Workflow · PreFlight

PreFlight: Fast Readiness Checks Before High-Risk Actions

PreFlight is the focused readiness layer in AuditWalk. It uses your trusted baseline to quickly evaluate high-signal areas before sensitive actions, without running a full system compare every time.

Purpose

What PreFlight is for

PreFlight is a targeted integrity check designed for moments where you need signal quickly. It answers: "Do I have immediate evidence of drift in the areas that matter right now?"

It is optimized for speed, relevance, and operator decision support before actions that are hard to reverse.

Model

How PreFlight differs from Scan and Compare

Scan

  • Creates filesystem evidence artifact
  • Observation only
  • No trust decision by default

PreFlight

  • Fast targeted readiness check
  • Uses baseline context
  • Narrower scope, quicker result

Compare

  • Full drift evaluation
  • Complete system context
  • Used for thorough post-check analysis

Context

Why baseline makes PreFlight more valuable

PreFlight becomes meaningful because it is baseline-informed. It does not just report current state; it evaluates change against a trusted reference.

scan run          -> capture evidence
baseline set --scan-id <scan_id> -> establish trusted reference
preflight run     -> evaluate targeted readiness vs baseline

Scope

What PreFlight may inspect

PreFlight can inspect selected high-signal surfaces, including browser, system, and path-targeted areas, depending on your command scope.

  • Browser extension and profile posture (when included)
  • System startup and persistence-adjacent paths
  • Critical config locations such as `/etc`
  • Policy and settings drift in selected modules

CLI

CLI examples

auditwalk preflight run
auditwalk preflight run --path /etc
auditwalk preflight run --profile quick
auditwalk preflight run --include browser
auditwalk baseline show
auditwalk compare run

Workflow

Baseline-informed readiness workflow

auditwalk scan run --profile full
auditwalk baseline set --scan-id <scan_id>
auditwalk preflight run --include browser
auditwalk baseline show
# If PreFlight flags drift:
auditwalk compare run

This sequence keeps PreFlight lightweight while preserving a clear escalation path to full Compare.

Positioning

Public-facing copy

PreFlight gives AuditWalk a fast, baseline-aware readiness layer. It checks high-signal areas before sensitive actions so operators can proceed, pause, or escalate to full Compare with confidence.