# Install Safe

> Install Safe (installsafe.io) is a drop-in npm registry proxy that strips vulnerable and malicious package versions from npm metadata in real time. Developers point npm at the proxy with one config line; every install then automatically skips packages with known CVEs and malware. Nothing else about the workflow changes — same commands, same lockfiles, same CI.

Last updated: 2026-08-22

## How it works

- You set the registry once: `npm config set registry https://r.installsafe.io` (or per-project in `.npmrc`).
- Every metadata request is checked against live OSV.dev advisory data — the aggregator combining the GitHub Advisory Database (the data behind `npm audit`) and the OpenSSF malicious-packages feed.
- Vulnerable and malicious versions are removed from the metadata before npm sees them, so version ranges resolve to the nearest clean release automatically. Exact pins of known-bad versions fail with a clear error.
- Tarballs are served byte-for-byte from registry.npmjs.org — packages are never modified, so lockfile integrity hashes keep matching.
- Works with anything that respects the npm registry setting: npm, yarn, pnpm, bun, and CI bots like Renovate.
- If advisory data is unreachable, the proxy fails open by default (installs pass through, the event is logged); teams can choose to fail closed.
- Protects AI coding agents too: typosquatted and hallucinated package names simply don’t exist behind the proxy, so an agent can’t install them.

## Pricing

- Free: free forever, no card required. Secure installs through the proxy, Live vulnerability & malware filtering, Blocks Critical and High severity, Activity dashboard, 7-day log, One registry token.
- Pro: $19 per month after a 7-day free trial. Everything in Free, Configurable severity policy, Release quarantine & package-age rules, Package allow / block rules, Activity dashboard & 90-day audit log, Unlimited registry tokens.
- Team: $25 per seat / month. Everything in Pro, Org-wide policy: severity, quarantine, allow/block rules, Slack alerts whenever a version is kept out, Centralized member & token management, Team-wide audit log.

Machine-readable pricing: https://installsafe.io/pricing.md

## Pages

- [Home](https://installsafe.io/): product overview, how it works, pricing, FAQ
- [Pricing](https://installsafe.io/pricing): plan comparison and billing questions
- [Free npm malware check](https://installsafe.io/scan): paste a package.json or lockfile and check every dependency for malware and known vulnerabilities against live OSV.dev advisory data — free, no account, nothing stored
- [Blog](https://installsafe.io/blog/): articles on npm supply-chain security, malware campaigns, and dependency hygiene
- [Privacy](https://installsafe.io/privacy): exactly what is collected and for how long
- [API documentation](https://installsafe.io/docs): the OpenAPI spec, the scanner API, the JSON error format, registry configuration, and every machine-readable file this site publishes

## Optional

- [Full text](https://installsafe.io/llms-full.txt): everything above plus the complete FAQ in one file
- [OpenAPI spec](https://installsafe.io/openapi.json): the free scanner as an API — POST a manifest to /api/scan, no auth, 10 scans per IP per 10 minutes
- [API catalog](https://installsafe.io/.well-known/api-catalog): RFC 9727 linkset pointing at the API description and its docs
- [Markdown](https://installsafe.io/docs.md): every page on this list also answers to `Accept: text/markdown` at its own URL

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I have to change my workflow?

No. You set the registry once with npm config (or in a project .npmrc) and everything else stays the same — same commands, same lockfiles, same CI.

### What happens when a version I need is vulnerable?

If your range allows a safe release, npm resolves to it automatically and you usually won’t notice. If you pin an exactly-vulnerable version, the install fails with a clear error naming the advisory. That’s the point.

### Are my packages modified in any way?

Never. Tarballs are served byte-for-byte from registry.npmjs.org, so lockfile integrity hashes keep matching. We only filter which versions appear in the metadata.

### What if Install Safe goes down?

The proxy fails open: installs pass through and the event is logged, so an outage on our side never stops your build. Teams that prefer strict blocking can fail closed instead.

### Where does the vulnerability data come from?

OSV.dev — the open-source aggregator that combines the GitHub Advisory Database (the data behind npm audit) with the OpenSSF malicious-packages feed. CVEs and confirmed malware, updated continuously.

### Does it work with yarn, pnpm and bun?

Yes. Anything that respects the npm registry setting works, including yarn, pnpm, bun, and CI bots like Renovate.

### I let AI agents write my code. Does this help?

Especially then. Agents install packages without vetting them, and attackers target exactly that with typosquats and hallucinated package names. Behind the proxy those packages don’t exist, so an agent can’t install them no matter what it was told. Works with any agent that runs npm.

### How do I undo it?

Set your registry back to registry.npmjs.org. Nothing in your project changed, so there is nothing to migrate back.

### Is the Free plan really free?

Yes. No card, no trial clock. It blocks Critical and High severity advisories plus confirmed malware on one registry token, and keeps seven days of activity.

### What does Pro add over Free?

Control. You choose the severity threshold, quarantine releases younger than N days, write per-package allow and block rules, keep 90 days of audit log, and create as many registry tokens as you need.

### Does Pro have a free trial?

Yes — 7 days, then $19 a month. Cancel inside the trial and nothing is charged. Team has no trial: it is billed from the first day, because a team policy is something you set up once and keep.

### How is Team billed?

$25 per seat per month, starting at 2 seats. Buy more seats from the team page whenever you invite more people than you have seats for. Every member inherits the organisation policy and shares one audit log.

### Can I cancel?

Any time, from the billing portal. Your policy and registry tokens keep working until the end of the period you have paid for.