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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Dependency Audit agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The dependency-audit skill is a set of instructions that teaches an AI agent how to review a project's third-party packages for publicly reported security vulnerabilities. It is written for developers preparing a web project for release, teams setting up CI pipelines, and maintainers reacting to a newly reported library flaw. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, how to ask for it in plain language, and what it can and cannot cover.

Dependency Auditthedaviddias/Front-End-Checklist · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Download the ZIP. Download the dependency-audit ZIP from the page.
  2. 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into the project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project.
  3. 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
  4. 4Confirm your environment. Make sure Node.js with npm or pnpm is installed, and that the project has a package.json and lock file.
  5. 5Ask in plain language. Describe the task, such as reviewing dependencies before a release or responding to a reported vulnerability.
  6. 6Review the commands. Check the audit commands the agent proposes, since the skill runs scripts and uses the network.
  7. 7Act on the findings. Upgrade, patch or replace vulnerable packages, and treat critical and high findings as release blockers.

What the dependency-audit skill makes the agent do

The skill is a checklist-style guide for the agent, not a standalone scanner. When it is active, the agent is told to check your project's dependencies for known security vulnerabilities by running the package manager's audit command, with pnpm or npm named as the preferred tools.

It also guides the agent to suggest upgrading, patching or replacing vulnerable packages, to recommend automated dependency scanning in CI pipelines, and to look at your lock file and package.json for unpinned version ranges, abandoned packages and packages flagged in recent CVE databases.

  • Run the audit command (pnpm audit or npm audit)
  • Suggest upgrades, patches or replacements for vulnerable packages
  • Recommend automated scanning in CI (the guidance references GitHub Dependabot or Snyk)
  • Review lock files and package.json for risky version settings

Install the dependency-audit skill

You can add the skill in one of two ways. Download the ZIP from our page and unzip it into your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want the skill to apply only to that project.

Alternatively, upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

  • Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
  • Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP

Check what you need before you start

The skill assumes Node.js with npm or pnpm is installed in the environment where the project runs. The project also needs a package.json and a lock file, since the guidance reads both.

CI scanning with GitHub Dependabot or Snyk is optional. The skill refers to these services but does not include them, so you need your own account to use them.

  • Node.js with npm or pnpm installed in the project environment
  • A project with a package.json and a lock file
  • Optional: a GitHub Dependabot or Snyk account for CI scanning

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need a special command. The skill's description says it applies when you are reviewing a project's security posture, setting up CI pipelines, or responding to a reported vulnerability in a dependency, so ask in those terms.

Name the project or package where you can, so the agent knows what to inspect.

  • Review the dependencies in this project before we release to production
  • Set up dependency scanning in our CI pipeline
  • A new vulnerability was reported in lodash; check whether we are affected and what to upgrade to
  • Look at package.json and the lock file for risky version ranges
pnpm audit --audit-level=high

Use the audit commands the guidance relies on

The reference notes give pnpm as the recommended tool and show several options. The audit-level flag filters results by severity, and the JSON option writes a machine-readable report that you can keep for scripts or records.

Ask the agent to run these for you, or run them yourself and paste the output back into the conversation for analysis.

  • pnpm audit: run a full audit
  • pnpm audit --audit-level=high: report only high and critical findings
  • pnpm audit --json > audit-report.json: write machine-readable output
pnpm audit pnpm audit --audit-level=high pnpm audit --audit-level=moderate pnpm audit --json > audit-report.json

Safety notes: scripts and network access

This skill runs scripts and uses the network. The audit commands contact package registries to check for known vulnerabilities, so review what the agent is about to run before you approve it, particularly in a production environment.

The skill is limited in scope. It covers dependency vulnerabilities only, so it will not find flaws in your application code, configuration or infrastructure.

  • Expect the audit to use the network and run commands in your project
  • Read commands the agent proposes before approving them
  • Do not treat a clean audit as a complete security review

Tips for getting useful results

Treat critical and high severity findings as release blockers, as the quick reference suggests. Commit your lock file to version control so transitive dependencies stay pinned.

If your project does not use npm or pnpm, expect to adapt the guidance yourself, because the files do not cover other package managers.

  • Run the audit before every production deployment
  • Commit the lock file to pin transitive dependencies
  • Use the severity filter to focus on what blocks a release

What people use it for

  • Pre-release check: ask the agent to audit dependencies before deploying a web app to production.
  • CI setup: ask for guidance on adding automated dependency scanning with Dependabot or Snyk to your pipeline.
  • Incident response: after a library vulnerability is reported, ask which of your packages are affected and what to upgrade.
  • Lock file review: ask the agent to flag unpinned version ranges or abandoned packages in package.json.

Frequently asked questions

Is the dependency-audit skill free to use?

The skill is published under the MIT licence. The guidance references GitHub Dependabot and Snyk for CI scanning, but those services are not included, so any account you need for them is separate from the skill.

What do I need to run the dependency-audit skill?

You need Node.js with npm or pnpm installed in the project environment, plus a project containing a package.json and a lock file. The guidance centres on those package managers.

How do I install the dependency-audit skill?

Download the ZIP from the page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Does this skill work with yarn or other package managers?

The source does not cover other package managers. The guidance centres on npm and pnpm, so the agent would need to adapt it for other tools.

Does the skill replace a full security audit?

No. It only covers known vulnerabilities in dependencies, not application code, configuration or infrastructure flaws.

Why does the audit say a vulnerability exists but the package still works?

The audit reports publicly known CVEs in your dependency tree, which is not the same as confirming your application is exploitable. Use the severity filter and the dependency path output to judge which findings matter for your project.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you are preparing a JavaScript web project for release, setting up dependency scanning in CI, or reacting to a reported library vulnerability, and you use npm or pnpm. Pick something else if your project uses other package managers or if you need a full security review covering your code and infrastructure.

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