Skills/PyPI/mcp-gtags-server

mcp-gtags-server@2.0.0

CAUTION· not started

Publisher claims: "Indexed code navigation for AI coding agents — replace grep scans with GNU Global (gtags) lookups over MCP. ~100x faster and radically less noise on million-line C/C++ codebases." Observed in sandbox: calls astral.sh only, touches nothing outside the project, writes no memory.

Registry PyPI (MCP server)Publisher harshithsunku · publishing for 129 daysInstalls 563Last detonated 7d ago
What would fix thisWatchDispute verdict

Coverage

Not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed.
Tested
install scripts, with decoy credentials in place · second launch with the clock 45 days ahead · the dependency install step · every file read, file written and host contacted by what ran
Not tested
server startup · the tool list · tool behavior

What this means for the label: Caution here covers what ran. The server's tools were not exercised with a real credential, so nothing about their behavior is asserted; the credential summary below says what to do with that.

Before you give it your token

Code inventory arrives with this version's next honeypot run.
It will ask for
unknown until the next run
Where it talks to
unknown until the next run
What the honeypot saw
no credential files read · reached only astral.sh
What we could not test
server startup · the tool list · tool behavior

Not enough was observed to say yet. Not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed. This version's code has not been inventoried for credentials and hosts either; both arrive with its next honeypot run (popular servers first). `vet-skills try mcp-gtags-server` runs it now and prints the full answer.

Never paste a credential into a chat, a ticket or a report, including ours. How the guard holds it.

Is [email protected] safe to install?

KillerSkills ran it in the KillerSkills honeypot sandbox (3 scenarios; not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed) on 2026-11-07 and scored it 68/100 (Caution). It is not known to be malicious, but it has behaviour or code a security policy should decide on before install. Notable findings: Privileged sudo command; Privileged sudo command; Direct script execution from GitHub raw URL. Summary: calls astral.sh only, touches nothing outside the project, writes no memory.

Behavior trace

Honeypot run · 0 s · 3 scenarios
t+CategoryObserved action
0.1snetworkCONNECT https://astral.sh · undeclared
0.1sprocessexec /usr/bin/uname
0.1sprocessexec /usr/bin/curl
0.1sprocessexited 22: curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 403
0.3sprocessdependency install exit 1
0.3sprocessexec /usr/bin/date
0.3sprocessexec /usr/bin/timeout
0.3sprocessexec .venv/bin/mcp-gtags-server
0.3sclaimedno tools/list reply (exit 0)
0.3sprocessscript backend runs setup only
0.3sprocesssecond launch, clock +45 days, CI unset
0.4snetworkCONNECT https://astral.sh · undeclared
0.4sprocessexec /usr/bin/faketime
0.4sprocessexec /usr/bin/uname
0.4sprocessexec /usr/bin/curl
0.4sprocessexited 22: curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 403

Static findings

MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/enrich.py:94 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/enrich.py:163 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/fileset.py:41 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:641 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privileges" sudo apt install python3-pygments\n"Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:590 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:2173 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privileges"into user space (no sudo needed)."Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
LOW
Collapsed <details> block carrying instructionsREADME.md:203 · Collapsed <details> block carrying instructions · informational: not an instruction file · informational: not an instruction file<summary><b>Pin a project root</b> explicitly</summary> By default the server uses the client's advertised workspace root (MCP roots protocol) or auto-detects tFix: Remove the text that addresses the agent rather than the reader; describe behavior, do not instruct.
AST01
LOW
Collapsed <details> block carrying instructionsREADME.md:210 · Collapsed <details> block carrying instructions · informational: not an instruction file · informational: not an instruction file<summary><b>Config files</b> — per-project and per-user defaults</summary> Every setting can also live in a TOML file, so teams share defaults through the repo Fix: Remove the text that addresses the agent rather than the reader; describe behavior, do not instruct.
AST01
HIGH
Direct script execution from GitHub raw URLscripts/install.sh:4 · Direct script execution from GitHub raw URL — unverified code source# curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harshithsunku/mcp-gtags-server/main/scripts/install.sh | bashFix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:151 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privileges"Install it into user space with `mcp-gtags-server setup` (no sudo needed), "Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:242 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegesf"(no sudo needed, one-time step). Current step: {last}. "Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
CRITICAL
Pipe-to-shell patternscripts/install.sh:4 · Pipe-to-shell pattern — downloads and immediately executes remote code# curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harshithsunku/mcp-gtags-server/main/scripts/install.sh | bashFix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST06
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload action.github/workflows/eval.yml:58 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data filescat eval.txt 2>/dev/null || echo "eval did not produce output"Fix: Put hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
AST07
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml:75 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegessudo mkdir -p "$PREFIX"Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedevals/agent/run_ab.py:153 · Python subprocess execution detectedcli_ver = subprocess.run(Fix: Put hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml:73 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegesmkdir -p "$PREFIX" # manylinux containers run as root, no sudoFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/ci.yml:23 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegesrun: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y global universal-ctags exuberant-ctags python3-pygmentsFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/ci.yml:54 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegesrun: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y global universal-ctags exuberant-ctags python3-pygmentsFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/publish.yml:30 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegessudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y globalFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedevals/agent/run_ab.py:109 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(Fix: Put hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/eval.yml:25 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegesrun: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y global universal-ctags exuberant-ctags python3-pygmentsFix: Put hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedevals/agent/run_ab.py:149 · Python subprocess execution detectedkernel_sha = subprocess.run(Fix: Put hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
AST05
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:771 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privileges"into user space (no sudo needed)."Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Privileged sudo command.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml:76 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegessudo chown "$(id -u)" "$PREFIX"Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
File permission modification command.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml:76 · File permission modification command — agent changes file ownership/permissionssudo chown "$(id -u)" "$PREFIX"Fix: Request the narrowest permission that works; replace wildcards with the exact paths or hosts.
AST05
HIGH
Privileged sudo commandsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:675 · Privileged sudo command — agent may execute with elevated privilegeslog(f"mcp-gtags-server setup — installing into {managed_home()} (no sudo needed)")Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/install.sh:64 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes[[ -f "$PID_FILE" ]] && kill -0 "$(cat "$PID_FILE")" 2>/dev/nullFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:725 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesexcept Exception as exc: # noqa: BLE001 — must never kill the thread silentlyFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:667 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesexcept Exception as exc: # noqa: BLE001 — must never kill the thread silentlyFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Remote installer piped to shellscripts/install.sh:4 · Remote installer piped to shell# curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harshithsunku/mcp-gtags-server/main/scripts/install.sh | bashFix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST07
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/install.sh:70 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processeskill "$(cat "$PID_FILE")" 2>/dev/null || trueFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
npx invocation of non-well-known packagescripts/build-mcpb.sh:9 · npx invocation of non-well-known package — may execute untrusted code# Usage: bash scripts/build-mcpb.sh (from the repo root; needs npx + pip/uv)Fix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:184 · Python subprocess execution detectedprobe = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:659 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:569 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(args, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout)Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:702 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesexcept Exception as exc: # noqa: BLE001 — never let prebuilt kill setupFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedtests/test_server.py:583 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(["git", "init", "-q", str(c_project)], check=True)Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedtests/test_server.py:1056 · Python subprocess execution detectedstatus = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
npx invocation of non-well-known packagescripts/build-mcpb.sh:53 · npx invocation of non-well-known package — may execute untrusted codenpx -y @anthropic-ai/mcpb pack "$STAGE" mcp-gtags-server.mcpbFix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:741 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/gtags_mcp/server.py:197 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesexcept Exception as exc: # noqa: BLE001 — must never kill the thread silentlyFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/gtags_mcp/toolchain.py:423 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedtests/test_server.py:1489 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05

Cost to the agent

Instructions loaded
≈3,965 tok
2 files · 56 in bundle
Tool list per prompt
≈0 tok
0 tools · 0 per tool
Handshake
no reply
launch to tools/list, stdio
Undocumented tools
0
description under 20 chars · avg 0

Tokens estimated at four characters each. The tool list is re-read by the agent on every turn, so it is the number to compare between servers that do the same job: ranked across the index.

Known vulnerabilities

No advisories in OSV for mcp-gtags-server@2.0.0 as of 7d ago. This is the package itself, not its dependencies.

What would make this Verified

12 points to 80 · weights: behavior 45%, static 25%, prompt 15%, publisher 15%
  1. Pipe-to-shell pattern≈ +9 on the totalBuild commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
  2. Unclaimed publisher≈ +8 on the totalClaim harshithsunku: a verified publisher gets +50 on publisher trust. It is free and usually instant with GitHub sign-in.
  3. Privileged sudo command≈ +4 on the totalBuild commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
  4. Direct script execution from GitHub raw URL≈ +4 on the totalPin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
  5. Python subprocess execution detected≈ +2 on the totalBuild commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
  6. File type combined with upload action≈ +2 on the totalPut hosts, commands and strings in plain source. Decoding at runtime looks identical to malware and costs points on its own.
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