Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Spring Boot Security Review agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The springboot-security skill is a set of Spring Security guidelines, checklists and good and bad code examples that an AI agent reads when it works on a Java Spring Boot service. It is aimed at Java developers who build or maintain REST APIs, and at teams that want a security checklist during code review. After this guide you will know what the skill changes about the agent's behaviour, how to install it, how to ask for it in plain language, and where its limits are.

Spring Boot Security Reviewaffaan-m/ECC · MIT Download the skill

Quick start

1Download the ZIP. Download the springboot-security ZIP from this page and unzip it so you have a folder containing SKILL.md.
2Choose the install location. Copy the folder to ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or to .claude/skills/ in one repository.
3Or upload it in the Claude apps. If you use the Claude apps, open Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the skill there.
4Open a Spring Boot project. Start the agent in a Java Spring Boot project that uses Spring Security or a similar stack.
5Make a plain-language request. Ask for a security review or a secure implementation of a specific topic such as validation, JWT or CORS.
6Check each suggestion. Read the proposed change, confirm it fits your app, and test it before it goes anywhere near production.

What is an agent skill, and what does this one make the agent do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file with instructions that an AI coding agent can load when a task matches the skill. This skill is named springboot-security and originates from the ECC project. Its file is SKILL.md only, and it is licensed MIT.

When the skill is active, the agent writes and reviews Java Spring Boot code with security practices in mind. The file covers when to activate it: adding JWT, OAuth2 or session authentication, implementing role-based authorization, validating input, configuring CORS, CSRF or security headers, managing secrets, adding rate limiting, and scanning dependencies for CVEs.

Authentication: prefer stateless JWT or opaque tokens with a revocation list; use httpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Strict cookies for sessions.
Authorization: enable method security with @EnableMethodSecurity and use @PreAuthorize checks; deny by default.
Input validation: use Bean Validation with @Valid and constraints on DTOs.
SQL injection: use Spring Data repositories or parameterized native queries, never string concatenation.
Passwords: hash with BCrypt or Argon2 through a PasswordEncoder bean.
CSRF and CORS: keep CSRF on for browser session apps; restrict CORS origins and never use * in production.
Secrets: keep them out of source and application.yml; load from environment variables or a vault.
Security headers, rate limiting with Bucket4j, file upload checks, and logging without sensitive data.
A pre-release checklist covering these areas.

How do you install the springboot-security skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. The skill is delivered as a folder containing SKILL.md. Put that folder in one of two places:

For all your projects, place it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder so it applies only there and can be shared through the repository.

If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Personal (all projects): ~/.claude/skills/springboot-security/
Single project: .claude/skills/springboot-security/ inside your repository
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload

What does the skill need before it is useful?

The skill is written for Java and Spring Boot. Its examples use Spring Security, Bean Validation, Spring Data, Spring Cloud Vault and Bucket4j, so your project should use those or equivalents. Without a Java Spring Boot project the guidance will not transfer directly.

The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. It consists of instructions and code examples only.

A Java Spring Boot project
Familiarity with the libraries above if you want to adapt the examples
No scripts are run and no network access is used by the skill itself

How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?

You do not need a special command. Describe the security-related task in plain language and the agent can use the skill when the request matches its topics. The skill's own activation list names adding authentication, authorization, input validation, CORS, CSRF, security headers, secrets, rate limiting and dependency scanning, so mention one of those topics explicitly.

Asking for a review works as well as asking for new code. Naming the file or endpoint helps the agent apply the right checklist item.

"Review the user controller for missing validation and authorization checks."
"Add JWT authentication to this Spring Boot API using a OncePerRequestFilter."
"Check our CORS and CSRF configuration for a browser client on app.example.com."
"Move the database password out of application.yml into environment variables."
"Add rate limiting to the login endpoint."

What does a review look like in practice?

The skill includes bad and good examples, so the agent can point to risky code and compare it with a safer pattern. For instance, it shows a controller that accepts a request body without @Valid next to a version using a validated record DTO. It also shows SQL built by concatenating a name into a string, next to a parameterized @Query.

Treat the output as a list of things to check, not a verdict. Ask the agent to explain each finding and to show which line it refers to, then decide what to change.

@PostMapping("/users")
public ResponseEntity<UserDto> createUser(@Valid @RequestBody CreateUserDto dto) {
  return ResponseEntity.status(HttpStatus.CREATED)
      .body(userService.create(dto));
}

What should you check before applying the suggestions?

Several examples in the skill need context-specific judgement. Disabling CSRF is shown for pure APIs that use Bearer tokens, which is only appropriate when that matches your app. The rate-limit example keeps buckets in an in-memory map keyed by client IP, and the CORS example sets allowCredentials to true, so both must be checked against your deployment.

The skill is guidance, not a scanner. It can miss issues or suggest configuration that is out of date. Its dependency section tells you to run OWASP Dependency Check or Snyk in CI, but the skill itself does not perform that scan.

Confirm CSRF settings match whether you use session cookies or Bearer tokens.
Check the rate-limit approach suits your scaling setup.
Review CORS origins and credential settings.
Run a real dependency scanner and any tests for your application.

What people use it for

Reviewing a REST controller for missing @Valid and @PreAuthorize annotations before a pull request is merged.
Adding JWT authentication through a OncePerRequestFilter to an existing Spring service.
Moving database credentials from application.yml into environment variables or Spring Cloud Vault.
Checking CORS and CSRF settings when a single-page app calls a Spring backend.
Adding per-client rate limiting with Bucket4j to a login or expensive endpoint.

Frequently asked questions

Is the springboot-security skill free?

The skill is released under the MIT licence, as stated on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms.

How do I install an agent skill like springboot-security?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it. Place the springboot-security folder in ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects or in .claude/skills/ inside one project. In the Claude apps you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What do I need to use this skill?

You need a Java and Spring Boot project. The examples use Spring Security, Bean Validation, Spring Data, Spring Cloud Vault and Bucket4j. The skill runs no scripts and uses no network.

Does the skill work for non-Java projects?

No. The guidance is specific to Spring Boot, and its patterns will not transfer directly to other languages or frameworks.

Can the skill replace a security audit?

No. It is a set of guidelines and examples, not a scanner. The agent may miss issues or suggest outdated configuration, so use it alongside proper review and tooling such as OWASP Dependency Check or Snyk.

Why does the skill mention disabling CSRF?

It shows CSRF disabled for pure APIs using Bearer tokens with stateless sessions. For browser session apps it says to keep CSRF enabled. Choose the setting that matches your app and do not copy it blindly.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you build or maintain Java Spring Boot REST APIs and want an agent that checks for common security gaps while you code or review. Pick a different resource if your project is not in Java or Spring Boot, or if you need a full security audit or automated scanner. Any configuration the agent suggests should be reviewed for your context before it reaches production.

Download the skill