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Wazuh Custom Rule Never Fires? Check File Order Even If `analysisd -t` Exits 0

A clean exit from `wazuh-analysisd -t` is not proof that a custom rule loaded. Diagnose missing `if_sid` parents, check file order, and verify the intended rule ID with `wazuh-logtest`.

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A successful exit from /var/ossec/bin/wazuh-analysisd -t does not prove that every custom rule and its dependencies loaded. Check the command output and /var/ossec/logs/ossec.log for warnings 7617 and 7619, then test a representative event with wazuh-logtest. If a child rule’s if_sid points to a parent that has not been loaded yet, the child can be ignored; file processing order is a likely cause when those warnings identify a missing parent.

Why can analysisd -t exit 0 when a custom rule is ignored?

The -t option tests configuration, but a zero exit status alone does not establish that a particular dependent rule is usable. Read the test output and manager log: unresolved rule dependencies may produce warnings even when the process exits successfully. The official wazuh-analysisd reference defines -t as a configuration test; it does not promise that a zero exit code confirms every child rule loaded.

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  • Warning 7617: a referenced signature ID was not found.
  • Warning 7619: the resulting rule has an empty if_sid and is ignored.

Wazuh issue reports describe dependent rules being skipped when their referenced parent cannot be found. The warnings are more useful than the exit code for diagnosing that failure.

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How can a rule filename affect if_sid dependencies?

Rules are processed in file order. If a child rule refers to a parent with if_sid, but the child’s file is processed before the parent’s definition is available, the dependency may not resolve and the child can be ignored. This is a likely explanation when warning 7617 names the child’s missing parent ID; confirm it against the files and load behavior on your own Wazuh release.

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A title-matching technical article reports 168 stock rule files for Wazuh 4.14.7 and illustrates how filenames can sort a custom file before a stock file containing a referenced rule. That inventory and example are specific to the release described there, not a guarantee about other versions. A separate Wazuh documentation issue dated 2025-07-23 describes dependent child rules being skipped when rules are split across files and recommends keeping related rules together in order.

For context, Wazuh issue #20146, opened 2023-11-08, reports missing if_sid references in a v4.5.2 setup. It supports the dependency-failure diagnosis, but does not establish that a particular filename-ordering pattern applies to every Wazuh version.

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How to diagnose and fix the rule

  1. Record the installed version and rule paths. Do not assume filename examples from Wazuh 4.14.7 apply to another release.
  2. Run the configuration test and inspect its output. Execute /var/ossec/bin/wazuh-analysisd -t; check both standard output and standard error, not only $?. Search the manager log for dependency warnings with grep -E '((7617|7619))' /var/ossec/logs/ossec.log. Adapt the path if your installation differs.
  3. Trace each missing parent. For every 7617 warning, find the referenced signature ID and inspect both the parent and child definitions. Verify that the parent is enabled and loaded, and check whether the child’s file is processed first. Arrange dependent definitions so the parent is available before the child; for a split-file case, keeping related rules together in sequence may help.
  4. Rerun the test. Confirm that the relevant dependency warnings have disappeared before moving on to event matching.
  5. Test the actual event. Feed a representative one-line event to /var/ossec/bin/wazuh-logtest. Inspect Phase 3 and confirm the final rule ID is the intended custom child, not merely a parent or default rule.
  6. Activate the change in production. Restart wazuh-manager after changing rule files before expecting the running manager to generate alerts from those changes.

Where should custom rules live?

Wazuh recommends /var/ossec/etc/rules/local_rules.xml for minor customizations and separate files under /var/ossec/etc/rules/ for larger changes. Avoid adding custom files to /var/ossec/ruleset/, which is upgrade-managed. See Wazuh’s custom rules guide and data analysis and ruleset layout documentation for the relevant locations and testing guidance.

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Keep loading, matching, and alerting separate

  • Loaded: the rule definition and its dependencies are available without unresolved-parent warnings.
  • Matched: the event is decoded as expected and wazuh-logtest reports the intended rule ID in Phase 3.
  • Alerted: the running manager has been restarted after the edit and generates the expected production alert.

Passing one check does not prove the next: a loaded rule can still have conditions the event does not meet, and a successful logtest does not by itself show that the production manager has activated the edited files.

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Rule IDs and overrides

For new custom rules, Wazuh recommends IDs in the 100000–120000 range. To override an existing rule, copy it into the custom rules directory and set overwrite="yes". Some dependency labels, including if_sid, cannot be changed through an overwrite, so inspect the original rule and the custom definition rather than assuming the override replaces every field. These constraints are covered in the Wazuh custom rules guide.

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