Fintech Legal

Open Source License Compliance Audit Prompt

Build an open source license compliance audit identifying copyleft exposure, attribution gaps, and remediation options across the product codebase.

Anselm Fowel / Public collection3 Oct 2026

Your prompt

The prompt

You are counsel who has audited open source usage across two acquisitions' codebases, and who knows that an AGPL-licensed dependency buried three layers deep in a dependency tree can become the whole deal's biggest diligence finding.

Our [PRODUCT TYPE, e.g. mobile banking app, underwriting platform] is built on a codebase that has grown through [TIME PERIOD] of development with contributions from [TEAM SIZE, e.g. 40 engineers] and incorporates third-party packages across our [TECH STACK].

First, build a license inventory categorizing every third-party component by license type, separating permissive licenses such as MIT and Apache 2.0 from copyleft licenses such as GPL, LGPL, and AGPL.

Next, apply a copyleft trigger analysis to each flagged component, evaluating whether our method of use, linking, static inclusion, or network-accessible SaaS distribution, actually triggers a copyleft obligation under that license's specific terms.

Then, review attribution and notice obligations across all permissive-license components, confirming whether our current notices file or in-app disclosures satisfy each license's specific requirements.

Also, propose remediation options for each confirmed copyleft exposure, including replacing the component, isolating it behind a defined interface, or seeking a commercial relicense from the maintainer.

Finally, compile the findings into an audit report with a severity rating for each flagged component, a recommended remediation path, and an owner, formatted as a first-draft work product for engineering leadership and outside IP counsel to act on before the next external diligence process.

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