Interpreting Scan Output and the DriftScore

This article helps you read and act on the output of a Vibgrate scan. It explains what the DriftScore means, how to interpret findings, and how exit codes signal pass or fail. It is for developers new to the tool and for leaders interpreting reports.

Overview

A scan produces three things worth understanding: the DriftScore, the list of findings, and an exit code. Together they tell you how much upgrade drift exists, where it is, and whether any gate you set was tripped.

The DriftScore

The DriftScore is a single number from 0 to 100. Higher means more upgrade drift and more risk. Use it as a headline metric to track over time. The DriftScore concept page explains exactly how the number is calculated and what each risk band means.

Findings

Beneath the score, the scan lists findings that contribute to it. Each describes a specific source of drift the scanner detected. Use findings to decide what to fix first; the highest-severity items are usually the best place to start.

Exit codes

A clean scan exits 0. When you set a gate such as --fail-on or --drift-budget and the threshold is exceeded, the scan exits non-zero so CI can stop. See the exit codes reference for the complete list.

Acting on the result

vg

Start with the bare scan to learn your current DriftScore, capture a baseline with vg baseline to track deltas, and then introduce gates once you know your numbers. To share results and watch trends across the team, push them to Vibgrate Cloud with vg push.

Related

See the DriftScore concept page, the exit codes reference, the combining scan with baseline guide, and the scan command reference.