Security Triage

---
name: security-triage
description: Triage GitHub security advisories for OpenClaw with high-confidence close/keep decisions, exact tag and commit verification, trust-model checks, optional hardening notes, and a final reply ready to post and copy to clipboard.
---

# Security Triage

Use when reviewing OpenClaw security advisories, drafts, or GHSA reports.

Goal: high-confidence maintainers' triage without over-closing real issues or shipping unnecessary regressions.

## Close Bar

Close only if one of these is true:

- duplicate of an existing advisory or fixed issue
- invalid against shipped behavior
- out of scope under `SECURITY.md`
- fixed before any affected release/tag

Do not close only because `main` is fixed. If latest shipped tag or npm release is affected, keep it open until released or published with the right status.

## Required Reads

Before answering:

1. Read `SECURITY.md`.
2. Read the GHSA body with `gh api /repos/openclaw/openclaw/security-advisories/<GHSA>`.
3. Inspect the exact implicated code paths.
4. Verify shipped state:
   - `git tag --sort=-creatordate | head`
   - `npm view openclaw version --userconfig "$(mktemp)"`
   - `git tag --contains <fix-commit>`
   - if needed: `git show <tag>:path/to/file`
5. Search for canonical overlap:
   - existing published GHSAs
   - older fixed bugs
   - same trust-model class already covered in `SECURITY.md`

## Review Method

For each advisory, decide:

- `close`
- `keep open`
- `keep open but narrow`

Check in this order:

1. Trust model
   - Is the prerequisite already inside trusted host/local/plugin/operator state?
   - Does `SECURITY.md` explicitly call this class out as out of scope or hardening-only?
2. Shipped behavior
   - Is the bug present in the latest shipped tag or npm release?
   - Was it fixed before release?
3. Exploit path
   - Does the report show a real boundary bypass, not just prompt injection, local same-user control, or helper-level semantics?
   - If data only moves between trusted workspace-memory files called out in `SECURITY.md`, do not treat "injection markers" alone as a security bug.
   - In that case, frame sanitization as optional hardening only if it preserves expected memory workflows.
4. Functional tradeoff
   - If a hardening change would reduce intended user functionality, call that out before proposing it.
   - Prefer fixes that preserve user workflows over deny-by-default regressions unless the boundary demands it.

## Response Format

When preparing a maintainer-ready close reply:

1. Print the GHSA URL first.
2. Then draft a detailed response the maintainer can post.
3. Include:
   - exact reason for close
   - exact code refs
   - exact shipped tag / release facts
   - exact fix commit or canonical duplicate GHSA when applicable
   - optional hardening note only if worthwhile and functionality-preserving

Keep tone firm, specific, non-defensive.

## Clipboard Step

After drafting the final post body, copy it:

```bash
pbcopy <<'EOF'
<final response>
EOF
```

Tell the user that the clipboard now contains the proposed response.

## Useful Commands

```bash
gh api /repos/openclaw/openclaw/security-advisories/<GHSA>
gh api /repos/openclaw/openclaw/security-advisories --paginate
git tag --sort=-creatordate | head -n 20
npm view openclaw version --userconfig "$(mktemp)"
git tag --contains <commit>
git show <tag>:<path>
gh search issues --repo openclaw/openclaw --match title,body,comments -- "<terms>"
gh search prs --repo openclaw/openclaw --match title,body,comments -- "<terms>"
```

## Decision Notes

- “fixed on main, unreleased” is usually not a close.
- “needs attacker-controlled trusted local state first” is usually out of scope.
- “same-host same-user process can already read/write local state” is usually out of scope.
- “trusted workspace memory promotes/reindexes trusted workspace memory” is usually out of scope unless it crosses a documented boundary.
- “helper function behaves differently than documented config semantics” is usually invalid.
- If only the severity is wrong but the bug is real, keep it open and narrow the impact in the reply.