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Warn against running RDoc on untrusted codebases - #1868
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The README’s .rdoc_options example incorrectly claims that setting template_dir enables custom ERB template execution, although RDoc::Options#finish overwrites that value and the configuration documentation explicitly marks it unsupported.
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What changed in this PR
Adds a security warning to RDoc’s README explaining why users should not generate documentation from codebases they do not trust.
Changes:
- Documents potential Ruby code execution through templates, plugins, and Rake tasks.
- Recommends an isolated environment without access to secrets when processing untrusted code.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| README.md | Adds a Security section describing execution risks and isolation guidance. |
Review effort: Balanced
RDoc is not designed to process untrusted input safely. Plugins loaded through rdoc/discover.rb and RDoc::Task Rakefiles can run Ruby code. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01FHNhuBcKpwab7T6MS4pS8T
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RDoc's markup formatters pass raw HTML through, so applications that render untrusted markup must sanitize the output. Suggested by kou. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01FHNhuBcKpwab7T6MS4pS8T
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RDoc is not designed to process untrusted input safely. This PR adds a Security section to the README that tells users not to run RDoc on a codebase they do not trust.
The section lists two ways that RDoc can run code. RDoc loads
rdoc/discover.rbfrom installed gems as plugins.RDoc::Taskruns the project'sRakefile. It also warns that the markup formatters pass raw HTML through, so applications that render untrusted markup must sanitize the output..rdoc_optionsis not in the list. RDoc reads it withPsych.safe_load, andOptions#finishreplaces anytemplate_dirthat it sets.