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slsa-framework/slsa open issue audit — April 2026

slsa-framework/slsa — Open Issue Audit

Date: April 14, 2026 Total open issues: 226 Audited by: Mike Lieberman SLSA versions: v1.0 (Apr 2023), v1.1 (Apr 2025), v1.2 (Nov 2025)

Every issue was individually reviewed: body, comments, and related PRs checked.


📊 Progress Update — April 24, 2026

Since this audit was published on April 14, 57 stale issues have been closed across four batched review passes.

All closures used a single comment: "Closing as inactive — no activity since this was filed. If it's still worth looking at, feel free to reopen or file a new ticket with updated context."

Closed since the audit

Sorted by number:

#15, #24, #36, #60, #61, #70, #77, #110, #124, #136, #161, #184, #194, #229, #234, #253, #315, #346, #348, #350, #351, #352, #365, #369, #377, #382, #394, #397, #407, #421, #424, #452, #454, #457, #491, #505, #535, #537, #576, #586, #647, #648, #682, #697, #709, #752, #776, #780, #805, #808, #835, #837, #850, #913, #918, #949, #1004

Progress by tier

Tier In audit Closed Remaining
Tier 1 — Stale/Abandoned 29 20 9 (#809, #985, #992, #1020, #1043, #1061, #1062, #1099, #1100)
Tier 2 — Likely Resolved 16 4 12 (incl. #11, #62, #653, #674, #728, #758, #760, #806, #1047, #1089, #1273, #1577)
Tier 3 — Vague/Underspecified 15 10 5 (#286, #453, #866, #1012, #1473)
Tier 4 — Duplicates 10 close candidates 3 7 (#278, #804, #849, #873, #1064, #1151, #1566)
Tier 5 — Individually reviewed 48 18 30
Needs human decision 11 0 11 — unchanged
Needs marcelamelara review 13 0 13 — unchanged

Next

  1. Finish tiers 1–4 (33 more stale/duplicate issues)
  2. Complete Tier 5 second pass (30 remaining)
  3. Raise the 11 "Needs Human Decision" issues at a SLSA community meeting or in an umbrella issue
  4. Ping marcelamelara on the 13 BuildEnv backlog items

Progress update generated April 24, 2026. Original audit below is preserved unchanged.

The Big Picture

Nearly half of the 226 open issues predate the v1.0 release (April 2023). Many were never revisited after the spec shipped. This creates noise for contributors and makes it hard to tell what's actually active.

Metric Count
Total open 226
Opened before v1.0 (Apr 2023) 107 (47%)
Opened before v1.0 and never updated since 86 (38%)
Not updated in >1 year 169 (75%)
Not updated in >2 years 121 (54%)
Zero comments 64 (28%)

Recommendation: ~118 issues can be closed. 11 need a human spec decision. 13 need marcelamelara to review. That leaves ~84 genuinely active issues.


Closure Recommendations

Tier 1: Stale/Abandoned — batch close (29 issues)

Zero or near-zero engagement, >2 years without activity. Safe to batch-close with: "Closing due to extended inactivity. The SLSA spec has evolved significantly (now at v1.2). Please reopen with updated context if still relevant."

Issue Title Last update Comments
#70 Introduce concept of "coverage" 4.8y ago 0
#77 slsa/walkthrough a bit outdated 4.8y ago 0
#124 Link to azure-devops-demo 4.7y ago 0
#136 Move provenance issues from attestation repo 4.7y ago 0
#229 Decide on "contributor"/"member" role 4.4y ago 0
#253 Create reusable SLSA compliance template 4.3y ago 0
#348 New Threat type ideas 4.0y ago 0
#352 Helm provenance vs SLSA provenance 4.0y ago 0
#407 Rewrite the "get started page" 3.8y ago 0
#576 Downloadable version in .xlsx 3.2y ago 0
#647 Clarify: supply chain as a DAG 3.1y ago 0
#648 How should resolvedDependencies be verified? 3.1y ago 0
#709 Clarify "inventory" claim of Build L1 3.1y ago 0
#776 FAQ: how does SLSA apply to runtime environments? 3.0y ago 0
#780 Provenance v1: make required fields more obvious 3.0y ago 0
#809 Collapse header categories in 1.0 nav bar? 3.0y ago 0
#835 (duplicate of #809) 3.0y ago 0
#837 Tracking issue for big open source projects 3.0y ago 0
#850 SLSA 1.0 Feedback from KubeCon EU 3.0y ago 0
#913 Tooling for good squash commit messages 2.8y ago 1
#949 Reframe levels page around consumer trust 2.7y ago 0
#985 Workstream: Build Platform Operations Track 2.5y ago 0
#992 Clarify threat model trust boundaries 2.5y ago 0
#1020 Slack invite is invalid 2.2y ago 0
#1043 YouTube playlist not updating 2.0y ago 0
#1061 Tie-ins with OpenChain ISO 18974/S2C2F 1.9y ago 0
#1062 Clarify what "control plane" means 1.9y ago 0
#1099 Repository vs. project: define terms 1.7y ago 0
#1100 Audit org members 1.7y ago 0

Tier 2: Likely Resolved (16 issues)

Issue Title Why likely resolved
#11 What about curl | sh ? Has "applied ruling" label
#62 README Alpine build process incomplete Doc bug from 2021
#394 Clarify "policy" in provenance v0.2 v0.2 is ancient history
#653 Feedback on v1.0 RC RC period closed 3 years ago
#674 Common Requirements track missing from Future Directions Future directions updated
#682 Clarification of diagram and terminology v1.0 reworked diagrams
#728 Restructure URIs to /version/page? Site restructured
#752 Builder.id and VSA relationship VSA spec evolved
#758 "attestation" vs "provenance" consistency Terminology standardized
#760 Recommended term for company's interpretation of SLSA v1.0 settled terminology
#805 Who is SLSA — Software Producers clarity Page content evolved
#806 v1.0 dropping scope from 0.1 is weird v1.0 shipped, decision made
#1047 Google preferring v0.1 over v1.0 in search SEO issue from 2024
#1089 Enable CODEOWNERS for PR review? Repo governance, likely done
#1273 Website home page is out of date Likely addressed
#1577 Broken link to SPDX attestation predicate Specific link fix

Tier 3: Vague/Underspecified (15 issues)

Issue Title Age Comments
#36 SLSA and automatic dependency rolling 4.9y 3
#61 SLSA 4 artifacts with SLSA 0 dependencies? 4.8y 2
#161 SLSA Provenance for License checks? 4.6y 1
#286 Defining SLSA level for an organization 4.2y 11
#315 Non-falsifiable provenance metadata 4.1y 2
#346 Official SLSA level dataset for OSS? 4.0y 2
#377 Output SLSA as spreadsheet 4.0y 2
#452 Positioning SIG: Assess frameworks 3.7y 1
#453 Positioning SIG: Scope and Charter 3.5y 3
#457 SLSA logo icon 3.7y 2
#537 Signing and Provenance 3.4y 2
#697 Need list of all available tooling? 3.1y 1
#866 Framework vs. compliance vs. maturity model 2.8y 4
#1012 Add non-normative examples 2.3y 1
#1473 Requirements in spreadsheet format 8mo 0

Tier 4: Duplicates — close one of each pair (10 pairs)

Keep Close Topic
#362 (26) #365 (1) "Service Generated" definition
#350 #351 Provenance materials / build granularity
#277 (9) #278 (6) Hermeticity / parameterless at L4
#681 (5) #397 (2) resolvedDependencies
#716 (15) #849 (3) SLSA level in builder identity
#863 (24) #873 (14) Build L2 trust / verifiable builds
#878 (18) #804 (6) VSA field structure
#1063 (6) #1064 (3) Getting started with GitHub Actions
#1554 #1566 Track Specification Template
#1150 (2) #1151 (0) Container build env attestation

Tier 5: Individually reviewed closures (48 issues)

Each verified by reading body, comments, and checking related PRs.

Issue Title Why close
#5 Reprodicible builds / SLSA 5 v1.0 restructured levels. Reproducibility in #873/#230
#15 Digital signatures? Cite sigstore #55 addressed this. Sigstore is the standard
#20 Rationale/examples for requirements Stale 4 years, volunteer never followed through
#24 SLSA 4 require dependency retention? v1.0 restructured requirements
#39 Audience-specific how-to guidance Spec part → #188. Guidance part stale 3.5y
#60 "hermetic" ambiguity v1.0 defined terminology. Build-env track handles hermeticity
#93 Single maintainer guidance Answered: can't reach highest level, by design
#94 One-person review? MarkLodato redirected to #306
#95 Pair and mob programming v1.0 restructured review requirements; source track now
#101 Distribute public keys for attestations Sigstore solved this
#110 "data owner" vs "system admin" Deferred to post-v1.0, never picked up
#135 Scope of SLSA vs CNCF whitepaper v1.0 defined scope
#156 Dependencies, OS packages and pinning Last comment: "See #235"
#184 Reproducible build inputs Superseded by #873 and #230
#194 Wishlist for higher SLSA levels v1.0 defined levels
#211 Build service guarantees via attestations 1 comment from 2021, effectively abandoned
#214 Git URI and digests for provenance v1.0 provenance format addresses this
#222 Publish list of OSS compromises "Applied ruling" label — decision was made
#234 Automatic/reviewless merges Source track supersedes
#235 Maintainer vs. Distribution package "Fix after v1.0" — 3 years later, still not fixed. v1.2 shipped.
#248 Service Generated in GitHub Actions Solved. slsa-github-generator ships L3
#249 Bad Design as supply chain scenario Out of scope per v1.0 threat model
#276 SLSA in broader supply chain security v1.0 defined scope
#277 Relaxation of hermeticity Duplicate of #230
#319 Builder version info in provenance MarkLodato: "close this as resolved"
#326 'dependencies complete' at L4 TomHennen confirmed spec includes this
#341 Map SLSA to other frameworks Stale 4 years
#362 "Service Generated" question v1.0 Build track codified this
#378 Formulation and Pedigree v1.0 defines own terms
#380 Trojan horse compiler attacks v1.0 threat model updated; build-env track covers
#382 Reproducibility wording Superseded by #873/#230
#403 Contributor ladder No activity in 4 years
#421 Verifiable two-person review Zero comments, 3.5 years
#424 Create GitHub Security Procedures Stale governance, 3.6y
#454 Parameterless prevents script reuse MarkLodato: "merge with #278?"
#491 Partnership logo guidelines Stale governance, 3.5y
#505 Secure builder guidance 1 comment, stale
#515 SLSA Compliance Program Proposal PR merged into slsa-proposals
#519 SLSA v1.0 PDF We're at v1.2. Not happening.
#535 "Modify code after review" Source track supersedes
#586 Versioning source Source track handles this
#691 SPDX/CycloneDX in byproducts "Shovel-ready" for 2+ years, nobody picked it up
#706 Define security model for build system Fix PR #816 merged Apr 2023
#798 npm provenance predicate npm shipped their predicate
#801 npm VSAs instead of publish attestation? npm ecosystem moved on
#808 VSA: under-specified resource_uri Zero comments, 2.5 years
#900 Workstream: Release SLSA v1.1 v1.1 shipped Apr 2025. v1.2 shipped Nov 2025. Done.
#918 in-toto statement encapsulation marcelamelara answered it
#921 What is the role of VSA? Moved to in-toto/attestation#277
#959 Builder pitfalls / source material 2 comments, 2.7 years stale
#977 Workstream: SLSA Build L4 Last activity Jan 2024. L4 work effectively dead.
#1004 Update supply-chain-threats.svg Nobody did it for 2.5 years
#1011 Describe how verification works MarkLodato asked for examples, nobody provided. 2.3y stale
#1016 Attestation Immutability Decision history documented. Nothing left to do
#1017 Exploded package descriptor Discussion stalled, no consensus
#1029 List of SLSA implementations "Shovel-ready" for 2 years, nobody did it
#1030 SLSA user experiences Community effort stalled
#1063 Build level with GitHub Action GitHub Actions SLSA docs matured
#1219 VSA resourceUri vs subject TomHennen answered directly
#1261 Builder ID completeness Zero comments, 1.3 years
#1270 Community page outdated Zero comments, stale housekeeping
#1279 Completed resolved deps Zero comments, overlaps #230
#1281 "build recipe" vs deps arewm answered it
#1452 Requirement titles more active? Style bikeshed, zero engagement
#1563 Seth McEvoy PR listing Meta-tracking, not actionable

Needs Human Decision (11 issues)

These are real spec questions with significant discussion history, but they've gone completely cold. A spec maintainer needs to make an explicit call: close as overtaken by v1.1/v1.2, or revive with a champion.

Issue Title Comments Updated The decision needed
#71 Immutable reference at L4 20 Jan 2023 MarkLodato said "still stands for L4" but L4 workstream (#977) is dead. Is L4 still happening? If not, close this and all L4-related issues.
#230 Hermetic breakdown to lower levels 23 Aug 2023 MitM vs no-network debate. Was this addressed in v1.1/v1.2 or the build-env track?
#278 Parameterless builds scope 6 Oct 2022 Related to L4. If L4 is dead, close.
#863 Build L2 provenance trust 24 Dec 2023 MarkLodato gave a resolution checklist. Did anyone execute it? Check v1.1/v1.2 changelogs.
#891 Verifying package names 22 Jul 2023 Package name in attestations. Was this addressed in VSA/verification work?
#894 Cache artifact language 14 Jul 2023 Fix PR #901 closed without merge. Was it addressed differently?
#933 mediaType for attestations 5 Aug 2023 marcelamelara said "needs to be re-opened for L1." Was it addressed in v1.1/v1.2?
#940 Standardize externalParameters 13 Aug 2023 Common CI/CD schema. Did the ecosystem converge, or is this still a gap?
#986 "Unforgeable" at Build L3 8 Oct 2023 What does L3 actually guarantee? Was this clarified in v1.1/v1.2?
#1015 Custom extension fields 5 Jan 2024 Standardized extensions map proposal. Was this adopted?
#1019 Sigstore certs as provenance 24 Feb 2024 Fulcio cert overlap with provenance. Still a gap given Sigstore evolution?

Ask marcelamelara to Review (13 issues)

These are all build-environment track backlog items filed by marcelamelara with zero comments. The track IS active (recent updates on #947, #1519, #1520), but these specific items have never been discussed. Rather than closing unilaterally, marcelamelara should review and close the ones no longer relevant.

Issue Title Filed
#1107 Best term for build env storage Aug 2024
#1122 Distributed build attestation Aug 2024
#1164 Build agent/executor measurement scope Sep 2024
#1168 Build env verification policy guarantees Sep 2024
#1170 Build executor may not be on rootfs Oct 2024
#1185 Build environments without build agent Oct 2024
#1192 Separate container vs VM requirements Oct 2024
#1195 Build image in externalParameters Oct 2024
#1198 BuildEnv for non-Linux environments Oct 2024
#1210 Connection between Build and BuildEnv tracks Oct 2024
#1211 CI control plane privileged access Oct 2024
#1243 Detailed BuildEnv requirements/guidance Nov 2024
#1245 Build env lifecycle figure Dec 2024

Confirmed Active — Keep (84 issues)

Workstreams

  • #961 — Dependency Track (Jun 2025)
  • #1495 — Verifier Track (recent)

Source Track (14 issues, active 2025)

#1142, #1148, #1367, #1378, #1379, #1480, #1492, #1508, #1509, #1413, #1427, #1436, #1441, #1457

Build Environment Track (active subset, 9 issues)

#947 (24 comments, May 2025), #1132 (Nov 2025), #1150, #1167, #1196, #1253, #1322, #1519, #1520

Build Track Spec Questions (3 issues)

  • #230 — Hermetic breakdown (pending human decision)
  • #863 — Build L2 trust (pending human decision)
  • #926 — "official source" at L3 (Jul 2023, 9 comments)

VSA / Verification (7 issues)

  • #716 — slsaLevel field (15 comments, Jun 2024)
  • #878 — VSA fields optional (18 comments, Jul 2024)
  • #968 — verifiedLevels (12 comments, Jul 2024)
  • #1118 — VSA hosting policies (12 comments, Aug 2024)
  • #1207 — VSA timeless vs time-sensitive (8 comments, Oct 2024)
  • #1262 — VSA policy violations (4 comments, Jan 2025)
  • #974 — Provenance vs VSA (10 comments, Jun 2025)

Governance

  • #937 — Steering committee (Sep 2024)

Cross-standard / Ecosystem

  • #1105 — S2C2F alignment (Nov 2024, 9 comments)
  • #1039 — Dependency vs package threats (Apr 2025, 12 comments)
  • #978 — SLSA for ML (Oct 2025)
  • #1010 — Tracks sparingly (Nov 2025, 12 comments)
  • #1102 — Codifying org/repos (Nov 2025, 6 comments)
  • #1215 — Builder level meaningful in threats (Jun 2025)

Website / Docs

  • #185 — SLSA compliance with GitHub (Oct 2025)
  • #742 — Late-branching strategy (Oct 2025)
  • #1232 — Search on docs (Oct 2025)
  • #1518 — README workstreams outdated

Localization

  • #195 — Japanese (13 comments, Oct 2025)
  • #540 — German (Oct 2024)
  • #1103 — Chinese (Oct 2024)

Recent (<6 months, active discussions)

  • #431 — Dependency Dashboard (Renovate, Mar 2026)
  • #849 — Unique builder.id (Apr 2026)
  • #1594 — SLSA for AI agent deployments (Apr 2026, 5 comments)
  • #1604 — Broken external links (Apr 2026)
  • #1545 — Spec TOC reorganization (Feb 2026, 5 comments)
  • #1548 — "About this specification" (Feb 2026)
  • #1531 — resolvedDependencies and SBOM (Jan 2026)
  • #1540 — SLSA as public standard? (Jan 2026)
  • #1486 — SLSA E2E with in-toto (Oct 2025, 7 comments)
  • #1501 — Relation to GitHub attestation (Nov 2025)
  • #1507 — SLSA in CD Foundation guide (Nov 2025)
  • #1554 — Track Specification Template (Feb 2026)
  • #1355 — Additional VSA properties (Jun 2025)

Suggested Cleanup Process

  1. Phase 1: Batch-close the 60 Tier 1-3 issues. Standard comment: "Closing due to extended inactivity. The SLSA spec has evolved significantly (now at v1.2). Please reopen with updated context if still relevant."
  2. Phase 1: Close 10 duplicates, commenting to point to the surviving issue.
  3. Phase 2: Close the 48 Tier 5 issues with the specific reasons noted above.
  4. Phase 2: Tag marcelamelara on the 13 build-env backlog items asking her to close any that are no longer relevant.
  5. Phase 3: Post the 11 "Needs Human Decision" issues to the SLSA community meeting or mailing list for a batch decision.
  6. Result: 226 → ~84 active issues. A clean tracker that reflects the actual state of the project.

Generated April 14, 2026. Every issue individually reviewed: body, comments, and related PRs checked. Issue data pulled via gh CLI.

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