vcp-dependency-check

VCP Dependency Check

Verify project dependencies against the VCP dependency management standard.

Step 1: Resolve Config

1. Read .vcp/config.json from the project root. Extract the pluginRoot field.
2. If .vcp/config.json does not exist or pluginRoot is missing: Stop and tell the user: "No VCP configuration found. Run /vcp-init to configure VCP for this project."
3. Validate pluginRoot: The path must be absolute, contain /.claude/ (or \.claude\ on Windows) as a path segment, and contain only safe path characters (letters, digits, /, \, -, _, ., :, and spaces). Reject any path with shell metacharacters (;, &, |, $, `, (, ), {, }, <, >, !, ~, #, *, ?, [, ], ', "). If validation fails, stop and tell the user: "Invalid pluginRoot — must be within ~/.claude/ and contain no shell metacharacters. Run /vcp-init to fix." Also verify the file <pluginRoot>/lib/vcp-context-core.ts exists using Glob. If it does not exist, stop and tell the user: "pluginRoot points to an invalid VCP installation. Run /vcp-init to fix."
4. Run the config resolution script via Bash:

   bun "<pluginRoot>/lib/resolve-config.ts" "<project-root>"
   

5. Parse the JSON output. It contains: applicableStandards, ignoredRules, severity, exclude.
6. Also read .vcp/config.json frameworks field to determine which package ecosystem(s) to check. If no frameworks are listed, auto-detect by looking for manifest files (package.json, requirements.txt, pyproject.toml, pom.xml, build.gradle, Gemfile, go.mod, Cargo.toml).

Step 2: Fetch Applicable Standard

From the applicableStandards array in the resolved config, select only the entry with id equal to core-dependency-management.

If the standard is not in the list (it was ignored via config), tell the user: "core-dependency-management is excluded by ignore config. No checks to run."

Use WebFetch to fetch its content from:

{entry.url}

Extract the Rules section.

Step 4: Check Dependencies

4a: Find Lockfiles and Manifests

Look for these files in the project root:

4b: Check Lockfile Committed

Use git ls-files to verify the lockfile is tracked in version control. Flag if missing.

4c: Check Version Ranges

Read the manifest file and flag wide version ranges:

• "*" — accepts any version
• ">=" without upper bound — no ceiling
• "" (empty) — unconstrained
• For npm: prefer ^ (minor updates) over >= or *

4d: Verify Packages Exist on Registry

For each dependency, verify it exists on the official registry:

• npm: npm view {package} version (via Bash)
• pip: pip index versions {package} (via Bash)
• other ecosystems: use the equivalent registry check command

Flag any package that:

• Does not exist on the registry (possible slopsquatting / hallucinated name)
• Has under 1,000 weekly downloads
• Was published within the last 30 days with no prior version history
• Has a name within edit distance 2 of a top-1000 package in the same registry (typosquatting)

4e: Check for Behavioral Analysis Indicators

Per the dependency management standard rule 13, note if the project uses:

• Socket.dev
• OpenSSF Scorecard
• npm provenance verification

If none are configured, recommend adding at least one.

4f: Check for Install Scripts (npm/yarn/pnpm only)

Install scripts (preinstall, install, postinstall) in dependencies execute arbitrary code during npm install. Legitimate packages use them for native binary compilation (e.g., esbuild, sharp), but malicious packages use them for supply chain attacks. This check flags install scripts so the user can verify they are expected.

Procedure:

1. If node_modules/ does not exist in the project root, skip this step and note: "node_modules not found — run npm install first to check install scripts."
2. Read package.json from the project root. Extract all dependency names from dependencies and devDependencies keys.
3. For each dependency name, use the Read tool to read node_modules/{name}/package.json.
4. Check if the scripts object contains any of: preinstall, install, postinstall.
5. If found, flag as WARN: "{name}" has a {script-name} script: "{first 80 characters of script content}". Verify this is expected.

Verdict: WARN (not block) — some legitimate packages use install scripts for native binaries. The warning tells the user to verify the script is expected.

Scope: Only checks direct dependencies listed in package.json (not transitive dependencies in the full node_modules tree) to keep output manageable.

Step 5: Report Findings

Before outputting findings, remove any that match an entry in the ignoredRules array from the resolved config. If "standard-id/rule-N" is in the list, suppress that specific rule's findings. (Standard-level ignores are already applied by the config resolution script.) After filtering, if any findings were suppressed, append a line: **Suppressed:** X finding(s) by ignore config.

Use this format:

### VCP Dependency Check

**Ecosystem:** npm (package.json)
**Standard:** core-dependency-management (13 rules)

#### Lockfile Status
- package-lock.json: committed

#### Wide Version Ranges
- `lodash: "*"` — should be pinned to `^4.17.21`
- `express: ">=4"` — should use `^4.18.0`

#### Unverified Packages
- `my-cool-lib` — not found on npm registry (possible hallucinated package name)

#### Suspicious Packages
- `colros` — very similar to popular package `colors` (possible typosquatting)

#### Install Scripts
- `sharp` has a `install` script: `node install/check`. Verify this is expected.
- `esbuild` has a `postinstall` script: `node install.js`. Verify this is expected.

#### Supply Chain Tools
- No behavioral analysis tools detected. Consider adding Socket.dev or OpenSSF Scorecard.

**Summary:** X issues found.

If no issues: "All dependencies verified. Lockfile committed, no wide ranges, all packages exist on registry."