How to Block AI from Modifying CI/CD Configuration Files

SafeClaw by Authensor prevents AI agents from modifying CI/CD configuration files — including GitHub Actions workflows, GitLab CI, CircleCI, and Jenkins configs — through deny-by-default action gating. A single policy block protects all your pipeline definitions from unauthorized changes. Install with npx @authensor/safeclaw and your CI/CD configs are locked down immediately.

Why CI/CD Config Is a High-Value Target

CI/CD configuration files define what runs in your deployment pipeline. An AI agent that modifies these files could:

• Inject malicious steps that execute during builds (cryptominers, backdoors)
• Modify deployment targets to push code to attacker-controlled servers
• Add exfiltration steps that send secrets to external endpoints
• Change test configurations to skip security checks
• Add workflow triggers that fire on unintended events

Step 1: Install SafeClaw

npx @authensor/safeclaw

Zero dependencies, MIT licensed. Works with Claude, OpenAI, and all agent frameworks.

Step 2: Block GitHub Actions Modifications

# safeclaw.policy.yaml
rules:
  - action: file.write
    path: "/.github/workflows/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "AI agents cannot modify GitHub Actions workflows"

- action: file.create
    path: "/.github/workflows/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "AI agents cannot create new GitHub Actions workflows"

- action: file.delete
    path: "/.github/workflows/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "AI agents cannot delete GitHub Actions workflows"

- action: file.write
    path: "/.github/actions/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "AI agents cannot modify custom GitHub Actions"

Step 3: Block All CI/CD Platforms

Extend protection to every major CI/CD platform:

rules:
  # GitLab CI
  - action: file.write
    path: "**/.gitlab-ci.yml"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of GitLab CI config"

- action: file.write
    path: "/.gitlab/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of GitLab config directory"

# CircleCI
  - action: file.write
    path: "/.circleci/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of CircleCI config"

# Jenkins
  - action: file.write
    path: "**/Jenkinsfile"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Jenkinsfile"

- action: file.write
    path: "*/Jenkinsfile."
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Jenkinsfile variants"

# Travis CI
  - action: file.write
    path: "**/.travis.yml"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Travis CI config"

# Azure DevOps
  - action: file.write
    path: "**/azure-pipelines.yml"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Azure Pipelines config"

# Buildkite
  - action: file.write
    path: "/.buildkite/"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Buildkite config"

# Drone CI
  - action: file.write
    path: "**/.drone.yml"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block modification of Drone CI config"

Step 4: Allow Reading CI Config

Your agent likely needs to read CI configuration for context — to understand the build process or debug failures:

rules:
  - action: file.read
    path: "/.github/workflows/"
    effect: allow
    reason: "Agent can read workflows for context"

- action: file.read
    path: "**/.gitlab-ci.yml"
    effect: allow
    reason: "Agent can read GitLab CI for context"

- action: file.read
    path: "**/Jenkinsfile"
    effect: allow
    reason: "Agent can read Jenkinsfile for context"

Step 5: Block CI-Related Shell Commands

An agent might try to trigger pipelines or modify configs through CLI tools:

rules:
  - action: shell.execute
    command_pattern: "gh workflow *"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block GitHub CLI workflow commands"

- action: shell.execute
    command_pattern: "gh run *"
    effect: deny
    reason: "Block triggering GitHub Actions runs"

Step 6: Test and Audit

npx @authensor/safeclaw --simulate

Ask the agent to modify a workflow file:

[DENIED] file.write: ".github/workflows/deploy.yml"
  Rule: "AI agents cannot modify GitHub Actions workflows"

Check the hash-chained audit trail:

npx @authensor/safeclaw audit --filter "path:.github"

SafeClaw is open-source with 446 tests and works with both Claude and OpenAI providers. Every CI config access attempt is logged tamper-proof.

Related Pages

• How to Prevent AI from Modifying Your Dockerfile
• How to Prevent AI from Pushing to the Main Branch
• Workflow: CI/CD AI Safety
• Recipe: CI/CD Pipeline Agent