Security updates are provided for the latest release only.

This table describes the released package, which is currently 0.x. It moves to 1.x in the same commit that sets the version to 1.0.0 — not before. Telling people to "upgrade to 1.x" while the only published versions are 0.x sends them looking for a release that does not exist.

This is a deliberately narrow promise. CopyTree is maintained by one person. A stated LTS window with backports to previous majors would be a commitment that could not be honoured under load, and a support policy that is quietly missed is worse than a modest one that is kept. If you need a longer window than this, say so on the issue tracker rather than assuming it.

What is promised:

• A security fix ships as a patch release on the current minor, normally within a few days of a confirmed report.
• Breaking changes are never introduced in a security patch.
• The advisory names the affected versions and the first fixed version.

CopyTree requires Node.js 22.12.0 or higher, as declared by engines in package.json. We only support security issues on supported Node.js LTS versions.

We take security vulnerabilities seriously. If you discover a security issue in CopyTree, please report it responsibly:

DO NOT create a public GitHub issue for security vulnerabilities.

Instead, please email security reports to: greg@siteorigin.com

Include in your report:

• Description of the vulnerability
• Steps to reproduce the issue
• Potential impact
• Any suggested fixes (optional)

• Acknowledgment: We'll acknowledge receipt within 48 hours
• Initial Assessment: We'll provide an initial assessment within 5 business days
• Updates: We'll keep you informed of progress toward a fix
• Disclosure: Once fixed, we'll coordinate disclosure timing with you
• Credit: We'll credit you in the security advisory (unless you prefer to remain anonymous)

CopyTree can fetch files from external sources (GitHub repositories). Be aware:

• External sources are fetched over HTTPS
• Git commands are executed via simple-git library
• No arbitrary command execution from external sources
• External sources are triggered by passing a URL as the path argument

CopyTree reads files from your local system:

• Respects .gitignore and .copytreeignore patterns
• Does not follow symbolic links by default. Enable with followSymlinks: true
• Binary files are handled according to configuration
• No files are modified or deleted by CopyTree

Symlinks are skipped unless you opt in, because a link is untrusted input: it is committed to a repository by whoever wrote the repository, and it can point anywhere the running user can read. A single ln -s ~/.ssh keys would otherwise place a private key into an AI context.

When followSymlinks is enabled, traversal is still contained:

• Every followed link is resolved with realpath and must land inside the real repository root. A link pointing outside is skipped and recorded in the exclusion report under symlinkEscape.
• The root is compared after resolution, so a repository you reached through a symlink still works normally.
• Directories reached through a link are tracked by device and inode (falling back to canonical path where inode is unavailable), so self-references, parent links, and multi-directory cycles terminate instead of recursing.
• Broken links are skipped rather than failing the run.

User configuration files are stored in:

• ~/.copytree/ (global)
• .copytree/ (project-specific)

A .js file in these directories is executed in the host process. For an application embedding CopyTree, that means arbitrary code from outside the application's control running with its privileges. Embedders should construct a hermetic configuration that never reads them:

const config = await ConfigManager.create({
  userConfig: false, // skip ~/.copytree entirely
  strict: true, // fail loudly rather than continuing with a partial config
});

strict matters here: without it, a configuration source that fails to load leaves the instance quietly empty, which means no exclusion lists at all. That looks like a successful run and is not.

When using CopyTree:

1. External Sources: Only include external sources from trusted repositories
2. Configuration: Review custom profiles and configuration files before use
3. Output: Review generated output before sharing, especially with AI tools
4. Binary Files: Be cautious with binary file handling in sensitive projects
5. Secrets Detection: On by default (--secrets redact). Use --secrets fail to refuse the export outright when a credential is found, or --secrets off to disable the guard. (--secrets-guard is the deprecated spelling and is hidden from help.)

• CopyTree shells out to git for repository operations
• External sources require network access
• Secret scanning runs on file content after transformation. Files larger than secretsGuard.maxFileBytes are excluded rather than emitted unscanned; set secretsGuard.oversizePolicy to scan or fail to choose differently
• Secret detection is best-effort. Gitleaks is used when available, with a smaller built-in pattern set otherwise. Neither finds every credential, so review output before sharing it

Security updates will be published via:

• GitHub Security Advisories
• npm package updates
• CHANGELOG.md entries marked with [SECURITY]

For security-related questions or concerns, contact: greg@siteorigin.com