Vulnerabilities in pkg:npm/@grackle-ai/mcp

PACKAGE
Advisory Summary

GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw is a HIGH fail-open authorization vulnerability (CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration) affecting Grackle libraries in the npm ecosystem. The issue involves fail-open authorization in the mcp tool layer lets scoped agents perform cross-task and cross-session mutations (idor). Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

2 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:npm/@grackle-ai/mcp

2 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:npm/@grackle-ai/mcp. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw - HIGH Grackle: Fail-open authorization in the MCP tool layer lets scoped agents perform cross-task and cross-session mutations (IDOR)
GHSA-647h-p824-99w7 - HIGH @grackle-ai/mcp has a workspace authorization bypass in its knowledge_search MCP tool

GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw at a Glance

CVE Identifier N/A
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration
Affected Product Grackle
Package Ecosystem npm
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Grackle dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

@grackle-ai/mcp fixed: Latest secure release
npm install @grackle-ai/mcp@Latest secure release
@grackle-ai/plugin-core fixed: Latest secure release
npm install @grackle-ai/plugin-core@Latest secure release
@grackle-ai/auth fixed: Latest secure release
npm install @grackle-ai/auth@Latest secure release
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

npm ls @grackle-ai/mcp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Node.js application is affected by GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw, inspect your project dependencies using npm:

npm ls @grackle-ai/mcp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Grackle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The npm ls @grackle-ai/mcp command inspects dependencies declared in your package.json and lockfile; it does not perform automated runtime dynamic scanning.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration, where according to wasc, "insufficient session expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session ids for authorization.". In Grackle, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

## Summary Authorization for scoped (agent) MCP callers is enforced **inline, per tool**, and is applied inconsistently — several mutating tools silently omit the ancestry/workspace check that their siblings perform. Because the MCP server authenticates all outbound gRPC with the full server API key and the backend gRPC handlers perform **no caller-based authorization**, the MCP tool layer is the *sole* authorization boundary. A malicious or prompt-injected scoped agent can therefore perform cross-task and cross-session operations it should not be allowed to (an IDOR / privilege-boundary bypass). This advisory bundles the audit's **Systemic Pattern A** findings: **F2, F6, F7, F12** (and the duplicate F19). ## Affected versions `@grackle-ai/mcp` (with `@grackle-ai/plugin-core` / `@grackle-ai/auth`) at **0.132.1** and earlier. ## Root cause - `mcp-server.ts:111-127` (`createGrpcClients`) sets `Authorization: Bearer ${apiKey}` (the full server key) on every outbound gRPC call. - Backend handlers (`updateTask`, `deleteTask`, `resumeTask`, `killAgent`, `getTask` in `plugin-core`) take only the request message — no `AuthContext` — and act on whatever ID is passed. - Therefore scope must be enforced in each MCP tool handler. Some call `assertCallerIsAncestor` (`task_complete`, `task_start`, `session_attach`, `session_send_input`); their destructive siblings do not. New tools that forget the check **fail open**. ## F2 — task_update / task_delete / task_resume bypass ancestry (High) **Location:** `packages/mcp/src/tools/task.ts:226` (task_update), `:393` (task_delete), `:465` (task_resume). These accept an arbitrary `taskId` with only a `ROOT_TASK_ID` special-case and no `assertCallerIsAncestor`. The central dispatcher hardcodes its workspace gate to `name === "task_show"`, and these tools' Zod schemas have no `workspaceId` field (so the blanket injection is stripped). They are not in `DEFAULT_SCOPED_MCP_TOOLS` but **are** in the shipped `ORCHESTRATOR_MCP_TOOLS` / `ADMIN_MCP_TOOLS` presets. **Exploit:** a scoped agent under the orchestrator persona learns a sibling/parent/cross-workspace task ID (via `task_list`/`task_search`), then `task_delete {taskId: <victim>}` (permanently destroys another agent's or the human parent's work) or `task_update` to flip a sibling to `complete`/`failed` or rewrite its dependency DAG and budgets. ## F6 — session_kill / session_resume bypass ancestry (Medium) **Location:** `packages/mcp/src/tools/session.ts:95` (session_resume), `:178` (session_kill). Call `client.killAgent` / `client.resumeAgent` directly with no auth context, unlike `session_attach`/`session_send_input`. `session_kill` is in the orchestrator preset. **Exploit:** cross-session SIGKILL DoS against a sibling agent or the root orchestrator; foreign session resume. ## F7 — Workspaceless scoped token fails open to all workspaces (Medium) **Location:** `packages/mcp/src/mcp-server.ts:565-600`. The per-task cross-workspace check (`task_show` block) is gated on `authContext.workspaceId` being truthy. A task created without a workspace (a supported config) mints a scoped token with `pid: ""` → `workspaceId: undefined`, so the check is skipped and the injected `workspaceId` becomes `""`, which the backend treats as "all workspaces." **Exploit:** a malicious agent in a workspaceless session calls `task_list` (no args) → reads every task in every workspace, then `task_show {taskId}` cross-workspace (title/description/branch/review-notes). `schedule_show` (in the default scoped allowlist) resolves by ID with no workspace check. Read-only cross-workspace disclosure. ## F12 — Scoped-token revocation is dead code (Low) **Location:** `packages/auth/src/scoped-token.ts:23,142-149`. The consuming check is wired (`auth-middleware.ts:90-92`), but `revokeTask()` is **never called outside tests** — no task-abort/stop flow invokes it — and the backing `revokedTasks` Map is in-memory only (lost on restart). A compromised agent that exfiltrated its scoped token keeps authenticating for the full 24h TTL regardless of task lifecycle. ## Remediation - **Systemic fix:** enforce scope **centrally** in the `CallToolRequest` dispatcher (`mcp-server.ts`) via a per-tool `targetTaskIdArg` / `targetSessionIdArg` descriptor so any tool that targets a task/session **fails closed** unless the caller is an ancestor (or self). - Immediately, add `assertCallerIsAncestor` (or self-or-ancestor) to `task_update`, `task_delete`, `task_resume`, `session_kill`, `session_resume`, mirroring `task_complete`/`task_start`. - F7: do **not** fail open on empty `workspaceId` — treat a scoped non-root caller with no workspace as having access to *no* workspace; apply the `task_show` membership check whenever the caller is scoped and not `ROOT_TASK_ID`; add a per-id membership check to `schedule_show`. - F12: wire `revokeTask()` into task-abort/stop flows with SQLite-backed persistence (like channel-grant revocation), or remove the dead API and document the 24h window. - Add regression tests mirroring the existing `task_complete` ancestor tests for each mutator. ## CWEs CWE-862 (Missing Authorization), CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key / IDOR), CWE-613 (Insufficient Session Expiration).

GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw Affected Grackle Versions

3 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
@grackle-ai/mcp
npm
≤ 0.132.1
@grackle-ai/plugin-core
npm
≤ 0.132.1
@grackle-ai/auth
npm
≤ 0.132.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw?
GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw is a security vulnerability in Grackle involving Fail-open authorization in the MCP tool layer lets scoped agents perform cross-task and cross-session mutations (IDOR) under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration.
Which Grackle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: @grackle-ai/mcp, @grackle-ai/plugin-core, @grackle-ai/auth.
What version fixes GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is @grackle-ai/mcp affected?
Yes, @grackle-ai/mcp is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is @grackle-ai/plugin-core affected?
Yes, @grackle-ai/plugin-core is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What CWE is associated with GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw?
GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw is classified under CWE-613: Insufficient Session Expiration (According to WASC, "Insufficient Session Expiration is when a web site permits an attacker to reuse old session credentials or session IDs for authorization.").
How can I check npm dependencies for GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw?
Run the dependency tree command: 'npm ls @grackle-ai/mcp'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw",
  "modified" : "2026-07-02T19:35:03Z",
  "published" : "2026-07-02T19:35:03Z",
  "aliases" : [ ],
  "summary" : "Grackle: Fail-open authorization in the MCP tool layer lets scoped agents perform cross-task and cross-session mutations (IDOR)",
  "details" : "## Summary\n\nAuthorization for scoped (agent) MCP callers is enforced **inline, per tool**, and is applied inconsistently — several mutating tools silently omit the ancestry/workspace check that their siblings perform. Because the MCP server authenticates all outbound gRPC with the full server API key and the backend gRPC handlers perform **no caller-based authorization**, the MCP tool layer is the *sole* authorization boundary. A malicious or prompt-injected scoped agent can therefore perform cross-task and cross-session operations it should not be allowed to (an IDOR / privilege-boundary bypass).\n\nThis advisory bundles the audit's **Systemic Pattern A** findings: **F2, F6, F7, F12** (and the duplicate F19).\n\n## Affected versions\n\n`@grackle-ai/mcp` (with `@grackle-ai/plugin-core` / `@grackle-ai/auth`) at **0.132.1** and earlier.\n\n## Root cause\n\n- `mcp-server.ts:111-127` (`createGrpcClients`) sets `Authorization: Bearer ${apiKey}` (the full server key) on every outbound gRPC call.\n- Backend handlers (`updateTask`, `deleteTask`, `resumeTask`, `killAgent`, `getTask` in `plugin-core`) take only the request message — no `AuthContext` — and act on whatever ID is passed.\n- Therefore scope must be enforced in each MCP tool handler. Some call `assertCallerIsAncestor` (`task_complete`, `task_start`, `session_attach`, `session_send_input`); their destructive siblings do not. New tools that forget the check **fail open**.\n\n## F2 — task_update / task_delete / task_resume bypass ancestry (High)\n\n**Location:** `packages/mcp/src/tools/task.ts:226` (task_update), `:393` (task_delete), `:465` (task_resume).\n\nThese accept an arbitrary `taskId` with only a `ROOT_TASK_ID` special-case and no `assertCallerIsAncestor`. The central dispatcher hardcodes its workspace gate to `name === \"task_show\"`, and these tools' Zod schemas have no `workspaceId` field (so the blanket injection is stripped). They are not in `DEFAULT_SCOPED_MCP_TOOLS` but **are** in the shipped `ORCHESTRATOR_MCP_TOOLS` / `ADMIN_MCP_TOOLS` presets.\n\n**Exploit:** a scoped agent under the orchestrator persona learns a sibling/parent/cross-workspace task ID (via `task_list`/`task_search`), then `task_delete {taskId: <victim>}` (permanently destroys another agent's or the human parent's work) or `task_update` to flip a sibling to `complete`/`failed` or rewrite its dependency DAG and budgets.\n\n## F6 — session_kill / session_resume bypass ancestry (Medium)\n\n**Location:** `packages/mcp/src/tools/session.ts:95` (session_resume), `:178` (session_kill).\n\nCall `client.killAgent` / `client.resumeAgent` directly with no auth context, unlike `session_attach`/`session_send_input`. `session_kill` is in the orchestrator preset. **Exploit:** cross-session SIGKILL DoS against a sibling agent or the root orchestrator; foreign session resume.\n\n## F7 — Workspaceless scoped token fails open to all workspaces (Medium)\n\n**Location:** `packages/mcp/src/mcp-server.ts:565-600`.\n\nThe per-task cross-workspace check (`task_show` block) is gated on `authContext.workspaceId` being truthy. A task created without a workspace (a supported config) mints a scoped token with `pid: \"\"` → `workspaceId: undefined`, so the check is skipped and the injected `workspaceId` becomes `\"\"`, which the backend treats as \"all workspaces.\" **Exploit:** a malicious agent in a workspaceless session calls `task_list` (no args) → reads every task in every workspace, then `task_show {taskId}` cross-workspace (title/description/branch/review-notes). `schedule_show` (in the default scoped allowlist) resolves by ID with no workspace check. Read-only cross-workspace disclosure.\n\n## F12 — Scoped-token revocation is dead code (Low)\n\n**Location:** `packages/auth/src/scoped-token.ts:23,142-149`.\n\nThe consuming check is wired (`auth-middleware.ts:90-92`), but `revokeTask()` is **never called outside tests** — no task-abort/stop flow invokes it — and the backing `revokedTasks` Map is in-memory only (lost on restart). A compromised agent that exfiltrated its scoped token keeps authenticating for the full 24h TTL regardless of task lifecycle.\n\n## Remediation\n\n- **Systemic fix:** enforce scope **centrally** in the `CallToolRequest` dispatcher (`mcp-server.ts`) via a per-tool `targetTaskIdArg` / `targetSessionIdArg` descriptor so any tool that targets a task/session **fails closed** unless the caller is an ancestor (or self).\n- Immediately, add `assertCallerIsAncestor` (or self-or-ancestor) to `task_update`, `task_delete`, `task_resume`, `session_kill`, `session_resume`, mirroring `task_complete`/`task_start`.\n- F7: do **not** fail open on empty `workspaceId` — treat a scoped non-root caller with no workspace as having access to *no* workspace; apply the `task_show` membership check whenever the caller is scoped and not `ROOT_TASK_ID`; add a per-id membership check to `schedule_show`.\n- F12: wire `revokeTask()` into task-abort/stop flows with SQLite-backed persistence (like channel-grant revocation), or remove the dead API and document the 24h window.\n- Add regression tests mirroring the existing `task_complete` ancestor tests for each mutator.\n\n## CWEs\n\nCWE-862 (Missing Authorization), CWE-639 (Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key / IDOR), CWE-613 (Insufficient Session Expiration).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@grackle-ai/mcp"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.132.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@grackle-ai/plugin-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.132.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "npm",
      "name" : "@grackle-ai/auth"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "0.132.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nick-pape/grackle/security/advisories/GHSA-f9ff-5x35-7gfw"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/nick-pape/grackle"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-613", "CWE-639", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-07-02T19:35:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}