semgrep-rules

Overview

Per semgrep.dev/docs/getting-started/quickstart (opens in new window):

Semgrep is a fast pattern-based static analyzer covering 30+ languages with a registry of community + paid rulesets and straightforward YAML rule authoring. The semgrep ci subcommand adds CI-aware features (baseline-diff, organization policies, metrics).

Per semgrep.dev/docs/cli-reference (opens in new window):

"semgrep scan: Local scans without account requirement; doesn't return failing codes by default.

semgrep ci: Pipeline execution with organization policies, diff-aware scanning, returns failing codes on findings."

When to use

• The repo has a .semgrep.yml / .semgrep/ directory or wants zero-config registry rulesets.
• The user needs PR-time SAST without standing up SonarQube or CodeQL infrastructure.
• A team prefers pattern-DSL rule authoring over semantic-database query languages.

Step 1 - Install

Per sg-quick (opens in new window):

# macOS
brew install semgrep

# Linux/macOS
pipx install semgrep
# or
uv tool install semgrep

# Windows (PowerShell)
pipx install semgrep

# Docker (CI-friendly)
docker pull semgrep/semgrep

Step 2 - First scan

semgrep scan --config auto

Per sg-cli (opens in new window), --config auto "Auto-fetch rules from registry based on project." Specific rulesets:

semgrep scan --config p/owasp-top-ten     # OWASP Top 10
semgrep scan --config p/default            # broad community ruleset
semgrep scan --config p/python p/javascript   # multiple

Step 3 - Custom rule authoring

A minimal Semgrep rule in .semgrep.yml:

rules:
  - id: hardcoded-jwt-secret
    pattern: jwt.sign($PAYLOAD, "...")
    message: Hardcoded JWT secret detected
    languages: [javascript, typescript]
    severity: ERROR
    metadata:
      cwe: "CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials"

Pattern operators: pattern, pattern-either, pattern-not, metavariable-pattern, pattern-inside. Validate rule syntax:

semgrep validate --config .semgrep.yml

(Per sg-cli (opens in new window) subcommand list.)

Step 4 - CI integration with baseline diff

Per sg-cli (opens in new window): "--baseline-commit=VAL - Show only findings not in specified commit". Diff-aware mode fails only NEW findings on the PR; pre-existing findings are tracked but don't block - critical for legacy adoption.

jobs:
  semgrep:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    container:
      image: semgrep/semgrep
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
      - run: semgrep ci --baseline-ref=main --sarif --output=semgrep.sarif
      - uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v3
        if: always()
        with: { sarif_file: semgrep.sarif }

Step 5 - False-positive triage (MANDATORY)

Suppression mechanisms in priority order:

Justification template (mandatory in code):

# nosemgrep: hardcoded-password
# Reason: Test fixture; password never reaches production runtime
# Reviewer: alice@example.com (2026-05-15)
# Expires: 2026-12-15
TEST_PASSWORD = "test-only-password-do-not-deploy"

Per sg-cli (opens in new window) severity filter for triage workflow:

semgrep scan --severity ERROR --json   # only critical findings

Cadence: every quarter, audit nosemgrep suppressions for staleness. Expired ones removed; persistent ones reviewed for escalation.

Step 6 - CLI reference (formats, flags, exit codes)

Gate on exit 0 = clean, 1 = findings, 2 = fatal error. The full output-format flags, performance-tuning flags, and complete exit-code table are in references/cli-reference.md.

Anti-patterns

Limitations

• Pattern matching can miss cross-file taint flows; for those, pair with codeql-queries.
• Registry rulesets evolve; pin specific versions for production.
• Semgrep AppSec Platform features (org policies, supply-chain scanning) are paid; the OSS engine covers the patterns above.

References

• sg-quick (opens in new window) - install, quickstart
• sg-cli (opens in new window) - full CLI reference, exit codes, all flags
• semgrep.dev/docs/writing-rules/rule-syntax - custom rules
• semgrep.dev/docs/semgrep-ci/overview - CI integration
• sonarqube-rules, codeql-queries, language-native-sast - sister scanners