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security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540

Closed
#8549
Closed
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
#8549
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wontfixThis will not be worked on

Description

@shamilovtim
shamilovtim
opened on May 13, 2026

Preliminary Checks

Reproduction

n/a

Publishable key

pk_test_123456789

Description

npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.

Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.

We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.

Environment

As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs

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No one assigned

    Labels

    wontfixThis will not be worked on

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      No milestone

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      None yet

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      No branches or pull requests

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      , 'i'); if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) { // Add copy buttons to all 
       blocks
(function() {
function addCopyButtons() {
document.querySelectorAll('pre code').forEach(function(codeBlock) {
if (codeBlock.parentElement.hasAttribute('data-copy-added')) return;
codeBlock.parentElement.setAttribute('data-copy-added', 'true');
var btn = document.createElement('button');
btn.textContent = 'Copy';
btn.style.cssText = 'position:absolute;top:4px;right:4px;padding:2px 8px;font-size:11px;background:#4ecdc4;border:none;border-radius:4px;color:#1a1a2e;cursor:pointer;opacity:0.7;transition:opacity 0.2s;';
btn.onmouseover = function() { this.style.opacity = '1'; };
btn.onmouseout = function() { this.style.opacity = '0.7'; };
btn.onclick = function() {
navigator.clipboard.writeText(codeBlock.textContent).then(function() {
btn.textContent = 'Copied!';
setTimeout(function() { btn.textContent = 'Copy'; }, 1500);
});
};
codeBlock.parentElement.style.position = 'relative';
codeBlock.parentElement.appendChild(btn);
});
}
addCopyButtons();
// Re-run on dynamic content
var observer = new MutationObserver(addCopyButtons);
observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Add Copy Buttons to Code Blocks]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "github.com";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + "github\\.com" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
      Skip to content
      security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
      Closed
      #8549
      Closed
      security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
      #8549
      Labels
      wontfixThis will not be worked on
      Description
      @shamilovtim
      shamilovtim
      opened on May 13, 2026
      Preliminary Checks
      Reproduction
      n/a
      Publishable key
      pk_test_123456789
      Description
      npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
      Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
      We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
      Environment
      As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
      Metadata
      Metadata
      Assignees
      No one assigned
        Labels
        wontfixThis will not be worked on
        Type
        No type
        Projects
        No projects
          Milestone
          No milestone
          Relationships
          None yet
          Development
          No branches or pull requests
          Issue actions
          
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Force GitHub README to respect dark mode
(function() {
var style = document.createElement('style');
style.textContent = '
.markdown-body {
color-scheme: dark light;
}
.markdown-body pre { background: #161b22 !important; }
.markdown-body code { background: rgba(110, 118, 129, 0.4) !important; }
.markdown-body table th, .markdown-body table td { border-color: #30363d !important; }
.markdown-body img { background: #0d1117; }
.markdown-body blockquote { border-left-color: #8b949e; }
.markdown-body hr { border-color: #30363d; }
';
document.head.appendChild(style);
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:GitHub Dark Mode README Fix]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
          Skip to content
          security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
          Closed
          #8549
          Closed
          security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
          #8549
          Labels
          wontfixThis will not be worked on
          Description
          @shamilovtim
          shamilovtim
          opened on May 13, 2026
          Preliminary Checks
          Reproduction
          n/a
          Publishable key
          pk_test_123456789
          Description
          npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
          Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
          We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
          Environment
          As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
          Metadata
          Metadata
          Assignees
          No one assigned
            Labels
            wontfixThis will not be worked on
            Type
            No type
            Projects
            No projects
              Milestone
              No milestone
              Relationships
              None yet
              Development
              No branches or pull requests
              Issue actions
              
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Highlight search terms from Google/DuckDuckGo/Bing referrer
(function() {
var ref = document.referrer;
var terms = [];
if (ref.includes('google.com') || ref.includes('duckduckgo.com') || ref.includes('bing.com')) {
var url = new URL(ref);
var q = url.searchParams.get('q') || url.searchParams.get('p');
if (q) {
terms = q.split(/\s+/).filter(function(t) { return t.length > 2; });
}
}
if (terms.length === 0) return;
var style = document.createElement('style');
style.textContent = '.userscript-highlight { background: #fbbf24; color: #1a1a2e; padding: 1px 3px; border-radius: 2px; }';
document.head.appendChild(style);
function highlight(node) {
if (node.nodeType === 3) { // text node
var text = node.textContent;
var found = false;
terms.forEach(function(term) {
var regex = new RegExp('(' + term.replace(/[.*+?^${}()|[\]\\]/g, '\\') + ')', 'gi');
if (regex.test(text)) {
found = true;
var frag = document.createDocumentFragment();
var parts = text.split(regex);
parts.forEach(function(part, i) {
if (i % 2 === 0) {
frag.appendChild(document.createTextNode(part));
} else {
var span = document.createElement('span');
span.className = 'userscript-highlight';
span.textContent = part;
frag.appendChild(span);
}
});
node.parentNode.replaceChild(frag, node);
}
});
} else if (node.nodeType === 1 && node.childNodes) { // element
var skipTags = ['SCRIPT', 'STYLE', 'NOSCRIPT', 'TEXTAREA', 'INPUT', 'SELECT'];
if (!skipTags.includes(node.tagName)) {
Array.from(node.childNodes).forEach(highlight);
}
}
}
highlight(document.body);
// Re-highlight on dynamic content
var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {
mutations.forEach(function(m) {
m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {
if (node.nodeType === 1 || node.nodeType === 3) highlight(node);
});
});
});
observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Highlight Search Terms]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
              Skip to content
              security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
              Closed
              #8549
              Closed
              security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
              #8549
              Labels
              wontfixThis will not be worked on
              Description
              @shamilovtim
              shamilovtim
              opened on May 13, 2026
              Preliminary Checks
              Reproduction
              n/a
              Publishable key
              pk_test_123456789
              Description
              npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
              Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
              We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
              Environment
              As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
              Metadata
              Metadata
              Assignees
              No one assigned
                Labels
                wontfixThis will not be worked on
                Type
                No type
                Projects
                No projects
                  Milestone
                  No milestone
                  Relationships
                  None yet
                  Development
                  No branches or pull requests
                  Issue actions
                  
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Strip utm_, fbclid, gclid, etc. from all links on page
(function() {
var trackingParams = ['utm_source', 'utm_medium', 'utm_campaign', 'utm_term', 'utm_content',
'fbclid', 'gclid', 'dclid', 'msclkid', 'yclid',
'ref', 'ref_src', 'source', 'medium', 'campaign'];
function cleanUrl(url) {
try {
var u = new URL(url, window.location.origin);
var changed = false;
trackingParams.forEach(function(p) {
if (u.searchParams.has(p)) {
u.searchParams.delete(p);
changed = true;
}
});
return changed ? u.toString() : url;
} catch (e) {
return url;
}
}
function cleanLinks() {
document.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {
var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);
if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;
});
}
cleanLinks();
var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {
mutations.forEach(function(m) {
m.addedNodes.forEach(function(node) {
if (node.nodeType === 1) {
if (node.tagName === 'A') cleanLinks();
node.querySelectorAll('a[href]').forEach(function(a) {
var clean = cleanUrl(a.href);
if (clean !== a.href) a.href = clean;
});
}
});
});
});
observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Remove Tracking Parameters from Links]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "youtube.com";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + "youtube\\.com" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
                  Skip to content
                  security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
                  Closed
                  #8549
                  Closed
                  security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
                  #8549
                  Labels
                  wontfixThis will not be worked on
                  Description
                  @shamilovtim
                  shamilovtim
                  opened on May 13, 2026
                  Preliminary Checks
                  Reproduction
                  n/a
                  Publishable key
                  pk_test_123456789
                  Description
                  npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
                  Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
                  We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
                  Environment
                  As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
                  Metadata
                  Metadata
                  Assignees
                  No one assigned
                    Labels
                    wontfixThis will not be worked on
                    Type
                    No type
                    Projects
                    No projects
                      Milestone
                      No milestone
                      Relationships
                      None yet
                      Development
                      No branches or pull requests
                      Issue actions
                      
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Auto-enable theater mode on YouTube
(function() {
function tryTheater() {
var btn = document.querySelector('button[aria-label="Theater mode"], ytd-player #player button[title="Theater mode"]');
if (btn && !btn.classList.contains('activated')) {
btn.click();
}
}
// Try immediately
tryTheater();
// Try after navigation (SPA)
var lastUrl = location.href;
setInterval(function() {
if (location.href !== lastUrl) {
lastUrl = location.href;
setTimeout(tryTheater, 500);
}
}, 1000);
// Also try on player load
var observer = new MutationObserver(tryTheater);
observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true });
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:YouTube Theater Mode Default]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
                      Skip to content
                      security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
                      Closed
                      #8549
                      Closed
                      security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
                      #8549
                      Labels
                      wontfixThis will not be worked on
                      Description
                      @shamilovtim
                      shamilovtim
                      opened on May 13, 2026
                      Preliminary Checks
                      Reproduction
                      n/a
                      Publishable key
                      pk_test_123456789
                      Description
                      npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
                      Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
                      We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
                      Environment
                      As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
                      Metadata
                      Metadata
                      Assignees
                      No one assigned
                        Labels
                        wontfixThis will not be worked on
                        Type
                        No type
                        Projects
                        No projects
                          Milestone
                          No milestone
                          Relationships
                          None yet
                          Development
                          No branches or pull requests
                          Issue actions
                          
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Remove or un-stick sticky/fixed headers that block content
(function() {
function unstick() {
document.querySelectorAll('header, nav, [role="banner"], .header, .navbar, .sticky, .fixed-top, [style*="position: fixed"], [style*="position:sticky"]').forEach(function(el) {
if (el.style.position === 'fixed' || el.style.position === 'sticky' || getComputedStyle(el).position === 'fixed' || getComputedStyle(el).position === 'sticky') {
el.style.position = 'static';
el.style.top = 'auto';
el.style.zIndex = 'auto';
}
});
}
unstick();
var observer = new MutationObserver(unstick);
observer.observe(document.body, { childList: true, subtree: true, attributes: true, attributeFilter: ['style', 'class'] });
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Kill Sticky Headers]', __e); }
})();
(function(){
try {
var __m = "*";
var __re = new RegExp('^' + ".*" + '
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
                          Skip to content
                          security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
                          Closed
                          #8549
                          Closed
                          security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
                          #8549
                          Labels
                          wontfixThis will not be worked on
                          Description
                          @shamilovtim
                          shamilovtim
                          opened on May 13, 2026
                          Preliminary Checks
                          Reproduction
                          n/a
                          Publishable key
                          pk_test_123456789
                          Description
                          npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
                          Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
                          We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
                          Environment
                          As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
                          Metadata
                          Metadata
                          Assignees
                          No one assigned
                            Labels
                            wontfixThis will not be worked on
                            Type
                            No type
                            Projects
                            No projects
                              Milestone
                              No milestone
                              Relationships
                              None yet
                              Development
                              No branches or pull requests
                              Issue actions
                              
, 'i');
if (__m === '*' || __re.test(location.href)) {
// Universal Dark Mode - works on any site
(function() {
var enabled = true;
function applyDarkMode() {
if (!enabled) return;
// Create style element if it doesn't exist
var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');
if (!style) {
style = document.createElement('style');
style.id = 'universal-dark-mode-style';
document.head.appendChild(style);
}
// Dark mode CSS - inverts colors but preserves images/video
style.textContent = '
/* Invert everything except media */
html {
filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;
background: #1a1a2e !important;
}
/* Restore images, videos, iframes, canvas */
img, video, iframe, canvas, svg, picture, [style*="background-image"] {
filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;
}
/* Preserve specific elements that should not be inverted */
.no-dark-mode, .no-dark-mode *,
[data-theme="light"], [data-theme="light"],
.ace_editor, .ace_editor *,
.CodeMirror, .CodeMirror *,
.monaco-editor, .monaco-editor *,
.markdown-body pre, .markdown-body pre *,
.highlight, .highlight *,
pre code, pre code * {
filter: none !important;
}
/* Fix common UI elements */
.modal, .popup, .dropdown-menu, .tooltip, .popover {
filter: invert(1) hue-rotate(180deg) !important;
background: #2d2d44 !important;
border-color: #444 !important;
}
/* Scrollbars */
::-webkit-scrollbar { background: #1a1a2e !important; }
::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { background: #444 !important; }
::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb:hover { background: #555 !important; }
/* Selection */
::selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }
::-moz-selection { background: #4ecdc4 !important; color: #1a1a2e !important; }
';
}
function removeDarkMode() {
var style = document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style');
if (style) style.remove();
}
// Toggle with Alt+Shift+D
document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e) {
if (e.altKey && e.shiftKey && e.key === 'D') {
e.preventDefault();
enabled = !enabled;
if (enabled) {
applyDarkMode();
console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Enabled');
} else {
removeDarkMode();
console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Disabled');
}
}
});
// Apply on load
applyDarkMode();
// Re-apply on dynamic content
var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {
if (enabled && !document.getElementById('universal-dark-mode-style')) {
applyDarkMode();
}
});
observer.observe(document.head, { childList: true });
console.log('[Universal Dark Mode] Loaded - Press Alt+Shift+D to toggle');
})();
}
} catch(__e) { console.warn('[Userscript:Universal Dark Mode]', __e); }
})();
})();
security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts · Issue #8540 · clerk/javascript · GitHub
                              Skip to content
                              security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts #8540
                              Closed
                              #8549
                              Closed
                              security: clerk runs third party posinstall scripts#8540
                              #8549
                              Labels
                              wontfixThis will not be worked on
                              Description
                              @shamilovtim
                              shamilovtim
                              opened on May 13, 2026
                              Preliminary Checks
                              Reproduction
                              n/a
                              Publishable key
                              pk_test_123456789
                              Description
                              npm postinstall scripts are a significant security risk in the JavaScript ecosystem and are frequently used as an attack vector in supply-chain incidents. Given the current threat landscape, many teams are moving toward blocking or heavily restricting these scripts by default.
                              Clerk currently uses a postinstall script for telemetry. We do not believe telemetry justifies the security tradeoff of running install-time scripts, especially when users and organizations are actively trying to reduce exposure to this class of risk.
                              We plan to block these scripts in our environment. For the security of your users, and in recognition of the ongoing risks in the JavaScript ecosystem, we ask that Clerk remove the use of postinstall scripts for telemetry.
                              Environment
                              As a security practice I no longer run npx, pnpm dlx or equivalent one off package execution commands on my machine. latest macOS, latest clerk SDKs
                              Metadata
                              Metadata
                              Assignees
                              No one assigned
                                Labels
                                wontfixThis will not be worked on
                                Type
                                No type
                                Projects
                                No projects
                                  Milestone
                                  No milestone
                                  Relationships
                                  None yet
                                  Development
                                  No branches or pull requests
                                  Issue actions