Secure Workflow Guide

Purpose

I'll guide you through Trail of Bits' secure development workflow - a 5-step process to enhance smart contract security throughout development.

Use this: On every check-in, before deployment, or when you want a security review

The 5-Step Workflow

I'll guide you through a comprehensive security workflow covering:

Step 1: Check for Known Security Issues

Run Slither with 70+ built-in detectors to find common vulnerabilities:

Parse findings by severity
Explain each issue with file references
Recommend fixes
Help triage false positives

Goal: Clean Slither report or documented triages

Step 2: Check Special Features

Detect and validate applicable features:

Upgradeability: slither-check-upgradeability (17 upgrade risks)
ERC conformance: slither-check-erc (6 common specs)
Token integration: Recommend token-integration-analyzer skill
Security properties: slither-prop for ERC20

Note: Only runs checks that apply to your codebase

Step 3: Visual Security Inspection

Generate 3 security diagrams:

Inheritance graph: Identify shadowing and C3 linearization issues
Function summary: Show visibility and access controls
Variables and authorization: Map who can write to state variables

Review each diagram for security concerns

Step 4: Document Security Properties

Help document critical security properties:

State machine transitions and invariants
Access control requirements
Arithmetic constraints and precision
External interaction safety
Standards conformance

Then set up testing:

Echidna: Property-based fuzzing with invariants
Manticore: Formal verification with symbolic execution
Custom Slither checks: Project-specific business logic

Note: Most important activity for security

Step 5: Manual Review Areas

Analyze areas automated tools miss:

Privacy: On-chain secrets, commit-reveal needs
Front-running: Slippage protection, ordering risks, MEV
Cryptography: Weak randomness, signature issues, hash collisions
DeFi interactions: Oracle manipulation, flash loans, protocol assumptions

Search codebase for these patterns and flag risks

For detailed instructions, commands, and explanations for each step, see WORKFLOW_STEPS.md.

How I Work

When invoked, I will:

Explore your codebase to understand structure
Run Step 1: Slither security scan
Detect and run Step 2: Special feature checks (only what applies)
Generate Step 3: Visual security diagrams
Guide Step 4: Security property documentation
Analyze Step 5: Manual review areas
Provide action plan: Prioritized fixes and next steps

I'll adapt based on:

What tools you have installed
What's applicable to your project
Where you are in development

Rationalizations (Do Not Skip)

Rationalization	Why It's Wrong	Required Action
"Slither not available, I'll check manually"	Manual checking misses 70+ detector patterns	Install and run Slither, or document why it's blocked
"Can't generate diagrams, I'll describe the architecture"	Descriptions aren't visual - diagrams reveal patterns text misses	Execute slither --print commands, generate actual visual outputs
"No upgrades detected, skip upgradeability checks"	Proxies and upgrades are often implicit or planned	Verify with codebase search before skipping Step 2 checks
"Not a token, skip ERC checks"	Tokens can be integrated without obvious ERC inheritance	Check for token interactions, transfers, balances before skipping
"Can't set up Echidna now, suggesting it for later"	Property-based testing is Step 4, not optional	Document properties now, set up fuzzing infrastructure
"No DeFi interactions, skip oracle/flash loan checks"	DeFi patterns appear in unexpected places (price feeds, external calls)	Complete Step 5 manual review, search codebase for patterns
"This step doesn't apply to my project"	"Not applicable" without verification = missed vulnerabilities	Verify with explicit codebase search before declaring N/A
"I'll provide generic security advice instead of running workflow"	Generic advice isn't actionable, workflow finds specific issues	Execute all 5 steps, generate project-specific findings with file:line references

Example Output

When I complete the workflow, you'll get a comprehensive security report covering:

Step 1: Slither findings with severity, file references, and fix recommendations
Step 2: Special feature validation results (upgradeability, ERC conformance, etc.)
Step 3: Visual diagrams analyzing inheritance, functions, and state variable authorization
Step 4: Documented security properties and testing setup (Echidna/Manticore)
Step 5: Manual review findings (privacy, front-running, cryptography, DeFi risks)
Action plan: Critical/high/medium priority tasks with effort estimates
Workflow checklist: Progress on all 5 steps

For a complete example workflow report, see EXAMPLE_REPORT.md.

What You'll Get

Security Report:

Slither findings with severity and fixes
Special feature validation results
Visual diagrams (PNG/PDF)
Manual review findings

Action Plan:

Critical issues to fix immediately
Security properties to document
Testing to set up (Echidna/Manticore)
Manual areas to review

Workflow Checklist:

Getting Help

Trail of Bits Resources:

Office Hours: Every Tuesday (schedule)
Empire Hacking Slack: #crytic and #ethereum channels

Other Security:

Remember: Security is about more than smart contracts
Off-chain security (owner keys, infrastructure) equally critical

Ready to Start

Let me know when you're ready and I'll run through the workflow with your codebase!

secure-workflow-guide