registry / AI-agent capability abuse / @chemx/create-chemx / 26.9.9-720

@chemx/create-chemx@26.9.9-720

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

AI Security Review

scanned 1mo ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

This is not concrete automatic malware because there are no install lifecycle hooks and the risky actions require an explicit command. However, the unchecked remote file map creates a real arbitrary-write risk and the command changes an AI-agent control file, so it should be warned.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.

Trigger

The user runs create or init and supplies a license key.

Impact

A compromised or malicious package service could overwrite files outside the requested project through traversal paths; create also changes the generated project's AI-agent instructions.

Mechanism

Remote template retrieval followed by unchecked file-path writes.

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsoncli/index.js~/.chemical-x/device_id~/.chemical-x/config.json.cursorrules

Network endpoints1

chemicalx.xophz.com/api/starter-kit/download

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 91.0% confidence as Critical Vulnerability with medium false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

The manifest exposes user-invoked CLI entry points.
The CLI posts the entered license key and a persistent device ID to its service.
Server-supplied file names and contents are written without containment validation; traversal paths could escape the chosen project directory.
The create command writes a .cursorrules AI-agent instruction file into the generated project.

Evidence against

package.json has no preinstall, install, or postinstall hook.
Network retrieval and project writes occur only after an explicit CLI scaffold or init command.
No eval, dynamic code loading, or execution of the downloaded file contents was found.
Child processes only launch a browser or the optional gum interface.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings

Manifest

Source & flagged code

5 flagged

cli/index.jsView file

Lines 1-49javascript

1#!/usr/bin/env node

3import fs from 'node:fs';

4import path from 'node:path';

5import os from 'node:os';

6import readline from 'node:readline';

7import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';

8import { runAudit as executeAstAudit, auditFile } from './audit.js';

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

10const rawArgs = process.argv.slice(2);

11const invokedBin = path.basename(process.argv[1] || '');

12const isCreateInvoked = invokedBin.includes('create-chemx') || (rawArgs[0] && rawArgs[0] === 'create');

14const CONFIG_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), '.chemical-x');

15const CONFIG_FILE = path.join(CONFIG_DIR, 'config.json');

16const DEVICE_FILE = path.join(CONFIG_DIR, 'device_id');

18const API_BASE = process.env.CHEMICAL_X_API_URL || 'https://chemicalx.xophz.com';

19const URL_STANDARD = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/standard';

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/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

20const URL_MASTER = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/master';

22if (!fs.existsSync(CONFIG_DIR)) {

23 try { fs.mkdirSync(CONFIG_DIR, { recursive: true }); } catch {}

24}

26const openBrowser = (url) => {

27 const platform = process.platform;

28 try {

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

Source gates dangerous network, credential, or execution behavior behind CI, host, platform, time, or geo fingerprint checks.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

29 if (platform === 'darwin') spawnSync('open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

30 else if (platform === 'win32') spawnSync('cmd.exe', ['/c', 'start', '""', url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

31 else spawnSync('xdg-open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L29

32 } catch {}

33};

35const hasGum = () => {

36 try {

37 return spawnSync('which', ['gum'], { stdio: 'ignore' }).status === 0;

38 } catch {

39 return false;

40 }

41};

43const gumChoose = (options, header = '') => {

44 const args = ['choose'];

45 if (header) {

46 args.push(`--header=${header}`, '--header.foreground=81');

47 }

48 args.push('--cursor.foreground=81', ...options);

49 const res = spawnSync('gum', args, { encoding: 'utf-8', stdio: ['inherit', 'pipe', 'inherit'] });

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. nst res = await fetch(`${api_base}/api/starter-kit/download`, { method: 'post', headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' }, body: json.stringify({ licensekey: normalizedkey, deviceid }) }); const responsedata = await res.json(); if (!res.ok || !responsedata.valid) { process.stderr.write(`\x1b[31m✕ license verification failed: ${responsedata.error || 'invalid key.'}\x1b[0m\n`); process.stderr.write(`purchase key at: ${url_standard}\n\n`); process.exit(1); } savelicensekey(normalizedkey); process.stdout.write(`\x1b[32m✔ verified license for @${responsedata.githubuser || 'sponsor'}\x1b[0m\n\n`); return response

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/index.jsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

5 flagged · loading source

cli/index.jsView file

6import readline from 'node:readline'; L7: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L8: import { runAudit as executeAstAudit, auditFile } from './audit.js';

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

29if (platform === 'darwin') spawnSync('open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' }); L30: else if (platform === 'win32') spawnSync('cmd.exe', ['/c', 'start', '""', url], { stdio: 'ignore' }); L31: else spawnSync('xdg-open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L29

6import readline from 'node:readline'; L7: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L8: import { runAudit as executeAstAudit, auditFile } from './audit.js'; ... L17: L18: const API_BASE = process.env.CHEMICAL_X_API_URL || 'https://chemicalx.xophz.com'; L19: const URL_STANDARD = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/standard';

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/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

Findings

5 High3 Medium5 Low

HighChild Processcli/index.js

HighShellcli/index.js

HighSame File Env Network Executioncli/index.js

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilitycli/index.js

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

MediumNetwork

MediumEnvironment Vars

MediumStructural Risk Force Deep Review

LowScripts Present

LowFilesystem

LowHigh Entropy Strings

LowUrl Strings

LowNo License

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @chemx/create-chemx@26.9.9-720.

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

Review the evidence and your use of @chemx/create-chemx@26.9.9-720 before allowing it. Restrict the permissions described in this report.
Choose an independently verified alternative or release. This report does not establish that other versions are safe.

Evidence last updated: 2026-09-09 12:13:51.656Z (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

Related packages

More from @chemx

Source & flagged code