The maintainer's correction: counts over a function, language or framework carry nothing about safety; the object a decision model may see is the path from an attacker-reachable entry to a protected operation, with the checks on it in control-flow order and the provenance of the operation's arguments. Requirement 9, the trace contract and tasks 4.2 and 4.3. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <[email protected]>
16 KiB
Design Document
Overview
Purpose: a deterministic prover for the access-control family: given a change checked out at head, find every protected operation reachable from an entry point without a check dominating the path, and say what is unchecked. Users: the maintainer, scoring it as an arm on the training pool; the pre-push hook and the proof arm, consuming its findings. Impact: adds Java and framework entry recognition to the mapper, a path builder and enforcement witnesses in the obligations package, a prover over the hunter's per-change context, and a runner that scores it with the valid-benchmark metrics.
Goals
- A finding names an entry point, the hops, the operation and the missing check; nothing else is a finding.
- Scored on the pool: recall on 23 fixes and 93 locations, false alarms per 100 ordinary pushes, seconds per change.
- Coverage stated per repository: what was recognised, reached, checked, and left unchecked by reason.
Non-Goals
- Taint flow, the Joern engine, nesting-aware dominance, families other than access control.
- Model calls inside the prover; intent adjudication stays a separate arm.
- The unseen pilot measurement and the pre-push wiring (later increments of other specs).
Boundary Commitments
This Spec Owns
- Entry recognisers for Stapler, Jetty handlers, Symfony attributes, Livewire and Laravel controllers, Remix
exports, Tornado handlers (
mapping.pyblocks, each with evidence). semantic/obligations/paths.py:PathRecordandcompose_pathsover the caller index.semantic/obligations/enforcement.py: router and decorator witnesses from route files and attributes.hunt/prover.py:prove_changeandCoverage.benchmarks/valid/prover_arm.py: the runner and its summary.- Operation and discharger rows added to
ruleset/obligations/{java,php,python,typescript}.toml.
Out of Boundary
- The facts loader's existing fields,
OrderDominance, and the checker's existing decision rules (owned byauthorization-obligations). Two extensions are allowed and owned here: the handler-named operation fields (handlers,framework) in the facts, and theassume_entries_protectedkeyword and theunguarded_pathlabel (see the checker block below); default off, every existing checker test unchanged. - The feature table, the DSPy and hunter arms, the ablation (
hunter-learning-loop). - The proof arm's demonstration logic (
search-with-proof); this spec only shapes the finding.
Allowed Dependencies
openultrasast.source(callers_of, code_index, product_files, generated_reason),openultrasast.mapping,openultrasast.semantic.cstandir,openultrasast.semantic.obligations(check, facts, dominance),openultrasast.hunt.producers.Context,benchmarks.valid.metrics,benchmarks.unseen.score.- No new third-party dependency.
Revalidation Triggers
- A change to
EntryPointRecordfields orDischargescopes. - A change to the replay record shape
benchmarks.valid.metricsscores. - A change to the hunt defect shape (
defect_from).
Architecture
Existing Architecture Analysis
The checker already judges reached operations by path and witnesses by scope; the hunter's Context already
caches everything the prover reads. The missing pieces are the inputs: entries for Java and the pool's PHP,
TypeScript and Python frameworks; paths; witnesses from outside the function; operation rows for the pool's
protected calls. The prover is wiring plus those inputs.
Architecture Pattern & Boundary Map
flowchart LR
C[hunt.producers.Context\nproduct files, texts, IR, call index, entry points] --> P[hunt.prover.prove_change]
M[mapping.analyze_entry_points\n+ Stapler, Jetty, Symfony, Livewire, Remix, Tornado] --> C
P --> PA[obligations.paths.compose_paths]
P --> EN[obligations.enforcement.witnesses]
PA --> CK[obligations.check.check_obligations]
EN --> CK
F[ruleset/obligations/*.toml\noperations, dischargers] --> CK
CK --> P
P --> R[benchmarks/valid/prover_arm.py\nrecords, metrics, coverage]
P --> H[pre-push admission / proof arm\nhunt defects]
- Selected pattern: inputs assembled in the prover, decision in the existing checker.
- Existing patterns preserved: closed facts in TOML with checked headers;
_entryrecogniser blocks; per-changeContext; replay record shape; counts and digests in records. - Steering compliance: no model call, instrument gate (bytes read), plain English, standard metrics.
Technology Stack
| Layer | Choice | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis | Python 3.11, tree-sitter IR, regex caller index | entries, paths, operations | existing |
| Facts | TOML under ruleset/obligations/ |
operations, dischargers | existing loader |
| Scoring | benchmarks.valid.metrics, benchmarks.unseen.score |
recall, false alarms per 100 | existing |
File Structure Plan
src/openultrasast/
├── mapping.py # + recognisers: _stapler_entries, _jetty_entries, _symfony_entries,
│ # _livewire_entries, _remix_exports (extend), _tornado_entries
├── semantic/obligations/
│ ├── paths.py # PathRecord, compose_paths(callers, entries, targets, depth, fan_out)
│ └── enforcement.py # witnesses(root, texts, entries, facts) -> list[Discharge]
├── hunt/prover.py # prove_change(root, change, ctx) -> ProverResult(findings, coverage)
└── ruleset/obligations/{java,php,python,typescript}.toml # + operation and discharger rows, checked headers
benchmarks/valid/prover_arm.py # run / summarize; records per change; coverage table
tests/test_mapping_frameworks.py, tests/test_obligation_paths.py, tests/test_obligation_enforcement.py,
tests/test_hunt_prover.py, tests/test_prover_arm.py
Modified Files
src/openultrasast/mapping.py: new recogniser blocks, registered whereanalyze_entry_pointsdispatches by language and path;EntryPointRecordunchanged.src/openultrasast/hunt/producers.py:Contextexposesentry_pointsandir(path)already; add nothing unless a cache is missing (then acached_property, same pattern).src/openultrasast/ruleset/obligations/*.toml: rows only.
System Flows
sequenceDiagram
participant R as prover_arm
participant X as Context
participant P as prove_change
participant PA as compose_paths
participant EN as enforcement
participant CK as check_obligations
R->>X: checkout head, Context(root, change)
R->>P: prove_change(root, change, ctx)
P->>X: entry_points, call_index, texts, ir(path) per touched file
P->>PA: targets = touched functions + callees holding operations
PA-->>P: PathRecords (hops entry..operation function), unreached list
P->>EN: route files, attributes, entries
EN-->>P: router/decorator Discharges
P->>CK: irs of touched + hop files, entries, facts, paths, OrderDominance(texts), extra_witnesses
CK-->>P: ObligationResult (findings, discharges, degradations)
P-->>R: ProverResult(findings as hunt defects with entry, hops, operation, missing; coverage)
R->>R: record per change; metrics.summarize; coverage table
Gating: a file that fails to parse, a language without facts, or an unrecognised framework yields coverage
counts and no finding. A declared-public route suppresses path_guard only.
Requirements Traceability
| Requirement | Components |
|---|---|
| 1.1-1.8 | mapping recognisers |
| 2.1-2.7 | enforcement.witnesses, facts rows, checker (existing) |
| 3.1-3.6 | paths.compose_paths |
| 4.1-4.6 | hunt.prover.prove_change |
| 5.1-5.5 | prover_arm |
| 6.1-6.2 | prover_arm timing, Context caches |
| 7.1-7.2 | Coverage in prove_change, prover_arm summary |
| 8.1-8.2 | finding shape in prove_change |
Components and Interfaces
mapping recognisers
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Intent | name web-exposed methods of the pool's frameworks as route entries with evidence |
| Requirements | 1.1-1.8 |
Each block follows the existing pattern: scan the file text (and the IR's function spans when a method body is
needed), call _entry(target, start, end, handler, name, kind, access, trust_boundary, evidence, conditions).
Stapler: class text matches extends|implements one of the exposed types, or a method parameter is typed
StaplerRequest, StaplerRequest2, StaplerResponse or annotated @QueryParameter/@AncestorInPath; method is
public and its name matches ^do[A-Z]. Access public only for UnprotectedRootAction. Jetty: classes
extending AbstractHandler, HttpServlet or annotated @Path/@GET/@POST. Symfony: methods with
#[Route( or @Route(; classes extending AbstractController. Livewire: classes extending Component, public
methods not starting with _, plus Route:: registrations naming a controller method. Remix: export const|function action|loader under app/routes. Tornado: classes extending RequestHandler or WebSocketHandler, request
methods and open.
obligations.paths
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class PathRecord:
hops: tuple[tuple[str, int | None], ...] # ("path::function", line of the call site in the caller), entry first
entry: str # "path::function" of the entry hop
complete: bool # True when hops[0] is an entry point
def compose_paths(
*, callers: Callable[[str, str], Sequence[tuple[str, int]]], # (path, function) -> caller sites
entries: set[str], targets: Sequence[tuple[str, str]], max_depth: int = 3, fan_out: int = 25,
) -> tuple[list[PathRecord], list[str]]: # complete paths, unreached "path::function" targets
- Preconditions: targets name functions with IR;
callersresolves a function to its call sites through the cached index and the enclosing function of each site (source.enclosing_ator the IR spans). - Postconditions: every path's last hop is a target; no path implies nothing; unreached targets are listed.
checker extension (opt-in)
check_obligations(..., assume_entries_protected: bool = False). With path records, no declared clause and no
sibling norm, the checker today returns no finding (gating 3 of authorization-obligations): nothing justified
the obligation. The prover's premise justifies it: a recognised entry is protected unless declared public. With
the keyword on, _finding labels such a case unguarded_path when the path's entry hop is an entry record whose
access is not public and the route is not declared public; evidence carries the entry's kind and evidence
strings and the sentence "no declared policy clause and no sibling norm; the prover assumes a recognised entry is
protected". findings_to_static explains the label like the others. LABELS gains the value.
facts extension: handler-named operations (owned here, schema change)
[[operation]] rows gain two optional fields: handlers (a list of regular expressions over the function name)
and framework (a recogniser id the mapper's evidence names: stapler, tornado, remix, jetty,
symfony, laravel). A row with handlers and no calls is a handler-named operation: find_operations
yields it at the function's declaration line for every function whose name matches and that the caller lists as
a recognised entry of that framework (new keyword handlers_of: Mapping[str, str] | None, function name to
framework id; default None keeps today's behaviour). The smoke run of delivery A showed why: 15 of the 17
Jenkins fixes are form-validation and list-filling web methods whose body calls no listed operation; the
method is the operation. Jenkins documents the rule (form validation methods must check a permission).
trace: the ordered serialisation (owned here)
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Guard: kind: str; scope: str; line: int | None; provenance: str; fact_id: str
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Hop: function: str; call_line: int | None; guards_before_call: tuple[Guard, ...]; forwarded: tuple[str, ...]
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Trace:
entry_kind: str; boundary: str; access: str; parameters: tuple[str, ...]
hops: tuple[Hop, ...] # entry first; the last hop holds the operation
operation_kind: str; fact_id: str; operation_line: int
arguments: tuple[tuple[str, str], ...] # (argument text, provenance) in call order
guards_after: tuple[Guard, ...]
requires: tuple[str, ...]; dominating: tuple[str, ...]; missing: str | None
def text(self) -> str: ... # one component per line, in order
def record(self) -> dict: ... # canonical JSON
Argument provenance: within each hop's function, follow the IR's binds backwards from the operation's argument
identifiers to the function's parameters or to a request-source fact (request_input), to an identity source
(authenticated_context), or to a literal (constant); a parameter that the previous hop's call site fills
from its own request-derived values keeps request_input; anything the walk cannot follow is unknown. No
inter-procedural dataflow beyond the call sites on the path. The trace never carries language, framework,
repository, size or count fields.
obligations.enforcement
def witnesses(*, root: Path, texts: Mapping[str, str], entries: Sequence[EntryPointRecord], language: str) -> list[Discharge]
Reads Laravel route files (routes/*.php) for ->middleware([...]) and controller constructors for
$this->middleware/authorizeResource; Symfony attributes and config/packages/security.yaml
access_control; Tornado @authenticated; emits Discharge(kind="path_guard", scope="router"|"decorator", path, function, line=None, evidence=...) for each covered handler. Names recognised live in the facts files' headers.
hunt.prover
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Coverage: files_by_language, frameworks_recognised, entry_points, reached, unreached, operations_checked,
operations_discharged, unchecked_by_reason # all ints or dicts of ints
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class ProverResult: findings: tuple[dict, ...]; coverage: Coverage; degradations: tuple[dict, ...]
def prove_change(root: Path, change: Mapping[str, Any], ctx: Context | None = None, *, max_depth: int = 3) -> ProverResult
- Touched functions come from
_candidates-style enumeration (touched head lines to function spans), build output left out viasource.generated_reason. - Targets = touched functions plus their direct callees that hold a protected operation (one hop down through the IR's calls and the call index).
- Findings: for each
ObligationFinding, a hunt defect dict withpath,line,family="access_control",function,evidence(entry record summary, hops, operation id and calls, missing kind),idas the checker emits. - Degradations and every unchecked reason land in
Coverage.
prover_arm
python -m benchmarks.valid.prover_arm run POOL --repos REPOS --out DIR [--slice 1] [--only all] [--max-depth 3]
writes <sha256(change id)>.json per change (replay record envelope copied from hunter_arm: id, case_id,
repo, kind, family, path, function_lines, files, head, instrument {changed_bytes, hook_bytes_read, head_verified},
findings, coverage, seconds, status), resumes by skipping done records, then summarize writes summary.json
(metrics from benchmarks.valid.metrics.summarize, per-repository and per-framework coverage, changes over 120 s,
instrument failures) and refuses when any record read zero bytes of a file git holds.
Error Handling
- Exceptions inside
prove_changeper file are recorded asunchecked_by_reason[type name]; the change is still proved for the other files. A provider never appears (no model call). A checkout failure is an instrument failure on the record (status="instrument_failure", reason type only).
Testing Strategy
- Unit: each recogniser on a fixture file written in the test (not copied from clones) with positive and negative
cases;
compose_pathson a three-file fixture (depth 1, 2, 3, unreached, fan-out cut, same-name in two files);witnessesfor a Laravel route file, a Symfony attribute, a Tornado decorator. - Integration:
prove_changeon a git fixture with a Stapler-style class: an unguardeddoTestConnectionthat callslookupCredentialsyields one finding with hops and missingpath_guard; the same withJenkins.get().checkPermission(...)above the call yields none; a Laravel controller behindauthmiddleware yields none; an unrecognised framework yields coverage only. - Runner: a two-change fixture pool produces records the metrics summarise; a zero-byte read refuses.