registry / Install hook abuse / @indigoai-us/hq-cli / 5.345.45

@indigoai-us/hq-cli@5.345.45

HQ by Indigo management CLI — modules and cloud sync

AI Security Review

scanned 15d ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

The postinstall can create or refresh persistent package-owned daemon service state, so the automatic lifecycle behavior warrants a warning. The inspected source does not establish malicious payload execution or unconsented mutation of a foreign AI-agent control surface.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.; previous stored version diff introduced dangerous source

Trigger

Installing the package through npm on a supported platform, when the daemon is stale or its Node binary needs repair.

Impact

The HQ mesh daemon can continue running as a user service after installation.

Mechanism

The postinstall invokes the package CLI with the daemon install-if-stale command, which can write and activate a user-level service.

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsonscripts/mesh-daemon-if-stale.mjsdist/lib/mesh/live/daemon/install.js

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 81.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with medium false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

The postinstall hook automatically runs the package’s mesh-daemon installer.
That installer checks the recorded daemon version and may reinstall the daemon service when the CLI is newer or its Node binary needs repair.
On macOS, service installation writes a LaunchAgent and activates it; this creates persistent user-level execution from npm installation.

Evidence against

The installer is package-owned and scoped to the HQ mesh daemon; the inspected path does not show mutation of a foreign AI-agent control surface.
The postinstall is best-effort and exits successfully even if daemon installation fails.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsMinifiedUrlStrings

ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.

Source & flagged code

17 flagged

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/mesh-daemon-if-stale.mjs || true

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/mesh-daemon-if-stale.mjs || true

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/startup-registration.jsView file

18*/ L19: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L20: import { stringDerivedPackageRoot } from "./utils/hq-roots.js";

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

dist/startup-registration.jsView on unpkg · L18

dist/utils/staged-install.jsView file

336env: childEnv, L337: shell: true, L338: stdio: "ignore",

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

dist/utils/staged-install.jsView on unpkg · L336

dist/utils/update-command-supervisor.cjsView file

Lines 1-22javascript

1"use strict";

3const { spawn: nativeSpawn } = require("node:child_process");

4const fs = require("node:fs");

dist/lib/daemon/sync-runner.jsView file

2import * as crypto from "node:crypto"; L3: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L4: import * as fs from "node:fs"; ... L20: /** The status file path used by hq-cloud's watch-owner lease. */ L21: export function watchRunnerOwnerStatusPath(hqRoot, home = os.homedir(), env = process.env) { L22: let canonicalRoot = path.resolve(hqRoot); ... L39: try { L40: parsed = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(statusPath, "utf8")); L41: } ... L128: const variants = new Set([pathApi.resolve(hqRoot)]); L129: if (platform === process.platform) { L130: try {

Low

Weak Crypto

Package source references weak cryptographic algorithms.

dist/lib/daemon/sync-runner.jsView on unpkg · L2

dist/lib/mesh/live/daemon/install.jsView file

7Trigger-reachable persistence chain: manifest.main -> dist/index.js -> dist/main.js -> dist/utils/self-update.js -> [redacted].js L7: * - Windows: per-user Scheduled Task ai.getindigo.hq-mesh-daemon registered L8: * from a rendered task XML via schtasks.exe (no native dependencies) L9: * ... L16: import * as path from "node:path"; L17: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L18: import semver from "semver"; ... L54: status: r.status, L55: stdout: r.stdout ?? "", L56: stderr: r.error ? r.error.message : (r.stderr ?? ""), ... L62: const raw = readFileSync(file); L63: const buf = Buffer.isBuffer(raw) ? raw : Buffer.from(String(raw)); L64: if ((buf.length >= 2 && buf[0] === 0xff && buf[1] === 0xfe) || buf.includes(0)) {

High

Trigger Reachable Persistence

A manifest entrypoint or package-local install chain reaches persistence behavior.

dist/lib/mesh/live/daemon/install.jsView on unpkg · L7

7* - Windows: per-user Scheduled Task ai.getindigo.hq-mesh-daemon registered L8: * from a rendered task XML via schtasks.exe (no native dependencies) L9: * ... L16: import * as path from "node:path"; L17: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L18: import semver from "semver"; ... L54: status: r.status, L55: stdout: r.stdout ?? "", L56: stderr: r.error ? r.error.message : (r.stderr ?? ""), ... L62: const raw = readFileSync(file); L63: const buf = Buffer.isBuffer(raw) ? raw : Buffer.from(String(raw)); L64: if ((buf.length >= 2 && buf[0] === 0xff && buf[1] === 0xfe) || buf.includes(0)) {

Medium

Install Persistence

Source writes installer persistence such as shell profile or service configuration.

dist/lib/mesh/live/daemon/install.jsView on unpkg · L7

dist/commands/rescue.js#virtual:normalized:round1View file

1import { spawnSync } from "child_process"; L2: import * as fs from "fs"; ... L11: /** L12: * Resolve the source repo + ref from the user"s flags. Pure + exported for\n * tests. `latestTag` is the resolved latest release tag (prod only); ignored\n * for staging and when a... L13: if (!ref) {

High

Same File Env Network Execution

A single source file combines environment access, network access, and code or shell execution; review context before blocking.

dist/commands/rescue.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L1

High

Command Output Exfiltration

Source combines command execution, command-output handling, and outbound requests; review data flow before blocking.

dist/commands/rescue.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L1

dist/lib/lanes/machine-identity.jsView file

11*/ L12: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L13: import * as os from "node:os"; L14: export const IMDS_HOST = "169.254.169.254"; L15: export const IMDS_TOKEN_URL = `http://${IMDS_HOST}/latest/api/token`; L16: export const IMDS_INSTANCE_ID_URL = `http://${IMDS_HOST}/latest/meta-data/instance-id`; ... L30: return null; L31: const body = (result.stdout ?? "").trim(); L32: return body.length > 0 ? body : null; ... L34: catch (err) { L35: process.stderr.write(`hq lanes: IMDS request failed for ${url}: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}\n`); L36: return null;

High

Cloud Metadata Access

Source reaches cloud instance metadata or link-local credential endpoints.

dist/lib/lanes/machine-identity.jsView on unpkg · L11

assets/lanes-hooks/hq-lanes-drain.shView file

•path = assets/lanes-hooks/hq-lanes-drain.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 620 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

assets/lanes-hooks/hq-lanes-drain.shView on unpkg

assets/scaffold/.claude/hooks/validate-policy-frontmatter.shView file

•path = assets/scaffold/.claude/hooks/validate-policy-frontmatter.sh kind = payload_in_excluded_dir sizeBytes = 21475 magicHex = [redacted]

High

Payload In Excluded Dir

Package hides binary, compressed, or executable-looking payloads in test/fixture/hidden paths.

assets/scaffold/.claude/hooks/validate-policy-frontmatter.shView on unpkg

dist/hq-cloud-sync-runner/bin/sync-runner.jsView file

•path = dist/hq-cloud-sync-runner/bin/sync-runner.js kind = oversized_source_file sizeBytes = 5250329 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Source File

Package contains source files above the normal full-analysis size ceiling.

dist/hq-cloud-sync-runner/bin/sync-runner.jsView on unpkg

•path = dist/hq-cloud-sync-runner/bin/sync-runner.js kind = oversized_cli_entrypoint sizeBytes = 5250329 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Cli Entrypoint

Package contains an oversized executable-looking CLI entrypoint.

dist/hq-cloud-sync-runner/bin/sync-runner.jsView on unpkg

dist/commands/agent-enroll.js#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 44

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

A bounded semantic-analysis stage reached its safety limit; remaining detectors completed, but this package requires AI review.

dist/commands/agent-enroll.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

dist/commands/lanes.jsView file

•matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = @indigoai-us/hq-cli@5.345.44 matchedIdentity = npm:QGluZGlnb2FpLXVzL2hxLWNsaQ:5.345.44 similarity = 0.917 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file

Critical

Previous Version Dangerous Delta

This package version adds a dangerous source file absent from the previous stored version; route for source-aware review.

dist/commands/lanes.jsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

17 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/mesh-daemon-if-stale.mjs || true

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/mesh-daemon-if-stale.mjs || true

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

Install-time lifecycle script is not statically allowlisted and needs review.

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/startup-registration.jsView file

18*/ L19: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L20: import { stringDerivedPackageRoot } from "./utils/hq-roots.js";

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

dist/startup-registration.jsView on unpkg · L18

Findings

1 Critical9 High9 Medium6 Low

CriticalPrevious Version Dangerous Deltadist/commands/lanes.js

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighChild Processdist/startup-registration.js

HighShelldist/utils/staged-install.js

HighSame File Env Network Executiondist/commands/rescue.js#virtual:normalized:round1

HighCommand Output Exfiltrationdist/commands/rescue.js#virtual:normalized:round1

HighCloud Metadata Accessdist/lib/lanes/machine-identity.js

HighTrigger Reachable Persistencedist/lib/mesh/live/daemon/install.js

HighPayload In Excluded Dirassets/scaffold/.claude/hooks/validate-policy-frontmatter.sh

HighSemantic Analysis Limiteddist/commands/agent-enroll.js#virtual:normalized:round1

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @indigoai-us/hq-cli@5.345.45.

See all versions of @indigoai-us/hq-cli for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of @indigoai-us/hq-cli@5.345.45 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: 2026-10-07 23:33:46.813Z (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

More from @indigoai-us

Behavioral surface

Related packages

More from @indigoai-us

Source & flagged code