- Updated: March 21, 2026
- 9 min read
Automating Security Audits for the OpenClaw Full‑Stack Template
Automating security audits for the OpenClaw Full‑Stack Template means embedding SAST, DAST, and dependency‑scanning tools directly into your GitHub Actions or GitLab CI pipelines, then surfacing the results as pull‑request comments or status checks.
Introduction
The OpenClaw Full‑Stack Template accelerates development of modern web applications, but speed must never compromise security. By wiring static application security testing (SAST), dynamic application security testing (DAST), and dependency‑scanning tools into CI/CD, teams gain continuous protection without manual effort. This guide walks you through step‑by‑step integration of SonarQube, CodeQL, OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, Dependabot, and Snyk for both GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. You’ll also learn how to surface findings as PR comments or status checks, turning every build into a security gate.
Why automate security audits?
- Shift‑left protection: Detect vulnerabilities early, when they’re cheapest to fix.
- Consistent coverage: Every commit, merge, and release is scanned automatically.
- Developer‑centric feedback: Findings appear directly in the pull‑request, reducing context‑switching.
- Compliance readiness: Automated reports satisfy standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, and PCI‑DSS.
Integrating SAST
3.1 SonarQube in GitHub Actions
SonarQube provides deep static analysis for multiple languages. Add the following workflow to .github/workflows/sonarqube.yml:
name: SonarQube Scan
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
pull_request:
types: [ opened, synchronize ]
jobs:
sonar:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Set up JDK 11
uses: actions/setup-java@v3
with:
java-version: '11'
- name: Cache SonarQube scanner
uses: actions/cache@v3
with:
path: ~/.sonar/cache
key: ${{ runner.os }}-sonar
- name: SonarQube Scan
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
run: |
curl -sSLo sonar-scanner.zip https://binaries.sonarsource.com/Distribution/sonar-scanner-cli/sonar-scanner-cli-5.0.1.3009-linux.zip
unzip sonar-scanner.zip -d $HOME
$HOME/sonar-scanner-5.0.1.3009-linux/bin/sonar-scanner \
-Dsonar.projectKey=${{ github.repository }} \
-Dsonar.sources=. \
-Dsonar.host.url=${{ secrets.SONAR_HOST_URL }} \
-Dsonar.login=$SONAR_TOKEN
- name: Upload SARIF report
uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
with:
sarif_file: ${{ runner.temp }}/sonarqube-report.sarif
Configure SONAR_TOKEN and SONAR_HOST_URL as repository secrets. The SARIF upload enables GitHub’s native code scanning UI.
3.2 SonarQube in GitLab CI
Create .gitlab-ci.yml with a dedicated sonarqube job:
stages:
- test
- sonar
sonarqube:
stage: sonar
image: maven:3.8-openjdk-11
script:
- apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl unzip
- curl -sSLo sonar-scanner.zip https://binaries.sonarsource.com/Distribution/sonar-scanner-cli/sonar-scanner-cli-5.0.1.3009-linux.zip
- unzip sonar-scanner.zip -d $HOME
- $HOME/sonar-scanner-5.0.1.3009-linux/bin/sonar-scanner \
-Dsonar.projectKey=$CI_PROJECT_PATH \
-Dsonar.sources=. \
-Dsonar.host.url=$SONAR_HOST_URL \
-Dsonar.login=$SONAR_TOKEN
only:
- merge_requests
variables:
SONAR_TOKEN: $SONAR_TOKEN
SONAR_HOST_URL: $SONAR_HOST_URL
Store SONAR_TOKEN and SONAR_HOST_URL as protected CI/CD variables. GitLab will mark the pipeline as passed/failed based on the SonarQube quality gate.
3.3 CodeQL in GitHub Actions
GitHub’s native CodeQL engine is ideal for OpenClaw’s JavaScript/TypeScript front‑end and Python back‑end. Add the official CodeQL workflow:
name: CodeQL Analysis
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
pull_request:
types: [ opened, synchronize ]
jobs:
analyze:
name: Analyze
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
permissions:
actions: read
contents: read
security-events: write
strategy:
matrix:
language: [ 'javascript', 'python' ]
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Initialize CodeQL
uses: github/codeql-action/init@v2
with:
languages: ${{ matrix.language }}
- name: Autobuild
uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@v2
- name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v2
with:
category: "/language:${{ matrix.language }}"
The analysis results appear under the “Security” tab of each PR, and failures block merges automatically.
3.4 CodeQL in GitLab CI
While GitLab doesn’t ship CodeQL natively, you can run it in a container. First, add a Docker image that contains the CodeQL CLI, then invoke it:
stages:
- codeql
codeql_scan:
stage: codeql
image: ghcr.io/github/codeql-action:latest
script:
- codeql database create db --language=javascript --source=. --threads=0
- codeql database analyze db javascript-security-extended.qls --format=sarifv2.1.0 --output=codeql-results.sarif
artifacts:
reports:
sarif: codeql-results.sarif
only:
- merge_requests
GitLab will ingest the SARIF artifact and surface findings in the merge‑request UI.
Integrating DAST
4.1 OWASP ZAP in GitHub Actions
OWASP ZAP can be run headlessly against a deployed OpenClaw instance. Use the official ZAP Docker image:
name: OWASP ZAP Scan
on:
workflow_dispatch:
push:
branches: [ main ]
jobs:
zap:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
services:
web:
image: ubos/openclaw:latest
ports:
- 8080:8080
env:
NODE_ENV: production
steps:
- name: Wait for app to be ready
run: |
for i in {1..30}; do
curl -s http://localhost:8080/health && break || sleep 2
done
- name: Run ZAP Baseline Scan
uses: zaproxy/action-baseline@v0.9.0
with:
target: http://localhost:8080
token: ${{ secrets.ZAP_API_TOKEN }}
- name: Upload SARIF
uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
with:
sarif_file: zap-report.sarif
The SARIF file is automatically attached to the PR, giving developers instant visibility.
4.2 OWASP ZAP in GitLab CI
In GitLab, spin up the OpenClaw container as a service and run ZAP’s baseline scan:
stages:
- dast
zap_scan:
stage: dast
image: owasp/zap2docker-stable
services:
- name: ubos/openclaw:latest
alias: web
script:
- apk add --no-cache curl
- until curl -s http://web:8080/health; do echo "Waiting..."; sleep 5; done
- zap-baseline.py -t http://web:8080 -r zap-report.html
artifacts:
paths:
- zap-report.html
reports:
dast: zap-report.html
only:
- merge_requests
The generated HTML report appears under the “Security & Compliance” section of the merge request.
4.3 Burp Suite in GitHub Actions
Burp Suite Professional can be invoked via its CLI. Store the license and API key as secrets.
name: Burp Suite Scan
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
jobs:
burp:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
services:
web:
image: ubos/openclaw:latest
ports:
- 8080:8080
steps:
- name: Install Burp Suite CLI
run: |
wget -q https://portswigger.net/burp/releases/download?product=pro&version=2023.9.2 -O burp.jar
- name: Wait for app
run: |
for i in {1..30}; do curl -s http://localhost:8080/health && break || sleep 2; done
- name: Run Scan
env:
BURP_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.BURP_API_KEY }}
run: |
java -jar burp.jar \
--project-file burp-project.burp \
--url http://localhost:8080 \
--scan \
--output burp-report.json
- name: Convert to SARIF
run: |
npx @burp/sarif-converter burp-report.json -o burp-report.sarif
- name: Upload SARIF
uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
with:
sarif_file: burp-report.sarif
Findings are posted as code‑scanning alerts, and the pipeline fails if critical issues are detected.
4.4 Burp Suite in GitLab CI
GitLab can run Burp in a similar fashion, using a custom Docker image that contains the CLI:
stages:
- dast
burp_scan:
stage: dast
image: openjdk:11-jdk
services:
- name: ubos/openclaw:latest
alias: web
script:
- wget -q https://portswigger.net/burp/releases/download?product=pro&version=2023.9.2 -O burp.jar
- until curl -s http://web:8080/health; do echo "Waiting..."; sleep 5; done
- java -jar burp.jar --url http://web:8080 --scan --output burp-report.json
- npx @burp/sarif-converter burp-report.json -o burp-report.sarif
artifacts:
reports:
dast: burp-report.sarif
only:
- merge_requests
The SARIF artifact is parsed by GitLab’s DAST UI, giving developers a concise list of vulnerabilities.
Dependency‑Scanning
5.1 Dependabot in GitHub Actions
Dependabot is built into GitHub and does not require a separate workflow. Add a .github/dependabot.yml file:
version: 2
updates:
- package-ecosystem: npm
directory: "/"
schedule:
interval: weekly
- package-ecosystem: pip
directory: "/"
schedule:
interval: weekly
- package-ecosystem: docker
directory: "/"
schedule:
interval: weekly
Dependabot will open pull requests with updated dependencies. To enforce a security gate, enable Require status checks to pass before merging and add the dependency-review check in your branch protection rules.
5.2 Snyk in GitHub Actions and GitLab CI
Snyk offers deep vulnerability databases for both open‑source and container images.
name: Snyk Scan
on:
push:
branches: [ main ]
pull_request:
jobs:
snyk:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Set up Node
uses: actions/setup-node@v3
with:
node-version: '18'
- name: Run Snyk test
env:
SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
run: |
npm install -g snyk
snyk test --json > snyk-report.json
- name: Upload SARIF
uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
with:
sarif_file: snyk-report.json
stages:
- test
- snyk
snyk_scan:
stage: snyk
image: node:18-alpine
script:
- npm install -g snyk
- snyk test --json > snyk-report.json
artifacts:
reports:
sast: snyk-report.json
only:
- merge_requests
Both pipelines publish SARIF/SAST reports that appear directly in the merge‑request UI.
Surfacing findings (pull‑request comments, status checks)
Regardless of the tool, the goal is to surface results where developers already work. Below are three proven patterns:
Comment‑based feedback
Use the actions/github-script action (GitHub) or the curl API (GitLab) to post a comment with a markdown table of high‑severity findings.
# Example for GitHub
- name: Post findings as comment
uses: actions/github-script@v6
with:
script: |
const findings = require('./sonarqube-report.json');
const markdown = findings.issues.map(i => `| ${i.rule} | ${i.severity} | ${i.component} |`).join('\n');
const body = `## :warning: Security Findings\n| Rule | Severity | File |\n|------|----------|------|\n${markdown}`;
github.rest.issues.createComment({
issue_number: context.issue.number,
owner: context.repo.owner,
repo: context.repo.repo,
body
});
Status‑check integration
Both GitHub and GitLab treat SARIF uploads as status checks. Configure branch protection to require the code‑scanning or sast check to be successful before merging.
Dashboard aggregation
For larger teams, funnel all SARIF artifacts into a central UBOS portfolio examples dashboard using the Web app editor on UBOS. The editor can ingest JSON, render tables, and send Slack or Teams alerts for critical findings.
Embedding internal link
If you’re looking for a ready‑to‑run OpenClaw environment with built‑in CI pipelines, the OpenClaw hosting solution on UBOS provides a pre‑configured Docker stack, automatic TLS, and one‑click deployment of the security workflows described above.
Additional UBOS resources you may find useful
- UBOS homepage – Overview of the low‑code AI platform.
- UBOS platform overview – How the platform orchestrates CI/CD and AI agents.
- Enterprise AI platform by UBOS – Scaling security automation for large teams.
- UBOS partner program – Co‑sell security‑focused templates.
- UBOS templates for quick start – Jump‑start a new OpenClaw project.
- AI SEO Analyzer – Ensure your documentation stays searchable.
- AI Article Copywriter – Generate release notes automatically.
- AI Video Generator – Create security demo videos.
Conclusion
Automating security audits for the OpenClaw Full‑Stack Template transforms a fast‑development stack into a secure, compliance‑ready platform. By embedding SonarQube, CodeQL, OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, Dependabot, and Snyk into GitHub Actions or GitLab CI, you achieve:
- Continuous detection of code‑level and runtime vulnerabilities.
- Immediate, contextual feedback via PR comments and status checks.
- Scalable, repeatable security posture across teams and environments.
- Seamless integration with UBOS’s low‑code AI ecosystem for dashboards, alerts, and automated remediation.
Start by adding the YAML snippets above, configure the required secrets, and watch your OpenClaw applications become security‑first by design.
© 2026 UBOS – Empowering developers with AI‑driven automation.