Claude Code security audit:
one engineer, a fleet of agents, zero blind spots

Claude Code is a powerful tool but ships with permissive defaults: it can read any file it can access, execute shell commands, and send your code to Anthropic's API. Without a hardened configuration, sensitive files like .env secrets, private keys, and internal architecture documents can end up in the AI's context window and transmitted externally. With the right setup - .claudeignore, command allowlists, and approval gates - these risks are manageable.

Prompt injection is when an attacker embeds hidden instructions inside a file, comment, or README that Claude Code reads. When the agent processes that file, it may execute the attacker's instructions - exfiltrating data, modifying code, or running unauthorized commands - believing them to be legitimate user requests. It is the most critical and underappreciated risk in AI-assisted development.

The most direct fix is adding .env and credential files to your .claudeignore configuration. This explicitly tells Claude Code to skip those files when exploring your codebase. You should also add secrets directories, private key files, and any files containing database connection strings. We configure a properly scoped .claudeignore as part of the hardening engagement.

YOLO mode (surfaced in the Claude Code source leak as classifyYoloAction()) is an auto-approval mechanism that bypasses human confirmation for tool calls classified as low or medium risk. The problem: that risk classification is based on heuristics, not context. A medium-risk shell command in a dev environment is very different from one running against a production database. We help teams define explicit approval gates that override auto-approval for sensitive operations.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers extend what Claude Code can do - but a malicious or compromised MCP server can exfiltrate context, execute code, or escalate permissions. Before adding any MCP server you should: verify the source and maintainer, review the server's declared tool definitions, run it in an isolated network environment, and restrict the filesystem and network permissions available to it. We conduct MCP server security reviews as part of our audit.

Yes. Code, file contents, and terminal output included in the context window are sent to Anthropic's API for inference. This is expected behavior, but it means your intellectual property, internal architecture, and potentially sensitive logic travels over the network. Enterprise teams should configure .claudeignore to exclude proprietary modules, evaluate Anthropic's data handling policies against their compliance requirements, and consider whether on-premise alternatives are needed for the most sensitive workstreams.

Our audit reviews: .claudeignore configuration and file access scope, shell command policies and approval gates, MCP server inventory and trust posture, secrets exposure risk in the current workflow, AI-generated code quality and vulnerability patterns, developer practices around context hygiene, and CI/CD integration for automated security scanning of AI-generated output. You receive a written report with prioritized findings and a hardened configuration package.

A focused audit for a team of up to 20 developers typically runs 1-2 weeks from kickoff to final report. Hardening implementation adds 1 week. Training workshops are delivered in a single day. Ongoing monitoring is a retainer that starts after the initial engagement. We can scope a faster 3-day rapid assessment for teams with urgent compliance deadlines.

The built-in /security-review command and its GitHub Action catch code-level issues in a given pull request, things like SQL injection, missing input validation, or an outdated dependency. A generic penetration test targets your application's attack surface: APIs, auth flows, network exposure. Our audit covers a different layer entirely: whether Claude Code itself is configured safely across your team, meaning file access scope, MCP server trust, shell command approval gates, and hook policies. A codebase can pass every pull request review and every pentest and still expose a live prompt injection or credential leak vector through the agent's own configuration. Most teams get the most value running the built-in review on every pull request and our audit on the underlying setup.

Pricing is scoped to team size and the number of MCP servers and integrations in use, not a fixed rate card. On the free 30-minute call we ask about your current setup and give you a specific quote before any paid work starts, in line with the audit and harden timelines described above.