Diff Scanning With Aws Security Agent

by aws7bde20faede4No license2.8K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated today

Run a fast AWS Security Agent diff scan on only the changed code since a git ref. Use when the user asks to scan changes, run a diff scan, check what changed for security issues, scan before committing, scan before PR, or any pre-commit/pre-push security check.

Instructions onlySecurity
AI-generated overview

Runs an AWS Security Agent diff scan on code changed since a git ref, uploading the diff and workspace for review.

What it does
This skill guides an agent through a pre-commit or pre-PR security scan limited to code changed since a chosen git ref. It reads local configuration, generates a git diff, zips the workspace, uploads both to S3, creates or reuses a CodeReview, starts a diff code-review job, polls every two minutes, and writes findings grouped by severity to a markdown report.
When to use it
Use it when the user asks to scan changes, run a diff scan, check what changed for security issues, or perform a pre-commit or pre-push security check. It is intended for scanning only the changed code rather than the whole repository.
Requirements
Requires the AWS CLI with the securityagent service, git, zip, openssl, md5sum, and network access to AWS S3 and the Security Agent API. Needs an existing agent space configuration in .security-agent/config.json, an IAM service role, and an S3 bucket; ships no scripts, only instructions.

AWS Security Agent — Diff Scan

Scan only the code that changed since a git ref. Faster than a full scan — focuses findings on the diff. No prior full scan needed.

Local state

Read .security-agent/config.json for agent_space_id and region. If missing, run the setup-security-agent workflow inline first.

Track scans in .security-agent/scans.json.

Resolving the values you need

PlaceholderHow to resolve
<id> (agent space)config.agent_space_id
<region>config.region (default us-east-1)
<account>aws sts get-caller-identity --query Account --output text
<role-arn>arn:aws:iam::<account>:role/SecurityAgentScanRole
<bucket>security-agent-scans-<account>-<region>
<WORKSPACE_ID>printf '%s' "$(pwd)" | md5sum | cut -c1-12

Workflow

  1. Pre-scan checks. Same as full scan — read config, verify agent space, resolve values, generate workspace ID.

  2. Ask what to scan against:

    • Uncommitted changes → BASE_REF=HEAD (default)
    • Branch vs main → BASE_REF=main
    • Custom ref → user provides
  3. Generate diff (fail fast if empty):

    bash
    cd <absolute-workspace-path>if [ "$BASE_REF" = "HEAD" ]; then  git diff HEAD > /tmp/diff.patchelse  git diff "$BASE_REF..HEAD" > /tmp/diff.patchfi[ -s /tmp/diff.patch ] || { echo "No changes vs $BASE_REF"; exit 1; }
  4. Zip the workspace (same exclusions as full scan, 2 GB limit):

    bash
    cd <absolute-workspace-path>zip -r /tmp/source.zip . \  -x ".git/*" -x ".security-agent/*" -x "node_modules/*" \  -x "__pycache__/*" -x ".venv/*" -x "venv/*" \  -x "dist/*" -x "build/*" -x "target/*" \  -x ".mypy_cache/*" -x ".pytest_cache/*" -x ".tox/*" \  -x ".next/*" -x "cdk.out/*" -x ".DS_Store" -x "*.pyc"
  5. Upload both source zip and diff patch:

    bash
    SCAN_ID="diff-$(date +%s)-$(openssl rand -hex 3)"aws s3 cp /tmp/source.zip s3://<bucket>/security-scans/source/<WORKSPACE_ID>/source.zip --expected-bucket-owner <account>aws s3 cp /tmp/diff.patch s3://<bucket>/security-scans/diffs/${SCAN_ID}/diff.patch --expected-bucket-owner <account>
  6. Get or create per-workspace CodeReview (same logic as full scan — lookup config.json → code_reviews[<abs_path>], create if absent):

    bash
    aws securityagent create-code-review --agent-space-id <id> --title <title> \  --service-role <role-arn> \  --assets sourceCode=[{s3Location=s3://<bucket>/security-scans/source/<WORKSPACE_ID>/source.zip}]
  7. Start the diff job:

    bash
    aws securityagent start-code-review-job --agent-space-id <id> --code-review-id <cr-id> \  --diff-source s3Uri=s3://<bucket>/security-scans/diffs/${SCAN_ID}/diff.patch

    If ResourceNotFoundException: recreate CodeReview and retry.

  8. Capture codeReviewJobId. Persist to scans.json with scan_type: "DIFF" and base_ref.

  9. Tell user: "Diff scan started. Takes a few minutes. I'll check every 2 minutes — say 'stop polling' to opt out."

  10. Poll every 2 minutes:

    bash
    aws securityagent batch-get-code-review-jobs --agent-space-id <id> --code-review-job-ids <job_id>

    Only respond when status changes. On COMPLETED → fetch findings.

  11. Findings: same presentation as full scan — grouped by severity, report written to .security-agent/findings-{scan_id}.md.


Rules

  • Diff scans are standalone — no prior full scan needed
  • Poll every 2 minutes, not faster
  • Default to BASE_REF=HEAD if user doesn't specify
  • Title: diff-<git-branch>-<timestamp> (no spaces)
  • If diff is empty, tell user and stop — don't start a scan

Source and attribution

Source:aws/agent-toolkit-for-awsinplugins/aws-agents-for-devsecops/skills/diff-scanning-with-aws-security-agentat commit7bde20f

License: No license

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