Dead code detection, security scanning, and code quality analysis for Python, TypeScript, and Go. 98% recall with fewer false positives than Vulture. Includes AI-powered remediation.
Add to Claude Desktop config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"duriantaco-skylos": {
"command": "python",
"args": [
"-m",
"skylos"
]
}
}
} Get the source and run locally
git clone https://github.com/duriantaco/skylos.git ~/.mcp/skylos
cd ~/.mcp/skylos <h1>Skylos</h1>
<h3>Open-source, local-first checks for dead code, security issues, secrets, quality regressions, and AI-code mistakes before merge.</h3>
Website | Docs | Repo Map | Quick Start | GitHub Action | VS Code Extension | Real-World Results | Benchmarks | Roadmap | Contributing
English | Deutsch | 简体中文 | Translations
Skylos is an open-source static analysis CLI for Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, Java, Go, PHP, Rust, Dart, C#, Shell, and deployment config. It runs locally by default and can also be used as a CI/CD PR gate.
Use Skylos when you want one command to check a repo or pull request for:
pip install skylos
skylos .
The default scan focuses on dead code. Add security, secrets, quality, and
dependency checks with -a:
skylos . -a
Verify a changed file or range before an agent hands it to review:
skylos verify . --file src/app.py --range 40:75 --project-context
Create a project config with thresholds, ignores, template hooks, and vibe dictionary extensions:
skylos init
Create a starter local rule pack:
skylos rules init
skylos rules validate .skylos/rules/local.yml
skylos rules list --json
skylos rules list cross --json
skylos rules list --packs --json
skylos cache stats
Generate a GitHub Actions PR gate:
skylos cicd init
git add .github/workflows/skylos.yml
git commit -m "Add Skylos CI gate"
git push
Need more commands? Read the CLI Reference.
| Goal | Command | What You Get | More Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| First dead-code scan | skylos . | Finds unused functions, classes, imports, files, and framework entrypoint mistakes | Dead code docs |
| Security and quality audit | skylos . -a | Adds dangerous flow, secrets, dependency, config, and quality checks | Security docs |
| PR gate | skylos cicd init | Generates a GitHub Actions workflow with annotations and failure thresholds | CI/CD guide |
| Readable terminal report | skylos . --format pretty | Groups findings by file with severity badges, snippets, and copyable file:line locations | CLI output modes |
| Selectable terminal triage | skylos . --tui | Opens a keyboard-driven category list, finding list, and detail pane | CLI output modes |
| IDE/test-script output | skylos --format concise src/test.py | Prints only file:line findings and exits non-zero when findings exist | CLI Reference |
| In-loop AI-code verification | skylos verify . --file src/app.py --range 40:75 | Returns narrow JSON for hallucinated helpers, unfinished code, stale references, disabled controls, and API/dependency hallucinations | AI features |
| Changed-lines review | skylos . -a --diff origin/main | Keeps findings focused on active work instead of legacy debt | Quality gate docs |
| Runtime-assisted dead-code check | skylos . --trace | Uses runtime traces to reduce dynamic-code false positives | Smart tracing |
| Local rule pack | skylos rules init | Scaffolds YAML rules for project-specific security and quality checks | Custom rules |
| Security agent quick scan | skylos agent security-quick . | One-shot LLM security audit; compatibility alias for skylos agent scan . --security | AI features |
| Security agent deep scan | skylos agent security-deep . | Three-stage security workflow with threat-model context, static threat traces, discovery/validation, and remediation handoff | AI features |
| AI-assisted review | skylos agent scan . | Static analysis plus optional LLM review and fix suggestions | AI features |
| Verification-backed remediation | skylos agent scan . --fix | Re-scans fixed security findings and records proof-test metadata for supported fixes | AI features |
| MCP agent verification | verify_change MCP tool | Lets Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients verify an edited file/range with the same schema as skylos verify | MCP server |
| LLM app defense | skylos defend . | Finds missing AI app guardrails mapped to OWASP LLM risks | AI defense |
| Technical debt triage | skylos debt . | Ranks hotspots and debt trends | Technical debt |
| Category | Examples | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dead code | unused functions, classes, imports, package entrypoints, route handlers | reduces maintenance cost without breaking dynamic frameworks |
| Security flaws | SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, path traversal, command injection, unsafe deserialization | catches exploitable flows before code reaches main |
| Secrets | API keys, tokens, private credentials, high-entropy strings | prevents credentials from leaking through commits and PRs |
| CI/CD workflows | GitHub Actions and GitLab CI dangerous triggers, unpinned actions/includes, broad tokens, OIDC misuse, cache poisoning, mutable images | reduces CI/CD supply-chain risk before release jobs run |
| Edge deployment config | Docker Compose privileged device access, host networking, systemd root services, broad capabilities, missing sandboxing | catches repo-controlled settings that turn app bugs into device compromise |
| Quality regressions | complexity, deep nesting, duplicate branches, long functions, inconsistent returns | keeps AI-assisted refactors from adding brittle code |
| AI code mistakes | phantom security calls, missing decorators, unfinished stubs, disabled controls, real packages called with invented APIs, impossible npm/Go versions | catches common hallucinated or incomplete code paths before they reach review |
| LLM app risks | unsafe tool use, prompt injection exposure, missing output validation, missing rate limits | helps teams ship AI features with guardrails |
See the full Rules Reference.
Skylos is not a replacement for every specialized scanner. It is a local-first repo and PR checker that puts several common review checks behind one CLI.
skylos verify and MCP verify_change return
versioned JSON for only AI-code trust findings, so coding agents can
self-correct before a human sees the change.# Core static analysis
pip install skylos
# LLM-powered agent workflows
pip install "skylos[llm]"
# All published optional extras
pip install "skylos[all]"
Container image:
docker pull ghcr.io/duriantaco/skylos:latest
docker run --rm -v "$PWD":/work -w /work ghcr.io/duriantaco/skylos:latest . --json --no-provenance
See Installation for source installs, container usage, and optional dependencies.
Run skylos init to add these sections to pyproject.toml:
[tool.skylos.templates]
# security = ".skylos/templates/security.md"
# quality = ".skylos/templates/quality.md"
# security_audit = ".skylos/templates/security_audit.md"
# review = ".skylos/templates/review.md"
[tool.skylos.vibe]
extra_phantom_names = ["verify_enterprise_auth"]
extra_phantom_decorators = ["tenant_admin_required"]
extra_credential_names = ["tenant_signing_secret"]
extra_network_timeout_calls = ["vendor_sdk.fetch"]
[tool.skylos.contribution]
collect_local_signals = false
contribute_public_corpus = false
structural_signatures_only = true
include_source = false
Template files extend Skylos’ built-in prompts; they do not replace the
JSON-only output contract or untrusted-code safety rules. Vibe dictionary
extensions let teams teach Skylos about local fake-auth helpers, project
credential names, sensitive files, and network calls that must set timeouts.
Contribution signals are off by default; when enabled, Skylos records local
structural accept/dismiss/learn events under .skylos/contribution/ without raw
source.
By default Skylos discovers [tool.skylos] in pyproject.toml by walking up
from the scan path. To use a dedicated TOML config, pass --config-file PATH
or set SKYLOS_CONFIG_FILE; standalone files may use either [tool.skylos]
or top-level [skylos]. Synced Skylos Cloud policy keeps its protected
precedence over repository-controlled config.
| Language | Dead Code | Security | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Python | Yes | Yes | Yes | strongest coverage; framework-aware static analysis and optional tracing |
| TypeScript / JavaScript | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tree-sitter parsing, package graph reachability, framework conventions |
| Java | Yes | Yes | Yes | Tree-sitter parsing and structured security-flow analysis |
| Go | Yes | Partial | Partial | dead-code and selected security benchmark coverage |
| PHP | Yes | Yes | Partial | PHP parser coverage plus taint-style security sinks and sources |
| Rust | Yes | Yes | Partial | Rust parser coverage plus security sink/source checks |
| Dart | Yes | Yes | Partial | Dart parser coverage plus selected security sinks and sources |
| C# | Yes | Yes | Partial | C# symbol coverage plus selected ASP.NET, process, SQL, HTTP, and file sinks |
| Shell | No | Yes | Partial | shell-script security checks for command injection, SSRF, and path traversal |
See Rules Reference for rule families and scanner scope.
| Surface | Files | Security Scope |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | .github/workflows/*.yml, .github/workflows/*.yaml, action.yml, action.yaml | dangerous triggers, token permissions, unpinned actions, template injection, secrets, OIDC, cache, and artifact policy |
| GitLab CI | .gitlab-ci.yml | mutable images, unpinned includes, literal secrets, untrusted eval, Docker-in-Docker, OIDC, cache, timeout, and runner-tag policy |
| Dockerfile | Dockerfile, Dockerfile.*, *.dockerfile | dangerous RUN commands, remote ADD without checksum, and literal build ARG / ENV secrets |
| Edge Docker Compose | compose*.yml, compose*.yaml, docker-compose*.yml, docker-compose*.yaml | privileged containers, broad host device/control mounts, GPU/device runtime, and host networking |
| Edge systemd | *.service | root edge services, mutable ExecStart paths, missing sandboxing, broad capabilities, and broad device access |
Skylos has checked-in regression benchmarks for dead code, security, quality, and agent review. These are strict regression gates, not broad proof that any tool is universally state of the art.
| Suite | Current Skylos Result | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Dead code regression | 16 cases, TP=36 FP=0 FN=0 TN=59, score 100.0 | Ruff score 62.67; Vulture not installed in latest local rerun |
| Security regression | 56 cases, TP=35 FP=0 FN=0 TN=23, score 100.0 | Bandit score 47.14 on Python-applicable cases |
| Quality regression | 13 cases, score 100.0 | regression gate only |
| Agent review | 25 cases, score 100.0 | regression gate only |
| AI-code defect regression | curated verifier cases for hallucinated references, package APIs, and dependency versions | run python scripts/ai_code_defect_benchmark.py |
Frozen golden-v0.2 highlights:
| Frozen Suite | Skylos Result | Caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Dead code seeded dev | overall score 96.28; TS/JS/Go/Java score 100.0; Python score 93.33 | Python residuals are label-review items |
| Security seeded dev | overall score 96.52; full recall with one Python urljoin false positive | label should be reviewed |
| OWASP Java security dev | TP=105 FP=0 FN=15 TN=120, score 94.37 | request-wrapper, LDAP, XPath, and property weak-hash gaps remain |
| Quality seeded dev | TP=1 FP=0 FN=0 TN=1, score 100.0 | one seeded case only |
For methodology, commands, competitor rows, and caveats, see BENCHMARK.md.
Skylos-assisted dead-code cleanup PRs have been merged in Black, NetworkX, Optuna, mitmproxy, pypdf, beets, and Flagsmith. These are accepted cleanup PRs, not project endorsements. See Real-World Results.
A local Astronomer scan on April 26, 2026 computed 420 stargazers and returned overall trust: A. StarGuard also reported low fake-star risk.
| Integration | Link | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Action | GitHub Action | PR gates, annotations, and CI enforcement |
| VS Code extension | VS Code extension | in-editor findings and AI-assisted fixes |
| MCP server | MCP setup | expose Skylos scans to AI agents and coding assistants |
| Docker image | Installation | run Skylos without a local Python install |
| Skylos Cloud | Cloud workflow | optional upload and dashboard workflows |
Generate a GitHub Actions workflow from the CLI:
skylos cicd init --upload
skylos cicd init --upload --scan-path apps/api
The generated upload workflow uses GitHub OIDC, sends PR head commit/branch
metadata, and supports monorepo subprojects through --scan-path.
| Need | Read This |
|---|---|
| Install options, source install, and Docker | Installation |
| First scan and core workflows | Quick Start |
| CLI commands, flags, and examples | CLI Reference |
| CLI output modes, pretty reports, and TUI controls | CLI Output Modes |
| CI setup, PR gates, annotations, and branch protection | CI/CD |
| Dead-code behavior and framework awareness | Dead Code Detection |
| Security scanning and taint analysis | Security Analysis |
| Rule ID prefixes and product terminology | Rule Dictionary |
| Agent scan, verification, remediation, and model setup | AI Features |
| AI defense checks and LLM guardrails | AI Defense |
| MCP server setup | MCP Server |
| Real-world merged cleanup PRs | Real-World Results |
| Baselines, filtering, suppressions, and whitelists | Configuration |
| Smart tracing | Smart Tracing |
| Rule families and language support | Rules Reference |
| Cloud uploads and dashboard flow | CLI to Dashboard |
| VS Code extension | VS Code Extension |
| Benchmarks and methodology | BENCHMARK.md |
| Security policy | SECURITY.md |
| Release process | RELEASE_WORKFLOW.md |
| Contribution priorities | ROADMAP.md |
| Contributing | CONTRIBUTING.md |
Does Skylos replace Bandit, Semgrep, CodeQL, or Vulture?
No. Skylos can run alongside them. It focuses on framework-aware dead-code signal, PR gating, AI-era regression checks, and a combined workflow across dead code, security, secrets, and quality.
Does Skylos require an LLM?
No. Core static analysis runs locally without API keys. LLM features are
optional through skylos[llm] and agent commands.
Can I use it only on changed code?
Yes. Use skylos . -a --diff origin/main locally or configure CI gates to focus
on new findings.
How should I handle intentional dynamic code?
Use baselines, whitelists, inline suppressions, or runtime tracing. See the configuration docs and smart tracing docs.
Skylos is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
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