@cotal-ai/cli@0.133.6
Cotal mesh CLI: up, join, watch, console, spawn, mint, channels, history, ext.
AI Security Review
scanned 4d ago · by lpm-firewall-aiThe package has no install lifecycle hook, but its setup command can silently install itself globally when run noninteractively through npx. This is an unexpected PATH-persistence action, so users should be warned.
Static reason
One or more suspicious static signals were detected.
Trigger
Run setup through npx when cotal is not already on PATH, in noninteractive mode or with --yes.
Impact
This changes the user's global npm installation and makes the cotal command available on PATH without a distinct global-install opt-in.
Mechanism
Setup calls a helper that skips its prompt unless the run is interactive and yes is false, then runs npm install -g cotal-ai at the running version.
AI rationale
The package has no install lifecycle hook, but its setup command can silently install itself globally when run noninteractively through npx. This is an unexpected PATH-persistence action, so users should be warned.
Evidence
dist/commands/setup.js
Decision evidence
public snapshotAI called this Suspicious at 87.0% confidence as Unknown with medium false-positive risk.
Evidence for warning
- The setup flow calls offerGlobalInstall with yes=true when it is noninteractive.
- The helper runs only when invoked through npx and no cotal executable is already on PATH.
- The confirmation prompt appears only when yes is false and stdin is a TTY; otherwise installation proceeds without a separate prompt.
- The helper invokes npm install -g for cotal-ai at the running version.
Evidence against
- The manifest has no lifecycle hook scripts; the npm installation is reached from the setup command.
- In an interactive run, setup asks whether to install globally, with the default answer set to yes.
- The cross-vendor skills write is part of the explicit setup flow, and its code limits changes to Cotal-authored skill files.
- Feedback submission is an explicit command action, not an automatic runtime transmission.
Behavioral surface
ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell
Source & flagged code
6 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
5 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
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@0.133.6.
See all versions of @cotal-ai/cli for other recorded verdicts.
- Review the evidence and your use of @cotal-ai/cli@0.133.6 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.