Catch-up — Put a Gate in Front of What Your Agents Install
Unattended dependency installation needs an explicit gate because agents and CI cannot pause to exercise human suspicion.
- GitHub says agents and CI runners are vulnerable because they install dependencies without a human in the loop.
- GitHub says package-firewall controls include a cooldown, advisory-database checks, and supply-chain checks such as attestation downgrades.
- GitHub says its package firewall currently supports only npm packages.
- GitHub says the package-firewall service is free during the preview period.
Catch-up written 24 October 2026 for 2026-10-20; covers a source published 2026-10-20.
An agent can introduce a malicious or immature package while completing an otherwise ordinary task, turning convenience into a supply-chain path.
Write install rules for automated work: require the lockfile, set a minimum package age, name who approves additions, and define what happens when checks fail.
Put it to work 30 minutes
Agent dependency-install rules for one repository
Write the install rules for agents in your repository: lockfile required, minimum package age, who approves a new dependency, and what the agent does when blocked.
See a worked example
Use a real, bounded workflow and record unknowns rather than estimating them. Keep the result small enough to review with a teammate.
- Workflow or decision
- A real workflow the team repeats each week.
- Evidence to record
- Quality, time, cost, failures, and reviewer notes.
- Decision rule
- Keep the current approach unless the agreed checks pass.
Your turn
Name the exact case you will test.
List the observations needed to make the decision.
Write what the evidence will make you do.
Your draft stays in this browser. No account needed.
GitHub says the preview supports npm only. Small teams can still gain much of the protection through lockfiles, clean installs, and a package-age rule.
Reported facts and quotations were checked against the named sources; the recommended exercise is editorial guidance to test in your own context.
Did any automated install bypass the dependency rules?
Watch: New dependencies added outside the approval path · Installs blocked by age, advisory, or attestation checksKeep Going