema.md
# Set scl_id_counter to 1

Use memory to calibrate hypothesis priors in Step 2:

• Match extracted tech hints against tech_vuln_priors keys
• For each match, use stored prior_probability as the hypothesis starting point
• Do NOT exceed 0.85 even if memory says higher (anti-overfitting cap)
• Write flagged_techniques from hallucination_guard into session.json scalpel.doom_loop

---

Step 1: Infer From the Message

Extract without asking:

Extract	Source	Default if missing
Target	domain, IP, URL, app name in message	ask — only this
Program type	"bug bounty", "pentest", "CTF", "my lab"	bug_bounty
Platform	"HackerOne", "Bugcrowd", "Intigriti"	unknown
Tech hints	AWS, OAuth, GraphQL, checkout, LDAP	none
Constraint hints	"no active scan", "stealth", "out of scope"	none
Attack surface hints	"403s", "login page", "API", "internal"	none

If the user says "api.stripe.com, found some 403s, AWS-backed" — you have target, hints for 403-bypass and cloud-audit, no questions needed.

---

Step 2: Generate Hypotheses

Generate 4-6 ranked hypotheses — probabilistic attack chains grounded in what you know. These are not guesses; they are structured predictions that drive the entire engagement.

H1 [82%]  SSRF → AWS IAM credential extraction
          Evidence required: SSRF injection point + metadata endpoint reachable
          Boosted by signals: SSRF_VECTOR, TECH_DETECTED(AWS), INTERNAL_IP

H2 [71%]  OAuth open redirect → authorization code interception
          Evidence required: /oauth/authorize + redirect_uri param present
          Boosted by signals: JWT_FOUND, TECH_DETECTED(OAuth/SSO)

H3 [54%]  Race condition on checkout flow
          Evidence required: cart/coupon/transfer endpoint + timing gap
          Boosted by signals: SURFACE_FOUND(checkout), TECH_DETECTED(payments)

H4 [38%]  JWT RS256 → HS256 algorithm confusion
          Evidence required: JWT in responses + /jwks.json accessible
          Boosted by signals: JWT_FOUND, SURFACE_FOUND(jwks)

Calibration rules — update after every incoming signal:

• Signal matches evidence_required → +15-25% (specificity determines how much)
• Signal matches boosted_by list → +8-12%
• Signal directly contradicts hypothesis → -25-35%
• Hypothesis hits 0-15% → mark DENIED, log to tested_surfaces, never retest
• Hypothesis hits 85%+ → immediately transition engagement to DEEP state
• Hypothesis hits CONFIRMED → write finding to report_draft.findings[], continue

---

Step 3: Auto-Activate Modules

Core chain always active: recon → secrets → exploit → triage → report

Auto-flag additional modules based on extracted signals and hints:

Signal / keyword detected	Module flagged
AWS / S3 / Lambda / IAM / GCP / Azure / cloud	cloud-audit
403 / forbidden / blocked / WAF hint	403-bypass
OAuth / SSO / OIDC / JWT / login	oauth-attacks
checkout / cart / coupon / wallet / transfer / balance	race-conditions
AD / LDAP / Kerberos / domain controller / corporate	redteam (canonical AD chain - ad-attacks is a redirect stub)
GraphQL / introspection	zerodayhunt (GraphQL focus)
red team / APT / assumed breach / lateral movement / post-exploitation / C2 / persistence / ADCS / DCSync / Kerberoast / BloodHound / Windows domain / internal network	redteam

CTF isolation: ctf module ONLY activates when the user explicitly declares "CTF mode", mentions a CTF platform (HackTheBox / TryHackMe / PicoCTF / CTFtime), or uses the /ctf command directly. Keyword "flag" alone in a pentest context does NOT trigger ctf - it means a flag in the sense of flagged vulnerability. Never auto-activate ctf during a live pentest or bug bounty engagement.

Flagged modules activate when the main chain reaches Phase 3 or a relevant signal confirms them.

---

Step 4: Initialize session.json

Create ~/pentest-toolkit/results/<target>/:

mkdir -p ~/pentest-toolkit/results/<target>/{screenshots,http-responses,loot}
touch ~/pentest-toolkit/results/<target>/signals.jsonl
# signals.jsonl is append-only - all phases emit signals here via signals.sh
# Race-proof: no read-modify-write. Multiple forks can write simultaneously.

Write session.json — lean init, only populate what is actually known:

{
  "target": "<target>",
  "started": "<YYYY-MM-DD>",
  "program": {
    "type": "bug_bounty",
    "platform": "unknown",
    "name": null
  },
  "engagement_state": "WIDE",
  "fork_budget": {
    "max": 3,
    "active": 0,
    "queued": 0
  },
  "active_chain": ["recon", "secrets", "exploit", "triage", "report"],
  "flagged_modules": [],
  "_chain_note": "When redteam module is flagged, insert it after exploit: recon->secrets->exploit->redteam->triage->report",
  "hypotheses": [
    {
      "id": "H1",
      "label": "<attack chain name>",
      "probability": 0.82,
      "status": "active",
      "evidence_required": "<what confirms this>",
      "boosted_by": ["SIGNAL_TYPE"],
      "supporting_signals": [],
      "denying_signals": []
    }
  ],
  "_signals": "see signals.jsonl - append-only, not stored in session.json",
  "threads": [
    {
      "id": "main",
      "target": "<target>",
      "phase": "plan",
      "status": "active",
      "parent": null,
      "genealogy": [],
      "health": {"steps_since_signal": 0, "status": "healthy"}
    }
  ],
  "discovery_queue": [],
  "tested_surfaces": [],
  "ptt": {
    "graph": [
      {"id": "root", "label": "<target>", "children": ["main"], "status": "active"}
    ]
  },
  "intel": {
    "live_hosts": [],
    "subdomains": [],
    "open_ports": {},
    "technologies": [],
    "waf": null,
    "internal_ips": [],
    "credentials": [],
    "endpoints": [],
    "jwt_tokens": [],
    "api_keys": [],
    "cookies": []
  },
  "report_draft": {
    "findings": [],
    "last_updated": null
  },
  "scalpel": {
    "id_counter": <SCL_COUNTER from memory>,
    "snr": {
      "tool_runs": 0,
      "signals_emitted": 0,
      "signals_confirmed": 0,
      "false_positives": 0,
      "yield_rate": null,
      "conversion_rate": null,
      "noise_penalty": null,
      "scalpel_score": null
    },
    "doom_loop": {
      "technique_runs": {},
      "flagged_techniques": <FLAGGED from memory.json hallucination_guard>
    },
    "active_manifest": null
  },
  "intel_relay": {
    "from_recon": {
      "js_bundle_urls": [],
      "github_orgs": [],
      "live_hosts_with_tech": [],
      "interesting_endpoints": [],
      "cloud_hints": {"aws": false, "gcp": false, "azure": false},
      "waf": null,
      "open_ports": {},
      "parameter_names": [],
      "wayback_api_endpoints": []
    },
    "from_secrets": {
      "verified_credentials": [],
      "api_spec_endpoints": [],
      "jwt_tokens": [],
      "aws_keys_found": false,
      "github_secrets_found": false,
      "postman_collections": []
    },
    "from_exploit": {
      "ssrf_vectors": [],
      "confirmed_vulns": [],
      "internal_ips": [],
      "verified_auth_bypass": false
    },
    "from_cloud_audit": {
      "cloud_credentials": [],
      "data_accessed": [],
      "privesc_confirmed": false,
      "privesc_path": null
    },
    "from_redteam": {
      "da_credentials_obtained": false,
      "da_credentials": null,
      "lateral_movement_hosts": [],
      "kill_chain": null,
      "privesc_confirmed": false,
      "persistence_confirmed": false,
      "techniques_used": [],
      "evasion_techniques": [],
      "exfil_confirmed": false
    }
  }
}

Only write fields you have actual values for. Leave everything else as shown — phases will populate as the engagement runs.

See references/session-schema.md for full field definitions.

---

Step 5: The Engagement State Machine

The engagement always runs in one of four modes. You decide when to transition — not a timer, not a checklist. Transition when the intelligence justifies it.

WIDE (start here)

Goals: maximize surface coverage, emit signals, calibrate hypotheses rapidly.

• Forks are shallow — single targeted checks, not full phase runs
• Fork all medium+ confidence discoveries (>40%)
• Hypotheses update constantly
• Transition to DEEP when any hypothesis exceeds 85% confidence

DEEP (one confirmed hypothesis, drilling it)

Goals: prove the full attack chain — credentials extracted, data accessed, or RCE demonstrated.

• All fork budget concentrated on the confirmed chain
• New discoveries written to discovery_queue, not forked yet
• If chain dead-ends after 3 serious attempts → back to WIDE
• Transition to HARVEST when full chain is proven with evidence

HARVEST (critical chain confirmed with proof)

Goals: extract maximum evidence, nothing else.

• Capture raw HTTP requests/responses, screenshots, extracted data into loot/
• Write confirmed finding to report_draft.findings[] immediately with full chain
• Zero new forks — evidence collection only
• Transition back to WIDE once evidence is captured and documented

WRAP (no new signals across all threads for 5+ steps)

Goals: close the engagement cleanly.

• Drop fork budget to 0
• Drain discovery_queue — assess each item, act or discard
• Consolidate signals into any remaining findings
• Notify: "Engagement ready. Run /triage then /report."

---

Step 6: Signal Protocol

Every skill in the chain emits signals when discoveries are made. Signals are the nervous system of the engagement — they drive hypothesis calibration, fork decisions, and state transitions.

Emit a signal for every meaningful discovery. Never just log something locally.

Signal storage: ~/pentest-toolkit/results/<target>/signals.jsonl (append-only JSONL, NOT session.json). Use emit_signal from ~/.claude/skills/_shared/signals.sh for all emission. This is race-proof: multiple forks append simultaneously without conflict.

Signal line format (one JSON object per line):

{"id":"sig-1714900000000","ts":"2026-04-25T10:00:00Z","type":"SURFACE_FOUND","value":"internal.target.com:8080","source":"main/exploit","confidence":0.91}

Signal types:

• SURFACE_FOUND — new host, subdomain, IP range, internal endpoint
• CRED_FOUND — password, API key, token, secret
• TECH_DETECTED — framework, language, cloud provider, service
• WAF_CONFIRMED — WAF or CDN identified and fingerprinted
• INTERNAL_IP — private network address discovered via SSRF/redirect
• JWT_FOUND — JWT token present in response headers or body
• SSRF_VECTOR — confirmed SSRF injection point with outbound connectivity
• AUTH_BYPASS — authentication control bypassed with proof
• VULN_CONFIRMED — exploitable vulnerability with reproducible proof

Signal Correlation Rules

After every new signal arrives, check these patterns. When a pattern matches — act immediately, don't wait for the next phase:

Pattern	Emergent action
SSRF_VECTOR + TECH_DETECTED(AWS/GCP/Azure)	Upgrade cloud-audit hypothesis to 95%, full fork immediately
WAF_CONFIRMED + new SURFACE_FOUND	Flag 403-bypass for the new surface too
CRED_FOUND + 2+ SURFACE_FOUND	Credential spray fork on all discovered surfaces
JWT_FOUND + TECH_DETECTED(node/python/java)	Spawn JWT confusion test, activate oauth-attacks
INTERNAL_IP + SSRF_VECTOR	Transition to DEEP state, concentrate all budget on this chain
AUTH_BYPASS + INTERNAL_IP	Activate redteam module, shift to assumed-breach lateral movement
TECH_DETECTED(AD/LDAP/Kerberos) + SURFACE_FOUND	Activate redteam module, BloodHound + Kerberoast first
CRED_FOUND(domain) + INTERNAL_IP	Full fork to redteam - credential reuse across internal hosts
3+ VULN_CONFIRMED	Transition to HARVEST state
TECH_DETECTED signal	Push tech to all active thread contexts immediately

These are patterns to recognize, not exhaustive rules. Use judgment — if a combination of signals tells a story, act on the story.

When redteam activates: update active_chain to ["recon","secrets","exploit","redteam","triage","report"] and write it to session.json. Do this immediately when the redteam module is flagged, not at phase-end.

jq '.active_chain = ["recon","secrets","exploit","redteam","triage","report"]' $SESSION > /tmp/s.json && mv /tmp/s.json $SESSION

Tech Stack Propagation

When TECH_DETECTED fires, immediately inform all active threads:

TECH_DETECTED: Django
→ exploit threads: deprioritize SQLi (ORM likely), prioritize SSTI
→ secrets threads: look for SECRET_KEY, DEBUG=True in source
→ zerodayhunt: test /?debug=true, admin/

TECH_DETECTED: Redis
→ exploit: add localhost:6379 to SSRF target list
→ cloud-audit: check for unauthenticated access

TECH_DETECTED: AWS
→ activate cloud-audit module
→ add 169.254.169.254 to SSRF target list
→ boost H1 by +15%

TECH_DETECTED: Active Directory / LDAP / Kerberos
→ activate redteam module
→ exploit threads: deprioritize web vulns, add NTLM relay + Kerberoast to queue
→ secrets threads: look for domain credentials in configs + environment vars
→ redteam: run BloodHound collection immediately on any domain user foothold

TECH_DETECTED: Windows domain joined host
→ redteam: check for unconstrained delegation, ADCS enrollment endpoint, SMB signing
→ lateral movement via PTH/PTT as soon as any NTLM hash obtained

---

Step 7: Fork Protocol

See references/fork-protocol.md for the full protocol used by all skills.

When to fork

• SURFACE_FOUND with confidence > 40%
• Hypothesis calibration pushes a chain above 70%
• CRED_FOUND with a new untested attack surface

Confidence tiers

Confidence	Fork action
< 40%	Write to discovery_queue, notify user, no auto-fork
40-70%	Shallow fork — one targeted check, emit signal back
> 70%	Full fork — run complete phase on new surface

Fork priority when budget is full

priority = (impact_score × confidence × exploitability) / estimated_token_cost

Where:

• impact_score: CVSS-like impact (0-10). SSRF->IAM = 9.8, XSS = 6.0, info disclosure = 3.0
• confidence: hypothesis probability at time of fork decision (0-100)
• exploitability: from ~/.akira/memory.json atw[technique].confirmation_rate (default 0.40 if unknown)
• estimated_token_cost: recon=3, secrets=2, exploit=4, cloud-audit=5, 403-bypass=3

Highest score gets the next available slot. User sees: "2 forks active, 1 queued (score: 84, surface: internal.target.com)."

Fork brief — keep under 80 tokens

FORK: fork-<N>
Target: <new surface>
Phase: <recon|secrets|exploit>
Trigger: <signal ID and value that caused this>
Hypothesis: <H-id being tested>
Known intel: tech=[...], creds=[...], waf=<value>
Write back: session.json signals[] + threads[fork-<N>]
Dedup: check tested_surfaces[] before every action
Emit signals for every discovery. No narration.

Dead-end detection

• Fork emits 0 signals for 5+ consecutive steps → mark health.status: low_yield
• Persists for 3 more steps → terminate fork, reclaim slot
• Before terminating: log all attempted paths to tested_surfaces[]
• Notify main thread: slot reclaimed, next item in priority queue activates

---

Step 8: Deduplication

Before any action — main thread or any fork:

1. Check tested_surfaces[] for this exact target + action combination
2. If found → skip it, move to the next action without retrying
3. If not found → proceed, then append to tested_surfaces[] on completion

{
  "surface": "api.target.com/admin",
  "action": "exploit:jwt_confusion",
  "result": "RS256 not in use — DENIED",
  "thread": "fork-1",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-21 14:32"
}

This prevents two forks from independently running the same test. It also prevents revisiting dead ends across sessions.

---

Step 9: Live Report Draft

Do not wait for /report to document findings. Build the draft as the engagement runs.

When any hypothesis reaches CONFIRMED or any VULN_CONFIRMED signal fires:

1. Write finding immediately to report_draft.findings[]
2. Include: attack chain, all supporting signal IDs, HTTP evidence references, severity rationale
3. Mark hypothesis status: "confirmed" in session.json
4. Continue the engagement — do not stop to write prose

When /report is eventually called, 80-90% of the content is pre-filled. The report skill reviews, completes the narrative, and formats for HackerOne/Bugcrowd/pentest report.

---

Step 10: Output

Output exactly this — nothing more. No headers, no filler, no explanations unless asked:

Target: <target>  |  Type: <inferred: API/Web/Cloud/AD>  |  Program: <type> (<platform>)
Fork budget: 3  |  State: WIDE

Hypotheses:
  H1 [82%]  <label>
  H2 [71%]  <label>
  H3 [54%]  <label>
  H4 [38%]  <label>

Chain: recon → secrets → exploit → triage → report
Flagged: <modules or "none yet">

session.json initialized. Evidence dirs created.
/recon <target>

Generate plan.md only if the user explicitly says "full plan", "generate a doc", or "I want a written plan."

Total response: under 20 lines. The engagement is live. Let the graph build itself.

---

Reference files

• references/session-schema.md — every session.json field defined, what writes it, what reads it
• references/fork-protocol.md — full signal emission and fork briefing protocol for all skills
• references/memory-schema.md — cross-engagement memory structure, ATW, hallucination guard, prior decay