# defparam/smuggler

Smuggler - An HTTP Request Smuggling / Desync testing tool written in Python 3

Repository: https://github.com/defparam/smuggler
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/smuggler
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2024-01-02T12:46:17+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2277, "days_push": 974, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2093, forks 326 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:12.595122+00:00)

## What it is
Smuggler is a Python 3 command-line tool that tests web servers and proxies for HTTP request smuggling and desync vulnerabilities. It fires a battery of mutated HTTP requests at a target URL or a piped list of hosts and flags responses that indicate potential front-end/back-end desync issues.

## Use cases
- test a website for http request smuggling vulnerabilities
- check if my reverse proxy or load balancer is vulnerable to http desync
- scan a list of hosts for cl.te and te.cl desync issues
- find request smuggling bugs in bug bounty targets
- detect front-end/back-end http header parsing mismatches
- audit cdn or api gateway endpoints for desync before deployment

## When to choose
- you need a quick, scriptable CLI check for HTTP request smuggling on one URL or thousands of piped hosts
- you are doing a pentest or bug bounty engagement and want Kettle-style desync mutations out of the box
- you want customizable payload sets via a config file, virtual host support, and logging of findings
- you need a lightweight Python 3 tool with no heavy dependencies

## When to avoid
- you need a general-purpose web vulnerability scanner covering SQLi, XSS, etc. - smuggler only targets desync
- you require guaranteed accuracy - the author explicitly warns of false positives on large providers like AWS, Akamai, and Google
- you need a passive scanner - it actively sends malformed requests and can affect targets
- you lack authorization to test the target, since smuggling probes may disrupt services

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: penetration-testing, security, http-client
- domain: security, penetration-testing, web-development
- platform: python, cli, cross-platform
- tags: http-request-smuggling, http-desync, web-security, bug-bounty, pentesting, vulnerability-detection, python3, te-cl, cl-te, recon

## Member repositories
- defparam/smuggler (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:12.595122+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:55:27.816200+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/defparam/smuggler (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:12.595122+00:00, sha 187dbf639b71)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.