io.github.salrad22/code-sentinel
Code quality analysis MCP server - detects security issues, deceptive patterns, and placeholders
Open source Open in the app JSON README (API)
About
Code quality analysis MCP server - detects security issues, deceptive patterns, and placeholders
Details
- Kind
- MCP servers
- Topic
- Developer tools
- Publisher
- salrad22
- Origin
- official
- Category
- ferramentas
- Transport
- local
- Version
- 0.2.6
- Stars
- 3
- Last push
- 2026-01-04T08:40:14Z
- Repository state
- ativo
- Language
- TypeScript
- Added
- 2026-08-29 04:01:21
- Updated
- 2026-08-29 04:01:21
- Origin id
io.github.salrad22/code-sentinel
README
# CodeSentinel MCP Server
A comprehensive code quality analysis server for the [Model Context Protocol (MCP)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). CodeSentinel integrates with Claude Code and other MCP-compatible clients to detect security vulnerabilities, deceptive patterns, incomplete code, and highlight good practices.
## Why CodeSentinel?
AI coding assistants can inadvertently introduce subtle issues: hardcoded secrets, empty catch blocks, TODO placeholders left behind, or patterns that hide errors. CodeSentinel acts as a quality gate, analyzing code for **93 distinct patterns** across 5 categories before issues reach production.
**Key differentiators:**
- **Verification-aware detection**: Many patterns include verification steps to reduce false positives
- **LLM-optimized output**: Structured JSON output designed for AI consumption and action
- **Balanced analysis**: Detects both issues AND strengths for fair code assessment
- **Multi-language support**: Works with TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, and more
## Why Not Tree-sitter or AST-Based Tools?
CodeSentinel intentionally uses a **pattern-based approach** rather than AST parsing. Here's why:
### The Problem We Solve Is Different
Traditional linters (ESLint, tree-sitter) detect **syntax errors** and **style violations**. CodeSentinel detects **semantically deceptive patterns** - code that is:
- Syntactically valid (passes all linters)
- Structurally correct (valid AST)
- **But hides serious issues** that AI agents commonly produce
### Examples AST Tools Miss
```javascript
// AST sees: valid try-catch block
// CodeSentinel sees: error swallowing that masks failures
try { riskyOperation(); } catch(e) { }
// AST sees: valid function returning boolean
// CodeSentinel sees: fake implementation that always succeeds
function validateUser() { return true; } // TODO: implement
// AST sees: valid fallback expression
// CodeSentinel sees: failure masking - "no data" vs "fetch failed" indistinguishable
const users = response.data || [];
// AST sees: valid return statement
// CodeSentinel sees: silent failure hiding
if (error) { return null; } // error case
```
### What Each Approach Detects
| Issue Type | AST/Tree-sitter | CodeSentinel |
|:-----------|:----------------|:-------------|
| Syntax errors | Yes | No (not our goal) |
| Missing semicolons | Yes | No |
| Unused variables | Yes | No |
| **Empty catch blocks** | Partially | Yes |
| **Silent error returns** | No | Yes |
| **Fake success responses** | No | Yes |
| **TODO/placeholder code** | No | Yes |
| **Error-masking fallbacks** | No | Yes |
| **Hardcoded secrets** | Limited | Yes |
| **Deceptive comments** | No | Yes |
### The Real Issue: Agent Behavior
AI coding agents produce code that **looks correct** but contains subtle deceptions:
1. **"Making the error go away"** - Empty catches, silent returns, swallowed exceptions
2. **Placeholder implementations** - `return true`, `return []`, TODO comments
3. **False confidence patterns** - `|| []` fallbacks that mask fetch failures
4. **Suppression abuse** - `@ts-ignore`, `eslint-disable` to hide type errors
These patterns pass every linter and compile successfully. AST tools see valid structure. Only pattern-based detection catches the **semantic intent** behind the code.
### When to Use What
| Tool | Use For |
|:-----|:--------|
| ESLint/TSLint | Style consistency, syntax rules, unused code |
| Tree-sitter | Syntax highlighting, code navigation, refactoring |
| TypeScript | Type safety, compile-time errors |
| **CodeSentinel** | Agent-generated deceptions, error hiding, incomplete implementations |
CodeSentinel complements these tools - it catches what they structurally cannot.
## Features
- **Security Analysis** (16 patterns): Hardcoded secrets, SQL injection, XSS, command injection, insecure crypto, disabled SSL, and more
- **Deceptive Pattern Detection** (17 patterns): Empty catch blocks, silent failures, error-hiding fallbacks, linter suppression
- **Placeholder Detection** (19 patterns): TODO/FIXME/HACK comments, lorem ipsum, test data, incomplete implementations
- **Error & Code Smell Detection** (18 patterns): Type coercion issues, null references, async anti-patterns, floating point comparison
- **Strength Recognition** (23 patterns): Highlights good practices like proper typing, error handling, testing patterns, documentation
- **HTML Reports**: Visual reports with quality scores and actionable suggestions
## Installation
### From npm
```bash
npm install -g code-sentinel-mcp
```
### From source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/salrad22/code-sentinel.git
cd code-sentinel
npm install
npm run build
```
## Usage with Claude Code
### Quick setup
```bash
claude mcp add code-sentinel -- npx code-sentinel-mcp
```
### Or if installed globally
```bash
claude mcp add code-sentinel -- code-sentinel
```
### Manual configuration
Add to your Claude Code MCP configuration file (`~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json`):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"code-sentinel": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["code-sentinel-mcp"]
}
}
}
```
## Remote Server (Cloudflare Workers)
CodeSentinel is also available as a remote MCP server on Cloudflare Workers. **No local installation required!**
### Quick connect (Claude Code)
```bash
claude mcp add-remote code-sentinel https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/sse
```
Or use the Streamable HTTP endpoint (recommended for newer clients):
```bash
claude mcp add --transport http code-sentinel https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/mcp
```
### Endpoints
| Endpoint | Protocol | Description |
|:---------|:---------|:------------|
| `https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/mcp` | Streamable HTTP | Recommended |
| `https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/sse` | Server-Sent Events | Legacy support |
| `https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/` | HTTP GET | Health check / server info |
### Self-hosting on Cloudflare
Deploy your own instance:
```bash
cd cloudflare
npm install
npm run dev # Local development at localhost:8787
npm run deploy # Deploy to your Cloudflare account
```
**Requirements:**
- Cloudflare account (free tier works)
- Wrangler CLI (`npm install -g wrangler`)
- `wrangler login` to authenticate
The server uses Durable Objects for persistent MCP connections. No database required.
## Available Tools
### `analyze_code`
Full analysis returning structured JSON with all issues and strengths. Best for programmatic processing.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to analyze
- `filename` (string, required): Filename for language detection (e.g., "app.ts")
**Returns:** JSON object with issues, strengths, and summary statistics.
### `generate_report`
Full analysis with a visual HTML report. Best for human review.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to analyze
- `filename` (string, required): Filename for language detection
**Returns:** Markdown summary plus complete HTML report.
### `check_security`
Security-focused analysis only. Use when you specifically want to audit for vulnerabilities.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to check
- `filename` (string, required): Filename
**Returns:** List of security issues or confirmation of none found.
### `check_deceptive_patterns`
Check for code patterns that hide errors or create false confidence.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to check
- `filename` (string, required): Filename
**Returns:** List of deceptive patterns found.
### `check_placeholders`
Find TODOs, dummy data, and incomplete implementations.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to check
- `filename` (string, required): Filename
**Returns:** List of placeholder code found.
### `analyze_patterns`
Analyze code for architectural, design, and implementation patterns. Detects pattern usage, inconsistencies, and provides actionable suggestions.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to analyze
- `filename` (string, required): Filename for language detection
- `level` (string, optional): Pattern level to analyze:
- `architectural`: System structure patterns (layering, modules)
- `design`: Gang of Four patterns (Singleton, Factory, Observer)
- `code`: Implementation idioms (error handling, async patterns)
- `all`: All levels (default)
- `query` (string, optional): Natural language query to focus analysis (e.g., "how is error handling done?")
**Returns:** LLM-optimized JSON with detected patterns, inconsistencies, suggestions, and ready-to-execute action items.
### `analyze_design_patterns`
Focused analysis of Gang of Four (GoF) design patterns. Best for understanding OOP structure.
**Parameters:**
- `code` (string, required): The source code to analyze
- `filename` (string, required): Filename for language detection
**Returns:** Detected design patterns with confidence levels, locations, and implementation details.
## Example Usage
Ask Claude to analyze code:
```
Analyze this code for quality issues:
const API_KEY = "sk-abc123456789";
async function fetchData() {
try {
const response = await fetch(url);
return response.json();
} catch (e) {
// TODO: handle error
}
}
```
CodeSentinel will detect:
- **Critical** (CS-SEC003): OpenAI API key hardcoded in source
- **High** (CS-DEC001): Empty catch block silently swallowing errors
- **Low** (CS-PH001): TODO comment indicating incomplete implementation
## Detection Categories
### Security Issues (CS-SEC)
| ID | Pattern |
|:---|:--------|
| SEC001 | Hardcoded secrets (API keys, tokens, passwords) |
| SEC002 | GitHub tokens |
| SEC003 | OpenAI API keys |
| SEC004 | AWS access keys |
| SEC005-010 | SQL injection patterns |
| SEC011-015 | XSS vulnerabilities |
| SEC016 | Command injection (eval, exec) |
### Deceptive Patterns (CS-DEC)
| ID | Pattern |
|:---|:--------|
| DEC001-003 | Empty/comment-only catch blocks |
| DEC010-012 | Silent promise rejections |
| DEC020-025 | Error-hiding fallbacks (|| [], || {}, ?? default) |
| DEC030+ | Linter suppression, fake success responses |
### Placeholders (CS-PH)
| ID | Pattern |
|:---|:--------|
| PH001-005 | TODO/FIXME/HACK/XXX/NOTE comments |
| PH010-015 | Lorem ipsum, placeholder text |
| PH020-025 | Test/dummy data (test@example.com, password123) |
| PH030+ | console.log debugging, debugger statements |
### Errors & Code Smells (CS-ERR)
| ID | Pattern |
|:---|:--------|
| ERR001-005 | Loose equality (==), type coercion issues |
| ERR010-015 | Null reference risks |
| ERR020-025 | Async anti-patterns |
| ERR030+ | parseInt without radix, array mutation in loops |
### Strengths (CS-STR)
| ID | Pattern |
|:---|:--------|
| STR001-005 | TypeScript strict typing |
| STR010-015 | Proper error handling patterns |
| STR020-025 | Test coverage indicators |
| STR030+ | Documentation, input validation |
## Scoring Algorithm
Quality score (0-100) calculated as:
```
Score = 100 - (critical × 25) - (high × 15) - (medium × 5) - (low × 1) + (strengths × 2)
```
| Severity | Point Deduction |
|:---------|:----------------|
| Critical | -25 points |
| High | -15 points |
| Medium | -5 points |
| Low | -1 point |
| Strength | +2 points (bonus) |
## Supported Languages
CodeSentinel detects language from file extensions:
| Extension | Language |
|:----------|:---------|
| `.ts`, `.tsx` | TypeScript |
| `.js`, `.jsx` | JavaScript |
| `.py` | Python |
| `.go` | Go |
| `.rs` | Rust |
| `.java` | Java |
| `.kt` | Kotlin |
| `.swift` | Swift |
| `.cs` | C# |
| `.cpp`, `.c` | C/C++ |
| `.php` | PHP |
| `.vue` | Vue |
| `.svelte` | Svelte |
## Extending CodeSentinel
CodeSentinel uses a **data-driven pattern system** that separates pattern definitions from regex generation. This makes adding new patterns easier and more maintainable.
### Project Structure
```
src/
├── patterns/
│ ├── types.ts # Type definitions for pattern configs
│ ├── builders.ts # Functions that generate regex from configs
│ ├── compiler.ts # Compiles definitions to executable patterns
│ └── definitions/
│ ├── security.ts # Security vulnerability patterns
│ ├── deceptive.ts # Error-hiding patterns
│ ├── placeholders.ts # Incomplete code patterns
│ ├── errors.ts # Code smell patterns
│ └── index.ts # Exports all definitions
├── analyzers/
│ ├── core.ts # Unified analyzer using compiled patterns
│ ├── security.ts # Security analyzer (delegates to core)
│ ├── deceptive.ts # Deceptive analyzer (delegates to core)
│ ├── placeholders.ts # Placeholder analyzer (delegates to core)
│ ├── errors.ts # Error analyzer (delegates to core)
│ └── strengths.ts # Strength analyzer
└── index.ts # MCP server entry point
```
### Adding a New Pattern
Instead of writing regex manually, you define **what** to detect and the system generates the regex:
```typescript
// Old approach (manual regex)
{
id: 'CS-DEC001',
pattern: /catch\s*\([^)]*\)\s*\{\s*\}/g, // Error-prone
title: 'Empty Catch Block',
// ...
}
// New approach (data-driven)
{
id: 'CS-DEC001',
title: 'Empty Catch Block',
description: 'Silently swallowing errors makes debugging impossible.',
severity: 'high',
category: 'deceptive',
suggestion: 'At minimum, log the error. Better: handle it appropriately.',
match: {
type: 'catch_handler',
behavior: 'empty'
}
}
```
### Available Match Types
| Match Type | Description | Example Config |
|:-----------|:------------|:---------------|
| `empty_block` | Empty catch/finally/promise blocks | `{ type: 'empty_block', constructs: ['catch', '.catch'] }` |
| `function_call` | Function/method calls | `{ type: 'function_call', names: ['eval', 'exec'] }` |
| `returns_only` | Return statements with specific values | `{ type: 'returns_only', values: ['null', '[]', '{}'] }` |
| `contains_text` | Text in comments/strings | `{ type: 'contains_text', terms: ['TODO', 'FIXME'], context: 'comment' }` |
| `fallback_value` | Fallback patterns | `{ type: 'fallback_value', operators: ['\|\|'], values: ['[]'] }` |
| `catch_handler` | Catch block behaviors | `{ type: 'catch_handler', behavior: 'empty' }` |
| `promise_catch` | Promise .catch() behaviors | `{ type: 'promise_catch', behavior: 'returns_silent' }` |
| `comment_marker` | TODO/FIXME/HACK markers | `{ type: 'comment_marker', markers: ['TODO', 'FIXME'] }` |
| `string_literal` | Patterns inside strings | `{ type: 'string_literal', patterns: ['password', 'secret'] }` |
| `secret_pattern` | API keys and tokens | `{ type: 'secret_pattern', kind: 'github' }` |
| `url_pattern` | URL patterns | `{ type: 'url_pattern', protocol: 'http', excludeLocalhost: true }` |
| `suppression_comment` | Linter suppressions | `{ type: 'suppression_comment', tools: ['ts-ignore', 'eslint-disable'] }` |
| `type_cast` | Type casts | `{ type: 'type_cast', targets: ['any'] }` |
| `comparison` | Comparison operators | `{ type: 'comparison', operators: ['==', '!='] }` |
| `loop_pattern` | Loop patterns | `{ type: 'loop_pattern', kind: 'while_true' }` |
| `raw_regex` | Escape hatch for complex patterns | `{ type: 'raw_regex', pattern: 'your-regex', flags: 'gi' }` |
### Step-by-Step: Adding a Pattern
1. **Choose the category** - security, deceptive, placeholder, or error
2. **Open the definition file** - `src/patterns/definitions/<category>.ts`
3. **Add a new pattern definition** using the appropriate match type
4. **Build** - `npm run build`
5. **Test** - Use the MCP inspector to verify detection
### Pattern Definition Structure
```typescript
{
id: string; // Unique ID: CS-<CAT><NUM> (e.g., CS-SEC001)
title: string; // Short description (displayed in results)
description: string; // Detailed explanation of the issue
severity: Severity; // 'critical' | 'high' | 'medium' | 'low' | 'info'
category: Category; // 'security' | 'deceptive' | 'placeholder' | 'error'
suggestion?: string; // How to fix the issue
match: MatchConfig; // What to detect (see match types above)
verification?: { // Optional: reduce false positives
status: 'needs_verification' | 'confirmed';
assumption?: string;
confirmIf?: string;
falsePositiveIf?: string;
}
}
```
## Development
```bash
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build
npm run build
# Watch mode
npm run watch
# Test with MCP inspector
npm run inspector
```
## Contributing
Contributions welcome! Please:
1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add patterns following the existing format
4. Submit a pull request
## License
MIT
## Links
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/salrad22/code-sentinel)
- [npm package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/code-sentinel-mcp)
- [Remote Server](https://code-sentinel-mcp.sharara.dev/)
- [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/)
- [Claude Code](https://claude.ai/code)