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

create-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 an install-time attack: the manifest has no lifecycle hook and execution requires a CLI command. It warrants a warning because the package downloads opaque remote content and creates an AI-agent instruction file in the consumer project.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.

Trigger

The user runs create-chemx or chemx create/init and provides or supplies a license key.

Impact

The remote service can control project files written during an explicit setup command, including an AI-agent instruction file.

Mechanism

License-gated remote file download followed by project writes and AI-agent rule creation.

AI rationale

Evidence

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

Network endpoints1

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

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 86.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

The explicit scaffold and init commands fetch a license-gated, server-supplied file map and write every returned entry into the selected project directory.
The scaffold command creates a .cursorrules AI-agent instruction file in the new project.
The CLI sends a supplied license key and persistent device identifier to the package service.

Evidence against

package.json has no preinstall, install, or postinstall lifecycle hook.
All filesystem and network actions are reached only through the declared CLI commands.
No eval, dynamic module loading, credential harvesting, or destructive deletion is present.
Browser launches use fixed purchase URLs.

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

6import readline from 'node:readline'; L7: import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'; L8: ... L12: L13: const CONFIG_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), '.chemical-x'); L14: const CONFIG_FILE = path.join(CONFIG_DIR, 'config.json'); ... 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'; ... L25: const openBrowser = (url) => { L26: const platform = process.platform; L27: 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

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

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 create-chemx@26.9.9-632.

See all versions of create-chemx for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of create-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 11:18:47.129Z (UTC).

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