SCA SBOM Exports - ZeroPath Documentation

Overview

ZeroPath’s SBOM service generates export-ready CycloneDX, SPDX, VEX, and ML-BOM documents directly from the SCA and AI inventories your scans already produced. An SBOM built from the SCA inventory reuses the same normalized dependency graph that powers alerting, so the artifact matches what you see in the UI. The same inventory drives dependency coverage and per-package license data, so an SBOM is only as complete as the scan behind it. The pre-scan snapshot fallback described below uses a standard component scanner and may differ, and does not apply to the VEX or ML-BOM formats — see Data Sources.

Request

Accepts a request tied to a scan. You can optionally specify an SCA scan for richer inventory data, but it is not required — SBOMs can be generated from any completed code scan.

Process

The job is queued and processed asynchronously; poll its status or receive a webhook when it finishes.

Build

The SBOM is built from the chosen data source (preferably the SCA inventory).

Upload

Uploads the JSON artifact to managed object storage and returns a pre-signed download URL.

Track

Tracks status, attempt count, and expiration so you can poll or receive webhook updates.

Request Flow

Submit

Choose the scan, desired format (CycloneDX JSON, SPDX JSON, standalone VEX, or ML-BOM), and, for CycloneDX JSON, whether to include embedded VEX data. Jobs can be created through the UI or API.

Process

ZeroPath processes the job, hydrates the dependency inventory, and generates the artifact. Automatic retries handle any interruptions.

Store

Finished SBOMs are uploaded to ZeroPath’s artifact bucket with a time-limited retention policy (24 hours by default, configurable per tenant).

Retrieve

The API returns a signed URL; optional webhooks fire when the job transitions to Succeeded or Failed.

Formats & VEX Support

CycloneDX JSON
SPDX JSON
Embedded VEX
Standalone VEX
ML-BOM

Best for tooling that expects component graphs, dependency relationships, and embedded VEX. When VEX is requested, each vulnerability carries a CycloneDX analysis.state: not_affected when the vulnerable code path is not reachable, exploitable when it is reachable and confirmed, or in_triage when it is reachable but not yet validated. ZeroPath also includes CWE references, a CVSS rating when the advisory carries real CVSS data, and KEV/EPSS exploit intelligence as zeropath:-namespaced properties.When the scan has AI Inventory data, this export is automatically enriched with the AI/ML components ZeroPath detected — no separate request required. See Artifact Contents for what that adds.

Aligns with procurement/legal workflows. ZeroPath includes annotations for direct vs transitive dependencies, license declarations, and dependency relationships (DEPENDS_ON, DESCRIBES). SPDX does not carry VEX or AI Inventory data — use CycloneDX JSON, standalone VEX, or ML-BOM for those.

A CycloneDX document that carries only vulnerabilities[] — no components, no dependency graph — for tooling that consumes exploitability statements separately from the component inventory. Built entirely from the SCA inventory, so it always requires a completed SCA scan; there is no repository-snapshot path for this format. Downloads as {codeScanId}-vex.json.

A CycloneDX 1.6 machine-learning bill of materials scoped to one repository’s AI Inventory: LLM SDKs, agent frameworks, and similar detected packages as library components, model files as machine-learning-model components, and agent configs, prompt templates, and datasets as data components. Each component carries zeropath:ai:* properties for the fields ZeroPath actually knows about it — kind, usage, tier, provider, model format, detection source, manifest/file path, and reachability — so an absent property means that field is not known, not empty.Built entirely from the AI inventory, so it always requires a completed code scan; a repository that has only ever run standalone SCA scans returns a clear error until a full scan runs. An empty AI inventory produces a valid document with no components rather than an error. Downloads as {codeScanId}-mlbom.json.

Data Sources

Preferred: SCA Inventory
Fallback: Repository Snapshot

Uses the canonical inventory built by the ZeroPath SCA service, so it includes direct/transitive classification, license data, application ownership, and previously validated vulnerability context.
SBOMs generated from inventory are consistent: the package set, ordering, and dependency edges match the UI and alerting exactly. Document-level identifiers such as the CycloneDX serial number and timestamp are unique per generation.
VEX data is available because the inventory knows which packages are reachable, not reachable, or still in triage.

Artifact Contents

Every CycloneDX JSON and SPDX JSON export includes:

Repository metadata (name, commit SHA, scan timestamp).
One entry per manifest path (package-lock.json, requirements.txt, go.mod, pom.xml, Podfile, etc.).
Normalized ecosystems and Package URLs (PURL) for each dependency.
Direct vs transitive annotations plus a summary of the dependency path so teams know how a package entered the build. Maven transitive dependencies now include full parent-child dependency-path chains.
License information per package, sourced from manifest fields and external metadata. These fields are informational, not legal advice.
Dependency relationships (CycloneDX dependencies, SPDX relationships).
Optional VEX blocks (embedded, via CycloneDX JSON’s VEX option) showing current status, ZeroPath vulnerability IDs, CVSS/EPSS ratings, CWEs, and remediation hints. Standalone VEX carries the same vulnerability entries without the component graph.

CycloneDX JSON additionally carries AI Inventory enrichment when the scan has AI Inventory data: AI/ML-flagged packages carry zeropath:ai:* properties (kind, usage, tier, provider, model format, detection source, manifest/file path, and reachability — each present only when known), and file-derived AI signals with no package identity — model files, agent configs — appear as additional components. SPDX is not enriched this way; use ML-BOM for a dedicated, per-repository AI/ML inventory.

Vulnerability intelligence properties

KEV and EPSS — see Exploit intelligence: KEV and EPSS for what these signals mean — appear on each CycloneDX vulnerability entry (embedded or standalone VEX) as properties in the zeropath: namespace:

Property	Meaning
`zeropath:kev`	`"true"` or `"false"` — whether the CVE is in the CISA KEV catalog.
`zeropath:kev:dateAdded`	ISO date CISA added the CVE to KEV. Present only when `zeropath:kev` is `"true"`.
`zeropath:kev:knownRansomware`	`"true"` or `"false"` — tied to a known ransomware campaign. Present only when `zeropath:kev` is `"true"`.
`zeropath:epss:score`	EPSS exploit probability, `0`–`1`, as a string.
`zeropath:epss:percentile`	EPSS percentile rank, `0`–`1`, as a string.

A property is included only when ZeroPath actually knows the value: absence means not known, never a fabricated “not exploited” or a zero score. EPSS additionally appears as a CycloneDX rating alongside any CVSS rating, so tools that only read ratings[] still see it:

{
  "method": "other",
  "source": { "name": "EPSS", "url": "https://www.first.org/epss/" },
  "score": 0.42
}

Storage & Access

SBOMs are stored in ZeroPath-managed object storage with an automatic expiration policy (24 hours by default; can be extended for enterprise tenants).
Download links are pre-signed URLs that carry the same expiration. Pull the artifact into your own storage if you need longer retention.
Every job records organization, repository, requester, format, and expiration so you always know who generated which SBOM.

Adoption Guide

Run at Least One SCA Scan

This unlocks inventory-backed SBOMs and VEX exports. Scheduled scans keep the inventory current.

Submit SBOM Requests per Release

Kick off a job whenever you cut a release branch, tag, or artifact that needs provenance.

Choose the Right Format

Use CycloneDX JSON (with embedded or standalone VEX) for engineering/security workflows, SPDX for procurement/legal stakeholders, and ML-BOM when you need a per-repository AI/ML inventory on its own.

Integrate Delivery

Plug pre-signed URLs into CI/CD approvals, artifact registries, or audit tickets so reviewers can fetch the document automatically.

Mirror Long-Lived Artifacts

If policy requires multi-year retention, copy the SBOM into your own storage before the link expires.

Troubleshooting Tips

"VEX requires SCA inventory"

Applies to both embedded VEX (the CycloneDX JSON option) and the standalone VEX format. Rerun the job with a completed SCA scan selected, or disable VEX for snapshot-based exports.

"ML-BOM export requires a code scan"

Shown when a repository has only ever run standalone SCA scans and never a full/code scan. AI Inventory is anchored to a code scan, so run a full scan for the repository and retry the export.

"Repository snapshot failed"

Usually caused by missing SCM credentials or a deleted branch/tag. Re-run after fixing access or target a different commit.

Incomplete dependency list

Verify the latest SCA scan finished successfully and that manifests were included (shown in the SCA tab). SBOMs mirror whatever the scan captured.

Jobs stuck in Pending or Processing

SBOM jobs now update their status automatically when generation completes or fails, even if you close the browser or navigate away before the result appears. If a job still shows as pending after ten minutes, ensure SBOM workers are running for your workspace and contact support if it persists.

Generation failed with an error message

SBOM jobs report a specific failure reason. Common failure categories include:

Artifact download failed — the generated SBOM could not be retrieved from storage. This is usually transient; retry the job.
Artifact missing — generation completed but no downloadable file was produced. Re-run with a scan that has inventory data.
Generation failed — an error occurred during SBOM assembly. The error message will include details from the processing pipeline.
Timeout — the job did not finish within the allowed window. This can happen for very large repositories; contact support if it persists.

The failure reason on the job indicates whether the issue is with scan data, artifact storage, or processing.

Comparing Results with Other SBOM Tools

When comparing ZeroPath SBOMs against tools like Syft, Trivy, or Grype, you may notice differences in package counts.

Why Package Counts Differ

Factor	ZeroPath	Other Tools (e.g., Syft)
Dev dependencies	Declared dev deps are recorded from the manifest; transitive expansion targets the production graph	Often include every installed dev transitive (e.g. from `node_modules`)
Data source	Lockfiles and manifests	May also scan `node_modules` directory, binaries, or container layers
Optional/peer dependencies	Declared ones recorded from the manifest; their subtrees included when resolution covers them	May include unresolved optional deps
Workspace/monorepo packages	Scoped to the target manifest	May include all workspace packages

​Overview

​Request Flow

​Formats & VEX Support

​Data Sources

​Artifact Contents

​Vulnerability intelligence properties

​Storage & Access

​Adoption Guide

​Troubleshooting Tips

​Comparing Results with Other SBOM Tools

​Why Package Counts Differ