Every dependency source
node_modules (npm, yarn, pnpm layouts) or lockfiles: package-lock v1–v3, pnpm-lock v5/v6/v9, yarn.lock v1 and Berry.
npm package · MIT · Node ≥ 18
license-sentinel
A license compliance gate for npm projects, plus CycloneDX/SPDX SBOMs and a NOTICES file.
Reads every installed dependency (from node_modules or npm, pnpm and yarn lockfiles), works out each license from package.json and the LICENSE text, parses SPDX expressions and checks the result against your policy and your project's own license. The same run can write CycloneDX 1.6 and SPDX 2.3 SBOMs, attribution pages and a NOTICES file. Zero runtime dependencies.
npm i -D license-sentinel
$ npx license-sentinel --deny "AGPL-*"license-sentinel — mixed-app@2.0.0 (MIT, permissive)16 package(s) from node_modules: 16 prod, 0 dev HIGH agpl-lib@1.0.0 is licensed AGPL-3.0-only; AGPL-3.0-only is denied by policy [denied-license] ↳ fix: Replace the package with a compatible alternative, or add a time-boxed exception with a reason.HIGH gpl-lib@1.0.0 is GPL-3.0-only (strong-copyleft) but the project is MIT (permissive) [incompatible-license]HIGH proprietary@1.0.0 is UNLICENSED: no rights are granted to use, copy or distribute it [unlicensed]MEDIUM nolicense@0.0.1 has no license: No license field and no LICENSE file [missing-license]LOW aliased@1.0.0 declares "Apache 2.0" ("Apache 2.0" is not a valid SPDX expression; read as Apache-2.0) [invalid-spdx] 3 high, 2 medium, 4 low✖ Failing (fail-on: high).
The problem
A GPL package three levels deep in an MIT product, an AGPL dependency in a SaaS, a package with no license at all: you usually find out from legal, late.
license-sentinel puts the check in CI, with a policy you control, exceptions that need a reason and expire, and the SBOM and attribution files compliance teams ask for.
Features
License resolution
Reads license fields and identifies LICENSE / COPYING text; --registry fills gaps for lockfile-only scans.
SPDX expressions
AND, OR, WITH and parentheses, with deprecated ids and common misspellings normalised and flagged.
Project-aware policy
Allow / deny lists, presets, and a category check against your own project's license.
Exceptions with expiry
Each exception needs a reason and can have an expiry date, an override license or a rule scope.
SBOMs
CycloneDX 1.6 (schema-validated in CI) and SPDX 2.3 JSON.
Attribution
NOTICES file, CSV inventory, HTML and Markdown attribution pages, custom templates.
Monorepos
--workspaces audits each workspace package separately.
Usage
# Audit production deps
npx license-sentinel# Permissive preset, stricter gate
npx license-sentinel --preset permissive --fail-on medium# Lockfile only, no node_modules
npx license-sentinel --source lockfile --registry# SBOMs + NOTICES
npx license-sentinel --cyclonedx bom.cdx.json --spdx bom.spdx.json --notices THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txtCI / GitHub Action
permissions:
contents: read
jobs:
licenses:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@<sha> # v4
with: { persist-credentials: false }
- run: npm ci --ignore-scripts
- uses: MrLouisWright/license-sentinel@<sha> # v1
with:
preset: permissive
deny: 'AGPL-*,SSPL-1.0'
fail-on: medium
cyclonedx: bom.cdx.json
notices: THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.txtOptions & flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
[dir] | Project directory (default .) |
--source <s> | auto (default), node_modules, lockfile, or a path to a lockfile |
--include-dev / --prod / --omit=dev | Include devDependencies / production only (default) |
--workspaces | Audit each workspace package in a monorepo |
--workspace-report-dir <dir> | With --workspaces, write <dir>/<workspace>.json per package |
--registry, --registry-url <url> | Look up licenses missing from lockfiles on the registry |
--preset <p> | permissive, weak-copyleft or strong-copyleft |
--allow <list> / --deny <list> | SPDX ids, globs (GPL-*), categories (category:permissive) |
--project-license <expr> | Override the project's own license |
-c, --config <file> | JSON config (default .license-sentinel.json) |
-f, --format | text (default), json, sarif, markdown |
--json/--sarif/--markdown <file> | Also write that report to a file |
--cyclonedx <file> / --spdx <file> | Write a CycloneDX 1.6 / SPDX 2.3 JSON SBOM |
--notices <file> | Write a third-party NOTICES / attribution file |
--csv / --html / --attribution-md | CSV inventory, HTML attribution page, Markdown table |
--template / --template-out | Render a custom template |
--reproducible | Deterministic SBOM serial number / document namespace |
--fail-on <sev> | critical, high (default), medium, low, info or none |
--verbose | List every package in text output |
--list-rules | Rules and default severities |
Full reference, config file format and API in the README.
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