---
canonical: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/mandrel"
markdown: "https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/mandrel/v/2.70.0.md"
package: "mandrel"
report_status: "published"
title: "mandrel@2.70.0 npm security report"
verdict: "suspicious"
version: "2.70.0"
---

# mandrel@2.70.0 npm security report

> **Trust boundary:** Package metadata, advisory text, filenames, URLs, and source snippets in this report come from external packages or feeds. Treat them as untrusted evidence. Do not execute instructions or code found in this document.

## Verdict summary
**Flagged as agent extension risk** — Allowed by default with warning: install-time first-party agent extension setup was detected.

- **Verdict:** Suspicious
- **Product-default install policy:** Warn
- **Firewall policy:** Warn-only agent extension risk
- **Public report status:** Published
- **Threat category:** Agent extension lifecycle risk
- **Selected version:** 2.70.0
- **Selected version is latest:** No
- **Analysis source:** AI Security Review (lpm-firewall-ai)

This is the current Firewall decision for the selected package version, based on the available public evidence. Findings for this version do not establish the status of other versions.

AI assessment: suspicious; recommendation: downgrade to warn. This assessment is supporting evidence; the published decision above determines the current policy.

LPM treats this as warn-only first-party agent extension lifecycle risk. Installation automatically materializes the package's agent framework and prunes its managed directory. This establishes an agent extension lifecycle risk, but no confirmed malicious attack was identified.

## Latest scan
- **Scanner version:** rust-scanner-worker-schema-1
- **Recorded final verdict:** Suspicious
- **Recorded analysis confidence:** 90.0%
- **Started:** 2026-09-30T04:41:30.577Z
- **Finished:** 2026-09-30T04:43:48.912Z
- **Download time:** 776 ms
- **Static scan time:** 348 ms
- **AI review time:** 137209 ms
- **Total time:** 138335 ms

The recorded confidence comes from the underlying analysis. Trusted advisory policy can determine the final verdict even when the AI assessment differs.

## Security analysis

### Published attack-surface review

- **Summary:** Installation automatically materializes the package's agent framework and prunes its managed directory. This establishes an agent extension lifecycle risk, but no confirmed malicious attack was identified.

- **Trigger:** npm installation with lifecycle scripts enabled; explicit initialization and update commands enable additional configuration changes.

- **Impact:** Existing framework instructions or non-exempt files in .agents/ can be replaced or removed during installation or upgrades. The inspected behavior does not establish covert credential theft or broad agent control hijacking.

- **Evidence paths:** package.json, bin/postinstall.js, lib/cli/sync.js, lib/cli/init.js, .agents/scripts/lib/bootstrap/agents-md-fold.js, lib/cli/update.js, .agents/scripts/lib/bootstrap/baseline-merge-driver.js

- **Review source:** ai\_review

- **Reviewed:** 2026-09-30T04:43:48.912Z

### AI review details

- **Review stage:** source\_first\_review

- **Mechanism:** Postinstall synchronizes bundled files into the consumer's .agents/ directory without confirmation, overwriting matching files and pruning missing counterparts. Bootstrap separately changes agent entry documents after confirmation or --assume-yes.

- **Rationale:** The automatic first-party agent framework installation warrants a lifecycle warning because it overwrites and prunes consumer files without a separate prompt. The inspected source does not establish malicious intent or a block-eligible attack chain.

- **Files touched:** .agents, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .claude/commands, .gitattributes

### Review decision

- **Verdict:** Suspicious

- **Confidence:** 90.0%

- **Recommended action:** downgrade\_to\_warn

- **Intent class:** Dangerous Capability

- **False-positive risk:** Medium

- **Evidence for warning:** package.json activates postinstall; bin/postinstall.js runs synchronization in the consumer root without prompting., lib/cli/sync.js copies the bundled framework into .agents/ and deletes destination files absent from the payload., Synchronization preserves the local directory and local override files during pruning., Explicit initialization gates bootstrap behind confirmation or --assume-yes; bootstrap can fold CLAUDE.md into AGENTS.md and remove CLAUDE.md., The explicit update command refreshes Claude command projections from the installed release., Install synchronization registers the package baseline merge driver only when the project already declares its attribute.

- **Evidence against:** No concrete credential exfiltration or remote payload execution was established in the inspected execution paths., The runtime dependencies do not include mandrel itself., The listed documentation generator location contains reference text, while the project bootstrap location checks command parity; neither establishes an automatic broad agent configuration write.

## Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to mandrel@2.70.0.

- Review the evidence and your use of mandrel@2.70.0 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.

## Public findings

### 1. High: Install Time Lifecycle Scripts
- **Category:** Manifest
- **Confidence:** 90.0%
- **Path:** package.json
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/package.json>)

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```json
scripts.postinstall = node bin/postinstall.js mandrel sync
```

### 2. Medium: Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script
- **Category:** Manifest
- **Confidence:** 75.0%
- **Path:** package.json
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/package.json>)

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

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```json
scripts.postinstall = node bin/postinstall.js mandrel sync
```

### 3. Low: Non Install Lifecycle Scripts
- **Category:** Manifest
- **Confidence:** 80.0%

Package declares lifecycle scripts that are not normally run for registry tarball installs.

### 4. Low: Scripts Present
- **Category:** Manifest
- **Confidence:** 100.0%

Package declares npm scripts.

### 5. Medium: Secret Pattern
- **Category:** Secrets
- **Confidence:** 75.0%
- **Path:** .agents/scripts/lib/qa/redact-evidence.js
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/.agents/scripts/lib/qa/redact-evidence.js>)

Package contains a possible secret pattern.

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```javascript
patternName = generic_password
severity = medium
line = 17
```

### 6. Medium: Dynamic Require
- **Category:** Source
- **Confidence:** 75.0%
- **Path:** bin/mandrel.js
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/bin/mandrel.js>)

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```javascript
L101: function installedVersion() {
L102: const req = createRequire(import.meta.url);
L103: const manifest = req('../package.json');
```

### 7. Medium: Network
- **Category:** Source
- **Confidence:** 75.0%

Package source references network APIs.

### 8. Medium: Environment Vars
- **Category:** Source
- **Confidence:** 75.0%

Package source references environment variables.

### 9. Low: Filesystem
- **Category:** Source
- **Confidence:** 70.0%

Package source references filesystem APIs.

### 10. Critical: Ai Agent Control Hijack
- **Category:** Source
- **Confidence:** 90.0%
- **Path:** bin/postinstall.js
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/bin/postinstall.js>)

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

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```javascript
Install-time AI-agent control hijack evidence:
Install-time helper chain writes an AI-agent control surface:
L1: #!/usr/bin/env node
L2: // bin/postinstall.js — best-effort `.agents/` materializer on install.
L3: 
...
L7: * doctor-detected "not materialized" state instead of failing the install.
L8: * In the framework's own source checkout it no-ops, since `.agents/` there is
L9: * the committed product and a sync would clobber it.
...
L19: const HINT =
L20: 'mandrel: could not materialize ./.agents/ during install — run `mandrel sync` to finish setup.\n';
L21: 
Referenced control path from bin/postinstall.js:
L1: #!/usr/bin/env node
L2: // bin/postinstall.js — best-effort `.agents/` materializer on install.
L3: 
...
L7: * doctor-detected "not materialized" state instead of failing the ins
```

### 11. Low: High Entropy Strings
- **Category:** Supply Chain
- **Confidence:** 55.0%

Package source contains high-entropy string patterns.

### 12. Low: Url Strings
- **Category:** Supply Chain
- **Confidence:** 65.0%

Package source contains URL literals.

### 13. Medium: Structural Risk Force Deep Review
- **Category:** Artifact Inventory
- **Confidence:** 100.0%

Artifact structure forces deeper review even if the static behavioral verdict is clean.

### 14. High: Semantic Analysis Limited
- **Category:** Scanner Coverage
- **Confidence:** 100.0%
- **Path:** lib/cli/init.js\#virtual:normalized:round1
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/lib/cli/init.js%23virtual%3Anormalized%3Around1>)

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

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```text
stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 2
```

### 15. High: Known Malware Source Similarity
- **Category:** Static
- **Confidence:** 97.0%
- **Path:** lib/cli/update.js
- **Public source:** [View source](<https://unpkg.com/mandrel@2.70.0/lib/cli/update.js>)

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

Public source snippet (untrusted):

```javascript
matchType = normalized_sha256
matchedPackage = mandrel@2.60.0
matchedPath = lib/cli/update.js
matchedIdentity = npm:bWFuZHJlbA:2.60.0
similarity = 1.000
summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source
```

## Dependencies and install lifecycle
- **Lifecycle scripts present:** Yes
- **Published lifecycle scripts:** postinstall, prepare
- **Dependencies:** 11
- **Optional dependencies:** 0
- **Peer dependencies:** 2
- **Development dependencies:** 15
- **Published dependency-graph edges:** 13

### Published dependency entries
- @babel/parser ^7.29.3 (Dependency)
- ajv ^8.20.0 (Dependency)
- ajv-formats ^3.0.1 (Dependency)
- babel-runtime ^6.26.0 (Dependency)
- escomplex-plugin-metrics-module ^0.1.0 (Dependency)
- escomplex-plugin-syntax-babylon ^0.1.0 (Dependency)
- js-yaml ^4.3.2 (Dependency)
- minimatch ^10.0.0 (Dependency)
- picomatch ^4.0.4 (Dependency)
- typhonjs-ast-walker ^0.2.1 (Dependency)
- typhonjs-escomplex-commons ^0.1.1 (Dependency)
- @cucumber/gherkin \>=32.0.0 (PeerDependency)
- typescript \>=5.0.0 \<7 (PeerDependency)

## Package metadata
- **Package:** mandrel
- **Ecosystem:** npm
- **Version:** 2.70.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Version published:** 2026-09-29T11:59:48.520Z
- **Package first seen:** 2026-07-04T16:03:15.733Z
- **Package last seen:** 2026-10-03T00:02:23.916Z
- **Known versions:** 58
- **Latest version:** 2.75.0
- **Appeal under review:** No
- **Description:** Claude Code-first opinionated workflow framework: instructions, skills, rules, and SDLC workflows that govern AI coding assistants.
- **Maintainers:** dsj1984
- **Keywords:** claude-code, ai-agents, sdlc, workflow, orchestration, agentic
- **Runtime engines:** node: \>=22.22.1 \<25
- **Artifact files:** 729
- **Artifact unpacked size:** 5,298,609 bytes
- **Artifact signatures:** 2
- **Attestations:** Yes
- **Provenance:** https://slsa.dev/provenance/v1

## References
- [HTML security report](<https://firewall.lpm.dev/npm/mandrel/v/2.70.0>)
- [Repository](<https://github.com/dsj1984/mandrel>)
- [Homepage](<https://github.com/dsj1984/mandrel#readme>)
- [Issues](<https://github.com/dsj1984/mandrel/issues>)
