trailmark-summary
Runs a Trailmark summary analysis on a codebase. Returns auto-detected languages, entry point count, and dependency list
Install / Use
npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill trailmark-summaryInstalls into whichever agent you are using.
SKILL.md
Installable skill definition
Quality Score
Category
AutomationSupported Platforms
Tags
Our assessment of trailmark-summary
trailmark-summary scores 90/100 on our quality scale, 718th of 1,990 Automation skills we index (top 37%).
Its SKILL.md is 3.6 KB long, split into 6 sections with 4 code examples: a solid amount of guidance for an agent.
With 7,225 GitHub stars, it is one of the more widely adopted skills in the catalogue.
Maintenance, license and trust
- The repository was last updated 4 days ago, so trailmark-summary is actively maintained.
- It is released under the CC-BY-SA-4.0 license; check its terms before commercial use.
- Its trust signals score 100/100, with no cautions. These come from repository metadata, not a code audit — read the skill file before letting an agent act on it.
trailmark-summary compared with similar skills
All 4 of these similar skills score higher than trailmark-summary; compare them before choosing.
| Skill | Score | Stars | Updated | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trailmark-summary (this skill)by trailofbits | 90 | 7.2k | 4d ago | SKILL.md |
| Agent-Reachby Panniantong | 100 | 85.8k | 12d ago | CLAUDE.md |
| rufloby ruvnet | 100 | 73.4k | today | CLAUDE.md |
| Scraplingby D4Vinci | 100 | 84.1k | today | MCP Server |
| algorithmic-artby anthropics | 100 | 177.9k | 5d ago | SKILL.md |
Frequently asked questions
- How do I install trailmark-summary?
- Run
npx skills add trailofbits/skills --skill trailmark-summary. The install tabs above show the steps for each supported agent. - Which AI agents does trailmark-summary work with?
- It is written for Universal, as a SKILL.md file. Other agents that read the same format can often use it too.
- Is trailmark-summary safe to use?
- It is CC-BY-SA-4.0-licensed and scores 100/100 on trust signals. Skills are instructions an agent will follow, so read the file before installing it and do not approve commands you do not understand.
- Is trailmark-summary still maintained?
- The repository was last updated 4 days ago, so trailmark-summary is actively maintained.
Skill content
View source on GitHubname: trailmark-summary description: "Runs a Trailmark summary analysis on a codebase. Returns auto-detected languages, entry point count, and dependency list. Use when vivisect or galvanize needs a quick structural overview. Triggers: trailmark summary, code summary, structural overview." allowed-tools: Bash Read Grep Glob
Trailmark Summary
Runs trailmark analyze --language auto --summary on a target directory.
This is a v0.2-safe workflow; do not require Trailmark 0.4.0 just to produce a
summary.
When to Use
- Vivisect Phase 0 needs a quick structural overview before decomposition
- Galvanize Phase 1 needs detected languages and entry point count
- Quick orientation on an unfamiliar codebase before deeper analysis
When NOT to Use
- Full structural analysis with all passes needed (use
trailmark-structural) - Detailed code graph queries (use the main
trailmarkskill directly) - You need hotspot scores or taint data (use
trailmark-structural)
Rationalizations to Reject
| Rationalization | Why It's Wrong | Required Action |
|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
| "I can read the code manually instead" | Manual reading misses parser-based language detection, dependency data, and entry point enumeration | Install and run trailmark |
| "Language detection doesn't matter" | Wrong language selection produces empty or partial analysis | Use Trailmark's parser-based detection or --language auto |
| "Partial output is good enough" | Missing any of the three required outputs (detected languages, entry points, dependencies) means incomplete analysis | Verify all three are present |
| "Tool isn't installed, I'll skip it" | This skill exists specifically to run trailmark | Report the installation gap instead of skipping |
Usage
The target directory is passed via the args parameter.
Execution
Step 1: Check that trailmark is available.
trailmark analyze --help 2>/dev/null || \
uv run trailmark analyze --help 2>/dev/null
If neither command works, report "trailmark is not installed"
and return. Do NOT run pip install, uv pip install,
git clone, or any install command. The user must install
trailmark themselves.
Optionally record the version if the installed build supports it:
trailmark --version 2>/dev/null || uv run trailmark --version 2>/dev/null || true
Do not fail if the version command is missing; older v0.2.x builds may still support the summary workflow.
Step 2: Detect languages with Trailmark's parse API.
python3 - "{args}" <<'PY'
import json
import sys
try:
from trailmark.parse import detect_languages # canonical location since 0.3.x
except ModuleNotFoundError:
# v0.2.x predates trailmark.parse; the same function lives in query.api
from trailmark.query.api import detect_languages
print(json.dumps(detect_languages(sys.argv[1])))
PY
If the import fails, rerun the same snippet with uv run --with trailmark python - "{args}".
If the result is [], report "Trailmark found no supported languages under
target" and return.
Step 3: Run the summary with auto-detection.
trailmark analyze --language auto --summary {args} 2>&1 || \
uv run trailmark analyze --language auto --summary {args} 2>&1
Step 4: Verify the output.
The output must include ALL THREE of:
- Detected languages from Step 2
Entrypoints:line from the summary outputDependencies:line from the summary output
If any are missing, report the gap. Do not fabricate output.
Return the detected language list plus the full Trailmark summary output. If a version string was available, include it in the returned metadata.
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Languages
Trust signals
From repository metadata: license, adoption, age and documentation. Not a code audit — see the Safety scan above for what the skill file itself contains.
