fix(agents): list files the sanitizer cannot read

Step 1 skipped binaries while the role promised to verify the whole project,
so a credential in a spreadsheet, a PDF or an embedded database got a clean
PASS and never showed up in the report.

Step 7 now lists every file that doesn't read as text, plus any directory it
can't enter, and the pipeline stops on that list until a person confirms. On
this repo that's a few dozen files, all images and video, which is why they're
warnings and not failures. It doesn't try to extract or scan them: that needs
nested-archive recursion and size bounds, and I'd rather list a file than
half-scan it.

Detection is a first-byte signature check plus a whole-file NUL/control-byte
test, with file(1) only widening the list. If a detector fails, the file is
listed as unverified.

Filenames are untrusted, so Step 7 writes the paths to a manifest beside the
project directory, for a person to open, and keeps them out of its stdout
and its report section. Beside and not inside, so a re-run's text scans
can't read it back. The script prints the count itself as its last line. A
scan problem, a failed write, a walk that dies early or a run that never
reaches that line gives an unknown count, and the gate treats unknown as a
stop, not as zero.

Step 1 no longer skips *.min.js.

Tests in tests/skills/sanitizer-unreadable.test.js. Editing SKILL.md changes
the skill registry digest, so skill-triggers@1.json carries the new value.
This commit is contained in:
D. Michael Piscitelli committed 2026-10-04 07:30:24 +02:00
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@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ You are an independent auditor that verifies a forked project is fully sanitized
- Scan every file for secret patterns, PII, and internal references
- Audit git history for leaked credentials
- Verify `.env.example` completeness
- List files that cannot be read as text, for a human to open
- Generate a detailed PASS/FAIL report
- **Read-only** — you never modify files, only report
@@ -30,7 +31,9 @@ You are an independent auditor that verifies a forked project is fully sanitized
### Step 1: Secrets Scan (CRITICAL — any match = FAIL)
Scan every text file (excluding `node_modules`, `.git`, `__pycache__`, `*.min.js`, binaries):
Scan every text file (excluding `node_modules`, `.git`, `__pycache__`). Minified bundles are not
excluded — a hardcoded key hides in a `*.min.js` as readily as anywhere else. Binaries are not exempt
from the audit either — Step 7 lists the files that don't read as text:
```
# API keys
@@ -136,6 +139,173 @@ git log --oneline | wc -l
git log -p | grep -iE '(password|secret|api.?key|token)' | head -20
```
### Step 7: Unreadable Files (WARNING)
Steps 1-3 only match text, so a credential sitting in a spreadsheet, a PDF or an embedded database
is invisible to them. This pass lists the files that don't read as text, for a human to open. It
does not extract or scan their contents.
The names of these files are untrusted, so this pass keeps them out of its stdout and out of its
report section. The block writes one line per path to a manifest beside the project directory,
`<project-dir>.UNREADABLE_FILES.txt`, where no scan step reaches it, and prints only a tally by
type and a count. A person opens that file. Do not read it or copy anything from it.
Run it as one shell call from the project directory (`cd PROJECT_DIR`, as in Step 6). The outer
part is plain sh and the two find passes call bash. The last line it prints is always
`Unreadable count:`. A number means the walk finished. `unknown`, or no such line at all
(a timeout, a killed run), means the scan is incomplete: report the count as unknown, never as
zero. A few thousand files can take a minute or more, so if the call times out, re-run it with a
longer timeout. A non-zero or unknown count means at least PASS WITH WARNINGS. Run by the
pipeline, it also stops until a person confirms; run on its own, it just reports the section.
```bash
manifest=$(pwd).UNREADABLE_FILES.txt
tab=$(printf "\t")
# Classify by content, never by extension.
# 1. First-byte signature: PK (docx/xlsx/pptx/odt/jar), OLE (legacy doc/xls), PDF, gzip, bzip2, zstd, 7z.
# 2. Whole-file test with tr | cmp (grep -q exits on the first printable byte): a NUL or a control
# byte other than tab, LF and CR is not plain text. Bytes 0x80-0xFF pass, since UTF-8 uses them.
# This is the floor when file(1) is absent.
# 3. file(1) only widens, against an opaque-binary allowlist (not "not text/*", which would flag
# JSON and JavaScript), and fails closed on an error or on output that is not a mime type.
# Over-listing (ANSI logs, form feeds, UTF-16) is the safe direction.
#
# The walk prints "label<TAB>path" records, "PROBLEM<TAB>reason" when the scan itself went wrong,
# and END as its last record. A walk that dies before END gives an unknown count, not a short one.
# LC_ALL=C printf %q keeps each path to one ASCII line, so a newline, a right-to-left override or a
# zero-width name cannot pass for a second entry.
step7_walk() {
for t in dd od tr cmp; do
command -v "$t" >/dev/null 2>&1 || printf "PROBLEM\t%s is missing, so files cannot be classified\n" "$t"
done
# Pass 1: files.
find . \( -name .git -o -name node_modules -o -name __pycache__ \) -prune -o -type f -exec bash -c '
shape="^[A-Za-z0-9._+-]+/[A-Za-z0-9._+-]+; charset=[A-Za-z0-9._-]+\$"
for f do
[ -s "$f" ] || continue
q=$(LC_ALL=C printf %q "$f")
if ! [ -r "$f" ]; then
printf "file not readable\t%s\n" "$q"
continue
fi
label= ctl=
sig=$(LC_ALL=C dd if="$f" bs=8 count=1 2>/dev/null | od -An -tx1 | tr -d " \n")
case $sig in
504b0304*|504b0506*|504b0708*) label="ZIP/OOXML container (PK: docx, xlsx, pptx, odt, jar)";;
d0cf11e0a1b11ae1*) label="OLE compound document (legacy doc/xls/ppt/msi)";;
25504446*) label="PDF";;
1f8b*) label="gzip";;
425a68*) label="bzip2";;
28b52ffd*) label="zstd";;
377abcaf271c*) label="7z";;
esac
LC_ALL=C tr -d "\000-\010\013\014\016-\037\177" < "$f" | cmp -s - "$f" || ctl=1
if [ -z "$label" ] && [ -z "$sig" ]; then
label="detector error, unverified"
elif [ -z "$label" ] && [ -z "$ctl" ] && [ "${#sig}" -le 2 ]; then
continue # one clean byte is text; file(1) calls every one-byte file binary
elif [ -z "$label" ] && command -v file >/dev/null 2>&1; then
out=$(file -b --mime-type --mime-encoding -- "$f" 2>/dev/null); rc=$?
if [ "$rc" -ne 0 ] || ! [[ $out =~ $shape ]]; then
[ -n "$ctl" ] || label="detector error, unverified"
else
mime=${out%%;*}
case $mime in
image/svg+xml) ;;
image/*|audio/*|video/*|font/*|\
application/pdf|application/zip|application/gzip|application/x-tar|\
application/x-bzip2|application/x-xz|application/zstd|application/x-7z-compressed|\
application/vnd.rar|application/x-sqlite3|application/vnd.sqlite3|\
application/x-executable|application/x-pie-executable|application/x-sharedlib|\
application/x-mach-binary|application/x-dosexec|application/wasm|\
application/vnd.microsoft.portable-executable|\
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.*|\
application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.*|application/msword|\
application/vnd.ms-excel|application/vnd.ms-powerpoint|\
application/x-ole-storage|application/vnd.ms-office|application/octet-stream)
label=$mime ;;
esac
if [ -z "$label" ]; then
case ${out##*charset=} in
binary) label="binary (file mime-encoding)" ;;
unknown-8bit) label="unknown 8-bit encoding, unverified" ;;
esac
fi
fi
fi
if [ -z "$label" ]; then
[ -n "$ctl" ] || continue
label="contains NUL or control bytes (not plain text)"
fi
printf "%s\t%s\n" "$label" "$q"
done' _ {} + 2>/dev/null ||
printf "PROBLEM\tthe file walk reported an error, so some files may not have been checked\n"
# Pass 2: directories the walk cannot enter (an r/x test, since find error text differs between
# GNU find, bfs and busybox).
find . \( -name .git -o -name node_modules -o -name __pycache__ \) -prune -o -type d -exec bash -c '
for d do
{ [ -r "$d" ] && [ -x "$d" ]; } ||
printf "directory not readable, contents unscanned\t%s\n" "$(LC_ALL=C printf %q "$d")"
done' _ {} + 2>/dev/null ||
printf "PROBLEM\tthe directory walk reported an error, so some directories may not have been checked\n"
printf "END\tof walk\n"
}
# Paths go to the manifest, never to stdout. It sits beside the project, not inside it, so a
# re-run of Steps 1-3 cannot grep it. Nothing here depends on a temp file or on sort: a failed
# write or a scan problem turns the count into "unknown" instead of a short list.
rm -f "$manifest" 2>/dev/null
step7_walk | {
n=0; problems=0; werr=; ended=
while IFS="$tab" read -r label q; do
if [ "$label" = PROBLEM ]; then
problems=$((problems + 1)); echo "Scan problem: $q"
elif [ "$label" = END ]; then
ended=1
else
n=$((n + 1))
{ printf "%s\t%s\n" "$q" "$label" >> "$manifest"; } 2>/dev/null || werr=1
fi
done
if [ -n "$werr" ]; then
problems=$((problems + 1)); echo "Scan problem: could not write every path to the manifest"
fi
if [ -z "$ended" ]; then
problems=$((problems + 1)); echo "Scan problem: the walk ended early, so some files were not checked"
fi
# Tally by type, from the second column only.
[ "$n" -eq 0 ] || { cut -f2 "$manifest" | LC_ALL=C sort | uniq -c; } 2>/dev/null
if [ "$problems" -gt 0 ]; then
echo "Unreadable count: unknown ($n listed, $problems scan problems)"
else
echo "Unreadable count: $n"
fi
}
```
Each line of the manifest is a path quoted with `printf %q`, a tab, and the reason, so an odd
name shows up as `$'...'` and cannot pass for two entries. Every path there needs a person to
open the file and say what is in it — do not infer from the extension or the mime type. A count of
zero is not proof of a clean repo.
Not listed, so not covered by this pass:
- `.git`, `node_modules` and `__pycache__` at any depth (`-name` matches a basename, files included),
content reachable only through a symlink, and zero-byte files. Git history is out of scope too:
Step 6's `git log -p` shows a removed binary only as `Binary files differ`.
- SVG. It is text, so Steps 1-3 scan it.
- What Steps 1-3 and Step 6 print. They don't consult this list, so a match in a listed file with
no NUL byte still prints its line, and grep names a binary file that matches.
- Payloads stored as printable text: base64 in an `.eml`, a Git LFS pointer, or a hand-built file
with no NUL, control byte or known signature. file(1) catches part of that last kind, when it
reports an unknown 8-bit encoding, and nothing does when it is absent. They read as text, and the
Steps 1-3 patterns don't match them either. A minified bundle is scanned by Step 1, but a
high-entropy value in the middle of its one long line can still slip the line-anchored entropy check.
## Output Format
Generate `SANITIZATION_REPORT.md` in the project directory:
@@ -157,6 +327,7 @@ Generate `SANITIZATION_REPORT.md` in the project directory:
| Dangerous Files | PASS/FAIL | {count} findings |
| Config Completeness | PASS/WARN | {count} findings |
| Git History | PASS/FAIL | {count} findings |
| Unreadable Files | PASS/WARN | {count} findings |
## Critical Findings (Must Fix Before Release)
@@ -167,6 +338,21 @@ Generate `SANITIZATION_REPORT.md` in the project directory:
1. **[CONFIG]** `src/app.py:8` — Port 8080 hardcoded, should be configurable
## Unreadable Files
**Unreadable count: {the number, or `unknown`, from the last line Step 7 printed}**
- 5 image/png
- 1 PDF
- 1 ZIP/OOXML container (PK: docx, xlsx, pptx, odt, jar)
{One bullet per tally line Step 7 printed, as above, then each `Scan problem:` line it printed. If
the count is unknown, or Step 7 printed no count, say the scan did not finish.}
The pipeline gate acts on this count, not on the verdict. The paths are in
`{project-dir}.UNREADABLE_FILES.txt`, beside the project directory, and this section carries no
filenames. A person must open each file before release.
## .env.example Audit
- Variables in code but NOT in .env.example: {list}
@@ -176,21 +362,28 @@ Generate `SANITIZATION_REPORT.md` in the project directory:
{If FAIL: "Fix the {N} critical findings and re-run sanitizer."}
{If PASS: "Project is clear for open-source release. Proceed to packager."}
{If WARNINGS: "Project passes critical checks. Review {N} warnings before release."}
{If WARNINGS: "Project passes critical checks. Review {N} warnings and open the {M} unreadable files before release."}
```
## Examples
### Example: Scan a sanitized Node.js project
Input: `Verify project: /home/user/opensource-staging/my-api`
Action: Runs all 6 scan categories across 47 files, checks git log (1 commit), verifies `.env.example` covers 5 variables found in code
Action: Runs all 7 scan categories across 47 files, checks git log (1 commit), verifies `.env.example` covers 5 variables found in code
Output: `SANITIZATION_REPORT.md` — PASS WITH WARNINGS (one hardcoded port in README)
## Rules
- **Never** display full secret values — truncate to first 4 chars + "..."
- **Never** modify source files — only generate reports (SANITIZATION_REPORT.md)
- **Never** modify source files — only generate reports (SANITIZATION_REPORT.md, and the Step 7
manifest beside the project)
- **Always** scan every text file, not just known extensions
- **Always** run Step 7 and copy its count into the report's `## Unreadable Files` section; the
pipeline gate reads that section, not stdout. A non-zero or unknown count is never a plain PASS.
- **Never** read the `.UNREADABLE_FILES.txt` manifest or copy a path from it into the report or a
reply
- **Never** force a binary through the text patterns (`grep -a`, `--text`, `strings`). Step 7
lists it for a person instead
- **Always** check git history, even for fresh repos
- **Be paranoid** — false positives are acceptable, false negatives are not
- A single CRITICAL finding in any category = overall FAIL