registry / AI-agent capability abuse / chemx / 26.9.9-632

chemx@26.9.9-632

Chemical X Protocol: Private drop-in architecture starter kit and capsule generator

AI Security Review

scanned 1mo ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

This is not malicious install-hook behavior because there are no lifecycle hooks and activation requires an explicit CLI command. It remains suspicious because unvalidated server-supplied paths can write outside the chosen project directory.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.

Trigger

The user runs chemx create, chemx init, or the create-chemx executable and supplies a license key.

Impact

A compromised or malicious package service could overwrite files outside the intended project directory, including project configuration.

Mechanism

Remote file download followed by unchecked local path writes.

AI rationale

Evidence

cli/index.js.chemical-x/config.json.chemical-x/device_id<selected project directory><selected project directory>/.cursorrules

Network endpoints1

chemicalx.xophz.com/api/starter-kit/download

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 87.0% confidence as Critical Vulnerability with medium false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

The explicit init and scaffold commands write every server-supplied filename without restricting it to the selected directory.
The CLI sends a supplied license key and persistent device identifier to the package service.
The scaffold command creates a Cursor rules file in the newly requested project.

Evidence against

package.json has no preinstall, install, or postinstall hook.
All file-writing and network behavior is reached through an explicitly invoked CLI command.
No local secret harvesting, hidden execution, self-dependency, or destructive command was found.
The audit command only reads source files and reports line counts.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetworkShell

Supply chain

HighEntropyStringsUrlStrings

Manifest

NoLicense

scanned 1 file(s), 16.3 KB of source, external domains: chemicalx.xophz.com, mycompassconsulting.com

Source & flagged code

5 flagged

cli/index.jsView file

Lines 1-48javascript

1#!/usr/bin/env node

3import fs from 'node:fs';

4import path from 'node:path';

5import os from 'node:os';

6import readline from 'node:readline';

7import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

9const rawArgs = process.argv.slice(2);

10const invokedBin = path.basename(process.argv[1] || '');

11const isCreateInvoked = invokedBin.includes('create-chemx') || (rawArgs[0] && rawArgs[0] === 'create');

13const CONFIG_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), '.chemical-x');

14const CONFIG_FILE = path.join(CONFIG_DIR, 'config.json');

15const DEVICE_FILE = path.join(CONFIG_DIR, 'device_id');

17const API_BASE = process.env.CHEMICAL_X_API_URL || 'https://chemicalx.xophz.com';

18const URL_STANDARD = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/standard';

High

Same File Env Network Execution

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

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

19const URL_MASTER = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/master';

21if (!fs.existsSync(CONFIG_DIR)) {

22 try { fs.mkdirSync(CONFIG_DIR, { recursive: true }); } catch {}

23}

25const openBrowser = (url) => {

26 const platform = process.platform;

27 try {

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

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

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

28 if (platform === 'darwin') spawnSync('open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

29 else if (platform === 'win32') spawnSync('cmd.exe', ['/c', 'start', '""', url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

30 else spawnSync('xdg-open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L28

31 } catch {}

32};

34const hasGum = () => {

35 try {

36 return spawnSync('which', ['gum'], { stdio: 'ignore' }).status === 0;

37 } catch {

38 return false;

39 }

40};

42const gumChoose = (options, header = '') => {

43 const args = ['choose', ...options];

44 if (header) args.unshift(`--header=${header}`);

45 const res = spawnSync('gum', args, { encoding: 'utf-8', stdio: ['inherit', 'pipe', 'inherit'] });

46 return (res.stdout || '').trim();

47};

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. nst res = await fetch(`${api_base}/api/starter-kit/download`, { method: 'post', headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' }, body: json.stringify({ licensekey: normalizedkey, deviceid }) }); const responsedata = await res.json(); if (!res.ok || !responsedata.valid) { process.stderr.write(`\x1b[31m✕ license verification failed: ${responsedata.error || 'invalid key.'}\x1b[0m\n`); process.stderr.write(`purchase key at: ${url_standard}\n\n`); process.exit(1); } savelicensekey(normalizedkey); process.stdout.write(`\x1b[32m✔ verified license for @${responsedata.githubuser || 'sponsor'}\x1b[0m\n\n`); return response

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.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

5 flagged · loading source

cli/index.jsView file

6import readline from 'node:readline'; L7: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L8:

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

28if (platform === 'darwin') spawnSync('open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' }); L29: else if (platform === 'win32') spawnSync('cmd.exe', ['/c', 'start', '""', url], { stdio: 'ignore' }); L30: else spawnSync('xdg-open', [url], { stdio: 'ignore' });

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L28

6import readline from 'node:readline'; L7: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L8: ... L16: L17: const API_BASE = process.env.CHEMICAL_X_API_URL || 'https://chemicalx.xophz.com'; L18: const URL_STANDARD = 'https://mycompassconsulting.com/buy/chemical-x/standard';

High

Same File Env Network Execution

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

cli/index.jsView on unpkg · L6

Findings

5 High3 Medium5 Low

HighChild Processcli/index.js

HighShellcli/index.js

HighSame File Env Network Executioncli/index.js

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilitycli/index.js

HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationcli/index.js

MediumNetwork

MediumEnvironment Vars

MediumStructural Risk Force Deep Review

LowScripts Present

LowFilesystem

LowHigh Entropy Strings

LowUrl Strings

LowNo License

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to chemx@26.9.9-632.

See all versions of chemx for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of chemx@26.9.9-632 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: 2026-09-09 11:16:23.228Z (UTC).

Think this verdict is wrong? Dispute it on GitHub or read how reports are produced.