socket-patch 3.2.0

CLI tool for applying security patches to dependencies

Socket Patch CLI

Apply security patches to npm and Python dependencies without waiting for upstream fixes.

Installation

One-line install (recommended)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/SocketDev/socket-patch/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Detects your platform (macOS/Linux, x64/ARM64), downloads the latest binary, and installs to /usr/local/bin or ~/.local/bin. Use sudo sh instead of sh if /usr/local/bin requires root.

Manual download

Download a prebuilt binary from the latest release:

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/SocketDev/socket-patch/releases/latest/download/socket-patch-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz | tar xz

# macOS (Intel)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/SocketDev/socket-patch/releases/latest/download/socket-patch-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz | tar xz

# Linux (x86_64)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/SocketDev/socket-patch/releases/latest/download/socket-patch-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz | tar xz

# Linux (ARM64)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/SocketDev/socket-patch/releases/latest/download/socket-patch-aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz | tar xz

Then move the binary onto your PATH:

sudo mv socket-patch /usr/local/bin/

npm

npx @socketsecurity/socket-patch

Or install globally:

npm install -g @socketsecurity/socket-patch

pip

pip install socket-patch

Cargo

cargo install socket-patch-cli

By default this builds with npm and PyPI support. For additional ecosystems:

cargo install socket-patch-cli --features cargo,golang,maven,composer,nuget

Quick Start

You can pass a patch UUID directly to socket-patch as a shortcut:

socket-patch 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
# equivalent to: socket-patch get 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

Commands

All commands support --json for structured JSON output and --cwd <dir> to set the working directory (default: .). Every JSON response includes a "status" field ("success", "error", "no_manifest", etc.) for reliable programmatic consumption.

get

Get security patches from Socket API and apply them. Accepts a UUID, CVE ID, GHSA ID, PURL, or package name. The identifier type is auto-detected but can be forced with a flag.

Alias: download

Usage:

socket-patch get <identifier> [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
--org <slug>	Organization slug (required when using SOCKET_API_TOKEN)
--id	Force identifier to be treated as a UUID
--cve	Force identifier to be treated as a CVE ID
--ghsa	Force identifier to be treated as a GHSA ID
-p, --package	Force identifier to be treated as a package name
-y, --yes	Skip confirmation prompt for multiple patches
--save-only	Download patch without applying it (alias: --no-apply)
--one-off	Apply patch immediately without saving to .socket folder
-g, --global	Apply to globally installed packages
--global-prefix <path>	Custom path to global node_modules
--json	Output results as JSON
--api-token <token>	Socket API token (overrides SOCKET_API_TOKEN)
--api-url <url>	Socket API URL (overrides SOCKET_API_URL)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Get patch by UUID
socket-patch get 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

# Get patch by CVE
socket-patch get CVE-2024-12345

# Get patch by GHSA
socket-patch get GHSA-xxxx-yyyy-zzzz

# Get patch by package name (fuzzy matches installed packages)
socket-patch get lodash

# Download only, don't apply
socket-patch get CVE-2024-12345 --save-only

# Apply to global packages
socket-patch get lodash -g

# JSON output for scripting
socket-patch get CVE-2024-12345 --json -y

scan

Scan installed packages for available security patches. Since v3.0 scan --sync is the single command bots need for full auto-update: it discovers patches, applies them, and garbage-collects orphan blob files plus manifest entries for uninstalled packages — all in one invocation.

Usage:

socket-patch scan [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
--apply	Download and apply selected patches in JSON mode (non-interactive). Without it, scan --json is read-only.
--prune	Garbage-collect after the scan: remove manifest entries for uninstalled packages and orphan blob/diff/package-archive files. Off by default.
--sync	Sugar for --apply --prune. The canonical bot-mode flag.
-d, --dry-run	Preview what --apply/--prune/--sync would do without mutating disk.
--org <slug>	Organization slug
--json	Output results as JSON
-y, --yes	Skip confirmation prompts
--ecosystems <list>	Restrict to specific ecosystems (comma-separated, e.g. npm,pypi)
-g, --global	Scan globally installed packages
--global-prefix <path>	Custom path to global node_modules
--batch-size <n>	Packages per API request (default: 100)
--download-mode <mode>	diff (default), package, or file
--api-token <token>	Socket API token (overrides SOCKET_API_TOKEN)
--api-url <url>	Socket API URL (overrides SOCKET_API_URL)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Scan local project (interactive prompt to apply)
socket-patch scan

# Scan with JSON output (discover + updates, no mutation)
socket-patch scan --json

# Bot mode: discover, apply, prune, sweep — all in one
socket-patch scan --json --sync --yes

# Apply without pruning manifest entries (default)
socket-patch scan --apply --yes

# Apply + prune explicitly (equivalent to --sync)
socket-patch scan --json --apply --prune --yes

# Preview a full sync without mutating disk
socket-patch scan --json --sync --yes --dry-run

# Scan only npm packages
socket-patch scan --ecosystems npm

# Scan global packages
socket-patch scan -g

apply

Apply security patches from the local manifest.

Usage:

socket-patch apply [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-d, --dry-run	Verify patches without modifying files
-s, --silent	Only output errors
-f, --force	Skip pre-application hash verification (apply even if package version differs)
-m, --manifest-path <path>	Path to manifest (default: .socket/manifest.json)
--offline	Do not download missing blobs; fail if any are missing
-g, --global	Apply to globally installed packages
--global-prefix <path>	Custom path to global node_modules
--ecosystems <list>	Restrict to specific ecosystems (comma-separated, e.g. npm,pypi)
--json	Output results as JSON
-v, --verbose	Show detailed per-file verification information
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Apply patches
socket-patch apply

# Dry run
socket-patch apply --dry-run

# Apply only npm patches
socket-patch apply --ecosystems npm

# Apply in offline mode
socket-patch apply --offline

# JSON output for CI/CD
socket-patch apply --json

rollback

Rollback patches to restore original files. If no identifier is given, all patches are rolled back.

Usage:

socket-patch rollback [identifier] [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-d, --dry-run	Verify rollback without modifying files
-s, --silent	Only output errors
-m, --manifest-path <path>	Path to manifest (default: .socket/manifest.json)
--offline	Do not download missing blobs; fail if any are missing
-g, --global	Rollback globally installed packages
--global-prefix <path>	Custom path to global node_modules
--one-off	Rollback by fetching original files from API (no manifest required)
--ecosystems <list>	Restrict to specific ecosystems (comma-separated)
--json	Output results as JSON
-v, --verbose	Show detailed per-file verification information
--org <slug>	Organization slug
--api-token <token>	Socket API token (overrides SOCKET_API_TOKEN)
--api-url <url>	Socket API URL (overrides SOCKET_API_URL)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Rollback all patches
socket-patch rollback

# Rollback a specific package
socket-patch rollback "pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20"

# Rollback by UUID
socket-patch rollback 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

# Dry run
socket-patch rollback --dry-run

# JSON output
socket-patch rollback --json

list

List all patches in the local manifest.

Usage:

socket-patch list [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
--json	Output as JSON
-m, --manifest-path <path>	Path to manifest (default: .socket/manifest.json)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# List patches
socket-patch list

# JSON output
socket-patch list --json

Sample Output:

Found 2 patch(es):

Package: pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20
  UUID: 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000
  Tier: free
  License: MIT
  Vulnerabilities (1):
    - GHSA-xxxx-yyyy-zzzz (CVE-2024-12345)
      Severity: high
      Summary: Prototype pollution in lodash
  Files patched (1):
    - lodash.js

remove

Remove a patch from the manifest (rolls back files first by default).

Usage:

socket-patch remove <identifier> [options]

Arguments:

• identifier - Package PURL (e.g., pkg:npm/package@version) or patch UUID

Options:

Flag	Description
--skip-rollback	Only update manifest, do not restore original files
-g, --global	Remove from globally installed packages
--global-prefix <path>	Custom path to global node_modules
--json	Output results as JSON
-m, --manifest-path <path>	Path to manifest (default: .socket/manifest.json)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Remove by PURL
socket-patch remove "pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20"

# Remove by UUID
socket-patch remove 550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000

# Remove without rolling back files
socket-patch remove "pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20" --skip-rollback

# JSON output
socket-patch remove "pkg:npm/lodash@4.17.20" --json

repair

Download missing blobs and clean up unused blobs.

Alias: gc

repair cleans up the .socket/ directory without running a scan — useful when you've manually adjusted the manifest, recovered from a partial-failure state, or just want to free space. For the combined workflow (discover + apply + GC in one pass), use scan --sync --json --yes instead.

Usage:

socket-patch repair [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-d, --dry-run	Show what would be done without doing it
--offline	Skip network operations (cleanup only)
--download-only	Only download missing blobs, do not clean up
--json	Output results as JSON
-m, --manifest-path <path>	Path to manifest (default: .socket/manifest.json)
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)
--download-mode <mode>	file (default), diff, or package

Examples:

# Full repair (download missing + clean up unused)
socket-patch repair

# Cleanup only, no downloads
socket-patch repair --offline

# Download missing blobs only
socket-patch repair --download-only

# JSON output for scripting
socket-patch repair --json

setup

Configure package.json postinstall scripts to automatically apply patches after npm install.

Usage:

socket-patch setup [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-d, --dry-run	Preview changes without modifying files
-y, --yes	Skip confirmation prompt
--json	Output results as JSON
--cwd <dir>	Working directory (default: .)

Examples:

# Interactive setup
socket-patch setup

# Non-interactive
socket-patch setup -y

# Preview changes
socket-patch setup --dry-run

# JSON output for scripting
socket-patch setup --json -y

Scripting & CI/CD

All commands support --json for machine-readable output. JSON responses always include a "status" field for easy error detection:

# Check for available patches in CI (read-only)
result=$(socket-patch scan --json --ecosystems npm)
patches=$(echo "$result" | jq '.totalPatches')

# Auto-update bot mode: discover, apply, prune, sweep in one pass
socket-patch scan --json --sync --yes | jq '{
  applied:     [.apply.patches[] | select(.action == "added" or .action == "updated") | .purl],
  pruned:      .gc.prunedManifestEntries,
  bytes_freed: .gc.bytesFreed
}'
# Pipe this into peter-evans/create-pull-request to open a PR with the changes.

# Apply patches and check result
socket-patch apply --json | jq '.status'
# "success", "partial_failure", "no_manifest", or "error"

When stdin is not a TTY (e.g., in CI pipelines), interactive prompts auto-proceed instead of blocking. Progress indicators and ANSI colors are automatically suppressed when output is piped.

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
SOCKET_API_TOKEN	API authentication token. Use the raw token (sktsec_<...>_api) shown when it was generated, not the SHA-512 hash (sha512-...) that the dashboard may also display for identification.
SOCKET_ORG_SLUG	Default organization slug
SOCKET_API_URL	API base URL (default: https://api.socket.dev)

Manifest Format

Downloaded patches are stored in .socket/manifest.json:

{
  "patches": {
    "pkg:npm/package-name@1.0.0": {
      "uuid": "unique-patch-id",
      "exportedAt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "files": {
        "path/to/file.js": {
          "beforeHash": "git-sha256-before",
          "afterHash": "git-sha256-after"
        }
      },
      "vulnerabilities": {
        "GHSA-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx": {
          "cves": ["CVE-2024-12345"],
          "summary": "Vulnerability summary",
          "severity": "high",
          "description": "Detailed description"
        }
      },
      "description": "Patch description",
      "license": "MIT",
      "tier": "free"
    }
  }
}

Patched file contents are in .socket/blob/ (named by git SHA256 hash).

Supported Platforms

Platform	Architecture
macOS	ARM64 (Apple Silicon), x86_64 (Intel)
Linux	x86_64, ARM64, ARMv7, i686
Windows	x86_64, ARM64, i686
Android	ARM64