# Send Install Then Update Trap Detector to your agent
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
## Fast path
- Download the package from Yavira.
- Extract it into a folder your agent can access.
- Paste one of the prompts below and point your agent at the extracted folder.
## Suggested prompts
### New install

```text
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
```
### Upgrade existing

```text
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
```
## Machine-readable fields
```json
{
  "schemaVersion": "1.0",
  "item": {
    "slug": "install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "name": "Install Then Update Trap Detector",
    "source": "tencent",
    "type": "skill",
    "category": "安全合规",
    "sourceUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/andyxinweiminicloud/install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "canonicalUrl": "https://clawhub.ai/andyxinweiminicloud/install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw"
  },
  "install": {
    "downloadUrl": "/downloads/install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "sourceDownloadUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "sourcePlatform": "tencent",
    "targetPlatform": "OpenClaw",
    "packageFormat": "ZIP package",
    "primaryDoc": "SKILL.md",
    "includedAssets": [
      "SKILL.md"
    ],
    "downloadMode": "redirect",
    "sourceHealth": {
      "source": "tencent",
      "status": "healthy",
      "reason": "direct_download_ok",
      "recommendedAction": "download",
      "checkedAt": "2026-04-23T16:43:11.935Z",
      "expiresAt": "2026-04-30T16:43:11.935Z",
      "httpStatus": 200,
      "finalUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=4claw-imageboard",
      "contentType": "application/zip",
      "probeMethod": "head",
      "details": {
        "probeUrl": "https://wry-manatee-359.convex.site/api/v1/download?slug=4claw-imageboard",
        "contentDisposition": "attachment; filename=\"4claw-imageboard-1.0.1.zip\"",
        "redirectLocation": null,
        "bodySnippet": null
      },
      "scope": "source",
      "summary": "Source download looks usable.",
      "detail": "Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this source.",
      "primaryActionLabel": "Download for OpenClaw",
      "primaryActionHref": "/downloads/install-then-update-trap-detector"
    },
    "validation": {
      "installChecklist": [
        "Use the Yavira download entry.",
        "Review SKILL.md after the package is downloaded.",
        "Confirm the extracted package contains the expected setup assets."
      ],
      "postInstallChecks": [
        "Confirm the extracted package includes the expected docs or setup files.",
        "Validate the skill or prompts are available in your target agent workspace.",
        "Capture any manual follow-up steps the agent could not complete."
      ]
    }
  },
  "links": {
    "detailUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "downloadUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/install-then-update-trap-detector",
    "agentUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent",
    "manifestUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent.json",
    "briefUrl": "https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent.md"
  }
}
```
## Documentation

### The Skill Passed Audit. Then It Updated Itself.

Helps identify skills that use the post-install update window as an attack
vector — the gap between "passed initial review" and "continuously safe."

### Problem

The install-then-update pattern exploits a structural asymmetry in how agent
marketplaces work: initial publication receives scrutiny, but subsequent
updates often do not. A skill that passes a thorough security review at v1.0
can introduce a backdoor at v1.1 — and agents that installed v1.0 may
automatically update without any re-review occurring.

This asymmetry is not a bug in any particular marketplace. It reflects a
fundamental tension between two legitimate goals: fast iteration (which
requires low-friction updates) and continuous security (which requires
re-audit on every change). Most marketplaces resolve this tension in favor
of iteration speed, leaving the post-install update window unguarded.

The attack surface is large. An installed skill with automatic updates
enabled can receive arbitrary code changes at the next update check. If the
update introduces network exfiltration, credential harvesting, or permission
scope expansion, the agent operator may not learn about it until after
the damage is done — if they learn at all.

### What This Detects

This detector examines the install-then-update risk surface across five
dimensions:

Update policy transparency — Does the skill declare its update
policy? Skills that accept automatic updates without operator confirmation
have a larger attack window than those requiring explicit approval


Behavioral delta on update — When a new version is installed, does
the skill's observable behavior change in ways not declared in the
changelog? Undeclared behavioral changes after update are the primary
signal of install-then-update exploitation


Permission scope expansion on update — Does the skill request
additional permissions after an update that it did not request at install
time? Scope creep across update boundaries is a common pattern in
install-then-update attacks


Update-to-publish timing anomalies — Does the update arrive
immediately after a security review period ends, or at a time associated
with low operator attention (holidays, weekends, off-hours)? Timing
patterns can indicate deliberate exploitation of review gaps


Rollback feasibility — Can the installed skill be cleanly rolled
back to a previously verified version if the update is suspicious? Skills
that make rollback difficult or impossible increase the cost of recovery
from an install-then-update attack


Chain-of-custody verification (v1.1) — Is each update cryptographically
signed and does it reference the prior version's content hash? A signed,
hash-chained update sequence creates a verifiable chain of custody for
the skill's evolution. Breaks in the chain — unsigned versions, missing
hash references, or hash mismatches — indicate versions where custody
cannot be verified. An install-then-update attack that also breaks the
hash chain is detectable even without behavioral comparison

### How to Use

Input: Provide one of:

A skill identifier to assess its update policy and behavioral delta history
Two specific versions of a skill to compare for undeclared behavioral changes
An agent's installed skill list to assess the combined update-window risk

Output: A trap detection report containing:

Update policy transparency score
Behavioral delta assessment (declared vs. observed changes)
Permission scope expansion history
Update timing anomaly flags
Rollback feasibility rating
Risk verdict: SAFE / MONITOR / ELEVATED / TRAP-PATTERN-DETECTED

### Example

Input: Assess install-then-update risk for data-sync-helper v1.0 → v1.2

🪤 INSTALL-THEN-UPDATE TRAP ASSESSMENT

Skill: data-sync-helper
Versions assessed: v1.0 (installed), v1.1, v1.2 (current)
Audit timestamp: 2025-08-20T10:00:00Z

Update policy transparency:
  v1.0 declared: "Updates require operator confirmation" ✅
  v1.1 changed:  Update policy silently removed from docs ⚠️
  v1.2 current:  No update policy declaration found ✗

Behavioral delta assessment:
  v1.0 → v1.1 changelog: "performance improvements"
  Observed behavioral change: Added outbound connection to new endpoint
  → Undisclosed behavioral change detected ⚠️

  v1.1 → v1.2 changelog: "dependency updates"
  Observed behavioral change: No significant change detected
  → Changelog accurate ✅

Permission scope expansion:
  v1.0 requested: file-read (scoped to /data/)
  v1.1 requested: file-read (scope changed to /data/ + /config/) ⚠️
  v1.2 requested: file-read (/data/ + /config/) + network-outbound (new) ⚠️
  → Two permission expansions across update boundary

Update timing:
  v1.0 published: 2025-06-01 (initial release)
  v1.1 published: 2025-07-14 (Sunday, 02:00 UTC — off-hours) ⚠️
  v1.2 published: 2025-08-01 (Friday before a public holiday) ⚠️
  → Both updates published during low-attention windows

Rollback feasibility:
  v1.0 still available in registry: ✅
  Rollback procedure documented: ✗ Not found
  State changes from v1.1+ reversible: Unknown

Risk verdict: TRAP-PATTERN-DETECTED
  data-sync-helper shows four of five trap indicators:
  update policy silently removed, undisclosed behavioral change at v1.1,
  permission expansion across two update boundaries, and updates timed
  to low-attention windows. The combination suggests deliberate exploitation
  of the post-install update window rather than routine maintenance.

Recommended actions:
  1. Disable automatic updates for data-sync-helper immediately
  2. Review all outbound connections from v1.1+ for data exfiltration
  3. Audit config/ directory access introduced in v1.1
  4. Treat v1.1+ as unverified pending manual review
  5. Require explicit operator confirmation for all future updates

### Related Tools

delta-disclosure-auditor — Checks whether updates publish machine-readable
change records; install-then-update attacks depend on inadequate delta disclosure
to avoid detection
skill-update-delta-monitor — Monitors for suspicious update patterns;
install-then-update-trap-detector focuses specifically on the install-then-update
attack path rather than general update anomalies
permission-creep-scanner — Detects permission scope expansion in individual
skills; this tool focuses on scope expansion that occurs across update boundaries
transparency-log-auditor — Checks whether signing events are independently
logged; install-then-update attacks are more detectable when every update is
recorded in an auditable log

### Limitations

Install-then-update trap detection requires access to behavioral data from
multiple versions of a skill, which depends on registry version history
preservation. Registries that do not retain older versions make behavioral
comparison impossible for the full update history. Behavioral delta assessment
is necessarily heuristic: the same observable change (an outbound connection)
may represent legitimate new functionality or undisclosed malicious behavior,
and cannot be distinguished without full code audit. Timing anomalies are
signals, not proof — off-hours updates are common for legitimate releases
targeting international time zones. The tool helps identify skills that
warrant closer investigation, but does not replace manual review of
suspicious update content.

v1.1 limitation: Chain-of-custody verification requires registries to support
signed updates and content hashing, which most do not yet. Where registries
do not preserve cryptographic metadata, chain verification produces no signal.
An attacker who controls the registry itself can forge the hash chain.

v1.1 chain-of-custody verification based on feedback from tobb_sunil
(update-chain signing as commitment) in the delta disclosure discussion thread.
## Trust
- Source: tencent
- Verification: Indexed source record
- Publisher: andyxinweiminicloud
- Version: 1.1.0
## Source health
- Status: healthy
- Source download looks usable.
- Yavira can redirect you to the upstream package for this source.
- Health scope: source
- Reason: direct_download_ok
- Checked at: 2026-04-23T16:43:11.935Z
- Expires at: 2026-04-30T16:43:11.935Z
- Recommended action: Download for OpenClaw
## Links
- [Detail page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector)
- [Send to Agent page](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent)
- [JSON manifest](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent.json)
- [Markdown brief](https://openagent3.xyz/skills/install-then-update-trap-detector/agent.md)
- [Download page](https://openagent3.xyz/downloads/install-then-update-trap-detector)