Skill Trust Decision
clawhub-security-scan
A ClawHub security-scanning tool with a hardcoded example credential in review.py that contradicts its own security advice, and undeclared external API calls to skillpay.me for billing.
Most direct threat evidence
High
Hardcoded high-entropy string contradicts security advice review.py line 24 contains api_key = "secretkeyhere123" — a hardcoded credential with Shannon entropy >3.5 that matches the skill's own high-entropy secret detection pattern. The same file's print_best_practices() explicitly warns against this pattern.
scripts/review.py:24 Why this conclusion was reached
3/4 dimensions flagged Block
Declared vs actual capability
2 undeclared or violating capabilities were inferred.
Block
Hidden execution and egress
1 high-risk artifacts or egress signals were extracted.
Block
Attack chain and severe findings
The report includes 0 attack-chain steps and 1 severe findings.
Pass
Dependencies and supply chain hygiene
Dependencies are present but no obvious high-risk issue stands out.
What drove the risk score up
Hardcoded high-entropy string in source +20
review.py:24 contains 'api_key = "secretkeyhere123"' — a hardcoded credential that triggers the skill's own HIGH_RISK detection pattern (is_likely_secret entropy>3.5, length≥16). This directly contradicts the skill's documented best practices.
Undeclared external network calls +10
scan.py and precheck.py both POST to https://skillpay.me/api/v1 for billing. This is not declared in SKILL.md's documented capabilities, only mentioned under 'Pricing'. SkillPay API key is read from environment.
Environment variable reading not prominently documented +5
SKILLPAY_API_KEY is read via os.environ.get() for billing. While 'reads env vars' is mentioned in Medium Risk scanning patterns, the tool's own env var dependency is not stated upfront.
Bills users per invocation +5
Both scan.py and precheck.py require --user-id and will attempt to charge 0.001 USDT per call via SkillPay. This cost model is mentioned in Pricing but not in the declared capabilities table.
Most important evidence
High
Hardcoded high-entropy string contradicts security advice
review.py line 24 contains api_key = "secretkeyhere123" — a hardcoded credential with Shannon entropy >3.5 that matches the skill's own high-entropy secret detection pattern. The same file's print_best_practices() explicitly warns against this pattern.
scripts/review.py:24 Remove this line or replace with a clearly commented placeholder: # DEMO ONLY: api_key = "your-key-here" # Never hard-code secrets
Medium
Undeclared external API calls to skillpay.me
Both scan.py and precheck.py POST JSON to https://skillpay.me/api/v1 for billing. This network WRITE behavior is only mentioned under 'Pricing' in SKILL.md, not in the declared capabilities or the usage table.
scripts/scan.py:64 Add skillpay.me to the 'What it scans' section under Medium Risk, or create an 'External APIs' subsection in SKILL.md
Medium
Billing charge on every invocation requires --user-id
Both scan.py and precheck.py require --user-id and will attempt to charge 0.001 USDT via SkillPay on every run. This cost model is not prominent in the command documentation.
scripts/scan.py:156 Document that the skill charges 0.001 USDT per call prominently in the Usage section
Declared capability vs actual capability
Filesystem Pass
Declared READ
→ Inferred READ
SKILL.md documents reading sensitive files as what the tool scans FOR Network Block
Declared READ
→ Inferred WRITE
scan.py:64, precheck.py:36 — POSTs to skillpay.me/api/v1 not declared in SKILL.md capabilities Environment Block
Declared NONE
→ Inferred READ
scan.py:72, precheck.py:44 — reads SKILLPAY_API_KEY from os.environ Shell Pass
Declared NONE
→ Inferred NONE
No subprocess/shell execution found in codebase Suspicious artifacts and egress
High API Key
api_key = "secretkeyhere123" scripts/review.py:24
Medium External URL
https://skillpay.me/api/v1 scripts/precheck.py:24
Dependencies and supply chain
| Package | Version | Source | Known vuln | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| urllib (stdlib) | N/A | stdlib | No | Standard library only, no external package dependencies |
File composition
5 files · 851 lines
Python 3 files · 769 linesMarkdown 1 files · 73 linesJSON 1 files · 9 lines
Files of concern · 3
scripts/scan.py Undeclared external API calls to skillpay.me · Billing charge on every invocation requires --user-id
scripts/precheck.py https://skillpay.me/api/v1
scripts/review.py Hardcoded high-entropy string contradicts security advice · api_key = "secretkeyhere123"
Other files · SKILL.md · _meta.json
Security positives
Skill actively detects and warns against the very patterns it exhibits (credential hardcoding, eval/exec, sensitive file access) — shows awareness of security best practices
No subprocess/shell execution found anywhere in the codebase
No sensitive file access (~/.ssh, /etc/passwd, etc.) in the skill's own code
No base64 decode, eval(), or __import__ tricks found
No data exfiltration or credential theft
SKILL.md comprehensively documents what patterns it scans for, reducing user surprise
The skill's core scanning logic (scan.py) is well-structured with clear risk categorization