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How do I verify dependencies introduced by AI coding assistants? Treat every suggested package as an unverified proposal. Before merging, confirm that the exact package exists in the intended registry, is the project you meant (not a typosquat), is necessary and appropriately scoped, and comes from an expected source. Then inspect the complete direct and transitive dependency tree, resolve it through the project’s configured package manager, commit a lockfile with integrity data, check current advisories, and verify signatures or build provenance when available. Finally, review the manifest and lockfile diff and make the same checks run automatically in CI.
Why an AI-suggested package needs independent verification
Code assistants generate plausible names, import statements and installation commands, but plausibility is not package identity. A model may invent a package that does not exist, confuse two similarly named projects, or select a real package whose maintainers, code and permissions do not match the intended use. Attackers can watch for names that assistants hallucinate and register those names first. OWASP describes this as AI-assisted typosquatting.
Existence is therefore only the first check. A package can be present on a public registry and still be a newly created look-alike, an abandoned project, or an implementation with a much broader capability and dependency footprint than your feature requires. Verification also has to answer whether the package is needed, whether the resolved artifacts are the ones you expected, whether they contain known vulnerabilities, and whether the downloaded bytes and publisher claims can be trusted.
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A USENIX Security 2025 study by Joseph Spracklen and coauthors classified 440,445 of 2.23 million generated package recommendations as hallucinations, or 19.7 percent, across a defined set of 16 models, Python and JavaScript experiments, prompts and methods. That result is not a universal current rate for every assistant or coding task; model behavior and prompts change.
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ENISA’s March 2026 technical advisory frames the risk this way: “The use of AI-assisted development tools, particularly when most coding is delegated to AI with little or no human review (sometimes known as ‘vibe coding’), introduces new considerations in the secure use of package managers.” The practical response is a repeatable review, not a ban on AI-assisted development.
The verification workflow
1. Inspect the proposed change before installing anything
Start with the code and configuration diff. Do not run an assistant’s install command blindly in a working checkout or on a developer machine that contains credentials.
- Identify every new manifest entry, lockfile entry, import, plugin, build step and install or post-install script.
- Record the exact package name, requested version range, ecosystem and registry or source.
- Ask the assistant to explain the package’s role, the API it uses and why the standard library or an already approved dependency cannot provide the same capability.
- Check those explanations against the code and authoritative project documentation; an assistant’s explanation is a hypothesis, not evidence.
- Look for code paths that would work without the package, or that could use a narrower existing module.
ENISA recommends maintaining visibility over packages selected through AI-generated code and reviewing their necessity and scope. This first pass often removes a gratuitous dependency before it creates a supply-chain decision.
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2. Verify exact identity in the intended registry
Search the official registry for the exact spelling, including punctuation, namespace and case rules used by that ecosystem. Compare the registry record with the upstream project’s documentation and source repository.
- Confirm that the package name in the import statement, manifest and registry record refers to the same project.
- Follow the registry’s repository and documentation links and check that they are consistent with one another.
- Review the publication date, release history, maintainer or organization history and adoption signals.
- Search for near-spelling alternatives, scope confusion and similarly named packages.
- Check whether the release you plan to use is actually published by the expected project rather than merely carrying a familiar name.
OWASP recommends checking registry existence, download count, maintainer history and creation date. A recently created package, very low adoption or a single-maintainer history is a reason to investigate further, not proof of maliciousness. Conversely, a popular package is not automatically safe or necessary.
Keep the identity decision tied to the exact version. A trusted project can have a compromised release, an unexpected maintainer change or a package name that is legitimate in one ecosystem but unrelated in another.
3. Establish necessity and scope
Write down the capability the feature needs and compare it with what the proposed package actually does. Prefer the smallest approved component that meets the requirement.
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- Determine whether the language standard library, framework, operating system or an existing approved dependency already supplies the function.
- Compare the package’s API surface and permissions with the narrow requirement. A tiny utility need does not justify a broad framework by default.
- Inspect its direct dependencies and ask why each one is present.
- Check whether optional features, native extensions, network clients or executable helpers are pulled in even though the application will not use them.
- Document the reason for retaining the package so a later reviewer can distinguish intentional use from an AI-generated artifact.
A direct dependency may be acceptable while one of its indirect dependencies is not. SLSA’s dependency-track guidance calls for an inventory that can enumerate all direct and transitive dependencies; ENISA likewise emphasizes reviewing necessity and scope.
4. Resolve through the configured source and pin the result
Use the ecosystem’s standard package manager and the project’s normal lockfile workflow. Before resolving, inspect registry configuration so a public or private package name cannot silently come from an unintended source.
- Check repository and package-source settings, including scoped registries, mirrors, credentials and fallback behavior.
- Resolve the exact version with the project’s package manager rather than downloading an archive from an unverified URL.
- Generate or update the lockfile and review every new entry, not just the top-level package.
- Retain version pins and integrity hashes supported by the ecosystem.
- Run the package manager’s reproducible or frozen install mode in CI and confirm that a changed lockfile causes a reviewable failure.
SLSA gives ecosystem examples: NuGet package-source mapping, npm registry pinning with package-lock.json integrity hashes, pip’s --require-hashes, go.sum for Go and Cargo.lock for Rust. The exact mechanism differs, but the objective is the same: the manifest declares intent while the lockfile records the complete resolved result.
5. Inspect the complete dependency tree
Do not stop after checking the package named in the assistant’s answer. Expand the resolved graph and examine both direct and transitive additions.
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- Look for unexpected domains, command-line tools, native code, build hooks or runtime services.
- Identify duplicate packages and version splits that increase maintenance and attack surface.
- Check whether a transitive package is unmaintained, unusually new or sourced from a different registry.
- Record the graph or dependency inventory for later incident response and upgrades.
A clean top-level manifest can conceal dozens of indirect packages. The lockfile diff is the most useful review surface because it shows what the package manager will actually install.
6. Check known vulnerabilities and organizational policy
Run the ecosystem’s audit command against the resolved tree before merge, and check current advisory sources such as the National Vulnerability Database, GitHub Advisory Database and OSV.
| Ecosystem | Example audit or verification command | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| npm | npm audit |
Known advisories affecting the resolved npm tree. |
| Python | pip audit |
Known advisories for installed Python distributions. |
| Go | govulncheck |
Known Go vulnerabilities relevant to the module and reachable code. |
| Rust | cargo audit |
Known advisories affecting the Cargo dependency graph. |
Configure CI to fail, block release or require a security review according to your organization’s policy. Capture the tool version and advisory date when a decision depends on a clean result.
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An audit answers a bounded question: are recognized advisories associated with packages in the graph at the time of the scan? It does not prove that the package is the intended project, that its code is benign, that it is necessary, or that no undisclosed vulnerability exists. A clean audit must never replace identity and provenance checks.
7. Verify artifact integrity, publisher identity and provenance
Use the strongest verification the ecosystem and package publisher provide, while keeping the distinctions clear.
- Integrity: a lockfile hash or checksum can show that the downloaded artifact matches the expected bytes.
- Publisher signature: a valid signature can help establish that an expected publisher identity signed the artifact.
- Provenance: an attestation can describe source revision, build system and build configuration. Verify those claims against the project you intended to build.
Do not accept an attestation merely because one exists. A signed artifact from an unexpected publisher, source revision or build workflow still requires investigation. Likewise, a hash confirms content identity for that fetch; it does not certify the package’s design or behavior.
For npm, the CLI documentation describes npm audit signatures for verifying registry signatures and provenance attestations for downloaded packages. Keep the npm CLI current because signature and attestation behavior can change.
What to record in the review
A short dependency record makes the decision auditable and prevents the same investigation from being repeated during every upgrade.
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| Review field | Required evidence |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The application capability and the code path that uses the package. |
| Identity | Exact name, ecosystem, namespace, intended registry, upstream project and selected version. |
| Necessity | Why the standard library or an approved existing dependency is insufficient. |
| Scope | Direct and transitive graph, optional features, scripts and native components. |
| Reproducibility | Lockfile change, source configuration, version pins and integrity hashes. |
| Security status | Audit output, advisory date and any accepted exceptions. |
| Authenticity | Signature or provenance results, including any mismatch or unavailable control. |
| Owner | Reviewer, service owner and date for reassessment. |
How to interpret conflicting signals
Dependency verification rarely produces a single yes-or-no indicator. Use the signals together and escalate when they disagree.
- Registry record exists, but upstream links do not match: stop and resolve the identity before installation. This is consistent with a typosquat or an unrelated project sharing a name.
- Popular package, but excessive scope: look for a narrower alternative or isolate the capability. Popularity does not justify unnecessary permissions or transitive weight.
- New package with a clear maintainer and reproducible source: apply additional review, pin the version and monitor updates; newness alone is not a verdict.
- Audit finding with a patched release available: upgrade and review the lockfile graph. If no fix exists, document exposure and obtain an explicit risk decision.
- Signature or provenance unavailable: do not call the package unsafe solely for that reason, but compensate with stronger source review, controlled ingestion and monitoring where the risk warrants it.
- Hash mismatch: stop the installation, preserve the failing artifact and investigate registry, mirror and lockfile configuration before retrying.
Controls for individual projects
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- Review the manifest and lockfile diff before installation or merge.
- Confirm exact identity and upstream documentation in the intended registry.
- Record why the package is necessary and what code uses it.
- Inspect the complete direct and transitive tree.
- Commit the lockfile and use integrity verification where the ecosystem supports it.
- Run the current dependency audit and review install or post-install scripts before executing new code.
- Reassess the dependency when its version, publisher, source or transitive graph changes.
Keep new-package installation isolated from production credentials and secrets. A package can execute code during installation, so the first install is itself a security-sensitive operation.
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Teams should make the safe path the default rather than relying on every developer to remember a manual checklist.
Use controlled ingestion
An approved registry proxy or ingestion service can centralize package retrieval, cache reviewed artifacts and enforce source mapping. An allowlist can restrict production builds to packages and versions that have an owner and review record. These controls are most effective when they preserve the original package identity and lockfile metadata rather than replacing it with opaque internal names.
Set policy gates
CI can require a lockfile, reject unreviewed manifest changes, run vulnerability scans, flag install scripts and enforce minimum package age or deny-lists. Minimum-age policies reduce exposure to a malicious package published moments before an attack, but they also delay legitimate releases and do not replace identity checks.
Maintain an inventory
Keep a machine-readable inventory of direct and transitive dependencies, versions, sources, hashes, licenses and owners. SLSA’s dependency-track model describes progressively stronger controls: inventory and scan results; controlled ingestion with per-fetch integrity and publisher-signature checks when available; and screening with deny-lists, malware feeds, minimum version age and provenance verification where available.
Define exception handling
When a dependency fails a policy gate, require a named owner, affected versions, compensating controls, expiry date and approving reviewer. An exception without an expiration becomes an undocumented permanent dependency.
Common mistakes and their fixes
“The assistant imported it, so it must be real”
Fix: search the exact name in the intended registry, compare upstream links and inspect publication and maintainer history before installing.
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“The package is on the registry, so it is authentic”
Fix: distinguish existence from identity. Confirm the project, publisher and release lineage, and investigate near-spelling names.
“The manifest shows only one new line”
Fix: review the lockfile and expanded graph. Transitive packages, scripts and native components are part of the change.
“The audit is clean, so the dependency is safe”
Fix: treat audit output as known-vulnerability coverage only. Continue with necessity, identity, integrity and provenance checks.
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Fix: verify what was signed, by whom and from which source and build. A signature supports authenticity and integrity; it does not establish suitability or absence of malicious behavior.
“The lockfile is committed, so review is finished”
Fix: inspect the lockfile diff, registry configuration, hashes and source changes. A lockfile records a resolution; it does not explain why the package belongs in the application.
A repeatable approval checklist
- Exact package name and namespace checked in the intended registry.
- Upstream repository and documentation match the intended project.
- Near-spelling and namespace confusion investigated.
- Publication date, release history and maintainer changes reviewed.
- Business or technical purpose documented.
- Standard-library and already-approved alternatives considered.
- Direct and transitive dependency graph inspected.
- Registry and source configuration verified.
- Version pins, lockfile and integrity hashes committed.
- Install and post-install scripts reviewed.
- Current vulnerability audits and advisory sources checked.
- Publisher signatures and provenance verified when available.
- CI policy, ownership and reassessment date recorded.
The decision rule
Approve an AI-introduced dependency only when you can explain what it does, why it is needed, which exact project and version you are using, what else it will install, where the artifacts came from, and what current security evidence exists. If any answer is unclear, keep the change out of the merge until the identity, scope or source can be established. This approach preserves the speed of AI-assisted coding while treating package selection as a supply-chain decision that requires human accountability.
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