trace-mcp@3.15.0

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AI Security Review

scanned 2mo ago · by lpm-firewall-ai

The package has a real automatic persistence and self-update surface, so it warrants a warning. The inspected code scopes that behavior to trace-mcp-owned paths and bundles, with no confirmed theft, remote shell execution, or third-party control-surface takeover.

Static reason

One or more suspicious static signals were detected.; source matched previously finalized malicious package; routed for review; previous stored version diff introduced dangerous source

Trigger

npm installation of trace-mcp, especially global installation on macOS

Impact

A package install can create a persistent background service and modify existing trace-mcp application bundles.

Mechanism

automatic daemon persistence and package-owned application updater

AI rationale

Evidence

package.jsonscripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjsscripts/postinstall-app.mjs~/.trace/~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.trace-mcp.server.plisttrace-mcp.app

Network endpoints1

api.github.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 automatic postinstall chain runs two package-authored system-mutation scripts.
On macOS, postinstall writes a per-user LaunchAgent and bootstraps it, starting the package daemon without an explicit command.
Postinstall can download and replace an installed trace-mcp application bundle.

Evidence against

The persistence targets are trace-mcp-owned paths and its own LaunchAgent, not a broad third-party agent configuration.
The updater limits bundle changes to identified trace-mcp application bundles and includes checksum and platform guards.
No credential harvesting, secret exfiltration, or arbitrary remote command execution was found in the inspected files.

Behavioral surface

Source

ChildProcessCryptoDynamicRequireEnvironmentVarsFilesystemNativeBindingsNetworkShellWebSocket

Supply chain

HighEntropyStrings

Source & flagged code

15 flagged

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView file

25L26: import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'; L27: import fs from 'node:fs';

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView on unpkg · L25

25L26: import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'; L27: import fs from 'node:fs'; ... L34: L35: if (process.platform !== 'darwin') { L36: console.log('skip: macOS only'); ... L48: const repoRoot = path.resolve(new URL('..', import.meta.url).pathname); L49: const expected = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf-8')).version; L50: ... L62: try { L63: const res = await fetch(`https://api.github.com/repos/${REPO}/releases?per_page=10`, { L64: headers: { 'User-Agent': 'trace-mcp' },

High

Sandbox Evasion Gated Capability

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

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView on unpkg · L25

scripts/verify-win-update.mjsView file

141L142: function powershell(script) { L143: return execFileSync('powershell', ['-NoProfile', '-Command', script], {

High

Shell

Package source references shell execution.

scripts/verify-win-update.mjsView on unpkg · L141

scripts/bench-name-tokens.tsView file

48// not be resolved at type-check time. L49: const optionalImport = (spec: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown>> => import(spec); L50:

Medium

Dynamic Require

Package source references dynamic require/import behavior.

scripts/bench-name-tokens.tsView on unpkg · L48

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View file

390// six grey placeholders is exactly the failure this pipeline exists to avoid. L391: const dashboard = `http://127.0.0.1:${DEMO_DAEMON_PORT}/api/dashboard`; L392: await fetch(`${dashboard}/refresh`, { method: "POST" }); ... L402: * The guard"s health comes from a heartbeat an attached agent session writes.\n * A capture has no agent, so without this the showcase screenshot ships a red\n * \"Not running\" ba... L403: * policy") — the window comes up blank. Assigning `location.href` inside the\n * document keeps the app's own file origin, exactly as the main process does.\n */\nasync function na... L404: return;

High

Same File Env Network Execution

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

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L390

390// six grey placeholders is exactly the failure this pipeline exists to avoid. L391: const dashboard = `http://127.0.0.1:${DEMO_DAEMON_PORT}/api/dashboard`; L392: await fetch(`${dashboard}/refresh`, { method: "POST" }); ... L401: /** L402: * The guard"s health comes from a heartbeat an attached agent session writes.\n * A capture has no agent, so without this the showcase screenshot ships a red\n * \"Not running\" ba... L403: * policy") — the window comes up blank. Assigning `location.href` inside the\n * document keeps the app's own file origin, exactly as the main process does.\n */\nasync function na... L404: return;

High

Command Output Exfiltration

Source combines command execution, command-output handling, and outbound requests; review data flow before blocking.

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg · L390

hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.shView file

•path = hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.sh kind = build_helper sizeBytes = 7711 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Ships Build Helper

Package ships non-JavaScript build or shell helper files.

hooks/trace-mcp-reindex.shView on unpkg

dist/index.jsView file

•path = dist/index.js kind = oversized_source_file sizeBytes = 10834943 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Source File

Package contains source files above the normal full-analysis size ceiling.

dist/index.jsView on unpkg

dist/cli.jsView file

•path = dist/cli.js kind = oversized_cli_entrypoint sizeBytes = 12232978 magicHex = [redacted]

Medium

Oversized Cli Entrypoint

Package contains an oversized executable-looking CLI entrypoint.

dist/cli.jsView on unpkg

scripts/calibrate-health-metrics.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View file

•stage = ast_semantic_analysis; reason = ast_parse_error; limitedFiles = 4

High

Semantic Analysis Limited

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

scripts/calibrate-health-metrics.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1View on unpkg

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.8.0 matchedPath = scripts/capture-screenshots.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.8.0 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

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

scripts/capture-screenshots.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/count-advertised-tools.mjsView file

•matchType = normalized_sha256 matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.8.0 matchedPath = scripts/count-advertised-tools.mjs matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.8.0 similarity = 1.000 summary = normalized source hash matched finalized malicious source

High

Known Malware Source Similarity

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

scripts/count-advertised-tools.mjsView on unpkg

scripts/postinstall-app.mjsView file

•matchType = previous_version_dangerous_delta matchedPackage = trace-mcp@3.11.0 matchedIdentity = npm:dHJhY2UtbWNw:3.11.0 similarity = 0.625 summary = stored previous version shares package body but lacks this dangerous source file

Critical

Previous Version Dangerous Delta

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

scripts/postinstall-app.mjsView on unpkg

Source & flagged code

15 flagged · loading source

package.jsonView file

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

High

Install Time Lifecycle Scripts

Package defines install-time lifecycle scripts.

package.jsonView on unpkg

•scripts.postinstall = node scripts/preflight-native.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-app.mjs && node scripts/postinstall-control-plane.mjs

Medium

Ambiguous Install Lifecycle Script

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

package.jsonView on unpkg

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView file

25L26: import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'; L27: import fs from 'node:fs';

High

Child Process

Package source references child process execution.

scripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjsView on unpkg · L25

Findings

1 Critical9 High8 Medium5 Low

CriticalPrevious Version Dangerous Deltascripts/postinstall-app.mjs

HighInstall Time Lifecycle Scriptspackage.json

HighChild Processscripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjs

HighShellscripts/verify-win-update.mjs

HighSame File Env Network Executionscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1

HighCommand Output Exfiltrationscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1

HighSandbox Evasion Gated Capabilityscripts/verify-upgrade-path.mjs

HighSemantic Analysis Limitedscripts/calibrate-health-metrics.mjs#virtual:normalized:round1

HighKnown Malware Source Similarityscripts/capture-screenshots.mjs

HighKnown Malware Source Similarityscripts/count-advertised-tools.mjs

Affected versions and remediation

This report applies to trace-mcp@3.15.0.

See all versions of trace-mcp for other recorded verdicts.

Review the evidence and your use of trace-mcp@3.15.0 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: 2026-09-04 03:22:03.276Z (UTC).

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

AI Security Review

Decision evidence

Source & flagged code

Source & flagged code

Findings

Affected versions and remediation

Runtime surface

Behavioral surface

Source & flagged code