registry / AI-agent control-surface risk / @chemx/create-chemx / 26.9.26-253

@chemx/create-chemx@26.9.26-253

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 automatically mutates Cursor and VS Code MCP configuration without a consent guard, establishing unconsented lifecycle mutation of AI-agent control surfaces. This meets the blocking policy; the inspected excerpts do not establish credential theft.

Static reason

High-risk behavior combination matched malicious policy.

Trigger

Installing the package with npm, which runs its postinstall hook.

Impact

The consumer’s agent tools may load and invoke the package’s MCP server in that project.

Mechanism

The hook calls installAllMcpConfigs, which writes a Chemical X server entry into .cursor/mcp.json and .vscode/mcp.json.

Policy narrative

During npm installation, the postinstall hook automatically adds the package’s MCP server to Cursor and VS Code configuration in the consumer project. This is an unconsented install-time change to agent control surfaces. The inspected excerpts do not establish credential theft or an unrelated network destination.

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsoncli/postinstall.jscli/mcp/installer.js.cursor/mcp.json.vscode/mcp.json

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI identified this as a dangerous AI-agent capability at 97.0% confidence with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for policy risk

The package runs cli/postinstall.js from its postinstall lifecycle hook.
That hook automatically calls installAllMcpConfigs for the consumer project, without a consent check.
The installer writes a Chemical X MCP server configuration into the consumer’s Cursor and VS Code directories.
The package also contains explicit installer code that writes AI-agent steering instructions into AGENTS.md.

Evidence against

The configured MCP server is package-aligned and invokes the Chemical X CLI; inspected excerpts show no credential collection or unrelated network recipient.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings

ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.

scanned 321 file(s), 1.68 MB of source, external domains: 127.0.0.1, api.github.com, api.local, chemicalx.xophz.com, example.com, fallback.com, github.com, img.shields.io, mycompassconsulting.com, randomsite.com, reports.chemicalx.xophz.com, www.w3.org

Source & flagged code

11 flagged

package.jsonView file

Lines 33-73json

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

40 "./errors": "./cli/errors/index.js"

41 },

42 "scripts": {

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

44 "bench": "node benchmarks/run-benchmark.mjs",

45 "ui": "node cli/index.js ui",

46 "dev:ui": "node cli/index.js ui --dev",

47 "dev:ui:watch": "node --watch --watch-path=cli cli/index.js ui --dev",

48 "test": "node --test cli/audit/*.spec.js cli/mcp/*.spec.js cli/build/*.spec.js cli/team/*.spec.js cli/errors/*.spec.js cli/*.spec.js",

49 "check:frameworks": "node scripts/check-framework-generation.mjs",

50 "prepublishOnly": "node scripts/check-framework-generation.mjs",

51 "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",

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

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

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L53

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg · L53

54 "chemx:mcp": "chemx mcp",

55 "chemx:verify": "chemx verify",

56 "chemx:test": "chemx test",

57 "chemx:typecheck": "chemx typecheck"

58 },

59 "dependencies": {

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

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

62 "@babel/types": "^7.29.8"

63 },

64 "devDependencies": {

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

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

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

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

69 "chemx": "26.9.20-408",

70 "react": "^18.3.1",

71 "react-dom": "^18.3.1",

72 "typescript": "^5.9.3"

73 }

cli/errors/errors.spec.jsView file

Lines 7-47javascript

7 maskSensitiveTokens,

8 normalizeHomePath,

9 sanitizeText,

10 sanitizeStackTrace

11} from './sanitizer.js';

12import {

13 buildIssueTitle,

14 buildIssueBody,

15 buildIssueWebUrl,

16 formatIssueContent

cli/audit-preflight-git.jsView file

Lines 1-21javascript

1import fs from 'node:fs';

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

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

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

4const SOURCE_FILE_PATTERN = /\.

cli/build/executor.jsView file

Lines 1-31javascript

1import { spawn } from 'node:child_process';

3export const executeBuild = (command, cwd = process.cwd(), options = {})

cli/license.jsView file

Lines 1-23javascript

1import fs from 'node:fs';

2import path from 'node:path';

3import os from 'node:os';

4import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';

cli/mcp/installer.jsView file

Lines 1-21javascript

1import fs from 'node:fs';

2import path from 'node:path';

3import os from 'node:os';

4import { syncAntigravityMcpSchemas } from './antigravity.js';

cli/pillars-wizard.jsView file

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. st pick = usegum ? gumchoose(choices, 'select architectural pillars configuration') : await promptquestion('select pillars: [1=recommended, 2=strict, 3=custom, 4=minimal, 5=none] (default: 1): '); if (pick && (pick.startswith('2.') || pick === '2')) { selectedpresetkey = 'strict'; selectedpillarids = [...pillar_presets.strict.pillars]; } else if (pick && (pick.startswith('3.') || pick === '3')) { selectedpresetkey = 'custom'; for (const pillar of pillars) { const defaultchoice = pillar_presets.recommended.pillars.includes(pillar.id) ? 'y/n' : 'y/n'; const isdefaultyes = defaultchoice === 'y/n'; const answer = a

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/pillars-wizard.jsView on unpkg

scripts/pre-commit.shView file

•path = scripts/pre-commit.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 5153 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

scripts/pre-commit.shView on unpkg

cli/verify-lint.js#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 1

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

A bounded semantic-analysis stage reached its safety limit; remaining detectors completed, but this package requires AI review.

cli/verify-lint.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

Source & flagged code

11 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/errors/errors.spec.jsView file

27patternName = github_pat severity = critical line = 27

Critical

Critical Secret

Package contains a critical-looking secret pattern.

cli/errors/errors.spec.jsView on unpkg · L27

Findings

3 Critical6 High5 Medium5 Low

CriticalCritical Secretcli/errors/errors.spec.js

CriticalAi Agent Control Hijackcli/mcp/installer.js

CriticalSecret Patterncli/errors/errors.spec.js

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighChild Processcli/audit-preflight-git.js

HighShellcli/build/executor.js

HighSame File Env Network Executioncli/license.js

HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationcli/pillars-wizard.js

HighSemantic Analysis Limitedcli/verify-lint.js#virtual:normalized:round1

MediumAmbiguous Install Lifecycle Scriptpackage.json

MediumNetwork

Medium

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @chemx/create-chemx@26.9.26-253.

See all versions of @chemx/create-chemx for other recorded verdicts.

Avoid installing @chemx/create-chemx@26.9.26-253. 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 06:47:42.425Z (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

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Behavioral surface

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Source & flagged code