registry / @cotal-ai/cli / 0.131.2
@cotal-ai/cli@0.131.2
Cotal mesh CLI: up, join, watch, console, spawn, mint, channels, history, ext.
AI Security Review
scanned 5d ago · by lpm-firewall-aiThe source shows an unconfirmed global package install on the non-interactive npx setup path, a real but limited consent risk. The other flagged behaviors are consistent with explicit setup, normal CLI operations, or disclosed opt-out telemetry; no concrete attack behavior was identified.
Static reason
One or more suspicious static signals were detected.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review
Trigger
Run cotal setup through npx when cotal is not already on PATH and the setup flow is non-interactive.
Impact
The command modifies the user's global npm installation without an explicit confirmation in non-interactive runs.
Mechanism
The setup flow skips its interactive confirmation and invokes npm install -g cotal-ai@<running version>.
AI rationale
The source shows an unconfirmed global package install on the non-interactive npx setup path, a real but limited consent risk. The other flagged behaviors are consistent with explicit setup, normal CLI operations, or disclosed opt-out telemetry; no concrete attack behavior was identified.
Evidence
dist/commands/setup.js
Decision evidence
public snapshotAI called this Suspicious at 87.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with medium false-positive risk.
Evidence for warning
- When setup runs through npx and cotal is not already on PATH, non-interactive execution skips the confirmation and runs npm install -g for cotal-ai at the running version.
Evidence against
- The global install is a convenience for users running setup through npx; interactive runs ask for confirmation.
- The flagged Agent Skills reconciliation is part of the explicit setup command, which also provides a skills-only option.
- Telemetry is disclosed in the source and offers cotal telemetry off.
Behavioral surface
ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell
HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings
Source & flagged code
18 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
17 High4 Medium4 Low
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
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/telemetry.js
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/commands/up.js
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/lib/self-exec.js
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/lib/service-process.js
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/commands/ext.js
HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/commands/setup-start.js
Affected versions and remediation
This report applies to @cotal-ai/cli@0.131.2.
See all versions of @cotal-ai/cli for other recorded verdicts.
- Review the evidence and your use of @cotal-ai/cli@0.131.2 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.