Skills/PyPI/terse-mcp

terse-mcp@0.49.3

CAUTION· not started

Publisher claims: "Lossless-first compression layer for AI-agent tool outputs — byte-faithful on fields you mark critical, configurable lossy reduction only where you opt in." Observed in sandbox: no network, touches nothing outside the project, writes no memory.

Registry PyPI (MCP server)Publisher inth3shadows · publishing for 119 daysInstalls 3,570Last detonated 26 min ago
What would fix thisWatchDispute verdict

Coverage

Not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed.
Tested
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

It will ask for
no credential variables read in the code
Where it talks to
no vendor host named in the codeAlso openrouter.ai — not the publisher's domain; check what for before connecting.
What the honeypot saw
no credential files read · no network
What we could not test
server startup · the tool list · tool behavior

Connect it under the guard. Not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed. The code names no credential variable; the guard pins the network to what the honeypot saw and logs every call.

$vet-skills run --net declared -- uvx terse-mcp

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 (2 scenarios; not started: dependency install failed; the server itself was not observed) on 2026-11-15 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: URL to the cloud instance metadata address; URL with embedded credentials; URL with embedded credentials. Summary: no network, touches nothing outside the project, writes no memory.

Behavior trace

Honeypot run · 1 s · 2 scenarios · 0 deviations
t+CategoryObserved action
0.0sprocessno install scripts in bundle
0.2sprocessdependency install exit 1 ·
0.2sclaimednot started: dependency install failed (exit 1); the server itself was not observed
0.2sprocessscript backend runs setup only
0.2sprocessno install scripts to re-run

Static findings

MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:238 · Python subprocess execution detected(plan F5). The previous `subprocess.run(cmd, timeout=...)` only everFix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/mcp_servers/mcp_probe.py:199 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesplace a kill mid-write could leave half-written. The file holds real MCP tool-callFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:248 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.Popen(cmd, cwd=cwd, env=env, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
CRITICAL
URL to the cloud instance metadata addresssrc/terse/transport.py:153 · URL to the cloud instance metadata address — reads the VM's credentials* A downstream 302 to `http://169.254.169.254/…` was FOLLOWED, and its body wasFix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
HIGH
URL with embedded credentialsscripts/bench/corpus/gh_commits.json:1 · URL with embedded credentials — may be phishing or credential leaking…ssy_servers) is\nthe next slice.","verified_at":"2026-07-17T21:39:51Z"}},"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/inth3shadows/terse/commits/b5c40f860151c41fcc606ed645f387833002f7a3","html_url":"https://github.com/inth3shadows/terse/commit/b5c4…Fix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
MEDIUM
File permission modification commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/arms.py:50 · File permission modification command — agent changes file ownership/permissionsthe moment the file is CREATED -- no write-then-chmod window where aFix: Request the narrowest permission that works; replace wildcards with the exact paths or hosts.
AST05
HIGH
URL with embedded credentialssrc/terse/cli.py:1755 · URL with embedded credentials — may be phishing or credential leaking"""`url` with any userinfo and query string masked: `https://u:pw@h/mcp?token=x` is aFix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
MEDIUM
File permission modification commandscripts/bench/corpus/gh_commits_flat.json:1 · File permission modification command — agent changes file ownership/permissions…ure_io write/append restricted-permission helpers\n\nThe module closes a TOCTOU chmod race for files holding secrets (API keys\nin MCP env blocks) but had no dedicate…Fix: Request the narrowest permission that works; replace wildcards with the exact paths or hosts.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:257 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processespass # already gone -- nothing to killFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:386 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(["git", "worktree", "remove", "--force", str(workdir)],Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
CRITICAL
URL to the cloud instance metadata addressscripts/bench/corpus/gh_issues.json:1 · URL to the cloud instance metadata address — reads the VM's credentials…e downstream \"reply,\" flowing straight into the model's context; an internal `http://169.254.169.254/…` URL is an SSRF primitive. terse *widened* the surface here vs. a compliant H…Fix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload actionscripts/bench/corpus/gh_workflow_runs.json:1 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data files…ed is now atomic (temp + fsync + os.replace), fixing the\n non-atomic ~/.claude.json / policy.json writes at the primitive; symlink refusal kept.\n- transport: refuse link-local/cloud-metadata SSRF targets (169.254.169.254,\n metadata.goog…Fix: Remove the call, or declare the host in frontmatter and explain in the README what is sent and why.
AST07
HIGH
URL with embedded credentialssrc/terse/cli.py:1803 · URL with embedded credentials — may be phishing or credential leaking# `--url=https://u:pw@h`, `DATABASE_URL=postgres://u:pw@db`: the value half isFix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
HIGH
Direct script execution from GitHub raw URLscripts/bench/corpus/gh_dir_listing.json:1 · Direct script execution from GitHub raw URL — unverified code source…adows/terse/git/blobs/7b94542b34e03852192ff7bf005e20ed0196b5be","download_url":"https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inth3shadows/terse/main/src/terse/__init__.py","type":"file","_links":{"self":"https://api.github.com/repos/inth3shadows/ters…Fix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/checkers.py:107 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(command, shell=True, cwd=workdir, capture_output=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/benchmark.py:35 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(["node", str(TOON_SCRIPT)], input=raw, capture_output=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/mcp_servers/toon_column.py:57 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(["node", str(TOON_SCRIPT)], input=raw, capture_output=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
File permission modification commandscripts/bench/corpus/gh_commits.json:1 · File permission modification command — agent changes file ownership/permissions…ure_io write/append restricted-permission helpers\n\nThe module closes a TOCTOU chmod race for files holding secrets (API keys\nin MCP env blocks) but had no dedicate…Fix: Request the narrowest permission that works; replace wildcards with the exact paths or hosts.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:262 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes# kill attempt, then take whatever communicate() gives us (emptyFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:375 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(["git", "worktree", "add", "--detach", str(wt), pinned_commit],Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:156 · Python subprocess execution detectedout = subprocess.run(["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"], cwd=HERE,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
CRITICAL
URL to the cloud instance metadata addresssrc/terse/transport.py:70 · URL to the cloud instance metadata address — reads the VM's credentials# SSRF primitive (`http://169.254.169.254/…`) whose response is fed straight into theFix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/corpus/gh_issues.json:1 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes…silently skipped)\n`_fold_records` key-order drift (value-lossless; a fix would kill the tabularization win), the stats-ledger rotation TOCTOU (self-heals, benign), …Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
HIGH
URL with embedded credentialsscripts/bench/corpus/gh_repo_single.json:1 · URL with embedded credentials — may be phishing or credential leaking…tputs — selective per-tool, byte-faithful, no decode step.","fork":false,"url":"https://api.github.com/repos/inth3shadows/terse","forks_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/inth3shadows/terse/forks","keys_url":"https://api.github.com/repos/i…Fix: Stop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
AST07
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload actionscripts/bench/corpus/gh_issues.json:1 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data files…s now atomic** (temp + `fsync` + `os.replace`), fixing the non-atomic `~/.claude.json` / `policy.json` writes at the primitive — a crash mid-write can no longer truncate the user's live config. Symlink refusal preserved; no orphan temp/emp…Fix: Remove the call, or declare the host in frontmatter and explain in the README what is sent and why.
AST07
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:245 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesonly if even the post-kill `communicate()` couldn't reap the process (anFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload actionscripts/bench/corpus/gh_commits_flat.json:1 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data files…d20342a2116cdf8943bc0ce07de622b4c022a","msg":"install-mcp: support project (.mcp.json) and local (nested projects.<path>) scope (#59)\n\nExtends install-mcp/uninstall-mcp with --scope {user,project,local} (default\nuser, preserving current…Fix: Remove the call, or declare the host in frontmatter and explain in the README what is sent and why.
AST07
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/mcp_servers/mcp_probe.py:67 · Python subprocess execution detectedself.proc = subprocess.Popen(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:261 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes# the group kill didn't finish reaping in time -- one more directFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload actionscripts/bench/corpus/gh_commits.json:1 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data files…om","date":"2026-07-03T00:01:43Z"},"message":"install-mcp: support project (.mcp.json) and local (nested projects.<path>) scope (#59)\n\nExtends install-mcp/uninstall-mcp with --scope {user,project,local} (default\nuser, preserving current…Fix: Remove the call, or declare the host in frontmatter and explain in the README what is sent and why.
AST07
MEDIUM
Process kill commandscripts/bench/cost_per_task/runner.py:235 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes(`start_new_session=True`, i.e. setsid) so a timeout can kill the WHOLEFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/terse/transport.py:368 · Python subprocess execution detectedself.proc = subprocess.Popen( # noqa: S603 — cmd is operator-supplied, by designFix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/terse/install_mcp.py:309 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run([launcher, "--version"], capture_output=True, timeout=10,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/tests/test_rtk_shadow.py:589 · Python subprocess execution detectedwant, got = (subprocess.run(["/bin/bash", "-c", text], cwd=tmp_path, env=env,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/stats.py:1384 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processessurvives on widening the tuple and is disclosed as equivalent, not a kill — the sameFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/mcp_servers/toon_column.py:75 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(["node", str(CMCP_SCRIPT)], input=raw, capture_output=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/terse/fluency/answerers.py:265 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.Popen(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
File type combined with upload actionsrc/terse/transport.py:72 · File type combined with upload action — agent may exfiltrate local data files# project-scoped `.mcp.json` (see install_mcp.py), so this is not purely operator input.Fix: Remove the call, or declare the host in frontmatter and explain in the README what is sent and why.
AST07
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/rtk_encode.py:53 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run([rtk, "rewrite", job["cmd"]], capture_output=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/rtk_encode.py:44 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run([rtk, "--version"], capture_output=True, env=env, cwd=home,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/multiproxy.py:1882 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes# is an optimization — a bug in it must not kill that peer's output stream.Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/terse/cli.py:2207 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run([sys.executable, str(script), sample_dir], check=True,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
File permission modification commandsrc/terse/_secure_io.py:4 · File permission modification command — agent changes file ownership/permissionsumask between file creation and the chmod call. `os.fchmod` runs on the open descriptorFix: Request the narrowest permission that works; replace wildcards with the exact paths or hosts.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/multiproxy.py:2855 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesif wire is not None: # before the reaper, so `stop` survives a quick kill (#528)Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/rtk_encode.py:61 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run([rtk, "pipe", "-f", job["filter"]], input=job["text"],Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/tests/test_rtk_shadow.py:374 · Python subprocess execution detectedsubprocess.run(["unshare", "-rn", "--pid", "--fork", "--kill-child", "--", "true"],Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/proxy.py:268 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processesexception here would otherwise kill the proxy's reader thread."""Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/release/graduate_changelog.py:62 · Python subprocess execution detectedtagged = subprocess.run(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/fluency/harnesses.py:184 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes# accumulating transport failures early is one to kill early.Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedsrc/terse/install_mcp.py:137 · Python subprocess execution detectedresult = subprocess.run(["git", "rev-parse", "--git-common-dir"],Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/replay_competitors.py:207 · 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
npx invocation of non-well-known packagesrc/terse/cli.py:1728 · npx invocation of non-well-known package — may execute untrusted code# A bare `NAME=VALUE` arg (`docker run -e GH_TOKEN=...`, `npx ... API_KEY=...`) carries itsFix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
MEDIUM
npx invocation of non-well-known packagesrc/terse/stats.py:1082 · npx invocation of non-well-known package — may execute untrusted code# a label every unrelated `python -m ...` / `npx ...` wrap in the fleet shares, so readingFix: Pin versions and sources; vendor anything fetched at install time.
AST06
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/replay_competitors.py:192 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.run(["node", str(HERE / "toon_encode_batch.mjs")], input=feed,Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Python subprocess execution detectedscripts/bench/replay_shell.py:122 · 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 detectedscripts/bench/rtk_shadow.py:342 · Python subprocess execution detectedproc = subprocess.Popen(Fix: Build commands from fixed arguments, never from interpolated strings; prefer an API client over shelling out.
AST05
MEDIUM
Process kill commandsrc/terse/proxy.py:2955 · Process kill command — agent can terminate processes# to do so. The old 2s cap could kill the daemon thread mid-drain on a largeFix: Build commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
AST05

Cost to the agent

Instructions loaded
≈74 tok
1 file · 81 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

Not checked against OSV yet; the weekly check has not reached this version.

What would make this Verified

12 points to 80 · weights: behavior 45%, static 25%, prompt 15%, publisher 15%
  1. URL to the cloud instance metadata address≈ +9 on the totalStop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
  2. Unclaimed publisher≈ +8 on the totalClaim inth3shadows: a verified publisher gets +50 on publisher trust. It is free and usually instant with GitHub sign-in.
  3. URL with embedded credentials≈ +4 on the totalStop enumerating or reading credential locations; take secrets from a declared environment variable the user sets on purpose.
  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. Process kill command≈ +2 on the totalBuild commands from fixed arguments; do not interpolate untrusted strings into a shell.
Publish a new version to PyPI, then queue it here. Not your skill? Claim the handle to get verdict changes by email.Claim inth3shadowsPropose a patch to the maintainer