semgrep
To use SemGrep in MegaLinter you must define a list of rulesets to use.
Example: REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_RULESETS: ["p/docker-compose","p/owasp-top-ten"]
Exception for standalone and security flavors docker images, that use a list of security rulesets by default.
semgrep documentation
- Version in MegaLinter: 3.12
- Visit Official Web Site
- See How to configure semgrep rules
- See How to disable semgrep rules in files
- See How to ignore files and directories with semgrep
- You can define a
.semgrepignorefile to ignore files and folders
- You can define a
- See Index of problems detected by semgrep
Configuration in MegaLinter
- Enable semgrep by adding
REPOSITORY_SEMGREPin ENABLE_LINTERS variable - Disable semgrep by adding
REPOSITORY_SEMGREPin DISABLE_LINTERS variable
| Variable | Description | Default value |
|---|---|---|
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_RULESETS | List of semgrep rulesets identifiers that you want to enforce | auto |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_RULESETS_TYPE | MegaLinter semgrep ruleset list preset id . Available values: security | `` |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_ARGUMENTS | User custom arguments to add in linter CLI call Ex: -s --foo "bar" |
|
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_COMMAND_REMOVE_ARGUMENTS | User custom arguments to remove from command line before calling the linter Ex: -s --foo "bar" |
|
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_PRE_COMMANDS | List of bash commands to run before the linter | None |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_POST_COMMANDS | List of bash commands to run after the linter | None |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_UNSECURED_ENV_VARIABLES | List of env variables explicitly not filtered before calling REPOSITORY_SEMGREP and its pre/post commands | None |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_DISABLE_ERRORS | Run linter but consider errors as warnings | false |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_DISABLE_ERRORS_IF_LESS_THAN | Maximum number of errors allowed | 0 |
| REPOSITORY_SEMGREP_CLI_EXECUTABLE | Override CLI executable | ['semgrep'] |
IDE Integration
Use semgrep in your favorite IDE to catch errors before MegaLinter !
| IDE | Extension Name | Install | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Studio Code | VSCode SemGrep |  |
MegaLinter Flavours
This linter is available in the following flavours
| Flavor | Description | Embedded linters | Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
all | Default MegaLinter Flavor | 122 |   |
| c_cpp | Optimized for pure C/C++ projects | 55 |   |
|
| cupcake | MegaLinter for the most commonly used languages | 84 |   |
|
| documentation | MegaLinter for documentation projects | 51 |   |
|
| dotnet | Optimized for C, C++, C# or VB based projects | 64 |   |
|
| dotnetweb | Optimized for C, C++, C# or VB based projects with JS/TS | 73 |   |
|
| go | Optimized for GO based projects | 53 |   |
|
| java | Optimized for JAVA based projects | 54 |   |
|
| javascript | Optimized for JAVASCRIPT or TYPESCRIPT based projects | 60 |   |
|
| php | Optimized for PHP based projects | 54 |   |
|
| python | Optimized for PYTHON based projects | 64 |   |
|
| ruby | Optimized for RUBY based projects | 51 |   |
|
| rust | Optimized for RUST based projects | 51 |   |
|
| salesforce | Optimized for Salesforce based projects | 55 |   |
|
| security | Optimized for security | 24 |   |
|
| swift | Optimized for SWIFT based projects | 51 |   |
|
| terraform | Optimized for TERRAFORM based projects | 55 |   |
Behind the scenes
How are identified applicable files
- If this linter is active, all files will always be linted
How the linting is performed
semgrep is called once on the whole project directory (project CLI lint mode)
- filtering can not be done using MegaLinter configuration variables,it must be done using semgrep configuration or ignore file (if existing)
VALIDATE_ALL_CODEBASE: falsedoesn't make semgrep analyze only updated files
Example calls
semgrep /tmp/lint
semgrep
Help content
NAME
semgrep scan - run semgrep rules on files
SYNOPSIS
semgrep scan [OPTION]… [TARGETS]…
DESCRIPTION
Searches TARGET paths for matches to rules or patterns. Defaults to
searching entire current working directory.
To get started quickly, run
semgrep --config auto .
This will automatically fetch rules for your project from the Semgrep
Registry. NOTE: Using `--config auto` will log in to the Semgrep
Registry with your project URL.
For more information about Semgrep, go to https://semgrep.dev.
NOTE: By default, Semgrep will report pseudonymous usage metrics to
its server if you pull your configuration from the Semgrep registry.
To learn more about how and why these metrics are collected, please
see https://semgrep.dev/docs/metrics. To modify this behavior, see the
--metrics option below.
ARGUMENTS
TARGETS
Files or folders to be scanned by semgrep.
OPTIONS
-a, --autofix
Apply autofix patches. WARNING: data loss can occur with this
flag. Make sure your files are stored in a version control system.
Note that this mode is experimental and not guaranteed to function
properly.
--allow-untrusted-validators
Allows running rules with validators from origins other than
semgrep.dev. Avoid running rules from origins you don't trust.
--baseline-commit=VAL (absent SEMGREP_BASELINE_COMMIT env)
Only show results that are not found in this commit hash. Aborts
run if not currently in a git directory, there are unstaged
changes, or given baseline hash doesn't exist.
--beta-testing-secrets-enabled
Please use --secrets instead of --beta-testing-secrets. Requires
Semgrep Secrets, contact support@semgrep.com for more information
on this.
-d, --dump-command-for-core
<internal, do not use>
--dataflow-traces
Explain how non-local values reach the location of a finding (only
affects text and SARIF output).
--debug
All of --verbose, but with additional debugging information.
--develop
Living on the edge.
--diff-depth=VAL (absent=2)
The depth of the Pro (interfile) differential scan, the number of
steps (both in the caller and callee sides) from the targets in
the call graph tracked by the deep preprocessor. Only applied in
differential scan mode. Default to 2.
--disable-nosem
negates --enable-nosem
--disable-version-check
negates --enable-version-check
--dryrun
If --dryrun, does not write autofixes to a file. This will print
the changes to the console. This lets you see the changes before
you commit to them. Only works with the --autofix flag. Otherwise
does nothing.
--dump-ast
If --dump-ast, shows AST of the input file or passed expression
and then exit (can use --json).
--dump-engine-path
<internal, do not use>
-e VAL, --pattern=VAL
Code search pattern. See
https://semgrep.dev/docs/writing-rules/pattern-syntax for
information on pattern features.
--emacs
Output results in Emacs single-line format.
--enable-nosem
Enables 'nosem'. Findings will not be reported on lines containing
a 'nosem' comment at the end. Enabled by default.
--enable-version-check (absent SEMGREP_ENABLE_VERSION_CHECK env)
Checks Semgrep servers to see if the latest version is run;
disabling this may reduce exit time after returning results.
--error
Exit 1 if there are findings. Useful for CI and scripts.
--exclude=PATTERN
Skip any file or directory whose path that matches PATTERN.
'--exclude=*.py' will ignore the following: 'foo.py',
'src/foo.py', 'foo.py/bar.sh'. '--exclude=tests' will ignore
'tests/foo.py' as well as 'a/b/tests/c/foo.py'. Multiple
'--exclude' options may be specified. PATTERN is a glob-style
pattern that uses the same syntax as gitignore and semgrepignore,
which is documented at
https://git-scm.com/docs/gitignore#_pattern_format
--exclude-rule=VAL
Skip any rule with the given id. Can add multiple times.
--experimental
Enable experimental features.
-f VAL, -c VAL, --config=VAL (absent SEMGREP_RULES env)
YAML configuration file, directory of YAML files ending in
.yml|.yaml, URL of a configuration file, or Semgrep registry entry
name. Use --config auto to automatically obtain rules tailored to
this project; your project URL will be used to log in to the
Semgrep registry. To run multiple rule files simultaneously, use
--config before every YAML, URL, or Semgrep registry entry name.
For example `semgrep --config p/python --config
myrules/myrule.yaml` See
https://semgrep.dev/docs/writing-rules/rule-syntax for information
on configuration file format.
--files-with-matches
Output only the names of files containing matches
--force-color (absent SEMGREP_FORCE_COLOR env)
Always include ANSI color in the output, even if not writing to a
TTY; defaults to using the TTY status
--gitlab-sast
Output results in GitLab SAST format.
--gitlab-secrets
Output results in GitLab Secrets format.
--historical-secrets
Scans git history using Secrets rules.
--include=PATTERN
Specify files or directories that should be scanned by semgrep,
excluding other files. This filter is applied after these other
filters: '--exclude' options, any filtering done by git (or other
SCM), and filtering by '.semgrepignore' files. Multiple
'--include' options can be specified. A file path is selected if
it matches at least one of the include patterns. PATTERN is a
glob-style pattern such as 'foo.*' that must match the path. For
example, specifying the language with '-l javascript' might
preselect files 'src/foo.jsx' and 'lib/bar.js'. Specifying one of
'--include=src', '--include=*.jsx', or '--include=src/foo.*' will
restrict the selection to the single file 'src/foo.jsx'. A choice
of multiple '--include' patterns can be specified. For example,
'--include=foo.* --include=bar.*' will select both 'src/foo.jsx'
and 'lib/bar.js'. Glob-style patterns follow the syntax supported
by gitignore and semgrepignore, which is documented at
https://git-scm.com/docs/gitignore#_pattern_format
--incremental-output
Output results incrementally.
--interfile-timeout=VAL (absent=0)
Maximum time to spend on interfile analysis. If set to 0 will not
have time limit. Defaults to 0 s for all CLI scans. For CI scans,
it defaults to 3 hours.
-j VAL, --jobs=VAL (absent=4)
Number of subprocesses to use to run checks in parallel. Defaults
to the number of cores detected on the system (1 if using --pro).
--json
Output results in Semgrep's JSON format.
--junit-xml
Output results in JUnit XML format.
-l VAL, --lang=VAL
Parse pattern and all files in specified language. Must be used
with -e/--pattern.
--legacy
Prefer old (legacy) behavior.
--matching-explanations
Add debugging information in the JSON output to trace how
different parts of a rule are matched (a.k.a., "Inspect Rule" in
the Semgrep playground)
--max-chars-per-line=VAL (absent=160)
Maximum number of characters to show per line.
--max-lines-per-finding=VAL (absent=10)
Maximum number of lines of code that will be shown for each match
before trimming (set to 0 for unlimited).
--max-memory=VAL (absent=0)
Maximum system memory in MiB to use during the interfile
pre-processing phase, or when running a rule on a single file. If
set to 0, will not have memory limit. Defaults to 0. For CI scans
that use the Pro Engine, defaults to 5000 MiB.
--max-target-bytes=VAL (absent=1000000)
Maximum size for a file to be scanned by Semgrep, e.g '1.5MB'. Any
input program larger than this will be ignored. A zero or negative
value disables this filter. Defaults to 1000000 bytes
--metrics=VAL (absent=auto or SEMGREP_SEND_METRICS env)
Configures how usage metrics are sent to the Semgrep server. If
'auto', metrics are sent whenever the --config value pulls from
the Semgrep server. If 'on', metrics are always sent. If 'off',
metrics are disabled altogether and not sent. If absent, the
SEMGREP_SEND_METRICS environment variable value will be used. If
no environment variable, defaults to 'auto'.
--no-autofix
negates -a/--autofix
--no-dryrun
negates --dryrun
--no-error
negates --error
--no-force-color
negates --force-color
--no-git-ignore
negates --use-git-ignore
--no-rewrite-rule-ids
negates --rewrite-rule-ids
--no-secrets-validation
Disables secret validation.
--no-strict
negates --strict
--no-test-ignore-todo
negates --test-ignore-todo
--no-time
negates --time
--no-trace
negates --trace
-o VAL, --output=VAL
Save search results to a file or post to URL. Default is to print
to stdout.
--optimizations=VAL (absent=all)
Turn on/off optimizations. Default = 'all'. Use 'none' to turn all
optimizations off.
--oss-only
Run using only OSS features, even if the Semgrep Pro toggle is on.
--pro
Inter-file analysis and Pro languages (currently Apex and Elixir).
Requires Semgrep Pro Engine. See
https://semgrep.dev/products/pro-engine/ for more.
--pro-intrafile
Intra-file inter-procedural taint analysis. Implies
--pro-languages. Requires Semgrep Pro Engine. See
https://semgrep.dev/products/pro-engine/ for more.
--pro-languages
Enable Pro languages (currently Apex and Elixir). Requires Semgrep
Pro Engine. See https://semgrep.dev/products/pro-engine/ for more.
--profile
<undocumented>
--project-root=VAL
The project root for gitignore and semgrepignore purposes is
detected automatically from the presence of a .git/ directory in
the current directory or one of its parents. If not found, the
current directory is used as the project root. This option forces
a specific directory to be the project root. This is useful for
testing or for restoring compatibility with older semgrep
implementations that only looked for a .semgrepignore file in the
current directory.
-q, --quiet
Only output findings.
--remote=VAL
Remote will quickly checkout and scan a remote git repository of
the format "http[s]://<WEBSITE>/.../<REPO>.git". Must be run with
--pro Incompatible with --project-root. Note this requires an
empty CWD as this command will clone the repository into the CWD
--replacement=VAL
An autofix expression that will be applied to any matches found
with --pattern. Only valid with a command-line specified pattern.
--rewrite-rule-ids
Rewrite rule ids when they appear in nested sub-directories (Rule
'foo' in test/rules.yaml will be renamed 'test.foo').
--sarif
Output results in SARIF format.
--scan-unknown-extensions
If true, target files specified directly on the command line will
bypass normal language detection. They will be analyzed according
to the value of --lang if applicable, or otherwise with the
analyzers/languages specified in the Semgrep rule(s) regardless of
file extension or file type. This setting doesn't apply to target
files discovered by scanning folders. Defaults to false.
--severity=VAL
Report findings only from rules matching the supplied severity
level. By default all applicable rules are run. Can add multiple
times. Each should be one of INFO, WARNING, or ERROR.
--show-supported-languages
Print a list of languages that are currently supported by Semgrep.
--skip-unknown-extensions
negates --scan-unknown-extensions
--strict
Return a nonzero exit code when WARN level errors are encountered.
Fails early if invalid configuration files are present. Defaults
to --no-strict.
--test
Run test suite.
--test-ignore-todo
If --test-ignore-todo, ignores rules marked as '#todoruleid:' in
test files.
--text
Output results in text format.
--time
Include a timing summary with the results. If output format is
json, provides times for each pair (rule, target).
--timeout=VAL (absent=5.)
Maximum time to spend running a rule on a single file in seconds.
If set to 0 will not have time limit. Defaults to 5.0 s.
--timeout-threshold=VAL (absent=3)
Maximum number of rules that can time out on a file before the
file is skipped. If set to 0 will not have limit. Defaults to 3.
--trace
Record traces from Semgrep scans to help debugging. This feature
is meant for internal use and may be changed or removed without
warning.
--trace-endpoint=VAL
Endpoint to send OpenTelemetry traces to, if `--trace` is present.
The value may be `semgrep-prod` (default), `semgrep-dev`,
`semgrep-local`, or any valid URL. This feature is meant for
internal use and may be changed or removed wihtout warning.
--use-git-ignore
Skip files ignored by git. Scanning starts from the root folder
specified on the Semgrep command line. Normally, if the scanning
root is within a git repository, only the tracked files and the
new files would be scanned. Git submodules and git- ignored files
would normally be skipped. --no-git-ignore will disable git-aware
filtering. Setting this flag does nothing if the scanning root is
not in a git repository.
-v, --verbose
Show more details about what rules are running, which files failed
to parse, etc.
--validate
Validate configuration file(s). This will check YAML files for
errors and run 'p/semgrep-rule-lints' on the YAML files. No search
is performed.
--version
Show the version and exit.
--vim
Output results in vim single-line format.
--x-ls
[INTERNAL] List the selected target files and the skipped target
files before any rule-specific or language-specific filtering.
Then exit. The output format is unspecified. THIS OPTION IS NOT
PART OF THE SEMGREP API AND MAY CHANGE OR DISAPPEAR WITHOUT
NOTICE.
COMMON OPTIONS
--help[=FMT] (default=auto)
Show this help in format FMT. The value FMT must be one of auto,
pager, groff or plain. With auto, the format is pager or plain
whenever the TERM env var is dumb or undefined.
EXIT STATUS
semgrep scan exits with:
0 on success.
123 on indiscriminate errors reported on standard error.
124 on command line parsing errors.
125 on unexpected internal errors (bugs).
ENVIRONMENT
These environment variables affect the execution of semgrep scan:
SEMGREP_BASELINE_COMMIT
See option --baseline-commit.
SEMGREP_ENABLE_VERSION_CHECK
See option --enable-version-check.
SEMGREP_FORCE_COLOR
See option --force-color.
SEMGREP_RULES
See option --config.
SEMGREP_SEND_METRICS
See option --metrics.
AUTHORS
Semgrep Inc. <support@semgrep.com>
BUGS
If you encounter an issue, please report it at
https://github.com/returntocorp/semgrep/issues
Installation on mega-linter Docker image
- PIP packages (Python):