Security hardening: credentials.json gitignore, CI least-privilege, SHA-pin ShellCheck

.github/workflows/lint.yml

@@ -6,13 +6,16 @@ on:
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   shellcheck:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - name: Run ShellCheck
-        uses: ludeeus/action-shellcheck@2.0.0
+        uses: ludeeus/action-shellcheck@94e0aab03ca135d11a35e5bfc14e6746dc56e7e9 # v2.0.0
         with:
           scandir: '.'
           severity: warning

.github/workflows/security.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+name: Security Checks
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '0 9 * * 1' # Weekly Monday 9am UTC
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  shellcheck-strict:
+    name: ShellCheck (error severity)
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Run ShellCheck at error severity
+        uses: ludeeus/action-shellcheck@94e0aab03ca135d11a35e5bfc14e6746dc56e7e9 # v2.0.0
+        with:
+          scandir: '.'
+          severity: error
+          ignore_paths: terminal-academy node_modules
+
+  secret-scan:
+    name: Secret scanning
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+      - name: Scan for hardcoded secrets
+        run: |
+          # Fail if real-looking API keys are found in tracked files
+          if git ls-files | xargs grep -lniE \
+            "(sk-ant-api|ghp_[0-9A-Za-z]{36}|xoxb-[0-9A-Za-z-]+|AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16})" \
+            2>/dev/null | grep -v ".git"; then
+            echo "::error::Potential hardcoded secrets detected — see matches above"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "No hardcoded secrets detected"
+
+  download-url-check:
+    name: Verify pinned download URLs are reachable
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Check SKILL_URL in step-9
+        run: |
+          COMMIT=$(grep 'SKILL_COMMIT=' step-9/step-9-install.sh | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f2)
+          URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lorecraft-io/cli-maxxing/${COMMIT}/step-9/safetycheck-skill/SKILL.md"
+          HTTP_STATUS=$(curl -o /dev/null -s -w "%{http_code}" "$URL")
+          if [ "$HTTP_STATUS" != "200" ]; then
+            echo "::error::Pinned SKILL_URL returned HTTP $HTTP_STATUS — commit SHA may be invalid"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "SKILL_URL OK (HTTP 200) for commit $COMMIT"

.gitignore

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ CLAUDE.md
 *.cert
 *.p12
 *.pfx
+credentials.json
 
 # Node (defensive — step scripts may install deps)
 node_modules/

README-SECTIONS/cheat-sheet.md

@@ -96,9 +96,10 @@ These are custom skills installed by the setup scripts. Type them inside a Claud
 | `/rmini do the thing` | Step 3 | Launch a compact 5-agent swarm — same power, tighter team |
 | `/rhive <goal>` | Step 3 | Launch a queen-led autonomous hive-mind with raft consensus |
 | `/w4w` | Step 3 | Maximum attention to detail — word for word, line for line. No skipping, no summarizing. Also works without the slash — just type `w4w` |
+| `/safetycheck` | Step 9 | Security audit — scans any project for exposed keys, missing rate limiting, input sanitization gaps, dependency vulnerabilities, and insecure configurations. Also responds to "run a safety check" in plain English |
 
 
-> These are **explicit triggers** — you type the command to activate the skill. This is different from the auto-triggered tools below, which respond to natural language. Exception: `/w4w` also works without the slash — just type `w4w` anywhere in your message. `/rmini` is the compact version of `/rswarm` — 5 agents instead of 15.
+> These are **explicit triggers** — you type the command to activate the skill. This is different from the auto-triggered tools below, which respond to natural language. Exception: `/w4w` also works without the slash — just type `w4w` anywhere in your message. `/rmini` is the compact version of `/rswarm` — 5 agents instead of 15. `/safetycheck` also works in natural language.
 
 ---
 
@@ -125,7 +126,7 @@ These activate on their own when Claude detects a relevant task via natural lang
 | Excalidraw | Add-on | Natural language — diagrams, flowcharts, whiteboard sketches | "Draw a system architecture diagram" |
 | Gamma | Add-on | Natural language — presentations, documents, webpages | "Create a pitch deck for my startup" |
 
-> **Key distinction:** Slash commands (`/rswarm`, `/rmini`, `/rhive`, `/w4w`) require you to type the command. Everything in this table works by just talking to Claude naturally.
+> **Key distinction:** Slash commands (`/rswarm`, `/rmini`, `/rhive`, `/w4w`, `/safetycheck`) require you to type the command. Everything in this table works by just talking to Claude naturally.
 >
 > **Add-on tools** are not part of the step-by-step setup — they're optional MCP servers you can connect separately. Claude auto-detects them when they're installed.
 

README-SECTIONS/step-ordering.md

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Run the steps in this order:
 | 6 | Productivity Tools | Motion Calendar + Notion (pick what you use) |
 | 7 | Second Brain | Obsidian vault setup + data import (7a-7d) |
 | 8 | Telegram | Telegram bot setup — message Claude from your phone |
+| 9 | Safety Check | Security auditing — 8 API checks + 12 MCP checks for tool poisoning, DNS rebinding, supply chain attacks |
 | **Final** | **Status Line** | **Final config — status indicators, system health check** |
 
-> **Note:** Step 6 (Productivity Tools) is all optional — install only the tools you use. Step 7 (Second Brain) is the biggest step with four sub-parts (7a-7d). Step 8 (Telegram) is interactive — it walks you through creating a bot and pasting your token. The Final Step (Status Line) is the wrap-up that wires everything together — your status indicators show what's active across all the tools.
+> **Note:** Step 6 (Productivity Tools) is all optional — install only the tools you use. Step 7 (Second Brain) is the biggest step with four sub-parts (7a-7d). Step 8 (Telegram) is interactive — it walks you through creating a bot and pasting your token. Step 9 (Safety Check) installs the `/safetycheck` security audit skill — 8 core checks for any project, plus 12 MCP-specific checks when an MCP project is detected (20 total). The Final Step (Status Line) is the wrap-up that wires everything together — your status indicators show what's active across all the tools.

step-1/step-1-install.sh

@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ install_claude_code() {
         echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> "$SHELL_RC"
         success "Added ~/.local/bin to PATH in $SHELL_RC"
     else
-        success "~/.local/bin already in PATH"
+        success "$HOME/.local/bin already in PATH"
     fi
 
     # Install cbrain command (2ndBrain + skip-permissions)

step-7/step-7d-wire-vault.sh

@@ -90,16 +90,14 @@ echo "    Projects:   $PROJECT_COUNT project folders"
 echo "    Total:      $TOTAL_NOTES notes"
 echo ""
 
-# Auto-link orphan files to their parent project
+# Auto-link orphan files to their parent project (idempotent — skips if link already present)
 info "Linking orphan files to parent projects..."
 LINK_COUNT=0
 while IFS= read -r f; do
-    if ! grep -q '\[\[' "$f" 2>/dev/null; then
-        project=$(echo "$f" | sed "s|$VAULT_PATH/07-Projects/||" | cut -d'/' -f1)
-        if [ -n "$project" ]; then
-            printf "\n\n---\n[[%s]]\n" "$project" >> "$f"
-            LINK_COUNT=$((LINK_COUNT + 1))
-        fi
+    project=$(echo "$f" | sed "s|$VAULT_PATH/07-Projects/||" | cut -d'/' -f1)
+    if [ -n "$project" ] && ! grep -qF "[[${project}]]" "$f" 2>/dev/null; then
+        printf "\n\n---\n[[%s]]\n" "$project" >> "$f"
+        LINK_COUNT=$((LINK_COUNT + 1))
     fi
 done < <(find "$VAULT_PATH/07-Projects" -name '*.md')
 success "Linked orphan files to parent projects"

step-9/safetycheck-skill/SKILL.md

@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ git ls-files 2>/dev/null | grep -iE "\.env$"
 
 **MCP Config scan** (if MCP detected) — Scan `.mcp.json`, `claude_desktop_config.json`, `.cursor/mcp.json` for hardcoded secrets in `env` blocks:
 ```bash
-grep -r '"env"' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json .cursor/mcp.json 2>/dev/null | grep -iE '(sk-[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}|AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}|ghp_[a-zA-Z0-9]{36}|AIzaSy[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{30,}|xox[bpsa]-[a-zA-Z0-9-]+)'
+grep -rn '"env"' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -iE '(sk-[a-zA-Z0-9]{20,}|AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}|ghp_[a-zA-Z0-9]{36}|AIzaSy[a-zA-Z0-9_-]{30,}|xox[bpsa]-[a-zA-Z0-9-]+)'
 ```
 
 Check if MCP configs are tracked in git:
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ Verify TLS is enforced and DNS rebinding protection is active.
 **Checks:**
 ```bash
 # Check for HTTP (non-HTTPS, non-localhost) in MCP configs
-grep -rniE '"url"\s*:\s*"http://' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -vE '(localhost|127\.0\.0\.1|::1)'
+grep -rniE '"url"\s*:\s*"http://' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -vE '(localhost|127\.0\.0\.1|::1)'
 
 # Check for 0.0.0.0 binding without auth
 grep -rniE '(0\.0\.0\.0|host:\s*["'"'"']0\.0\.0\.0)' --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.py" .
@@ -395,10 +395,10 @@ Check for over-privileged tokens, missing expiration, and insecure storage.
 
 ```bash
 # Check for wildcard/broad OAuth scopes in MCP config or auth code
-grep -rniE '(mail\.google\.com/|calendar\.google\.com/|drive\.google\.com/|scope.*\*|scope.*"all"|scope.*"full")' --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.py" .mcp.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rniE '(mail\.google\.com/|calendar\.google\.com/|drive\.google\.com/|scope.*\*|scope.*"all"|scope.*"full")' --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" --include="*.py" --include=".mcp.json" . 2>/dev/null
 
 # Check for access tokens stored in plaintext
-grep -rniE '("access_token"\s*:\s*"[^"]{20,}"|token\s*=\s*["'"'"'][^"'"'"']{20,})' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rniE '("access_token"\s*:\s*"[^"]{20,}"|token\s*=\s*["'"'"'][^"'"'"']{20,})' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null
 
 # Check for long-lived tokens (no expiry)
 grep -rniE '(expires_in.*86400|expires_in.*[0-9]{6,}|no.*expir|never.*expir)' --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" .
@@ -486,10 +486,10 @@ grep -rn "hostHeaderValidation\|localhostHostValidation\|createMcpExpressApp" --
 
 ```bash
 # @latest floating versions in MCP config (rug-pull risk)
-grep -rniE '"@latest"|npx.*@latest' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json .cursor/mcp.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rniE '"@latest"|npx.*@latest' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null
 
 # npx -y without pinned version (auto-install from potentially poisoned package)
-grep -rniE 'npx.*-y' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -vE '@[0-9]'
+grep -rniE 'npx.*-y' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -vE '@[0-9]'
 
 # Lockfile check
 ls package-lock.json yarn.lock pnpm-lock.yaml bun.lockb 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_LOCKFILE"
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ ls package-lock.json yarn.lock pnpm-lock.yaml bun.lockb 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_
 node -e "const p=require('./package.json'); console.log(p.files ? 'HAS_FILES_WHITELIST' : 'NO_FILES_WHITELIST');" 2>/dev/null
 
 # Shell metacharacters in MCP config args (command injection via config)
-grep -rniE '"args"\s*:\s*\[' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -E '[;|&\$\`]'
+grep -rniE '"args"\s*:\s*\[' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -E '[;|&\$\`]'
 ```
 
 **Severity**: HIGH for `@latest` in MCP config. HIGH for no lockfile. HIGH for shell metacharacters in args arrays. MEDIUM for no files whitelist on published MCP server. PASS if pinned and locked.
@@ -515,13 +515,13 @@ Verify tool invocations are logged with structured data.
 
 ```bash
 # Check for structured logging library
-grep -rn "winston\|pino\|bunyan\|log4js\|structlog\|logging\.getLogger" package.json requirements.txt 2>/dev/null
+grep -rn "winston\|pino\|bunyan\|log4js\|structlog\|logging\.getLogger" . --include="package.json" --include="requirements.txt" 2>/dev/null
 
 # Check for MCP logging notifications
 grep -rn "sendLoggingMessage\|LoggingMessageNotification\|setLoggingLevel\|notifications/message" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" .
 
 # Check for observability integration
-grep -rn "opentelemetry\|datadog\|sentry\|splunk\|elastic-apm" package.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rn "opentelemetry\|datadog\|sentry\|splunk\|elastic-apm" . --include="package.json" 2>/dev/null
 ```
 
 Compare: count tool registrations (`server.tool` / `@mcp.tool`) vs structured logging references. If tools > 0 and structured logging = 0, flag it.
@@ -538,13 +538,13 @@ Check for floating version references that enable rug-pull attacks.
 
 ```bash
 # @latest in any MCP config
-grep -rniE '"@latest"' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json .cursor/mcp.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rniE '"@latest"' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null
 
 # npx without pinned version in MCP config commands
-grep -rniE '"command"\s*:\s*"npx"' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null
+grep -rniE '"command"\s*:\s*"npx"' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null
 
 # Verify packages have pinned versions (not @latest)
-grep -rniE '@[a-z0-9-]+/[a-z0-9-]+' .mcp.json claude_desktop_config.json 2>/dev/null | grep -v '@[0-9]' | grep -v '@latest'
+grep -rniE '@[a-z0-9-]+/[a-z0-9-]+' . --include=".mcp.json" --include="claude_desktop_config.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -v '@[0-9]' | grep -v '@latest'
 
 # Check if any MCP server hashes tool definitions (integrity verification)
 grep -rn "createHash\|sha256\|sha-256\|integrity\|checksum" --include="*.ts" --include="*.js" . | grep -iE "(tool|description|schema)"

step-9/step-9-install.sh

@@ -94,7 +94,11 @@ verify_prerequisites() {
 install_skill() {
     SKILL_DIR="$HOME/.claude/skills/safetycheck"
     SKILL_FILE="$SKILL_DIR/SKILL.md"
-    SKILL_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lorecraft-io/cli-maxxing/main/step-9/safetycheck-skill/SKILL.md"
+    # Pinned to a specific commit SHA — prevents rug-pull via mutable branch ref
+    # To update: change the SHA to the new commit and update SKILL_SHA256 to match
+    SKILL_COMMIT="7b449b652d946a8eef9aca65f0c8e182b4fb80f7"
+    SKILL_URL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lorecraft-io/cli-maxxing/${SKILL_COMMIT}/step-9/safetycheck-skill/SKILL.md"
+    SKILL_SHA256="77e1ef1127fa35cd860925a652b96dd062ab080d438787b3bde348176597ab12"
 
     info "Creating skill directory..."
     mkdir -p "$SKILL_DIR"
@@ -142,6 +146,23 @@ install_skill() {
         return
     fi
 
+    # Verify SHA-256 integrity — protects against corrupted download or tampered content
+    if command -v shasum &>/dev/null; then
+        ACTUAL_SHA=$(shasum -a 256 "$SKILL_FILE" | cut -d' ' -f1)
+        if [ "$ACTUAL_SHA" = "$SKILL_SHA256" ]; then
+            success "Skill file integrity verified (sha256 match)"
+        else
+            soft_fail "Skill file sha256 mismatch — file may be corrupt or tampered. Expected: ${SKILL_SHA256:0:16}..."
+        fi
+    elif command -v sha256sum &>/dev/null; then
+        ACTUAL_SHA=$(sha256sum "$SKILL_FILE" | cut -d' ' -f1)
+        if [ "$ACTUAL_SHA" = "$SKILL_SHA256" ]; then
+            success "Skill file integrity verified (sha256 match)"
+        else
+            soft_fail "Skill file sha256 mismatch — file may be corrupt or tampered. Expected: ${SKILL_SHA256:0:16}..."
+        fi
+    fi
+
     # Verify the file contains expected content
     if grep -q "safetycheck" "$SKILL_FILE" 2>/dev/null; then
         success "Skill file content verified"

step-final/step-final-install.sh

@@ -202,14 +202,14 @@ fi
 # =============================================================================
 info "Checking for project-level statusLine overrides..."
 FOUND_OVERRIDES=0
-for PROJECT_SETTINGS in $(find "$HOME/Desktop" "$HOME/Documents" -maxdepth 5 -path "*/.claude/settings.json" -not -path "$HOME/.claude/settings.json" 2>/dev/null); do
+while IFS= read -r PROJECT_SETTINGS; do
     if command -v jq &>/dev/null && jq -e '.statusLine' "$PROJECT_SETTINGS" &>/dev/null 2>&1; then
         jq 'del(.statusLine)' "$PROJECT_SETTINGS" > "${PROJECT_SETTINGS}.tmp" \
             && mv "${PROJECT_SETTINGS}.tmp" "$PROJECT_SETTINGS"
         warn "Removed statusLine override from: $PROJECT_SETTINGS"
         FOUND_OVERRIDES=$((FOUND_OVERRIDES + 1))
     fi
-done
+done < <(find "$HOME/Desktop" "$HOME/Documents" -maxdepth 5 -path "*/.claude/settings.json" -not -path "$HOME/.claude/settings.json" 2>/dev/null)
 if [ "$FOUND_OVERRIDES" -eq 0 ]; then
     success "No project-level statusLine overrides found"
 else
@@ -234,7 +234,6 @@ esac
 
 HC_PASS=0
 HC_FAIL=0
-HC_ISSUES=""
 
 # --- Shell aliases ---
 for alias_check in \

uninstall.sh

@@ -387,9 +387,9 @@ fi
 if grep -q '\.local/bin' "$SHELL_RC" 2>/dev/null; then
     sed -i.bak '/\.local\/bin/d' "$SHELL_RC" 2>/dev/null || true
     rm -f "${SHELL_RC}.bak"
-    success "~/.local/bin PATH entry removed from $SHELL_RC"
+    success "$HOME/.local/bin PATH entry removed from $SHELL_RC"
 else
-    skip "~/.local/bin PATH entry (not found in $SHELL_RC)"
+    skip "$HOME/.local/bin PATH entry (not found in $SHELL_RC)"
 fi
 
 # cbrain and cbraintg commands

update.sh

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ set -uo pipefail
 # Usage: curl -fsSL <hosted-url>/update.sh | bash
 # =============================================================================
 
-RED='\033[0;31m'
 GREEN='\033[0;32m'
 YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
 BLUE='\033[0;34m'