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docs: add reconnaissance skill docs for nmap, nuclei, httpx, and ffuf#325

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docs: add reconnaissance skill docs for nmap, nuclei, httpx, and ffuf#325
mason5052 wants to merge 6 commits intousestrix:mainfrom
mason5052:skill/sandbox-tool-docs

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@mason5052 mason5052 commented Feb 23, 2026

Summary

Adds 6 reconnaissance skill reference files for the sandbox tools listed in Issue #278, plus a YAML frontmatter example in the skills README.

New skill files:

  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/nmap.md -- port scanning, service detection, NSE scripts, two-phase workflow, output parsing
  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/nuclei.md -- template-based vulnerability scanning, tag/severity filtering, rate limiting, scan sequences
  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/httpx.md -- HTTP probing, tech detection, TLS certificate inspection, JSON output parsing
  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/ffuf.md -- directory fuzzing, parameter fuzzing, vhost enumeration, response filtering, authenticated scanning
  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/subfinder.md -- passive subdomain enumeration, API key configuration, JSONL output, scope filtering
  • strix/skills/reconnaissance/wafw00f.md -- WAF detection and fingerprinting, WAF-aware scan rate adjustment per WAF family

README improvement:

  • strix/skills/README.md -- adds a YAML frontmatter code block example to the "Creating New Skills" section so contributors can see the exact format without having to infer it from existing files

Each skill file follows the same structure: YAML frontmatter, core usage, key flags reference table, common scenarios, tool chaining examples, output parsing, validation steps, false positive guidance, and pro tips.

Closes #278

Add four skill reference files covering the core sandbox recon tools:
- nmap.md: port scanning, service detection, NSE scripts, two-phase workflow
- nuclei.md: template-based vuln scanning, tag/severity filtering, scan sequences
- httpx.md: HTTP probing, tech detection, status filtering, JSON output parsing
- ffuf.md: directory fuzzing, parameter fuzzing, vhost enumeration, response filtering

Each skill includes: core usage, flag reference, common scenarios, tool chaining
examples, output parsing, validation steps, and false positive guidance.

Closes usestrix#278
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 23, 2026 19:23
@greptile-apps
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greptile-apps bot commented Feb 23, 2026

Greptile Summary

Adds comprehensive documentation for four reconnaissance tools (nmap, nuclei, httpx, ffuf) to guide AI agents during penetration testing. All files follow the established skill format with valid YAML frontmatter, structured sections covering core usage, flag references, common scenarios, output parsing, validation steps, and tool chaining examples. The documentation is thorough, practical, and aligned with the tool versions installed in the sandbox container (containers/Dockerfile). Total of ~1037 lines across 4 files providing actionable guidance for network scanning, vulnerability detection, HTTP probing, and web fuzzing workflows.

Confidence Score: 5/5

  • This PR is safe to merge with no risk - it only adds documentation files
  • Documentation-only PR that adds four well-structured skill reference files. All files follow existing conventions, have valid YAML frontmatter, contain accurate command examples verified against installed tool versions, and provide comprehensive guidance for AI agents. No code changes, no security concerns, no breaking changes.
  • No files require special attention

Important Files Changed

Filename Overview
strix/skills/reconnaissance/nmap.md Well-structured nmap documentation with comprehensive flag reference, NSE scripts, and practical scanning workflows
strix/skills/reconnaissance/nuclei.md Thorough nuclei template-based scanning guide with severity filtering, rate control, and JSON output parsing
strix/skills/reconnaissance/httpx.md Complete httpx probing guide covering tech detection, status filtering, TLS certificate extraction, and tool chaining
strix/skills/reconnaissance/ffuf.md Comprehensive ffuf fuzzing guide with auto-calibration, response filtering, parameter fuzzing, and vhost enumeration

Last reviewed commit: 085990e

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Pull request overview

This PR adds comprehensive skill reference documentation for four core reconnaissance tools used in the Strix sandbox environment. These documentation files provide agents with detailed CLI syntax, common usage patterns, and best practices for network discovery, web probing, vulnerability scanning, and directory fuzzing during penetration testing engagements. The documentation structure follows the established pattern used in existing vulnerability skill files (xss.md, sqli.md, etc.), ensuring consistency across the codebase.

Changes:

  • Added nmap skill documentation covering port scanning, service detection, NSE scripts, and two-phase scanning workflows
  • Added nuclei skill documentation for template-based vulnerability scanning with tag/severity filtering and JSON output parsing
  • Added httpx skill documentation for HTTP probing, technology detection, and TLS certificate extraction
  • Added ffuf skill documentation for directory/file fuzzing, parameter enumeration, vhost discovery, and response filtering techniques

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File Description
strix/skills/reconnaissance/nmap.md Documents nmap port scanning capabilities including TCP/UDP scanning, service version detection, OS fingerprinting, NSE script usage, and output parsing for tool chaining
strix/skills/reconnaissance/nuclei.md Documents nuclei vulnerability scanner with template categories, tag-based filtering, severity levels, rate control options, and JSON output interpretation
strix/skills/reconnaissance/httpx.md Documents httpx web probing including status code filtering, technology fingerprinting, TLS certificate inspection, and integration with subdomain enumeration pipelines
strix/skills/reconnaissance/ffuf.md Documents ffuf web fuzzer covering directory discovery, parameter fuzzing, vhost enumeration, response filtering strategies, and wordlist locations in the sandbox environment

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Extends sandbox tool skill coverage (Issue usestrix#278) with two additional
reconnaissance tools:

- subfinder.md: passive subdomain enumeration, source configuration,
  API key setup, JSONL output parsing, pipeline integration with
  httpx/nuclei/ffuf, scope filtering, and subdomain takeover hints
- wafw00f.md: WAF detection and fingerprinting, output formats (text/
  JSON/CSV), WAF family comparison table with scan strategy adjustments
  per WAF type, WAF-aware nuclei/ffuf rate tuning, and detection logic
  explanation

Both follow the established skill format with flag reference tables,
chaining examples, validation steps, false positive guidance, and
pro tips.
- Fix nmap greppable output parsing to use correct awk field extraction
  from Ports: lines instead of unreliable grep/awk pipe on raw output
- Fix httpx JSON parsing to handle version-dependent field names
  (status_code vs status-code) with fallback access pattern
- Reorder nmap.md sections to match standard skill template flow
- Add authorized-targets-only notice to all 6 reconnaissance skill intros
@mason5052
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Quick update: pushed a fix commit (ed53f34) that addresses:

  • Fixed nmap -oG greppable output parsing to use proper awk field extraction from Ports: lines instead of unreliable grep | awk '{print $2}' pipe
  • Added version-safe JSON field access for httpx (handles both status_code and status-code across versions with fallback helper)
  • Reordered nmap.md sections to better match the standard skill template flow
  • Added authorized-targets-only scope notice to all 6 reconnaissance skill intros

All other files unchanged. Ready for review whenever you get a chance!

- Replace unreliable grep/awk -oG parsing with proper Ports: field
  extraction (consistent with nmap.md and httpx.md)
- Use dict.get() for nuclei JSON output parsing to prevent KeyError
  on missing info/severity/template-id fields
@mason5052
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Hi @0xallam -- just a friendly ping on this one. It's been about a week since the last update and the PR is ready for review whenever you get a chance. Both Copilot and Greptile gave clean assessments (0 issues / 5 out of 5), and I addressed the nmap parsing and httpx version-compat items in the latest commits. No rush at all -- I know there's a queue. Happy to make any changes if needed!

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Add SKILL.md tool reference docs for sandbox tools

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