registry / Persistence / @phnx-labs/agents-cli / 1.23.41

@phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.23.41

One CLI for all your AI coding agents - versions, config, cloud dispatch, sessions, and teams (now with first-class Grok Build CLI support)

AI Security Review

scanned 3d ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

The install hook can launch a background daemon by default on macOS and Linux, which warrants a persistence warning. The inspected source does not establish malicious control, credential theft, or destructive behavior.

Static reason

High-risk behavior combination matched malicious policy.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review

Trigger

Installing the package, on macOS or Linux, when CI and AGENTS_NO_HEAL are unset.

Impact

The package daemon can continue running after installation without a separate daemon-start command.

Mechanism

The hook checks daemon configuration and starts or restarts the daemon when enabled; the default is enabled unless explicitly set to false.

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsonscripts/postinstall.jsdist/lib/device-config.jsdist/lib/daemon/daemon.js

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 82.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with medium false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

package.json runs scripts/postinstall.js after installation.
On macOS and Linux, the postinstall path invokes daemon healing unless CI or AGENTS_NO_HEAL disables it; when enabled, the daemon is started or restarted.
The daemon setting defaults to enabled unless explicitly false, and startup has a detached-process fallback.
Daemon log messages pass through redaction before being written; the cited receiver behavior replaces known secret values.

Evidence against

The daemon startup is package-aligned setup, with CI and AGENTS_NO_HEAL opt-outs and daemon.enabled=false available.
The inspected excerpts establish background startup but no malicious remote control, credential transfer, or destructive action.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings

Source & flagged code

16 flagged

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.js

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.js

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/lib/sqlite.jsView file

2const isBun = typeof globalThis.Bun !== 'undefined'; L3: const require = createRequire(import.meta.url); L4: function loadNodeSqlite() {

Medium

Dynamic Require

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

dist/lib/sqlite.jsView on unpkg · L2

dist/lib/platform/ipc.jsView file

1import * as crypto from 'crypto'; L2: export function ipcEndpoint(socketPath, platform = process.platform) { L3: if (platform === 'win32') {

Low

Weak Crypto

Package source references weak cryptographic algorithms.

dist/lib/platform/ipc.jsView on unpkg · L1

dist/lib/menubar/install-menubar.jsView file

1import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'; L2: import { execFileSync, spawnSync, spawn } from 'child_process'; L3: import * as fs from 'fs'; ... L27: function onDarwin() { L28: return process.platform === 'darwin'; L29: } L30: function installDir() { L31: return path.join(os.homedir(), 'Library', 'Application Support', INSTALL_DIR_NAME); L32: } ... L50: try { L51: const parsed = JSON.parse(raw); L52: if (parsed && (parsed.source === 'release' || parsed.source === 'local'))

Medium

Install Persistence

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

dist/lib/menubar/install-menubar.jsView on unpkg · L1

dist/commands/setup-fleet.jsView file

1import chalk from 'chalk'; L2: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L3: import { getCliLaunch } from '../lib/cli-entry.js'; ... L17: const launch = getCliLaunch(args); L18: const res = spawnSync(launch.command, launch.args, { stdio: 'inherit', env: process.env }); L19: if ((res.status ?? 1) === 0) ... L42: console.error(chalk.red('Tailscale is not installed or not on PATH.')); L43: const platform = process.platform; L44: console.log(chalk.bold('\nInstall Tailscale, then re-run `agents setup fleet`:')); ... L46: console.log(chalk.cyan(' brew install --cask tailscale')); L47: console.log(chalk.gray(' or install from https://tailscale.com/download/mac')); L48: }

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

Source gates dangerous network, credential, or execution behavior behind CI, host, platform, time, or geo fingerprint checks.

dist/commands/setup-fleet.jsView on unpkg · L1

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.22.53 matchedPath = dist/commands/setup-fleet.js matchedIdentity = npm:QHBobngtbGFicy9hZ2VudHMtY2xp:1.22.53 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/commands/setup-fleet.jsView on unpkg

dist/lib/daemon/daemon.jsView file

11Install-time code directly mutates a foreign AI-agent control surface: L29: const LOG_ROTATE_COUNT = 3; L30: const PLIST_NAME = 'com.phnx-labs.agents-daemon'; L31: const SYSTEMD_UNIT = 'agents-daemon.service'; ... L59: const dir = getDaemonDir(); L60: fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true }); L61: return dir; ... L138: export function writeDaemonPid(pid) { L139: fs.writeFileSync(getPidPath(), String(pid), 'utf-8'); L140: } ... L162: try { L163: fs.writeFileSync(getHeartbeatPath(), JSON.stringify(hb), 'utf-8'); L164: } Write operation from scripts/postinstall.js: L11: const HOME = os.homedir(); L12: const USER_DIR = path.join(HOME, '.agents'); L13: const SHIMS_DIR = path.join(USER_DIR, '.cache', 'shims'); ... L67: const script = `#!/bin/sh\nAGENTS_BIN=${shellQuote(AGENTS_BIN)}\nif [ -z "$AGEN

Critical

Ai Agent Control Hijack

Source creates an unconsented AI-agent control surface through install-time mutation or a default unauthenticated remote skill channel.

dist/lib/daemon/daemon.jsView on unpkg · L11

dist/lib/state.jsView file

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. import * as fs from 'fs'; import * as path from 'path'; import * as os from 'os'; import * as yaml from 'yaml'; import { stringifydoc } from './yaml-io.js'; import { execfilesync } from 'child_process'; import { ensurelocktarget, atomicwritefilesync, withfilelock } from './fs-atomic.js'; import { default_system_repo, systemreposlug } from './types.js'; import { machineid } from './machine-id.js'; const home = process.env.home ?? os.homedir(); function issamepath(a, b) { try { return fs.realpathsync.native(a) === fs.realpathsync.native(b); } catch { const norm = (p) => process.platform === 'win32' ? path.resolve(p).tolowercase() : path.resolve(p);

High

Trigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutation

Manifest-trigger-reachable source writes behavior-bearing configuration into a user or project AI-agent control surface.

dist/lib/state.jsView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall.jsView file

7Trigger-reachable persistence chain: scripts.postinstall -> scripts/postinstall.js L7: import * as readline from 'readline'; L8: import { spawnSync } from 'child_process'; L9: import { fileURLToPath } from 'url'; L10: L11: const HOME = os.homedir(); L12: const USER_DIR = path.join(HOME, '.agents'); ... L19: function resolveAgentsBin() { L20: if (process.platform !== 'darwin') return AGENTS_JS_ENTRYPOINT; L21: try { ... L66: const target = path.join(SHIMS_DIR, name); L67: const script = `#!/bin/sh\nAGENTS_BIN=${shellQuote(AGENTS_BIN)}\nif [ -z "$AGENTS_BIN" ] || [ ! -x "$AGENTS_BIN" ]; then\n echo "agents: agents-cli entrypoint missing or not execu... L68: fs.writeFileSync(target, script, { mode: 0o755 });

High

Trigger Reachable Persistence

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

scripts/postinstall.jsView on unpkg · L7

dist/session-tracker/dist/hook.shView file

•path = dist/session-tracker/dist/hook.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 4499 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

dist/session-tracker/dist/hook.shView on unpkg

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

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 23

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

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

dist/commands/daemon.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

dist/lib/tmux/binary.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.22.53 matchedPath = dist/lib/tmux/binary.js matchedIdentity = npm:QHBobngtbGFicy9hZ2VudHMtY2xp:1.22.53 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/lib/tmux/binary.jsView on unpkg

dist/lib/models.jsView file

•matchType = token_shingles matchedPackage = @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.22.109 matchedPath = dist/lib/models.js matchedIdentity = npm:QHBobngtbGFicy9hZ2VudHMtY2xp:1.22.109 similarity = 1.000 shingleOverlap = 48 summary = source token shingles overlapped finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/lib/models.jsView on unpkg

dist/lib/session/provenance.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.22.53 matchedPath = dist/lib/session/provenance.js matchedIdentity = npm:QHBobngtbGFicy9hZ2VudHMtY2xp:1.22.53 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/lib/session/provenance.jsView on unpkg

dist/lib/teams/forEach.jsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.22.53 matchedPath = dist/lib/teams/forEach.js matchedIdentity = npm:QHBobngtbGFicy9hZ2VudHMtY2xp:1.22.53 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

Source file is highly similar to a previously finalized malicious package; route for source-aware review.

dist/lib/teams/forEach.jsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

16 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.js

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/postinstall.js

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

dist/lib/sqlite.jsView file

2const isBun = typeof globalThis.Bun !== 'undefined'; L3: const require = createRequire(import.meta.url); L4: function loadNodeSqlite() {

Medium

Dynamic Require

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

dist/lib/sqlite.jsView on unpkg · L2

Findings

1 Critical10 High7 Medium6 Low

CriticalAi Agent Control Hijackdist/lib/daemon/daemon.js

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilitydist/commands/setup-fleet.js

HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationdist/lib/state.js

HighTrigger Reachable Persistencescripts/postinstall.js

HighSemantic Analysis Limiteddist/commands/daemon.js#virtual:normalized:round1

HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/lib/tmux/binary.js

HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/lib/models.js

HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/lib/session/provenance.js

HighKnown Malware Source Similaritydist/commands/setup-fleet.js

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.23.41.

See all versions of @phnx-labs/agents-cli for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of @phnx-labs/agents-cli@1.23.41 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: 2026-10-20 05:57:51.905Z (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

Runtime surface

Behavioral surface

Source & flagged code