agent safety

Agent safety answer

checkov scans infrastructure code and may read sensitive templates and policy context.

Credential access

Reads IaC files, environment variables, and optional platform tokens.

Remote mutation

Usually read-only, but integrations can report to remote services.

Publish/artifact risk

Can produce security reports that may include resource names and paths.

Recommended control

Gate token-backed uploads and scans over secret-bearing files.

Agent-use guidance

Allow local scans; require approval before uploading findings or scanning sensitive directories.

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install checkov

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#checkov

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ch/checkov/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Prevent cloud misconfigurations during build-time for IaC tools

Project links

Commands and aliases

checkov
checkov.cmd

history

Project history and usage

Checkov is an infrastructure-as-code static analysis tool created by Bridgecrew and maintained under Prisma Cloud. It became a major security package because it brought policy-as-code checks for Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Dockerfiles, CI workflows, and related formats into a single installable CLI.

Project history

The bridgecrewio/checkov repository was created in November 2019. The official README describes Checkov as a static code analysis tool for IaC and software composition analysis, maintained by Prisma Cloud and able to detect cloud misconfigurations and vulnerabilities during build time.

Checkov expanded from Terraform-oriented misconfiguration scanning into a broader scanner for Terraform plans, CloudFormation, AWS SAM, Kubernetes, Helm, Kustomize, Dockerfiles, Serverless, Bicep, ARM templates, OpenAPI, OpenTofu, CI pipelines, container images, and open source packages.

Adoption history

Checkov was first uploaded to PyPI in December 2019 and was still publishing frequent 3.x releases in June 2026. The official README documents installation through pip, Homebrew, Docker, and upgrades through pip or brew.

Docker Hub metadata for bridgecrew/checkov showed more than 22 million pulls by June 2026, and the GitHub repository metadata showed thousands of stars, indicating adoption well beyond niche use. In 2021, Palo Alto Networks announced completion of its Bridgecrew acquisition, after which the README and docs positioned Checkov as part of Prisma Cloud Application Security.

How it is used

Typical CLI usage scans a directory, file, or Terraform plan JSON and emits findings with policy IDs, file paths, pass/fail status, and remediation links. Output formats include CLI, CycloneDX, JSON, JUnit XML, CSV, SARIF, and GitHub markdown.

Teams commonly run Checkov locally, in CI, or in pull request workflows to block insecure infrastructure definitions before deployment. With a Prisma Cloud API key, the CLI can also use severity thresholds and platform-backed policy metadata.

Why package nerds care

Checkov is package-nerd significant because it is a high-churn Python security CLI with multiple distribution channels, a large policy corpus, Docker images, Homebrew packaging, PyPI releases, and enterprise integration pressure. It shows how cloud-security tooling moved from SaaS dashboards into developer workstation and CI packages.

Its packaging story also reflects IaC's growth: a single command-line package became a front door for scanning Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, CI configuration, secrets, and SCA inputs.

Timeline

2019: bridgecrewio/checkov repository created and first PyPI release uploaded.
2021: Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of Bridgecrew.
2026: Checkov 3.3.x releases published and Docker image updated.

Related projects

Prisma Cloud Application Security is the commercial platform integration documented by Checkov.
Terraform, OpenTofu, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Helm, Docker, CycloneDX, and SARIF are major adjacent ecosystems and formats supported by Checkov.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: orange

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.

Risk classifier

orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure

Why

infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal

Signals

text:cloud

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
Installs with 7 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 3 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ~/.bridgecrew/credentials

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`checkov`	cli	global executable
`checkov.cmd`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version3.3.0

manager updated2026-06-11

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://www.checkov.io/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://www.checkov.io/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:checkov
Version	3.3.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/checkov
Homepage	https://www.checkov.io/
Repository	https://github.com/bridgecrewio/checkov
Upstream docs	https://www.checkov.io/
License	Apache-2.0
Source archive	https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/9c/0a/03002542731935763af6bb5eb7473cc1e99818c818608d5fd54240c590e2/checkov-3.3.0.tar.gz
Last updated	2026-06-11T07:52:35Z
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	certifi, cffi, libyaml, numpy, pydantic, python@3.14, rpds-py
Build dependencies	cmake, maturin, rust
Uses from macOS	libffi
Bottle	available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	checkov
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

checkov

nix profile install nixpkgs#checkov

normalized package name match
Matched by: Checkov

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ch/checkov/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/checkov.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated agent safety answer
curated configuration and credential file locations
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install checkov with Homebrew, Nix