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Strix — Agent Guide
Strix is an open-source autonomous AI pentesting tool. This file is for AI coding agents that want to use Strix (run security scans) or contribute to it.
Using Strix from an agent
Install the agent skills for step-by-step workflows:
npx skills add usestrix/strix
penetration-testing-with-strix— run a headless pentest against code, URLs, domains, or IPs and read results (covers both run modes below)managed-pentesting-with-strix— drive the managed app.strix.ai platform via REST (no local Docker/LLM needed)fix-security-vulnerabilities-with-strix— remediate findings and re-run Strix to verifyci-security-scanning-with-strix— add PR scanning to CI/CD (self-hosted CLI or managed app)
Target-specific workflows built on the same engine:
application-security-testing— whole-product AppSec review: pick the right test per asset, then rank the resultsweb-app-penetration-testing— black-box pentest of a live web app or staging siteapi-security-testing— REST/GraphQL APIs and the OWASP API Security Top 10 (BOLA/IDOR, authz)owasp-top-10-testing— systematic OWASP Top 10 assessment with honest per-category coveragefind-security-vulnerabilities-in-code— white-box review of a repo or working tree
Two ways to run, same engine — pick per situation:
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Open-source CLI (self-hosted): free, fully local, BYO LLM key, needs Docker. Best for local dev loops, air-gapped/offline, and full control.
curl -sSL https://strix.ai/install | bash # install export STRIX_LLM="openrouter/z-ai/glm-5.3" # any LiteLLM model id export LLM_API_KEY="<key>" strix -n -t ./ --scan-mode quick --max-budget 10 # headless scan; always use -n- Requires Docker running. Scans take minutes (
quick) to hours (deep) — run in the background. - Exit codes (headless):
0clean,1fatal error,2vulnerabilities found. A0only covers what was analyzed — checkrun.json(status,llm_usage.costvs the budget) before calling a run clean. - Artifacts in
strix_runs/<run-name>/:penetration_test_report.md,vulnerabilities/*.md,vulnerabilities.json,findings.sarif(SARIF 2.1.0),run.json.
- Requires Docker running. Scans take minutes (
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Managed cloud (app.strix.ai): no Docker, no LLM key, no local install; adds team dashboards, scheduling, PR reviews, and downloadable PDF/DOCX reports (Enterprise plan). Best in sandboxed/CI environments and for teams. Use it when local infra isn't available.
strix cloud login --scopes scans:read scans:write uploads:write billing:read strix cloud domains add --domain example.com --asset-type web_app strix cloud scans start --engagement-type live_test --domain-ids <uuid> --wait strix cloud scans start --source . --dry-run --show-files --json # review + capture source.archive_sha256 SOURCE_SHA256="<reviewed source.archive_sha256>" strix cloud scans start --source . --approve-sha256 "$SOURCE_SHA256" --wait strix cloud vulns list --severity critical strix cloud billing topup --credits 20 --yes # explicit approval after exit code 5- Account setup runs from the CLI too:
strix cloud workspaces list|create|use(workspaceis an alias anduseaccepts a displayed number, name, or ID),strix cloud session scopes|scopes set,strix cloud org members invite,strix cloud billing subscribe --plan strix_cloud,strix cloud billing portal,strix cloud integrations install github, andstrix cloud domains verify <id>. Workspace switching preserves the server-side profile and can never widen past the login ceiling; ordinary switches do not reprompt. The last four end at a person: the command prints a link or a DNS record for the user to open or add, and it never completes the payment, installation, or DNS change for them. - Every REST operation has a
strix cloud <resource> <verb>command. Runstrix cloudto list them. Output is JSON when stdout is not a terminal (or with--json), and there are no prompts without a TTY. Binary downloads are the exception: redirect raw bytes intentionally, or combine--output FILE --jsonfor structured download metadata. Exit codes:0success,1error,2usage,4auth or plan limit,5payment required.--tokenorSTRIX_API_TOKENis a stateless override and never replaces stored auth; set--workspace-id/STRIX_WORKSPACE_IDfor an override CLI session.--dataadds extra request fields as JSON, and accepts@fileor-for standard input. - Local source uploads require
uploads:write. For an agent/CI handoff, reviewscans start --source . --dry-run --show-files --json, capturesource.archive_sha256, then rerun with the same--source,--exclude, and--include-*selection flags plus--approve-sha256 HASH. A changed snapshot is rejected.--yesapproves only the snapshot built in that invocation, so reserve it for a deliberate human or one-shot approval rather than a digest-bound two-step handoff. - Git ignores, hidden files,
.git, symlinks, dependency/build output, secret-like filenames, and nested archives are excluded by default;.strixignoreand--excludenarrow the manifest further (a trailing/excludes a directory subtree). Limits: 20,000 files, 25 MiB/file, 250 MiB expanded, 50 MiB compressed. Source-only inferscode_review; source plus a domain inferslive_test. - The temporary local archive is always removed. A staged upload is deleted after a definitive rejection, but retained when a network error,
5xx, malformed success response, or interruption leaves the scan launch ambiguous. JSON reports itsupload_idwithlaunch_outcome_unknown: true, or withcleanup_unknown: truewhen automatic deletion cannot be confirmed. Checkscans listbefore retrying; if no scan is linked, runuploads delete UPLOAD_ID. - Non-Enterprise scans consume the scope estimate (a default-tier source-only review currently starts at 60 credits); Enterprise scans are plan-included. A rejected launch does not consume credits.
- Human output is compact and numbered; non-TTY output and
--jsonretain full records. Enable tab completion withsource <(strix completions zsh)(orbash), orstrix completions fish | source. - The REST API works directly too: https://docs.app.strix.ai (OpenAPI: https://docs.app.strix.ai/openapi.json).
- Account setup runs from the CLI too:
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CLI docs index for LLMs: https://docs.strix.ai/llms.txt (full: https://docs.strix.ai/llms-full.txt). Managed API docs for LLMs: https://docs.app.strix.ai/llms.txt.
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Only scan targets the user is authorized to test.
Contributing to this repo
- Python 3.12+, managed with
uv. Install dev deps:make dev-install. - Lint/format/type-check/security, all in one:
make check-all(ruff, mypy, bandit). - Tests:
uv run pytest. - Run from source:
uv run strix --target <target>. - Layout:
strix/agents(agent graph + prompts),strix/tools(proxy, browser, terminal, scanners),strix/runtime(Docker sandbox),strix/report(findings, SARIF),strix/skills(internal knowledge packs the pentest agents load — different from the consumer skills inskills/),strix/interface(CLI/TUI),containers/(sandbox image). - Pre-commit hooks:
make pre-commit(oruv run pre-commit install).