Skills shell-scripting

📦

shell-scripting

Name: shell-scripting
Author: Joseph OBrien

v1.0.1 Content revision r1 Critical ⚙️ External commands📁 Filesystem access

Write Safer Shell Scripts

Shell scripts often fail because of quoting, error handling, and unclear input rules. This skill gives Claude, Codex, and Claude Code practical Bash and zsh patterns for safer automation.

Supports: Claude Codex Code(CC)

⚠️ 38 Poor

Do not auto-install this skill.

The canonical policy requires operator review before any installation action.

Install with my Agent

Copy this request to your Agent. It includes the canonical Skill page and manifest.

Agent request

Review the Skillstore skill "shell-scripting" from https://skillstore.io/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting.md and its manifest at https://skillstore.io/api/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/manifest. Verify the artifact. Do not auto-install. Inspect the skill and report your findings, then wait for an operator or manual installation decision.

Your Agent should still show its plan and request any confirmation required by the security policy.

Agent-readable resources

Use these links when an AI agent, crawler, or script needs clean context instead of reading the full page.

Markdown detail GET /skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting.md Signed manifest GET /api/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/manifest Signed lockfile GET /api/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/lockfile

Test it

Using "shell-scripting". Create a Bash script for a weekly log cleanup job.

Expected outcome:

A structured script plan with strict mode, configurable paths, dry-run behavior, cleanup traps, and clear logging for deleted files.

Using "shell-scripting". Review a deployment helper that fails silently.

Expected outcome:

Add pipefail and undefined-variable checks.
Quote path variables.
Replace ignored command failures with explicit error messages.
Add cleanup behavior for temporary files.

Using "shell-scripting". Explain how to read a CSV file in shell safely.

Expected outcome:

A concise explanation of IFS, read -r, loop structure, quoted variables, and when to switch to a stronger CSV parser.

Security Audit

Critical

v8 • 7/9/2026 Open versioned report

Most static findings are false positives caused by Markdown code fences, inline shell syntax, and benign shell examples. One finding is confirmed: the text processing example reads /etc/passwd, which is a sensitive host file and should not appear as a general-purpose scripting example.

Files scanned

357

Lines analyzed

Review items

False positives ignored

Confirmed security concerns (1)

Critical

SKILL.md:318

System password file access

awk -F: '{print $1}' /etc/passwd # Custom delimiter

The example directly reads /etc/passwd, a sensitive system account file. Even as documentation, this normalizes access to sensitive host data in generated shell commands.

Detected Patterns

System password file access

Audited by: claude View Audit History →

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https://skillstore.io/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/audits/8?utm_source=security_passport&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=versioned_report

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Academic citations (APA · BibTeX · CFF)

APA citation

Joseph OBrien. (2026). shell-scripting security audit report (audit version 8) [Author version 1.0.1]. Skillstore. https://skillstore.io/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/audits/8

BibTeX citation

@techreport{joseph-obrien-89jobrien-shell-scripting-2026,
  author = {Joseph OBrien},
  title = {shell-scripting security audit report (audit version 8)},
  institution = {Skillstore},
  year = {2026},
  number = {8},
  url = {https://skillstore.io/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/audits/8},
  note = {Author version 1.0.1}
}

CITATION.cff

cff-version: 1.2.0
message: "If you use this Skill, cite its author and this versioned security audit report."
title: "shell-scripting security audit report (audit version 8)"
version: "1.0.1"
type: report
authors:
  - name: "Joseph OBrien"
date-released: "2026-07-09"
url: "https://skillstore.io/skills/89jobrien-shell-scripting/audits/8"
identifiers:
  - type: other
    value: "skillstore:89jobrien-shell-scripting:audit:8"
    description: "Skillstore immutable audit report identifier"

Compare variants

2 installable variants

Each author remains a separate installable skill. The recommended variant is ranked by Skillstore evidence.

Why this variant is first

Highest Skillstore Score

Author / source Skillstore Score Evidence Confidence Skillstore usage Updated

CodingKaiser Recommended

codingkaiser-shell-scripting

Skillstore Score 79

Evidence Confidence High

Skillstore usage 15

Updated

2026-08-21

Joseph OBrien Current

89jobrien-shell-scripting

Skillstore Score 38

Evidence Confidence Medium

Skillstore usage 13

Updated

2026-08-21

Skillstore Score

Why this score Evidence Confidence: Medium

Architecture

100

Maintainability

Content

Community

Spec Compliance

What You Can Build

Create reliable automation scripts

Use the template and strict-mode guidance to build scripts for repeated local or CI tasks.

Debug shell command failures

Apply the error handling and logging patterns to find where a script fails and why.

Build small command-line tools

Use argument parsing, help output, and exit-code guidance to create simple team utilities.

Try These Prompts

Begin a safe script

Use the shell-scripting skill to draft a Bash script template for my task. Include strict mode, usage help, argument parsing, logging, and dry-run support.

Improve an existing script

Review this shell script with the shell-scripting skill. Focus on quoting, strict mode, cleanup traps, exit handling, and unsafe input assumptions.

Automate file processing

Use the shell-scripting skill to design a Bash workflow that processes these files. Show safe loops, input handling, output redirection, and clear failure behavior.

Design a production CLI helper

Use the shell-scripting skill to plan a production-ready Bash CLI helper. Include subcommands, validation boundaries, logging, cleanup, test ideas, and ShellCheck considerations.

Best Practices

Ask for the target shell and operating system before generating commands that depend on platform behavior.
Use dry-run mode for scripts that modify files, deployments, or system state.
Run ShellCheck and a small test case before using generated scripts on real data.

Avoid

Do not paste generated destructive commands into a production shell without review and a dry run.
Do not use eval or unquoted variables with user-controlled input.
Do not treat short shell examples as complete security-reviewed production scripts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What shells does this skill cover?

It focuses on Bash and zsh patterns, with most examples written in Bash syntax.

Can it write complete scripts?

Yes. It provides structure and patterns that Claude, Codex, or Claude Code can use to draft complete scripts.

Does it execute shell commands?

No. The skill is guidance text. Any command execution depends on the AI tool and user approval.

Is it safe for production automation?

It helps create safer scripts, but users should still review commands, run ShellCheck, test with sample data, and use dry-run mode.

Does it teach text processing tools?

Yes. It includes examples for find, grep, jq, awk, sed, redirection, and file-reading loops.

What should be fixed before publication?

The /etc/passwd awk example should be replaced with a harmless sample file to avoid teaching sensitive file access.

Developer Details

Author

Joseph OBrien

License

MIT

Author version

v1.0.1

Skillstore revision

Repository

https://github.com/89jobrien/steve/tree/main/steve/skills/shell-scripting

Ref

7db9b9f06e0ab79c575b58bc48c4d8dc9849f424

Maintenance freshness

7/18/2026

Usage

12 downloads · 267 views

File structure

📄 SKILL.md

shell-scripting

Install with my Agent

Agent-readable resources

Test it

Security Audit

Confirmed security concerns (1)

Risk Factors

Detected Patterns

Copy report link

Markdown badge

HTML badge

Embed card

APA citation

BibTeX citation

CITATION.cff

Compare variants

Skillstore Score

What You Can Build

Create reliable automation scripts

Debug shell command failures

Build small command-line tools

Try These Prompts

Best Practices

Avoid

Frequently Asked Questions

Developer Details