Quickstart

Get your first reachability scan running in under 2 minutes. You need Node.js 16+ and a Patchlynx account.

Step 1

Install the CLI

Install Patchlynx globally via npm. The CLI requires Node.js 16 or higher.

bash 
# Install globally via npm
npm install -g patchlynx

# Verify installation
patchlynx --version
patchlynx/0.9.4 linux-x64 node-v20.11.0
Step 2

Authenticate

Link the CLI to your Patchlynx account. This opens a browser window for OAuth. Your API token is saved locally.

bash 
patchlynx auth

# Opens browser for GitHub/email OAuth
✔ Authenticated as [email protected]
✔ Token saved to ~/.patchlynx/config.json
Step 3

Run your first scan

Navigate to your project root and run a scan. Patchlynx detects your language and package manager automatically.

bash 
patchlynx scan --repo .

# Output:
Scanning repository: ./my-payment-service
Detected: Node.js / npm
Building call graph from entry points...
  Entry points found: 23
  Dependencies analyzed: 847
Fetching advisories from OSV + NVD...
  Advisories loaded: 284
Running reachability intersection...

✔ Scan complete in 11.4s
Step 4

Read the output

Your ranked patch list shows only CVEs with confirmed call paths from entry points. Each result includes the full trace and recommended fix version.

output 
── REACHABLE VULNERABILITIES (6 of 284) ──

[CRITICAL] CVE-2021-23337 [email protected]
  Path: /api/payment/process → controllers/payment.js:47 → lodash
  Fix: npm install [email protected]

[HIGH] CVE-2023-45133 @babel/[email protected]
  Path: /api/compile → services/transform.js:19 → @babel/traverse
  Fix: npm install @babel/[email protected]

── UNREACHABLE (278) — moved to backlog ──
  Run: patchlynx scan --show-unreachable for full list

Next step: Integrate Patchlynx into your CI pipeline so every PR is scanned automatically. See How It Works for GitHub Actions and GitLab CI setup.