How to Build an Automated Bug Bounty Workflow with BugHunter

I've worked as a backend developer for eight years, building countless web applications. Honestly, it wasn't until I joined a crowdsourced testing project on HackerTwo years ago that I realized how many "taken-for-granted" security assumptions were baked into my code—unauthorized IDOR parameters, path leaks in error messages, unhandled edge cases...

If you want to start bug bounty hunting, the biggest pain point isn't a lack of ideas, but:

1. Fragmented Toolchain: Subdomain enumeration, alive detection, URL crawling, vulnerability scanning... each step requires a different tool, and a single test run can take over half an hour just waiting for results.
2. Information Overload: Scanners spit out 500 "high-severity alerts", 480 of which are false positives. You have to manually filter them one by one.
3. Reporting is Hard: After finally finding a real vulnerability, you realize your draft doesn't match the platform's formatting requirements, leading to endless back-and-forth edits.

Today, I'll walk you through building a complete, zero-to-report bug bounty workflow using BugHunter (shuvonsec/claude-bug-bounty), a rising star on GitHub. The entire process can run on free AI models with no paid subscriptions required.

What You'll Need

• A Linux/macOS machine (Windows users can use WSL2)
• git, python3.8+, and jq installed (brew on macOS, apt on Ubuntu)
• Basic command-line experience
• A legally authorized test target (e.g., a locally hosted web app, or a scope from a Bug Bounty platform)

You don't need to be a security expert, but familiarity with HTTP, SQL, and XSS basics is recommended. I'll explain the "why" behind every step.

Step 1: Clone and Install

Open your terminal and pull the project:

git clone https://github.com/phuvonsec/claude-bug-bounty.git
cd claude-bug-bounty

Pro tip: The project supports two modes: as a Claude Code plugin, or as a standalone CLI tool bughunter. I highly recommend starting with the standalone mode since it doesn't rely on any paid AI services and works perfectly with local models via Ollama.

Run the installation script:

./install.sh --agent standalone

This registers the bughunter command in your system PATH. Now you can run it from any directory.

Next, install the underlying scanning tools (subfinder, httpx, nuclei, katana, ffuf, etc.):

chmod +x install_tools.sh && ./install_tools.sh

This downloads 30+ security tool binaries. Verify the installation:

bughunter arsenal

It lists all installed scanners. If a tool shows as missing, it won't break the flow—BugHunter automatically skips missing tools.

Step 2: Configure Free AI Providers

BugHunter's core is a multi-model AI layer (brain.py) supporting Ollama, Groq, DeepSeek, Claude, and OpenAI. It prioritizes them automatically: Ollama → Groq → DeepSeek → Claude → OpenAI.

Option A: 100% Free Local Setup (Ollama)

If you don't mind ~9 GB of disk space, this is the most private and hassle-free choice:

## Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

## Pull model
ollama pull qwen2.5:14b

## Configure BugHunter to use Ollama
bughunter setup

Select Ollama in the prompt. The model download is one-time; it runs fully offline afterward.

Option B: Free Cloud Setup (Groq)

If your machine lacks resources, use Groq's free tier:

export GROQ_API_KEY="your_api_key"
bughunter setup  # Select Groq

Groq's inference speed is excellent for network reconnaissance that requires heavy conversational overhead.

Step 3: Core Workflow — From Recon to Report

BugHunter's pipeline consists of four stages, each mapped to a command:

/recon → /hunt → /validate → /report

Let's run through them using testphp.vulnweb.com (a publicly authorized demo target).

3.1 Reconnaissance (Recon): Map the Attack Surface

bughunter recon testphp.vulnweb.com

This stage:

• Subdomain Enumeration: Finds all subdomains.
• Alive Detection: Uses httpx to check responsive endpoints.
• URL Crawling: Uses katana to discover pages and APIs.
• Quick Scan: Runs nuclei with high-severity POC templates.

Results are saved to the memory/ directory for session persistence. Why? Real engagements span days, and you shouldn't have to restart from scratch.

3.2 Hunting: Vulnerability Scanning

bughunter hunt testphp.vulnweb.com

BugHunter covers 20+ Web2 vulnerability types, including IDOR, XSS, SQLi, SSRF, Auth Bypass, Race Conditions, and File Upload RCE. Instead of blindly spraying payloads, the AI intelligently selects test strategies based on URLs and parameters found during recon.

For example, it probes /listproducts.php?cat=1 for SQLi, and /artists.php for XSS.

Terminal output example:

[*] Testing: /listproducts.php?cat=1
[!] Potential SQL Injection detected
  Payload: cat=1' AND 1=1--
  Response difference: 15 chars

3.3 Validation: Filtering False Positives

This is arguably the most practical feature. Given the high false-positive rate of standard scanners, BugHunter includes a 7-Question Gate validation mechanism:

bughunter validate "SQL injection at listproducts.php?cat"

The AI asks 7 critical questions, such as:

1. Can an attacker actually exploit this right now?
2. What's the blast radius? Does it affect only you or other users too?
3. Could this be a false positive?

Findings that fail the gate are marked as weak, saving you from wasting time on report writing. This logic comes from the triage-validation module, built on real-world bug bounty reports.

3.4 Reporting: One-Click Generation

bughunter report

Automatically generates reports compliant with HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, and Immunefi formats, including:

• Title
• Impact Description
• Steps to Reproduce
• Request/Response Snippets
• Remediation Recommendations

The core principle is Impact First—clearly state the vulnerability's destructive potential before diving into technical weeds. This is a hard-learned lesson from countless N/A triages.

Step 4: Full Automation — One-Command Run

Once familiar, use Autopilot Mode to run the entire pipeline:

bughunter autopilot testphp.vulnweb.com

It executes scope → recon → hunt → validate → report sequentially with safety checkpoints. Beginners should run steps manually first to understand each phase, then switch to autopilot.

Pro Tips & Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Authorization First: Always confirm you have explicit permission to test a target. Scanning unauthorized sites isn't just unethical—it's illegal.
2. Ollama Model Selection: qwen2.5:14b is recommended. If you have less than 8 GB RAM, switch to qwen2.5:7b or llama3.1:8b. Speed will drop, but it will run.
3. Path Conflicts: If you already have nuclei or httpx installed, the script won't overwrite them. Delete old versions first to avoid conflicts.
4. Scan Duration: A full recon + hunt takes 10-30 mins depending on target size. Don't spam Ctrl+C. The tool runs heavy background requests. If interrupted, resume with:

bughunter pickup testphp.vulnweb.com

5. Network Environment: Users in restricted networks may need a proxy for dependencies. Some subfinder and nuclei templates rely on external resources; they gracefully degrade if unreachable.

Summary

Here's what we covered:

1. Environment Setup: Cloned repo, installed scanners, registered bughunter CLI.
2. AI Configuration: Set up Ollama or Groq as free inference engines.
3. 4-Stage Pipeline: recon → hunt → validate → report.
4. Autopilot Mode: Full execution with a single command.

BugHunter isn't "just another scanner." Its real value lies in orchestrating Recon, Scanning, Validation, and Reporting via AI, drastically cutting down manual tool-switching and judgment fatigue. The 7-Question Gate and session persistence make it ideal for bounty hunters tracking targets over long periods.

What to Try Next:

• Deploy a local DVWA for safe practice.
• Run bughunter secrets-hunt --js-bundle ./ to find leaked credentials in JS files.
• Explore /web3-audit for 10 smart contract vulnerability checks.
• Read docs/advanced-techniques.md for vulnerability chaining techniques.

Security testing demands respect and caution. Tools only extend your mindset. Stay curious, stay careful, and good luck on your first bounty!