snyk

Snyk security scanning for dependencies. Use for vulnerability scanning.

7 stars

byG1Joshi

View on GitHub Installation ↓

Best use case

snyk is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Snyk security scanning for dependencies. Use for vulnerability scanning.

Teams using snyk should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/snyk/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/G1Joshi/Agent-Skills/main/skills/security/snyk/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

Download SKILL.md from GitHub
Place it in .claude/skills/snyk/SKILL.md inside your project
Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How snyk Compares

Feature / Agent	snyk	Standard Approach
Platform Support	Not specified	Limited / Varies
Context Awareness	High	Baseline
Installation Complexity	Unknown	N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Snyk security scanning for dependencies. Use for vulnerability scanning.

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

# Snyk

Snyk is a developer security platform. It finds and fixes vulnerabilities in your code (SAST), open source dependencies (SCA), container images, and infrastructure as code (IaC).

## When to Use

- **Dependency Checking**: "Does `lodash` have a vulnerability?" (SCA).
- **Container Security**: Scanning your Dockerfile base image for CVEs.
- **IDE Integration**: Real-time feedback in VS Code / IntelliJ while you code.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Install CLI
npm install -g snyk

# Authenticate
snyk auth

# Test dependencies
snyk test

# Monitor (Continuous watching for new vulns)
snyk monitor
```

## Core Concepts

### Vulnerability Database

Snyk maintains a proprietary DB (Intel) that often alerts faster than the public NVD.

### Fix PRs

Snyk can automatically open a Pull Request to upgrade a vulnerable dependency to the patched version.

### Reachability Analysis

Determines if a vulnerable function in a library is _actually called_ by your code. prioritization.

## Best Practices (2025)

**Do**:

- **Enable Snyk in CI**: Fail the build if `High` or `Critical` vulnerabilities are introduced.
- **Use Snyk Code**: For SAST (finding bugs in your own code).
- **Prioritize Reachable Vulns**: Don't waste time patching libraries you don't even use the dangerous part of.

**Don't**:

- **Don't Ignore Low Severity**: Bulk triage them, but don't let them accumulate forever ("Death by a thousand cuts").
- **Don't blindly upgrade**: Verify breaking changes. Snyk usually warns about this.

## Troubleshooting

| Error             | Cause                  | Solution                                                            |
| :---------------- | :--------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `Auth Failed`     | Token expired/missing. | Run `snyk auth` again or set `SNYK_TOKEN` env var.                  |
| `Too many issues` | Legacy codebase.       | Use `.snyk` file to ignore known/wont-fix issues or set a baseline. |

## References

- [Snyk Documentation](https://docs.snyk.io/)
- [Snyk CLI](https://docs.snyk.io/snyk-cli)