DefenseClaw Operations

This skill manages DefenseClaw enterprise security for NetClaw deployments.

Overview

DefenseClaw from Cisco AI Defense provides enterprise-grade security:

• OpenShell kernel-level sandbox
• Component scanning (skills, MCPs, plugins)
• Runtime guardrails (LLM inspection, tool call inspection)
• Audit logging with SIEM integration

Prerequisites

• DefenseClaw installed and enabled
• defenseclaw CLI in PATH

Check status:

bash
defenseclaw --version

Common Operations

Check Security Status

bash
# View DefenseClaw version
defenseclaw --version

# Check gateway status
pgrep defenseclaw-gateway

# View current configuration
cat ~/.openclaw/config/openclaw.json | grep -A2 security

Scan Components

Before deploying new skills, MCPs, or plugins, scan them:

bash
# Scan a skill
defenseclaw skill scan pyats-health-check

# Scan an MCP server
defenseclaw mcp scan meraki-mcp

# Scan a plugin
defenseclaw plugin scan custom-tool

Expected output for clean component:

Scanning skill: pyats-health-check
✓ No HIGH/CRITICAL findings
Status: ALLOWED

Expected output for blocked component:

Scanning skill: bad-skill
✗ HIGH: Hardcoded credential detected
  Location: config.py:15
Status: BLOCKED

Manage Tool Permissions

Block or allow specific tools:

bash
# Block a destructive tool
defenseclaw tool block delete_file --reason "destructive operation"

# Block all write operations
defenseclaw tool block "*_write" --reason "read-only policy"

# Allow a previously blocked tool
defenseclaw tool allow delete_file

# List all tool rules
defenseclaw tool list

View Security Alerts

bash
# View recent alerts
defenseclaw alerts

# View last 50 alerts
defenseclaw alerts --limit 50

# Filter by severity
defenseclaw alerts --severity HIGH

# Filter by date
defenseclaw alerts --after 2026-04-01

Export Audit Data

For compliance reporting:

bash
# Export to JSON
defenseclaw alerts --export json > audit-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

# Export to CSV
defenseclaw alerts --export csv > audit-$(date +%Y%m%d).csv

Configure Guardrail Mode

bash
# Check current mode
defenseclaw config get guardrail.mode

# Enable observe mode (logging only - default)
defenseclaw setup guardrail --mode observe

# Enable action mode (blocking)
defenseclaw setup guardrail --mode action --restart

# Restart gateway after mode change
defenseclaw setup guardrail --restart

Guardrail Modes

| Mode | Behavior | Use Case | |------|----------|----------| | observe | Log violations, allow execution | Development, onboarding | | action | Log violations AND block | Production, compliance |

Security Categories

Guardrails check for these categories:

| Category | Description | |----------|-------------| | secret | Credential exfiltration | | command | Shell command execution | | sensitive-path | File system access | | c2 | Command & control communication | | cognitive-file | AI memory manipulation | | trust-exploit | Prompt injection |

SIEM Integration

Configure external SIEM:

bash
# Splunk HEC
defenseclaw config siem --type splunk \
  --endpoint https://splunk.example.com:8088 \
  --token $SPLUNK_HEC_TOKEN

# OTLP
defenseclaw config siem --type otlp \
  --endpoint https://otel-collector.example.com:4318

# Test connectivity
defenseclaw config siem --test

Webhook Notifications

bash
# Slack
defenseclaw config webhook --slack $SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL

# PagerDuty
defenseclaw config webhook --pagerduty $PD_ROUTING_KEY

# Webex
defenseclaw config webhook --webex $WEBEX_WEBHOOK_URL

Troubleshooting

DefenseClaw Not in PATH

bash
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Gateway Not Running

bash
# Check status
pgrep defenseclaw-gateway

# Start manually
defenseclaw-gateway start

# Check logs
tail -f ~/.defenseclaw/logs/gateway.log

Component Falsely Blocked

bash
# View detailed findings
defenseclaw skill scan <name> --verbose

# Add exception if false positive
defenseclaw exception add <component> --finding <id> --reason "reviewed"

Related Documentation

• docs/DEFENSECLAW.md - Full enterprise guide
• docs/SOUL-DEFENSE.md - Security principles
• docs/UPGRADE-TO-DEFENSECLAW.md - Migration guide