CodeQL Analysis

Supported languages: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Java/Kotlin, C/C++, C#, Ruby, Swift.

Skill resources: Reference files and templates are located at {baseDir}/references/ and {baseDir}/workflows/.

Essential Principles

Database quality is non-negotiable. A database that builds is not automatically good. Always run quality assessment (file counts, baseline LoC, extractor errors) and compare against expected source files. A cached build produces zero useful extraction.
Data extensions catch what CodeQL misses. Even projects using standard frameworks (Django, Spring, Express) have custom wrappers around database calls, request parsing, or shell execution. Skipping the create-data-extensions workflow means missing vulnerabilities in project-specific code paths.
Explicit suite references prevent silent query dropping. Never pass pack names directly to codeql database analyze — each pack's defaultSuiteFile applies hidden filters that can produce zero results. Always generate a custom .qls suite file.
Zero findings needs investigation, not celebration. Zero results can indicate poor database quality, missing models, wrong query packs, or silent suite filtering. Investigate before reporting clean.
macOS Apple Silicon requires workarounds for compiled languages. Exit code 137 is arm64e/arm64 mismatch, not a build failure. Try Homebrew arm64 tools or Rosetta before falling back to build-mode=none.
Follow workflows step by step. Once a workflow is selected, execute it step by step without skipping phases. Each phase gates the next — skipping quality assessment or data extensions leads to incomplete analysis.