puppeteer@25.9.0

A high-level API to control headless Chrome over the DevTools Protocol

AI Security Review

scanned 29d ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

The postinstall path is the ordinary Puppeteer browser installer and stops when skipDownload is set. Source shows no self-install chain, secret theft, or unrelated remote execution.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.

Trigger

npm postinstall runs node install.mjs; later use is an explicit import or the puppeteer CLI.

Impact

The install writes browser binaries for the product. No credential harvest, foreign agent-config writes, or hidden payload execution is present in this package.

Mechanism

downloadBrowsers reads local Puppeteer config and npm proxy variables, then asks @puppeteer/browsers to install pinned browsers into the cache directory.

AI rationale

The postinstall path is the ordinary Puppeteer browser installer and stops when skipDownload is set. Source shows no self-install chain, secret theft, or unrelated remote execution.

Decision evidence

public snapshot

AI called this Clean at 93.0% confidence as Benign with low false-positive risk.

Evidence for AI clean decision

package.json postinstall only runs node install.mjs; other scripts are local wireit build tasks.
install.mjs imports puppeteer/internal/node/install.js and calls downloadBrowsers, warning and exiting if the build is missing.
downloadBrowsers returns immediately when configuration.skipDownload is set, then installs Chrome, Chrome headless shell, or Firefox through @puppeteer/browsers.
dependencies pin puppeteer-core 25.9.0 and @puppeteer/browsers 3.2.1; this package does not depend on its own name.
No child_process, eval, Function, or credential reads appear in this package; configuration only reads PUPPETEER_* and npm proxy env vars.

Evidence against

postinstall still downloads browser binaries unless PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD or an executable path skips it, which is the documented Puppeteer install behavior.

Behavioral surface

Source

EnvironmentVars

Supply chain

HighEntropyStrings

ManifestNo manifest risk signals triggered.

scanned 9 file(s), 23.0 KB of source

Source & flagged code

6 flagged

package.jsonView file

Lines 18-62json

18 "types": "./lib/types.d.ts",

19 "import": "./lib/puppeteer/puppeteer.js",

20 "require": "./lib/puppeteer/puppeteer.js"

21 },

22 "./internal/*": {

23 "import": "./lib/puppeteer/*",

24 "require": "./lib/puppeteer/*"

25 },

26 "./*": {

27 "import": "./*",

28 "require": "./*"

29 }

30 },

31 "repository": {

32 "type": "git",

33 "url": "https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer/tree/main/packages/puppeteer"

34 },

35 "engines": {

36 "node": ">=22.12.0"

37 },

38 "scripts": {

39 "build:docs": "wireit",

40 "build": "wireit",

41 "clean": "../../tools/clean.mjs",

42 "postinstall": "node install.mjs",

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L42

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg · L42

43 "prepack": "wireit",

Low

Suspicious Lifecycle Evidence

package.json postinstall only runs node install.mjs; other scripts are local wireit build tasks.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L38

44 "unit": "wireit",

45 "unit:only": "wireit"

46 },

47 "wireit": {

48 "prepack": {

49 "command": "node --experimental-strip-types ../../tools/cp.ts ../../README.md README.md",

50 "files": [

51 "../../README.md"

52 ],

53 "output": [

54 "README.md"

55 ]

56 },

57 "build": {

58 "dependencies": [

59 "build:tsc",

60 "build:types"

61 ]

62 },

Lines 114-146json

114 }

115 },

116 "files": [

117 "lib",

118 "src",

119 "install.mjs",

120 "!*.test.ts",

121 "!*.test.js",

122

install.mjsView file

Lines 18-44javascript

19/**

20 * @returns {import("puppeteer/internal/node/install.js")}

21 */

22async function importInstaller() {

23 try {

24 return await

src/node/install.tsView file

Lines 47-87typescript

47 buildId,

48 downloadProgressCallback: 'default',

49 baseUrl,

50 buildIdAlias:

51 buildId !== unresolvedBuildId ? unresolvedBuildId : undefined,

52 });

Source & flagged code

6 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node install.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node install.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

38"scripts": { "build:docs": "wireit", "build": "wireit", "clean": "../../tools/clean.mjs", "postinstall": "node install.mjs", "prepack": "w

Low

Suspicious Lifecycle Evidence

package.json postinstall only runs node install.mjs; other scripts are local wireit build tasks.

package.jsonView on unpkg · L38

134"dependencies": { "@puppeteer/browsers": "3.2.1", "chromium-bidi": "17.0.2", "devtools-protocol": "0.0.1666840", "lilconfig": "^3.1.3", "puppeteer-core": "25.

Findings

1 High2 Medium6 Low

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

MediumAmbiguous Install Lifecycle Scriptpackage.json

MediumEnvironment Vars

LowScripts Present

LowHigh Entropy Strings

LowSuspicious Lifecycle Evidencepackage.json

LowAi Review Evidenceinstall.mjs

LowAi Review Evidencesrc/node/install.ts

LowSuspicious Dependency Evidencepackage.json

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to puppeteer@25.9.0.

See all versions of puppeteer for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of puppeteer@25.9.0 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.

Evidence last updated: 2026-09-26 05:35:43.989Z (UTC).

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