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GitHub – Enabling and Managing Dependabot Scans

Support > GitHub Integration

August 18, 2026

Overview

Dependabot helps security and engineering teams move beyond manually tracking open-source risk. It provides a structured, native GitHub workflow to detect vulnerable dependencies, generate alerts, and remediate them through automated pull requests.

This ensures that risks from outdated or vulnerable dependencies are not just detected, but actively tracked and resolved as part of your repository's security posture.

Prerequisites

  • You have admin access to the repository (required to change security and analysis settings)
  • You have a supported manifest file in the repository — Dependabot can only scan ecosystems it recognizes from a manifest or lockfile
  • You have organization-level permissions verified, if the repository belongs to an organization — some organization owners restrict who can enable security features at the repository level

What Dependabot Enables

Dependabot enables continuous, native dependency scanning and remediation directly inside GitHub.
  • Detect known vulnerabilities in project dependencies
  • Generate alerts with severity, affected package, and advisory details
  • Automate remediation through pull requests
  • Track findings through a clear lifecycle to closure
  • Maintain auditable records of dependency risk

Steps to Work with Dependabot on the GitHub Repository

Step 1: Enable Dependabot on the GitHub Repository

  • Open the repository and go to Settings
  • Under Security, select Advanced Security
  • Enable the Dependency graph
  • Enable Dependabot alerts to identify known vulnerabilities
  • Enable Dependabot security updates to automate security-related dependency updates
Note: The repository is now configured to monitor and manage dependency vulnerabilities.

Step 2: Review Dependency Vulnerabilities

  • Open the repository and go to Security and quality
  • Select Dependabot alerts
  • Review each alert's severity, affected package, version, and advisory details
  • Filter alerts by severity, ecosystem, or status as needed

Step 3: Track and Remediate Findings

  • Review the recommended fix provided by Dependabot
  • Merge the automated pull request or update the dependency manually
  • Allow Dependabot to re-scan the repository
  • Confirm the vulnerability is resolved and the alert is marked Closed

Lifecycle: Open → In Progress → Verified → Closed

After the Setup

  • Continuous, native dependency vulnerability scanning
  • Automated remediation via pull requests
  • Clear severity-based triage
  • Auditable remediation lifecycle

Best Practices for Managing Dependabot Findings

  • Enable Security Updates, Not Just Alerts — turning on automatic pull requests reduces mean-time-to-remediation significantly
  • Use GitHub's Native Severity Ratings — align triage decisions with the CVSS-based severity GitHub already provides; avoid re-scoring manually unless business context requires it
  • Prioritize Critical & High Findings — set internal Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for remediation

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Alerts require the dependency graph to be enabled
  • Skipping security updates leaves known vulnerabilities unresolved
  • Only supported manifests and lockfiles are scanned
  • Transitive dependencies can still introduce security risks
  • Unassigned alerts are less likely to be remediated promptly

Troubleshooting

  • Dependabot alerts option greyed out: the dependency graph is disabled, or you lack admin access
  • No alerts appear: the repository lacks a supported manifest or lockfile
  • Alerts not updating: GitHub may need time to re-scan dependencies after a fix
  • Settings not taking effect: organization-level security policies may override repository settings

How Dependabot Strengthens Security

By enabling native scanning on every repository, teams can:

  • Proactively manage dependencies instead of reacting to vulnerabilities
  • Reduce exposure time to known vulnerabilities
  • Improve accountability across engineering teams
  • Maintain clear remediation records
  • Demonstrate ongoing security improvements to auditors

Conclusion

GitHub Dependabot transforms open-source dependency risk from a scattered, repo-by-repo concern into a structured, auditable vulnerability management process.

By:

  • Enabling the dependency graph and Dependabot alerts
  • Enabling automated security updates
  • Prioritizing alerts by severity
  • Tracking remediation through closure

Organizations can ensure dependency risks are identified, addressed, and resolved — strengthening software supply chain security, governance, and audit readiness.