@cotal-ai/cli@0.121.1
Cotal mesh CLI: up, join, watch, console, spawn, mint, channels, history, ext.
AI Security Review
scanned 6d ago · by lpm-firewall-aiRuntime telemetry is enabled at the regular level by default, and a first noninteractive invocation can send it without displaying the notice. The endpoint is the package publisher’s own service and the behavior is bounded telemetry, so this warrants a warning rather than a publish block.
Static reason
One or more suspicious static signals were detected.; previous stored version diff introduced dangerous source
Trigger
A recognized CLI command runs while telemetry remains at its default regular level; the event is sent when the process exits.
Impact
Usage and installation aggregates are sent without the first-run notice in noninteractive use; no credential theft or unrelated collector was identified.
Mechanism
The CLI arms telemetry during command dispatch and posts command and install events to Cotal’s telemetry endpoint. The notice is conditional on stderr being a TTY.
AI rationale
Runtime telemetry is enabled at the regular level by default, and a first noninteractive invocation can send it without displaying the notice. The endpoint is the package publisher’s own service and the behavior is bounded telemetry, so this warrants a warning rather than a publish block.
Evidence
dist/command.jsdist/telemetry.js.lpm-dependency-evidence-1e82604b-795b-47e2-97fb-6181849f6bd6/1/npm-linux/dist/telemetry.js
Network endpoints1
cotal.ai/v1/telemetry
Decision evidence
public snapshotAI called this Suspicious at 84.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with medium false-positive risk.
Evidence for warning
- When telemetry settings are absent, the workspace creates them at the regular level with a random install ID.
- The CLI arms telemetry for recognized commands and sends an event on process exit to https://cotal.ai/v1/telemetry.
- The first-use telemetry notice is printed only when stderr is a TTY, so a first noninteractive invocation can send without showing it.
- Regular install events include connector, extension, runtime, and mesh summary data.
Evidence against
- package.json declares no lifecycle hooks; its scripts are build, typecheck, and smoke-test commands.
- The telemetry goes to Cotal’s own service, and the source masks error text and documents a telemetry-off setting.
- The package’s feedback command sends only after an explicit submission and uses a designated intake endpoint.
Behavioral surface
ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell
Source & flagged code
7 flaggeddist/seed/reconcile.jsView file
1import { existsSync, renameSync } from "node:fs";
L2: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
L3: import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
High
Child Process
Package source references child process execution.
dist/seed/reconcile.jsView on unpkg · L1dist/lib/persona-files.jsView file
274process.on(signal, pass);
L275: const child = program ? spawn(program, [draft], { stdio: "inherit" }) : spawn(`${editor} ${quoted}`, { shell: true, stdio: "inherit" });
L276: return new Promise(resolve => {
High
dist/lib/nats-bin.jsView file
Findings
1 Critical5 High4 Medium4 Low
CriticalPrevious Version Dangerous Deltadist/telemetry.js
HighChild Processdist/seed/reconcile.js
HighShelldist/lib/persona-files.js
HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationdist/lib/agent-skills.js
HighRuntime Package Installdist/commands/setup.js
HighSemantic Analysis Limiteddist/commands/ext.js
MediumDynamic Requiredist/lib/nats-bin.js
MediumNetwork
MediumEnvironment Vars
MediumStructural Risk Force Deep Review
LowScripts Present
LowFilesystem
LowHigh Entropy Strings
LowUrl Strings
Affected versions and remediation
This report applies to @cotal-ai/cli@0.121.1.
See all versions of @cotal-ai/cli for other recorded verdicts.
- Review the evidence and your use of @cotal-ai/cli@0.121.1 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: .
Think this verdict is wrong? Dispute it on GitHub or read how reports are produced.