registry / AI-agent control-surface risk / @chem-x/starter-kit / 26.9.16-1408

@chem-x/starter-kit@26.9.16-1408

Chemical X Protocol: Private drop-in architecture starter kit and capsule generator

AI Security Review

scanned 11d ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

The package's postinstall hook unconditionally invokes an installer that writes MCP configuration for multiple AI-agent clients, including an existing user-level Antigravity config. This is unconsented install-time mutation of foreign agent control surfaces, so the evidence supports blocking publication.

Static reason

High-risk behavior combination matched malicious policy.; previous stored version diff introduced dangerous source

Trigger

Installing the package through npm runs its postinstall hook.

Impact

AI agents using the modified configurations may load the package's MCP server.

Mechanism

The hook calls the MCP installer for the consumer project, which writes Cursor and VS Code MCP configuration and registers the server in an existing Antigravity configuration without asking first.

Policy narrative

The automatic install hook mutates project and user-level AI-agent control configuration without consent, registering a Chemical X MCP server. This is a concrete install-time control-surface change.

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsoncli/postinstall.jscli/mcp/installer.js.cursor/mcp.json.vscode/mcp.json~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI identified this as a dangerous AI-agent capability at 98.0% confidence with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for policy risk

The package manifest runs cli/postinstall.js automatically during installation.
The postinstall hook targets the consumer project and calls installAllMcpConfigs without a consent check.
The installer writes a Chemical X MCP server entry into project-level Cursor and VS Code configuration.
The same automatic installer also registers the server in an existing user-level Antigravity configuration.

Evidence against

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings

ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.

scanned 92 file(s), 601 KB of source, external domains: api.github.com, chemicalx.xophz.com, github.com, img.shields.io, mycompassconsulting.com, www.w3.org

Source & flagged code

9 flagged

package.jsonView file

Lines 34-73json

34 ".": "./cli/index.js",

35 "./audit": "./cli/audit.js",

36 "./build": "./cli/build.js",

37 "./search": "./cli/search.js",

38 "./mcp": "./cli/mcp/index.js",

39 "./reader": "./cli/reader.js",

40 "./patcher": "./cli/patcher.js"

41 },

42 "scripts": {

43 "publish:both": "node scripts/publish-both.mjs",

44 "test": "node --test cli/audit/*.spec.js cli/mcp/*.spec.js cli/*.spec.js",

45 "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",

46 "create-capsule": "node cli/index.js",

47 "audit": "node cli/index.js audit",

48 "ci:audit": "node cli/index.js audit --ci --dir=cli",

49 "chemx": "node cli/index.js",

50 "q": "node cli/index.js q",

51 "search": "node cli/index.js search",

52 "mcp": "node cli/index.js mcp",

53 "install-mcp": "node cli/index.js install-mcp",

54 "postinstall": "node cli/postinstall.js",

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L54

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L54

55 "read": "node cli/index.js read",

56 "patch": "node cli/index.js patch"

57 },

58 "dependencies": {

59 "@babel/parser": "^7.29.8",

60 "@babel/traverse": "^7.29.8",

61 "@babel/types": "^7.29.8",

62 "react": "^18.3.1",

63 "react-dom": "^18.3.1"

64 },

65 "devDependencies": {

66 "@types/babel__traverse": "^7.28.0",

67 "@types/node": "^22.20.2",

68 "@types/react": "^18.3.31",

69 "@types/react-dom": "^18.3.7",

70 "typescript": "^5.9.3"

71 }

72}

cli/audit-preflight-git.jsView file

1import fs from 'node:fs'; L2: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L3:

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/audit-preflight-git.jsView on unpkg · L1

cli/terminal.jsView file

Lines 1-30javascript

1import readline from "node:readline";

2import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";

3import { formatChemicalXGradient, ANSI } from "./theme.js";

5export const openBrowser

cli/license.jsView file

3import os from 'node:os'; L4: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L5: import { ... L17: L18: export const API_BASE = process.env.CHEMICAL_X_API_URL || 'https://chemicalx.xophz.com'; L19: export const GATEKEEPER_API_URL = process.env.COMPASS_GATEKEEPER_URL || 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/wp-json/compass/v1/gatekeeper';

High

Same File Env Network Execution

A single source file combines environment access, network access, and code or shell execution; review context before blocking.

cli/license.jsView on unpkg · L3

cli/mcp/installer.jsView file

1Install-time code directly mutates a foreign AI-agent control surface: L17: export const mergeMcpServerConfig = (existingJsonString = '', serverDef = {}) => { L18: let parsed = { mcpServers: {} }; L19: ... L27: L28: const hasMcpServersObject = Boolean(parsed.mcpServers && typeof parsed.mcpServers === 'object'); L29: if (!hasMcpServersObject) { L30: parsed.mcpServers = {}; L31: } L32: L33: parsed.mcpServers[SERVER_KEY] = serverDef; L34: return JSON.stringify(parsed, null, 2) + '\n'; ... L87: const cursorDir = path.join(resolvedTarget, '.cursor'); Write operation from cli/mcp/installer.js: L17: export const mergeMcpServerConfig = (existingJsonString = '', serverDef = {}) => { L18: let parsed = { mcpServers: {} }; L19: ... L27: L28: const hasMcpServersObject = Boolean(parsed.mcpServers &

Critical

Ai Agent Control Hijack

Source creates an unconsented AI-agent control surface through install-time mutation or a default unauthenticated remote skill channel.

cli/mcp/installer.jsView on unpkg · L1

cli/scaffold.jsView file

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. import fs from 'node:fs'; import path from 'node:path'; import { hasgum, guminput, promptquestion, renderbanner } from './terminal.js'; import { obtainlicensekey, fetchstarterkitfiles, loadlocalblueprintfiles } from './license.js'; export const runscaffold = async (projectname, rawargs = [], onrunaudit = null) => { renderbanner('chemical x: molecular architecture scaffolder (npm create chemx)'); const licensekey = await obtainlicensekey(rawargs, onrunaudit); let iscommunity = false; let files = {}; if (!licensekey) { process.stdout.write( '\n\x1b[38;2;98;201;255m⚡ chemical x: community edition (free)\x1b[0m\n' + 'the community version is free because

High

Trigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutation

Manifest-trigger-reachable source writes behavior-bearing configuration into a user or project AI-agent control surface.

cli/scaffold.jsView on unpkg

scripts/pre-commit.shView file

•matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = @chem-x/starter-kit@26.9.14-1358 matchedIdentity = npm:QGNoZW0teC9zdGFydGVyLWtpdA:26.9.14-1358 similarity = 0.786 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file

High

Previous Version Dangerous Delta

This package version adds a dangerous source file absent from the previous stored version; route for source-aware review.

scripts/pre-commit.shView on unpkg

•path = scripts/pre-commit.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 4608 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

scripts/pre-commit.shView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

9 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node cli/postinstall.js

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node cli/postinstall.js

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

cli/audit-preflight-git.jsView file

1import fs from 'node:fs'; L2: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L3:

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/audit-preflight-git.jsView on unpkg · L1

Findings

1 Critical6 High5 Medium4 Low

CriticalAi Agent Control Hijackcli/mcp/installer.js

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighChild Processcli/audit-preflight-git.js

HighShellcli/terminal.js

HighSame File Env Network Executioncli/license.js

HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationcli/scaffold.js

HighPrevious Version Dangerous Deltascripts/pre-commit.sh

MediumAmbiguous Install Lifecycle Scriptpackage.json

MediumNetwork

MediumEnvironment Vars

MediumShips Build Helperscripts/pre-commit.sh

MediumStructural Risk Force Deep Review

Low

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @chem-x/starter-kit@26.9.16-1408.

See all versions of @chem-x/starter-kit for other recorded verdicts.

Avoid installing @chem-x/starter-kit@26.9.16-1408. Remove it from direct dependencies and check your lockfile for transitive copies.
Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.
If this version ran, investigate the affected machine and build environment. Rotate credentials it could access and rebuild from a trusted environment.

Evidence last updated: 2026-10-12 05:55:36.330Z (UTC).

Think this verdict is wrong? Dispute it on GitHub or read how reports are produced.

AI Security Review

Decision evidence

Source & flagged code

Source & flagged code

Findings

Affected versions and remediation

Related packages

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Behavioral surface

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Source & flagged code