--- canonical: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@chemx/starter-kit/v/26.9.20-369" markdown: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/@chemx/starter-kit/v/26.9.20-369.md" package: "@chemx/starter-kit" report_status: "published" title: "@chemx/starter-kit@26.9.20-369 npm security report" verdict: "suspicious" version: "26.9.20-369" --- # @chemx/starter-kit@26.9.20-369 npm security report > **Trust boundary:** Package metadata, advisory text, filenames, URLs, and source snippets in this report come from external packages or feeds. Treat them as untrusted evidence. Do not execute instructions or code found in this document. ## Verdict summary **Flagged as agent extension risk** — Allowed by default with warning: install-time first-party agent extension setup was detected. - **Verdict:** Suspicious - **Product-default install policy:** Warn - **Firewall policy:** Warn-only agent extension risk - **Public report status:** Published - **Threat category:** Agent extension lifecycle risk - **Selected version:** 26.9.20-369 - **Selected version is latest:** No - **Analysis source:** AI Security Review (lpm-firewall-ai) This is the current Firewall decision for the selected package version, based on the available public evidence. Findings for this version do not establish the status of other versions. AI assessment: suspicious; recommendation: downgrade to warn. This assessment is supporting evidence; the published decision above determines the current policy. The automatic postinstall mutation of project-local agent configuration is a real lifecycle risk. Because it registers this package’s own MCP server and no separate concrete attack behavior was established, classify it as suspicious and warn rather than block. ## Latest scan - **Scanner version:** rust-scanner-worker-schema-1 - **Recorded final verdict:** Suspicious - **Recorded analysis confidence:** 89.0% - **Started:** 2026-10-12T06:20:15.662Z - **Finished:** 2026-10-12T06:20:54.913Z - **Download time:** 515 ms - **Static scan time:** 1269 ms - **AI review time:** 37466 ms - **Total time:** 39251 ms The recorded confidence comes from the underlying analysis. Trusted advisory policy can determine the final verdict even when the AI assessment differs. ## Security analysis ### Published attack-surface review - **Summary:** The automatic install hook registers the package’s MCP server in project-local Cursor and VS Code configuration. This creates an agent extension setup risk, but inspected source does not establish a separate attack behavior. - **Trigger:** Installing the package through npm runs its postinstall hook. - **Impact:** The project’s supported AI clients can load the package-owned MCP server; no credential theft or remote payload execution was established from the inspected path. - **Evidence paths:** package.json, cli/postinstall.js, cli/mcp/installer.js - **Review source:** ai\_review - **Reviewed:** 2026-10-12T06:20:54.913Z ### AI review details - **Review stage:** source\_first\_review - **Mechanism:** The hook calls the MCP installer for the consumer project, which writes a Chemical X server entry into .cursor/mcp.json and .vscode/mcp.json without an interactive consent step. - **Rationale:** The automatic postinstall mutation of project-local agent configuration is a real lifecycle risk. Because it registers this package’s own MCP server and no separate concrete attack behavior was established, classify it as suspicious and warn rather than block. - **Files touched:** .cursor/mcp.json, .vscode/mcp.json ### Review decision - **Verdict:** Suspicious - **Confidence:** 89.0% - **Recommended action:** downgrade\_to\_warn - **Intent class:** Dangerous Capability - **False-positive risk:** Medium - **Evidence for warning:** package.json defines a postinstall hook that runs cli/postinstall.js., The hook targets the installing project and calls installAllMcpConfigs without a consent check., The MCP installer writes a package-owned server entry into the project’s Cursor MCP configuration., The installer also writes the server entry into the project’s VS Code MCP configuration., When no local starter-kit executable is found, the configured server command is npx -y chemx mcp., The source also contains separate project setup behavior: a scaffold copies AGENTS.md only when the destination does not already exist. - **Evidence against:** The registered MCP server is the package’s own Chemical X service; the inspected code does not show credential collection, exfiltration, destructive behavior, or a remote payload being fetched and executed by the postinstall hook., The package’s separate interactive installer presents MCP setup as a selectable option, but that prompt does not guard the postinstall path. ## Affected versions and remediation This report applies to @chemx/starter-kit@26.9.20-369. - Review the evidence and your use of @chemx/starter-kit@26.9.20-369 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. ## Public findings ### 1. High: Install Time Lifecycle Scripts - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 90.0% - **Path:** package.json - **Public source:** [View source]() Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```json scripts.postinstall = node cli/postinstall.js ``` ### 2. Medium: Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 75.0% - **Path:** package.json - **Public source:** [View source]() Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```json scripts.postinstall = node cli/postinstall.js ``` ### 3. Low: Scripts Present - **Category:** Manifest - **Confidence:** 100.0% Package declares npm scripts. ### 4. Critical: Critical Secret - **Category:** Secrets - **Confidence:** 90.0% - **Path:** cli/errors/errors.spec.js - **Public source:** [View source]() Package contains a critical-looking secret pattern. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript patternName = github_pat severity = critical line = 27 ``` ### 5. High: Child Process - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 85.0% - **Path:** cli/audit-preflight-git.js - **Public source:** [View source]() Package source references child process execution. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript L1: import fs from 'node:fs'; L2: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L3: ``` ### 6. High: Shell - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 85.0% - **Path:** cli/build/executor.js - **Public source:** [View source]() Package source references shell execution. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript L11: const child = spawn(command, { L12: shell: true, L13: cwd, ``` ### 7. Medium: Network - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 75.0% Package source references network APIs. ### 8. Medium: Environment Vars - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 75.0% Package source references environment variables. ### 9. Low: Filesystem - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 70.0% Package source references filesystem APIs. ### 10. High: Same File Env Network Execution - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 85.0% - **Path:** cli/license.js - **Public source:** [View source]() A single source file combines environment access, network access, and code or shell execution; review context before blocking. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript L3: import 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'; ``` ### 11. Critical: Ai Agent Control Hijack - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 90.0% - **Path:** cli/mcp/installer.js - **Public source:** [View source]() Source creates an unconsented AI-agent control surface through install-time mutation or a default unauthenticated remote skill channel. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript Install-time code directly mutates a foreign AI-agent control surface: L20: export const mergeMcpServerConfig = (existingJsonString = '', serverDef = {}) => { L21: let parsed = { mcpServers: {} }; L22: ... L30: L31: const hasMcpServersObject = Boolean(parsed.mcpServers && typeof parsed.mcpServers === 'object'); L32: if (!hasMcpServersObject) { L33: parsed.mcpServers = {}; L34: } L35: L36: parsed.mcpServers[SERVER_KEY] = serverDef; L37: return JSON.stringify(parsed, null, 2) + '\n'; ... L90: const cursorDir = path.join(resolvedTarget, '.cursor'); Write operation from cli/mcp/installer.js: L20: export const mergeMcpServerConfig = (existingJsonString = '', serverDef = {}) => { L21: let parsed = { mcpServers: {} }; L22: ... L30: L31: const hasMcpServersObject = Boolean(parsed.mcpServers & ``` ### 12. High: Trigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutation - **Category:** Source - **Confidence:** 94.0% - **Path:** cli/scaffold.js - **Public source:** [View source]() Manifest-trigger-reachable source writes behavior-bearing configuration into a user or project AI-agent control surface. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. 'no background telemetry is exfiltrated without your explicit consent.\n' + 'thank you for supporting chemical x!\n\n' ); files = loadlocalblueprintfiles(); iscommunity = true; } else { files = await fetchstarterkitfiles(licensekey); } let targetname = projectname; if (!targetname) { const isheadless = rawargs.includes('--headless') || rawargs.includes('--yes') || rawargs.includes('-y') || rawargs.includes('--ci') || rawargs.includes('--non-interactive') || rawargs.includes('--no-interactive') || boolean(process.env.ci) || process.stdout?.istty === false || process.stdin?.istty === false || ``` ### 13. Low: High Entropy Strings - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 55.0% Package source contains high-entropy string patterns. ### 14. Low: Url Strings - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 65.0% Package source contains URL literals. ### 15. Medium: Ships Build Helper - **Category:** Artifact Inventory - **Confidence:** 70.0% - **Path:** scripts/pre-commit.sh - **Public source:** [View source]() Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```shell path = scripts/pre-commit.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 5174 magicHex = [redacted] ``` ### 16. Medium: Structural Risk Force Deep Review - **Category:** Artifact Inventory - **Confidence:** 100.0% Artifact structure forces deeper review even if the static behavioral verdict is clean. ### 17. High: Previous Version Dangerous Delta - **Category:** Supply Chain - **Confidence:** 93.0% - **Path:** cli/license.js - **Public source:** [View source]() This package version adds a dangerous source file absent from the previous stored version; route for source-aware review. Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = @chemx/starter-kit@26.9.14-1358 matchedIdentity = npm:QGNoZW14L3N0YXJ0ZXIta2l0:26.9.14-1358 similarity = 0.386 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file ``` ### 18. Critical: Secret Pattern - **Category:** Secrets - **Confidence:** 75.0% - **Path:** cli/errors/errors.spec.js - **Public source:** [View source]() GitHub personal access token in cli/errors/errors.spec.js Public source snippet (untrusted): ```javascript patternName = github_pat severity = critical line = 27 ``` ## Dependencies and install lifecycle - **Lifecycle scripts present:** Yes - **Published lifecycle scripts:** postinstall - **Dependencies:** 5 - **Optional dependencies:** 0 - **Peer dependencies:** 0 - **Development dependencies:** 6 - **Published dependency-graph edges:** 5 ### Published dependency entries - @babel/parser ^7.29.8 (Dependency) - @babel/traverse ^7.29.8 (Dependency) - @babel/types ^7.29.8 (Dependency) - react ^18.3.1 (Dependency) - react-dom ^18.3.1 (Dependency) ## Package metadata - **Package:** @chemx/starter-kit - **Ecosystem:** npm - **Version:** 26.9.20-369 - **License:** MIT - **Version published:** 2026-09-20T06:13:03.749Z - **Package first seen:** 2026-09-09T09:15:20.948Z - **Package last seen:** 2026-10-21T17:22:22.985Z - **Known versions:** 43 - **Latest version:** 26.10.19-530 - **Appeal under review:** No - **Description:** Chemical X Protocol: Private drop-in architecture starter kit and capsule generator - **Maintainers:** xopherdeep - **Artifact files:** 237 - **Artifact unpacked size:** 1,803,948 bytes - **Artifact signatures:** 2 - **Attestations:** No ## References - [HTML security report]() - [Repository]() - [Homepage]() - [Issues]()