sqlite-scanner

sqlite-scanner - SQLite Database Filesystem Scanner

Overview

sqlite-scanner wraps Simon Willison's Go CLI tool that identifies SQLite databases by reading the first 16 bytes of every file and comparing against the magic header SQLite format 3\x00. No file extension guessing — pure binary signature detection.

Role: MINUS verifier in triadic consensus — validates filesystem state by detecting hidden/​renamed SQLite databases.

Quick Start

# One-shot via uvx (no install needed)
uvx sqlite-scanner ~/

# With JSON output and sizes
uvx sqlite-scanner --json --size /​path/​to/​scan

# Streaming JSONL for pipeline consumption
uvx sqlite-scanner --jsonl --size ~/​Library ~/​Documents

When to Use

• Forensic inventory: Find all SQLite databases on a system regardless of extension
• VM disk auditing: Scan mounted VM disk images for database artifacts
• Honeypot validation: Verify canary SQLite files are planted correctly
• Pre-migration cataloging: Inventory databases before system moves
• Stealer artifact detection: Find browser/​app databases in unexpected locations

When NOT to Use

• Querying database contents (use DuckDB or sqlite3)
• Modifying databases (use appropriate write tools)
• Scanning network shares (latency makes magic-byte reads slow)

CLI Reference

Positional args: One or more directories to scan. Defaults to . if none given.

Output Formats

Plain text (default)

/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Safari/​History.db
/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Messages/​chat.db

JSON (--json --size)

{"entries": [
  {"path": "/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Safari/​History.db", "size": 1048576},
  {"path": "/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Messages/​chat.db", "size": 524288}
]}

JSONL (--jsonl --size)

{"path":"/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Safari/​History.db","size":1048576}
{"path":"/​Users/​bob/​Library/​Messages/​chat.db","size":524288}

Detection Method

var sqliteMagic = []byte("SQLite format 3\x00")

func checkSQLiteMagic(path string) bool {
    f, _ := os.Open(path)
    buf := make([]byte, 16)
    io.ReadFull(f, buf)
    return bytes.Equal(buf, sqliteMagic)
}

Worker-pool pattern: filepath.WalkDir feeds paths channel, N workers read 16 bytes each, matches stream to output immediately.

GF(3) Conservation

sqlite-scanner is assigned trit = -1 (MINUS) for verification role:

Verifier (-1) + Coordinator (0) + Generator (+1) = 0 (mod 3)
[sqlite-scanner]  [jo-clojure]     [hy-regime]

Triad semantics:

• sqlite-scanner detects/​validates SQLite presence (MINUS)
• jo-clojure orchestrates scan → query → report pipeline (ERGODIC)
• hy-regime generates analysis reports from discovered databases (PLUS)

Boxxy Activities

scan-host

Scan host filesystem for all SQLite databases.

(sqlite-scanner/​scan ["/​Users/​bob"] {:json true :size true :workers 8})

scan-vm-disk

Mount and scan a VM disk image.

(sqlite-scanner/​scan-mounted disk-mount-path {:jsonl true})

canary-audit

Verify honeypot canary databases are in place.

(sqlite-scanner/​verify-canaries canary-paths scan-results)

Architecture

• upstream: github.com/​simonw/​sqlite-scanner (single main.go, ~250 LOC)
• distribution: PyPI wheels via go-to-wheel (8 platform targets)
• invocation: uvx sqlite-scanner (zero-install) or go install
• concurrency: Go worker pool, runtime.NumCPU() default workers
• integration: Joker .joke activities wrap via joker.os/​exec

References

• Blog post — Distribution pattern
• GitHub — Source
• PyPI — Package
• go-to-wheel — Build tool