registry / AI-agent capability abuse / pennyrouter / 0.3.5

pennyrouter@0.3.5

Install and manage PennyRouter local coding-agent integrations.

AI Security Review

scanned 2mo ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

This is an explicit-user-command AI-agent integration with a real future-code execution risk from unpinned npx registration. It is not a concrete malicious npm install-hook chain because the manifest has no lifecycle hook.

Static reason

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

Trigger

A user runs `pennyrouter install` without `--no-mcp`, then starts a configured agent session.

Impact

Configured Claude Code or Codex sessions may execute the current registry version of this package through npx.

Mechanism

Explicit agent configuration mutation and unpinned MCP command registration.

AI rationale

Evidence

src/cli.jssrc/mcp-register.jssrc/statusline.jssrc/launch.js~/.claude.json~/.codex/config.toml~/.claude/settings.json~/.local/share/pennyrouter/runtime~/.local/bin/penny~/.zshrc~/.zprofile

Network endpoints1

api.pennyrouter.com

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Suspicious at 88.0% confidence as Dangerous Capability with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for warning

The explicit install command registers an MCP server in existing Claude Code and Codex configuration by default.
The registered MCP command uses unpinned `npx -y pennyrouter mcp`, allowing a later agent session to fetch and run a registry release.
The installer replaces Claude Code's status-line command with a package-written Node script.
The installer can copy a runtime and append a managed PATH block to shell startup files.

Evidence against

package.json has no preinstall, install, or postinstall hook.
The configuration changes are reached through an explicit CLI install command, not package installation.
CodeGPT setup only copies the supplied key to the clipboard and prints manual instructions; it does not alter IDE settings.
Network calls are directed to the configured PennyRouter gateway for setup and credential storage; no unrelated exfiltration endpoint was found.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessCryptoEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNetwork

Source & flagged code

6 flagged

src/launch.test.jsView file

1import assert from "node:assert/strict"; L2: import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L3: import fs from "node:fs"; ... L39: async function main() { L40: if (!(["darwin", "linux"].includes(process.platform))) { L41: console.log("launch.test.js: skipped on unsupported platform"); ... L45: const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "pr-launch-test-")); L46: const previous = Object.fromEntries(ENV_KEYS.map((key) => [key, process.env[key]])); L47: const home = path.join(root, "home"); ... L53: }, null, 2)}\n`; L54: const nativeCodex = 'model = "native-model"\n\nmodel_provider = "pennyrouter"\n\n[model_providers.pennyrouter]\nname = "PennyRouter"\nbase_url = "http://localhost:8400/v1"\n'; L55: fs.writeFileSync(path.join(home, ".claude", "settings.json"), nativeClaude);

Medium

Install Persistence

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

src/launch.test.jsView on unpkg · L1

src/harnesses/codegpt.jsView file

1import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process"; L2: ... L56: console.log(" Open CodeGPT settings and remove or replace the PennyRouter provider:"); L57: console.log(" - Base URL: https://api.pennyrouter.com/v1"); L58: console.log(" - API Key: pr-..."); ... L64: const commands = L65: process.platform === "darwin" L66: ? [["pbcopy"]] L67: : process.platform === "win32"

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

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

src/harnesses/codegpt.jsView on unpkg · L1

src/statusline.jsView file

•Runtime or CLI code links a write operation to an explicit external AI-agent control path: tatusline (all lines) |] penny segment (penny / penny (sub) // / penny (byok) / penny off). the wrapped statusline's first line gets the penny suffix; // any further lines (e.g. a context bar) pass through verbatim. // never blocks on the network: reads a per-session cache and refreshes it detached. import { readfilesync, mkdirsync, writefilesync, statsync } from "node:fs"; import { spawn, spawnsync } from "node:child_process"; import { join, basename } from "node:path"; import os from "node:os"; const statedir = join( process.env.xdg_state_home || join(os.homedir(), ".local", "state"), "pennyrouter", ); const cachedir = join(statedir, "statusline-cache"); const titlesessionfile = process.env.pe

High

External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutation

Runtime or CLI source writes behavior-bearing configuration into a user or project AI-agent control surface.

src/statusline.jsView on unpkg

src/launch.jsView file

•Manifest-trigger-reachable source links an external AI-agent control path to a behavior-bearing write operation. "# <<< pennyrouter path <<<"; const codex_profile_marker = "# pennyrouter per-command profile (managed; no secrets)"; const claude_command_marker = ""; const claude_desktop_profile_id = "70656e6e-7972-4f75-8465-720000000001"; const claude_desktop_profile_name = "pennyrouter"; const terminal_title_refresh_ms = 1000; const terminal_status_refresh_ms = 15000; export function pennyconfigdir() { if (process.platform === "win32") { return join(process.env.appdata || process

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.

src/launch.jsView on unpkg

•matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = pennyrouter@0.3.4 matchedIdentity = npm:cGVubnlyb3V0ZXI:0.3.4 similarity = 0.903 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file

High

Previous Version Dangerous Delta

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

src/launch.jsView on unpkg

src/mcp-register.js#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 3

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

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

src/mcp-register.js#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

Source & flagged code

6 flagged · loading source

src/launch.test.jsView file

Medium

Install Persistence

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

src/launch.test.jsView on unpkg · L1

src/harnesses/codegpt.jsView file

High

Findings

5 High4 Medium4 Low

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilitysrc/harnesses/codegpt.js

HighExternal Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationsrc/statusline.js

HighTrigger Reachable External Ai Agent Control Surface Mutationsrc/launch.js

HighSemantic Analysis Limitedsrc/mcp-register.js#virtual:normalized:round1

HighPrevious Version Dangerous Deltasrc/launch.js

MediumNetwork

MediumEnvironment Vars

MediumInstall Persistencesrc/launch.test.js

MediumStructural Risk Force Deep Review

LowScripts Present

LowFilesystem

LowHigh Entropy Strings

LowUrl Strings

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to pennyrouter@0.3.5.

See all versions of pennyrouter for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of pennyrouter@0.3.5 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: 2026-09-04 20:35:03.491Z (UTC).

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