shodan-reconnaissance

This skill should be used when the user asks to "search for exposed devices on the internet," "perform Shodan reconnaissance," "find vulnerable services using Shodan," "scan IP ranges with Shodan," or "discover IoT devices and open ports." It provides comprehensive guidance for using Shodan's search engine, CLI, and API for penetration testing reconnaissance.

Quality

82%

Does it follow best practices?

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Securityby

High

Do not use without reviewing

Quality

Content

65%

Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.

A comprehensive, highly actionable Shodan reference with strong concrete commands, but it is a verbose monolith that would benefit from splitting reference material into separate files and adding explicit validation checkpoints to risky workflows.

Suggestions

Move the Search Filters Reference and Quick Reference tables into separate reference files (e.g., references/filters.md, references/quick-reference.md) and link to them from SKILL.md to improve progressive disclosure and reduce token load.

Add explicit validation/feedback checkpoints to batch and risky operations: after 'shodan scan submit', poll 'shodan scan status' and only parse/download once the scan completes; verify downloaded .gz files (e.g., 'gunzip -t') before running 'shodan parse'.

Trim inline example outputs and redundant per-line comments in command blocks to tighten token usage while keeping the actionable commands.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Conciseness	Content is legitimately novel (Shodan CLI specifics) and mostly efficient command reference, but the ~500-line body is padded with inline example outputs and full reference tables that could be tightened or split out; not at the 'every token earns its place' level.	2 / 3
Actionability	Provides copy-paste-ready bash and Python throughout (e.g., 'shodan search', 'shodan scan submit', a complete Python automation script) with specific flags and example outputs; fully executable.	3 / 3
Workflow Clarity	An 8-step Core Workflow and a troubleshooting table give a clear sequence, but batch/risky operations (on-demand scanning, download/parse) lack explicit validate->fix->retry feedback loops and 'only proceed when valid' checkpoints.	2 / 3
Progressive Disclosure	No bundle files exist; the entire filter reference, quick-reference tables, and examples live inline in a single ~500-line SKILL.md. Sections are well-organized, but content that should be separate (filters, examples) is inline rather than one-level-deep references.	2 / 3
	Total	9 / 12 Passed

Description

100%

Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.

A strong, well-structured description that concretely states capabilities, provides multiple natural trigger phrases, and clearly answers both what the skill does and when to use it. No vague fluff or over-claims.

Dimension	Reasoning	Score
Specificity	Lists multiple concrete actions ('search for exposed devices', 'find vulnerable services', 'scan IP ranges', 'discover IoT devices and open ports') and the tool surfaces (search engine, CLI, API); uses third-person voice with no first/second-person phrasing to penalize.	3 / 3
Completeness	Explicitly answers 'what' ('comprehensive guidance for using Shodan's search engine, CLI, and API for penetration testing reconnaissance') and 'when' ('should be used when the user asks...') with explicit triggers, satisfying both halves.	3 / 3
Trigger Term Quality	Five quoted phrases ('perform Shodan reconnaissance', 'find vulnerable services using Shodan', 'scan IP ranges with Shodan', etc.) are natural terms a user would actually say, giving good coverage.	3 / 3
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk	Shodan-specific niche with distinct triggers scoped to reconnaissance and pentesting; unlikely to fire for unrelated skills.	3 / 3
	Total	12 / 12 Passed

Validation

93%

Warnings & errors only

Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.

Validation — 15 / 16 Passed

Validation for skill structure

Criteria	Description	Result
skill_md_line_count	SKILL.md is long (504 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking	Warning

	Total	15 / 16 Passed

Repository: zebbern/claude-code-guide
Path: skills/shodan-reconnaissance/SKILL.md
Commit: af7d491

Reviewed: about 8 hours ago

Table of Contents

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