security-first-2025

🚨 CRITICAL GUIDELINES

Windows File Path Requirements

MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths

When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (\) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (/).

Examples:

• ❌ WRONG: D:/repos/project/file.tsx
• ✅ CORRECT: D:\repos\project\file.tsx

This applies to:

• Edit tool file_path parameter
• Write tool file_path parameter
• All file operations on Windows systems

Documentation Guidelines

NEVER create new documentation files unless explicitly requested by the user.

• Priority: Update existing README.md files rather than creating new documentation
• Repository cleanliness: Keep repository root clean - only README.md unless user requests otherwise
• Style: Documentation should be concise, direct, and professional - avoid AI-generated tone
• User preference: Only create additional .md files when user specifically asks for documentation

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Security-First Bash Scripting (2025)

Overview

2025 security assessments reveal 60%+ of exploited automation tools lacked adequate input sanitization. This skill provides mandatory security patterns.

Critical Security Patterns

1. Input Validation (Non-Negotiable)

Every input MUST be validated before use:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

# ✅ REQUIRED: Validate all inputs
validate_input() {
    local input="$1"
    local pattern="$2"
    local max_length="${3:-255}"

    # Check empty
    if [[ -z "$input" ]]; then
        echo "Error: Input required" >&2
        return 1
    fi

    # Check pattern
    if [[ ! "$input" =~ $pattern ]]; then
        echo "Error: Invalid format" >&2
        return 1
    fi

    # Check length
    if [[ ${#input} -gt $max_length ]]; then
        echo "Error: Input too long (max $max_length)" >&2
        return 1
    fi

    return 0
}

# Usage
read -r user_input
if validate_input "$user_input" '^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$' 50; then
    process "$user_input"
else
    exit 1
fi