Automated ACME SSL certificate generation for nginx-proxy
This report presents the forensic synthetic code analysis of nginx-proxy/acme-companion, a Shell project with 7,716 GitHub stars. SynthScan v2.0 examined 6,430 lines of code across 67 source files, recording 49 pattern matches distributed across 4 syntactic categories. The overall adjusted score of 11.3 places this repository in the Low AI signal band.
The scanner applied 160+ deterministic lexical heuristics, multi-line block detectors, abstract syntax tree depth profilers, and a cross-file Jaccard similarity matrix to construct a statistically normalised synthetic code estimate. All matches are individually weighted by severity coefficient and contextual multiplier before summation, and the resulting headline score is temporally discounted to account for the repository's development history relative to the commercial emergence of large language model coding tooling (November 2022 onward).
This chart maps the temporal evolution of the adjusted synthetic code score across successive scan runs. An upward trajectory indicates ongoing incorporation of AI-generated code or expanding LLM-assisted scaffolding; a stable or declining trajectory may reflect active human refactoring, code removal, or the adoption of stricter authorship policies. The dashed secondary line (right axis) independently tracks total raw pattern hit count, which can diverge from the normalised score when codebase size changes significantly between scans.
Classifies detected patterns by their diagnostic confidence and structural impact. CRITICAL patterns (coefficient 10) represent definitive synthetic signatures — hallucinated imports, explicit LLM attribution metadata — virtually never produced by human authors. HIGH (5) indicates strong structural tells such as cross-file repetition or cross-linguistic idioms. MEDIUM (2) covers recognisable conversational padding and AI-specific vocabulary. LOW (1) captures subtle indicators like tautological comments and generic boilerplate that require density to carry independent signal.
This horizontal bar chart decomposes the repository's raw synthetic code score by top-level directory, allowing you to pinpoint precisely which modules or components carry the highest AI authorship density. Directories with disproportionately high scores relative to their size warrant targeted manual review: concentrated AI signatures often trace back to mass-generated configuration layers, auto-ported test suites, LLM-scaffolded boilerplate classes, or entire subsystems authored under heavy copilot assistance. Use this view to prioritise your human code-review effort.
The scanner identified 49 distinct pattern matches across 4 syntactic categories. Each entry below represents a discrete location in the source code where the engine recorded a statistically significant AI authorship indicator. Expand any category row to inspect the individual file paths, line numbers, code snippets, and the lexical context (CODE, COMMENT, or STRING) in which each match was detected.
Reading the findings table: The Severity column indicates the diagnostic confidence level (CRITICAL / HIGH / MEDIUM / LOW). The Context column identifies whether the match occurred inside executable code, an inline comment, or a string literal — comment-context matches receive a ×1.5 weight because LLMs systematically over-annotate. The ⚡ bolt icon marks clustered matches: three or more patterns within a 10-line window, each receiving an additional ×1.5 density multiplier as dense clusters constitute far stronger evidence of synthetic authorship than isolated hits.
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | app/functions.sh | 180 | # Check if a certificate ($1) is still valid for a given amount of time in seconds ($2). | COMMENT |
| LOW | app/functions.sh | 376 | # Check if this user exist inside the container | COMMENT |
| LOW | app/functions.sh | 389 | # Check if this group exist inside the container | COMMENT |
| LOW | app/entrypoint.sh | 112 | # Check if the DH params file is user provided or comes from acme-companion | COMMENT |
| LOW | app/entrypoint.sh | 121 | # Check if /etc/nginx/certs/dhparam.pem matches the expected pre-generated DH group | COMMENT |
| LOW | app/entrypoint.sh | 152 | # Check if the existing default certificate is still valid for more | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 318 | # Check if output should be considered "no output" | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/container_restart/run.sh | 49 | # Check if container restarted | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/symlinks/run.sh | 61 | # Check if ${domains[2]} symlink is still there | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/symlinks/run.sh | 88 | # Check if the symlinks are correctly removed | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/symlinks/run.sh | 112 | # Check if the custom certificate is still there | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/symlinks/run.sh | 116 | # Check if the default certificate is still there | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_standalone/run.sh | 71 | # Check if the domain is on the certificate. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_standalone/run.sh | 107 | # Check if the domain is on the certificate. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/ocsp_must_staple/run.sh | 37 | # Check if the OCSP Must-Staple extension is present in the ${domains[0]} certificate | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/ocsp_must_staple/run.sh | 47 | # Check if the OCSP Must-Staple extension is absent from the ${domains[1]} certificate | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_single_domain/run.sh | 68 | # Check if the domain is on the certificate. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_single/run.sh | 49 | # Check if the domain is on the certificate. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_san/run.sh | 64 | # Check if the domain is on the certificate. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/acme_hooks/run.sh | 58 | # Check if the default command is deliverd properly in /etc/acme.sh | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/acme_hooks/run.sh | 81 | # Check if the default action is performed | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/acme_hooks/run.sh | 92 | # Check if the per-container command is deliverd properly in /etc/acme.sh | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/acme_hooks/run.sh | 113 | # Check if the percontainer action is performed | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/location_config/run.sh | 40 | # Check if the ACME location configuration was correctly applied (ie only once) to the target file | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/certs_default_renew_deprecated/run.sh | 57 | # Check if the default command is delivered properly in /etc/acme.sh | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | README.md | 66 | ### Step 1 - nginx-proxy | COMMENT |
| LOW | README.md | 83 | ### Step 2 - acme-companion | COMMENT |
| LOW | README.md | 101 | ### Step 3 - proxied container(s) | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Basic-usage.md | 14 | ### Step 1 - nginx-proxy | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Basic-usage.md | 31 | ### Step 2 - acme-companion | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Basic-usage.md | 49 | ### Step 3 - proxied container(s) | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Advanced-usage.md | 19 | ### Step 1 - nginx | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Advanced-usage.md | 34 | ### Step 2 - docker-gen | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Advanced-usage.md | 51 | ### Step 3 - acme-companion | COMMENT |
| LOW | docs/Advanced-usage.md | 66 | ### Step 4 - proxied container(s) | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOW | test/run.sh | 1 | #!/usr/bin/env bash | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 21 | # | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 41 | # | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 61 | # means any form of electronic, verbal, or written communication sent | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 81 | # this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual, | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 101 | # (a) You must give any other recipients of the Work or | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 121 | # within a display generated by the Derivative Works, if and | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 141 | # Notwithstanding the above, nothing herein shall supersede or modify | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 161 | # whether in tort (including negligence), contract, or otherwise, | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/run.sh | 181 | # of your accepting any such warranty or additional liability. | COMMENT |
| LOW | test/tests/docker_api_tls/run.sh | 1 | #!/bin/bash | COMMENT |
| Severity | File | Line | Snippet | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEDIUM | app/entrypoint.sh | 159 | # Create a default cert and private key if: | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | test/run.sh | 4 | # This file is adapted from the Docker official images test suite | COMMENT |
| MEDIUM | test/tests/symlinks/run.sh | 43 | # Create a fake le4.wtf custom certificate and key | COMMENT |