How I Use Claude to Run a Pre-Launch Security Audit

Last week, the AI world got a ghost story. Anthropic reportedly built a model called Claude Mythos that was so good at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities that they decided it was too dangerous to release. Instead, they’ve locked it down in a private initiative with a few big tech companies.

That’s a fascinating headline, but the real story for builders isn’t the ghost. It’s the mirror. If AI is that good at *finding* holes, we need to be just as good at using it to *plug* them. This post gives you the exact tool I use to do that: a simple, AI-driven security audit you can run on any project before it sees the light of day.

---

What is an AI-driven security audit?

An AI-driven security audit is a process where a large language model systematically reviews code, configurations, and dependencies to identify potential vulnerabilities. Unlike traditional static analysis tools, it can understand the context and intent of the code. This allows it to spot not just syntax errors, but logical flaws and insecure patterns that other tools might miss.

---

The Security Audit prompt you can copy right now

This is the core instruction I give Claude to audit a WordPress `wp-config.php` file. You can paste this directly into Claude Desktop or use it as part of a larger agent in Claude Code (like in the downloadable spec). It tells the AI exactly what to look for and how to report its findings.

You are a WordPress security expert. Your task is to analyze the provided `wp-config.php` file content. Do not execute any code. Only analyze the text. Look for these specific issues:

1. `WP_DEBUG` is `true`.
2. The database password is weak or default.
3. The database table prefix is the default `wp_`.
4. WordPress security SALT keys are missing or are placeholders.
5. `DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT` is not set to `true`.

For each issue found, provide a short title, a step-by-step fix, and a risk level (Critical, High, Medium). Return your findings as a JSON array. If no issues are found, return an empty array.

This prompt turns Claude into a focused specialist. It doesn’t just find problems; it tells you exactly how to fix them, turning a security scan from a scary report into a clear to-do list.

BEFORE: A risky config file

[wp-config.php]
 - WP_DEBUG is true
 - Default table prefix
 - File editing enabled

    ↓ AI AUDIT ↓

AFTER: A clear action plan

[JSON Report]
 - Issue: "Debug Mode Enabled", Risk: "High"
 - Issue: "Default Prefix", Risk: "Medium"
 - Issue: "File Editing On", Risk: "Medium"

---

Here’s exactly how I’d do this

Running this audit is a standard part of my pre-launch checklist for any new WordPress site. It takes about 15 minutes and catches the most common mistakes that leave a site vulnerable on day one. Here is the four-step process.

1. Set up the agent. I load the Security Auditor spec (the downloadable `.md` file) into a Claude Code session. This gives the AI the context and the specific skill it needs to perform the audit.
2. Feed it the key files. I provide the contents of the project’s most critical configuration files. For a WordPress site, that’s `wp-config.php`, `.htaccess`, and sometimes `functions.php`. I’m not uploading the files, just pasting the text content into the prompt.
3. Run the audit skill. I instruct the agent to run its `audit_wordpress_config` skill on the provided text. Claude processes the file against the checklist in the prompt and returns a structured JSON report of its findings.
4. Implement the fixes. The JSON output isn’t just a list of problems; it’s a list of solutions. I go through the recommendations one by one and apply the changes to the actual files. It’s a simple, repeatable process that hardens the site before the DNS ever points to it.

This isn’t a replacement for a full penetration test by a human expert. But it is a powerful, fast, and free way to catch 90% of the low-hanging fruit that attackers look for. It’s the security equivalent of running a spell check before you publish.

---

What this changes for designer-run agency work

The idea of an AI like Mythos is intimidating. But the reality of using today’s AI for security is empowering. For agencies, it creates three important shifts in how we build and sell websites.

Shift 1: Security becomes a feature, not a cost. For years, security has been a line item that clients hate paying for because it feels invisible. An AI-driven audit turns it into a concrete deliverable. You can show the client the ‘before’ and ‘after’ report, making the value tangible. It’s a feature you can proudly list on your proposals.

Shift 2: You can de-risk the handoff. Every agency owner has felt that moment of anxiety when you hand over admin credentials to a client. This pre-launch scan acts as a final quality gate. It ensures you’re not handing over a site with obvious, easily exploited flaws, reducing your liability and increasing client trust.

Shift 3: It democratizes basic security hygiene. You no longer need to hire an expensive security consultant just to check for common mistakes. This workflow gives any developer or technical designer the ability to perform a solid baseline audit. It raises the security floor for the entire industry. If you can talk it, you can build it—and now, you can secure it, too.

---

My $0.02 — How I’d roll this out

News like the Mythos story can make you feel behind. The best way to catch up is to act. Here’s a simple three-day plan to turn this concept into a real process for your agency.

Day 1 — Audit your own house. Before you offer this to clients, test it on your own agency site. Use the prompt from this post and feed it your site’s `wp-config.php`. Be honest about what it finds. Document the process, fix any issues, and use it to build your confidence and refine your workflow.

Day 2 — Productize the service. Turn your Day 1 experience into a standard operating procedure (SOP). Create a checklist. Save the prompt as a template. Decide where it fits in your project timeline (I recommend right before staging deployment). This turns a one-off experiment into a repeatable, scalable part of your process.

Day 3 — Run a free scan for your best client. Pick one trusted client and offer them a free, proactive security scan. Record a short Loom video walking them through the report. Explain what you found and how you fixed it. This does two things: it provides immediate value and opens the door to a conversation about an ongoing security and maintenance retainer.

---

FAQ

What is Claude Mythos?
Claude Mythos is reportedly an unreleased AI model developed by Anthropic. It is described as having advanced capabilities in identifying and exploiting software vulnerabilities, to the extent that it was deemed too potentially dangerous for public release.

What is Project Glasswing?
Project Glasswing is the name of the closed initiative Anthropic formed with partners like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The purpose is to study the capabilities and risks of advanced AI models like Claude Mythos in a controlled environment rather than releasing them publicly.

Is this AI audit a replacement for a human penetration tester?
No. An AI audit is excellent for catching common, known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations — the ‘low-hanging fruit.’ It is a first line of defense. A human penetration tester is still necessary for finding complex, novel, or business-logic-specific vulnerabilities.

Is it safe to paste my code into Claude?
For paid Anthropic accounts (Pro, Team, Enterprise), your data is not used to train their models. However, you should always be cautious and never paste sensitive credentials like production passwords. It’s best to run this on configuration files with placeholder secrets before they are deployed to production.

What kind of vulnerabilities can Claude find?
It’s best at finding insecure defaults (like `WP_DEBUG` being on), weak configurations (default database prefixes), missing security headers, and some forms of injection vulnerabilities (like SQLi) if it can see the code context. It is less effective at finding complex, multi-step exploit chains.

Does this only work for WordPress?
The prompt provided is specific to WordPress, but the technique is universal. You can write similar prompts to audit Django `settings.py` files, Node.js environment variables, or Docker configurations. The key is to provide the AI with a clear checklist of what to look for in a specific file type.

---

Want help applying this?

Four ways to go deeper:

• Build with Builders. Join the Talk-to-Build community to learn to build AI-native websites, cinematic AI video, and agent-driven workflows you can sell.
• 1-on-1 working session. Book a screen-share with me — bring a real problem, leave with a working piece of it.
• Done-for-you. MK-Way builds AEO-ready websites, apps, and AI agent workflows.
• Quick question. DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn. I read every message.

---

Part of the AI Pulse series. If you commented “MYTHOS” on one of my videos — this is the breakdown. Sources: Reporting on Claude Mythos is based on industry chatter following Anthropic’s latest safety update. The audit technique is from my own pre-launch process.

Last updated: 2026-06-23.