Configuring your AI vulnerability harness, Part 2: The steering file

This article explains how to configure an AI model for structured vulnerability triage using a steering file that enforces evidence-based scoring, structural verification, and infrastructure-aware prioritization.

• Steering files encode security triage methodology as machine-executable instructions for consistent AI analysis across sessions
• Structural verification prevents hallucinated findings by requiring confirmed dataflow, function existence, and call paths before reporting
• Evidence-based confidence scoring replaces intuitive model assessment with formulas computed from binary structural signals
• Infrastructure-aware assessment applies control-specific multipliers to reduce severity when compensating controls are in place
• Threat intelligence integration incorporates CISA KEV and EPSS signals to boost priority for actively exploited vulnerabilities
• Priority classification maps final scores to four action tiers (P0-P3) with specific developer response requirements
• Steering file available for Kiro, Claude Code, and other AI assistants; complements but doesn't replace programmatic taint tracking or live infrastructure verification

Steering files enable teams to apply consistent, evidence-grounded security analysis methodology through AI coding assistants without requiring new infrastructure or procurement.