Skip to article frontmatterSkip to article content
Site not loading correctly?

This may be due to an incorrect BASE_URL configuration. See the MyST Documentation for reference.

Authentication, authorization, and TLS

This document covers the three intertwined operational concerns nobody can afford to misunderstand on a Yuneta host: who is calling (authn), what they can do (authz), and the TLS that protects the wire.

Sibling to YUNO_LIFECYCLE.md, DEBUGGING.md, IPC.md, REALMS.md, SCAFFOLDING.md.

⚠️ Read §4.5 and §8.3 before assuming anything about authz enforcement. The per-command authz check is re-armed but gated in the framework (kernel/c/gobj-c/src/command_parser.c). It runs only when the yuno sets the enable_command_authz attr TRUE. By default it is OFF, so a stock deployment is still authenticated-but-not-authorized at the command boundary. This is the difference from the old “commented out” state: the SDF_AUTHZ_X flag is now consulted — turning the gate on enforces every pm_*/authz declaration without a code change. Event-level authz (EVF_AUTHZ_*) is still unenforced (§4.6, §8.4).


1. Mental model

Three independent pieces, often confused:

  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  authentication = "who is calling"                              │
  │     (the auth_bff yuno + Keycloak + JWT in an HttpOnly cookie)  │
  └────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────┘
                                                   │
                                                   ▼
  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  authorization = "is the caller allowed to do X"                │
  │     (C_AUTHZ gclass + authzs treedb + pm_* schemas)             │
  │     ⚠️  Per-command check is GATED OFF by default               │
  │         (enable_command_authz; see §4.5, §8.3)                  │
  └────────────────────────────────────────────────┬────────────────┘
                                                   │
                                                   ▼
  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │  TLS = "the bytes on the wire are confidential"                 │
  │     (ytls + cert_sync_* on the agent + reload-certs broadcast)  │
  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

End-to-end request flow on a real production yuno:

OIDC/PKCE auth sequence. Login (PKCE): the browser computes a verifier and challenge, redirects to Keycloak, gets a code, and posts it with the verifier to auth_bff. auth_bff exchanges it server-to-server for tokens and sets an HttpOnly cookie. Per request: the browser opens a WebSocket that carries the cookie. C_IEVENT_SRV gives it to C_AUTHZ, which verifies the JWT through JWKS and extracts the username. The per-command authz check then runs only if the yuno has enable_command_authz set, which is off by default. If it is off, the handler runs anyway.

The same flow in text:

   browser SPA
        │
        │  1. POST /auth/login  →  auth_bff  →  Keycloak  → tokens
        │  2. Set-Cookie: access_token (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Strict,
        │     Domain=hostname.tld)
        │
        ▼
   WS upgrade to backend yuno (any port on same Domain)
        │ Cookie header carries access_token
        │
        ▼
   C_PROT_WEBSOCKET  →  C_IEVENT_SRV
        │
        │  3. C_IEVENT_SRV pulls the cookie, hands it to C_AUTHZ
        │
        ▼
   C_AUTHZ
        │
        │  4. libjwt verifies signature (JWKS)
        │     + checks claims (issuer, azp/client_id, exp)
        │  5. extracts username → writes __username__ to the source gobj
        │
        ▼
   command dispatch (gobj_command)
        │
        │  6. ⚠️ The pm_* / SDF_AUTHZ_X check fires here ONLY if the yuno has
        │     enable_command_authz = TRUE (off by default). When off, the
        │     handler runs whether or not the user has the authz.
        │
        ▼
   the handler (cmd_run_yuno, cmd_list_yunos, …)

2. The auth_bff yuno — authentication

A standalone Yuneta yuno that runs the C_AUTH_BFF kernel gclass. It is the only thing on the system that talks OAuth2 to the IdP. The SPA never sees a token. It only carries the cookie.

2.1 Why a BFF (and not the SPA talking to Keycloak)

Tokens live in HttpOnly cookies, scoped by domain (no port). JavaScript cannot read them, and XSS attacks cannot extract them. The SPA only knows “am I authenticated” by the response code of API calls. This is the SEC-04/-06/-07/-09 hardening Yuneta deployments require.

2.2 The endpoints

Implemented in kernel/c/root-linux/src/c_auth_bff.c. URL dispatcher at c_auth_bff.c.

EndpointMethodPurposeSets cookies?
/auth/loginPOSTUsername/password (Resource Owner Password Credentials grant)yes
/auth/callbackPOSTPKCE code exchange (authorization_code grant)yes
/auth/refreshPOSTReads refresh_token cookie, gets new access_token. Answers with the identity too (username, email) — the tokens are httpOnly, so it is the only way a reloaded SPA learns who it isyes
/auth/logoutPOSTCalls IdP end_session_endpoint, clears cookiesyes (Max-Age=0)
/auth/tokenPOSTOpt-in. Returns the access_token to JS (multi-backend forwarding)no
OPTIONS *OPTIONSCORS preflightno

/auth/token — multi-backend identity-card forwarding (opt-in)

By default the SPA never sees a raw token (SEC-06): tokens live only in HttpOnly cookies scoped to the BFF host, so they cannot be forwarded to a backend on a different host. When a single SPA must open WebSockets to Yuneta backends on other hosts, for example the gui_treedb browser served at artgins.ytreedb.com that connects to wss://app.wattyzer.com:1602, it forwards the access_token itself in the C_IEVENT_CLI identity_card jwt field. The remote C_IEVENT_SRV accepts an identity-card JWT with priority over the (absent) cookie, and C_AUTHZ validates it against the issuer JWKS exactly as a cookie token — so each remote backend must have the issuer’s JWKS provisioned (add-jwk) and a role for the target service.

POST /auth/token (reads the access_token cookie, sent same-origin by the browser, and returns it in the body: {success, access_token}) is the only way the SPA obtains that token. It is a deliberate, opt-in SEC-06 relaxation and is disabled by default. Two guards keep it safe:

Residual risk: an XSS on the pinned origin itself can read the token, because it is then same-origin. Reduce the risk with a short access_token TTL and a strict CSP on that SPA. Keep the flag off on every BFF that does not need it.

2.3 PKCE authorization-code flow

c_auth_bff.c. The flow:

  1. SPA generates code_verifier, derives code_challenge, redirects to IdP /auth with the challenge.

  2. IdP redirects back with code.

  3. SPA POSTs {code, code_verifier, redirect_uri} to /auth/callback.

  4. BFF validates redirect_uri against allowed_redirect_uri (c_auth_bff.c, SEC-06).

  5. BFF calls IdP /token with grant_type=authorization_code + code_verifier (c_auth_bff.c).

  6. The tokens arrive. BFF writes them as HttpOnly cookies (c_auth_bff.c).

State and nonce are the SPA’s responsibility — the BFF does not generate them.

2.4 The cookies

Built in make_set_cookie() at c_auth_bff.c:860:

Set-Cookie: access_token=<jwt>; Max-Age=<expires_in>;
            Path=/; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=Strict; Domain=<host>

Logout clears both with Max-Age=0 (c_auth_bff.c).

2.5 The OIDC config: issuer + (optional) explicit endpoints

attrs_table at c_auth_bff.c:

AttributeStatusPurpose
issuerpreferredOIDC issuer URL, for example https://auth.example.com/realms/foo/. Triggers discovery via /.well-known/openid-configuration.
token_endpointexplicit overrideBypass discovery. force the token URL.
end_session_endpointexplicit overrideSame, for logout.
client_idrequiredOAuth2 client id. Also the value the JWT’s azp claim must match.
client_secretoptionalEmpty for public clients with PKCE.
redirect_uriper-requestFrom the callback request body.
allowed_redirect_urirequiredAllow-list prefix for /auth/callback redirect_uri.
cookie_domainrequiredDomain attribute for cookies (no port).
idp_timeout_msdefault 30000Bounds the IdP round-trip once connected (C_TASK’s exec_timeout). On expiry the browser gets 504.
idp_connect_timeout_msdefault 30000Bounds the wait to connect to the IdP. See §2.6.

The 2026-04-30 migration unified everything under issuer + (optional) explicit endpoints. The legacy Keycloak idp_url + realm pair was deprecated then and removed after 7.5.4 — configure issuer (or the explicit token_endpoint + end_session_endpoint) only.

2.6 When the IdP is unreachable (a node immediately after a reboot)

The yuno starts before the network is usable, so the first OIDC discovery fails. Since 7.9.1 that failure is bounded and recoverable. Before 7.9.1 the login hung forever and wrote nothing to the log.

Two different things are timed, and conflating them is a bug:

C_AUTH_BFF arms its own C_TIMER for the connect gap and disarms it in ac_on_open the moment the outbound connects, so the two never time the same thing twice. On expiry it fails the task through C_TASK’s own path (EV_TIMEOUTstop_task(-2)), which yields:

SituationAnswer to the browser
discovery never completed502 auth_service_unavailable
IdP connected but silent504 auth_timeout

A failed discovery is not terminal: process_next re-arms it on the next request, so recovery rides on a retry — there is nothing to poll for, the endpoints are only needed at login. What an operator sees in the log is “BFF IdP unreachable, task watchdog fired” (with connected and tcp_state), then “OIDC discovery failed, draining queue”.

The SPA side matters as much. A 502 auth_service_unavailable on /auth/refresh is a failure of the TRANSPORT and says nothing about the user’s credentials, so a client must retry with backoff and keep the session, never log the user out. Reading data.success while ignoring the HTTP status is the mistake that turns a node reboot into a forced re-login for everyone.

2.7 Per-host runtime configuration

yunos/c/auth_bff/batches/<host>/auth_bff.<port>.json. The shape is illustrated by the localhost dev example (batches/localhost/auth_bff.1801.json:55-58):

"issuer":        "https://auth.artgins.com/realms/yunetas.com/",
"client_id":     "treedb.yunetas.com",
"client_secret": "",
"cookie_domain": ""

In production deployments the project’s Keycloak gives those four realm. See §7 for the project conventions.

2.8 Diagnose a failure of the IdP

The browser never sees the cause: the BFF maps every IdP failure to a stable code of its own catalog (c_auth_bff.h). The log carries the cause.

When the mapping is one of the three generic ones — auth_unexpected_error, auth_config_error, auth_service_unavailablesend_token_to_browser writes the answer of the IdP:

"msg": "👤BFF IdP rejected the request", "action": "login", "idp_status": 401,
"idp_error": "invalid_client",
"idp_description": "Invalid client or Invalid client credentials",
"client_id": "app.example.com", "browser_code": "auth_config_error"

Read idp_error and client_id first. The example above is a client that no longer exists in the realm, which is the failure that a deleted or renamed client gives.

The four specific mappings (invalid_credentials, session_expired, account_disabled, auth_rate_limited) name the cause by themselves, so they travel on the single line of send_error_response and add nothing more. A wrong password is not a diagnosis problem.

2.9 Pending bugs

Two issues are tracked but not fixed (per project_auth_bff_pending_bugs):


3. JWT validation on incoming requests

The browser’s WebSocket upgrade request includes the cookies set by the BFF (same Domain). C_PROT_HTTP_SR parses the headers, and the resulting gobj tree carries the Cookie header through the upgrade into C_IEVENT_SRV (or C_AUTHZ acting as the external gate).

3.2 Reading the JWT

c_ievent_srv.c declares two volatile attributes the channel exposes after auth:

The comment at c_ievent_srv.c is explicit: “HACK set by c_authz, this gclass is an external entry gate!”. The actual cookie→JWT path runs inside C_AUTHZ, not C_IEVENT_SRV.

3.3 Signature verification: libjwt

kernel/c/libjwt/ — Yuneta vendors a copy of libjwt. The verification entry point is jwt_parse() in jwt-verify.c:136. The [JWKS] endpoint gives the keys(https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc7517) fetched from the issuer (cached, refreshed on rotation). The crypto backend is OpenSSL or mbedTLS, runtime-selectable via the same ytls abstraction used by TCP.

3.4 Claim validation: the azpclient_id migration

The JWT’s azp (authorized party) claim must match the configured client_id. Per c_task_authenticate.c:

"OAuth2 client_id (Keycloak/Auth0/Azure AD/...).
 Sent verbatim as the client_id form parameter on /token and /logout.
 Also matches the JWT 'azp' claim"

Before the 2026-04-30 migration the check string was hard-coded as "azp". After the migration the BFF reads the configured client_id and validates against it. New deployments must use the configured attribute, not the literal azp name.

Other validated claims: iss (must match issuer), exp (expiry), nbf if present.

CLI grant type — ROPC, Keycloak-only (PKCE deferred by design). The CLI tools authenticate via c_task_authenticate, which POSTs grant_type=password (ROPC: username + password + client_id). This works against Keycloak (every deployed IdP) but Auth0 / Cognito / Azure AD / Authentik disable ROPC by default. Replacing it is not a drop-in to PKCE: all six callers (ycli, ycommand, ystats, ytests, ybatch, mqtt_tui) are headless or TTY with no browser, so the interactive authorization-code + loopback flow does not apply. The real path — device-flow (RFC 8628) for interactive use plus client-credentials for headless CI — is deferred until a non-Keycloak IdP is adopted. Until then, do not point a CLI at a ROPC-disabled IdP. Full analysis in TODO.md.

3.5 The __username__ attribute

After successful authn, c_authz.c writes the resolved username into the source gobj’s __username__ attribute:

gobj_write_str_attr(src, "__username__", username);

Every later authz check pulls __username__ from there. Code calling into the framework on behalf of a user can populate this attribute manually for test fixtures. In production a JWT always gives this value.


4. Authorization: C_AUTHZ

The C_AUTHZ gclass (kernel/c/root-linux/src/c_authz.c, 4114 lines) is the singleton authorization service. One instance per yuno (created as the default authz service in the yuno_citizen template, see SCAFFOLDING.md §5.1). Other gobjs find it with gobj_find_service_by_gclass(C_AUTHZ, TRUE) (c_authz.c).

4.1 The authzs treedb schema

kernel/c/root-linux/src/treedb_schema_authzs.c. Three topics:

TopicpkeyNotable columns
usersiddisabled, max_sessions, credentials, properties, __sessions__, roles[] (fkey to roles)
rolesidparent_role_id (fkey for inheritance), service, permission, permissions[], deny, parameters, users{} (dict hook back to users)
users_accessesid+tmlogin audit: ev, ip, jwt_payload

Roles can inherit from a parent (parent_role_id) — get_user_roles() at c_authz.c walks the chain and accumulates effective authzs.

4.2 The yuneta super-user

c_authz.c:

if(strcmp(username, "yuneta") != 0) {
    gobj_log_warning(…, "Without JWT/passw only yuneta is allowed", …);
    return json_pack(…, "comment", "Without JWT/passw only yuneta is allowed", …);
}

yuneta is the only user permitted to authenticate without a JWT or password. This is the authentication-side bypass — there is no matching authz bypass. The agent’s __username__ attribute defaulting to "yuneta" (c_agent.c) gives the agent itself this bypass for its local CLI calls.

If a check is enforced (see §4.5), yuneta does not automatically pass. The authz check is a separate lookup. In production deployments yuneta usually owns every role.

The seed cannot be deleted. On every master start, C_AUTHZ mt_start runs an idempotent loop over Authz.initial_load, which holds the seed root role and the yuneta user (c_agent.c main.c). The loop creates any missing seed record and marks it immutable with treedb_set_node_immutable(). CRUD operations can therefore never remove the powers of the local trusted user. delete-node refuses an immutable record, and force does not override it. Deployed stores become protected on their next restart, with no schema change and no wipe, because the mark is md2 metadata and not a column (see YUNO_TREEDB.md §3.10). Only the two seed records are frozen. The roles and users topics stay ordinary: they are editable, and other roles and users delete normally. agent22 shares the store as non-master and does not run the loop.

4.3 gobj_user_has_authz

The predicate. gobj.h, body at gobj.c:

PUBLIC BOOL gobj_user_has_authz(hgobj gobj, const char *authz, json_t *kw, hgobj src);

Resolution order:

  1. The gclass’s own mt_authz_checker method, if declared (gobj.c).

  2. The globally-installed __global_authorization_checker_fn__ (gobj.c). This is set by C_AUTHZ at registration.

  3. If neither is installed, returns TRUE (default-allow).

That last point matters: a yuno with no C_AUTHZ service running has no authz enforcement at all. Every call passes.

4.4 The pm_* and SDATAAUTHZ schemas

gobj.h. Two macros define the schema:

A command’s parameter schema is declared once as a sdata_desc_t array and referenced in the SDATACM2 row in the command table. Example from c_agent.c:

PRIVATE sdata_desc_t pm_run_yuno[] = {
    SDATAPM(DTP_STRING, "id",        0, 0, "Id of yuno"),
    SDATAPM(DTP_STRING, "realm_id",  0, 0, "Realm Id"),
    SDATAPM(DTP_STRING, "yuno_role", 0, 0, "Yuno Role"),
    …
};

The framework treats pm_run_yuno as a parameter schema for input validation (which is enforced). The authz-flag handling on commands is gated behind a yuno attr (next section).

4.5 The command authz check — re-armed, gated opt-in

The SDF_AUTHZ_X check at the command-dispatch boundary in command_parser.c was commented out for years. It is now re-armed but gated behind a yuno attr, so the default stays non-breaking:

if(cnf_cmd->flag & SDF_AUTHZ_X) {
    hgobj yuno = gobj_yuno();
    BOOL authz_enabled = yuno &&
        gobj_has_attr(yuno, "enable_command_authz") &&
        gobj_read_bool_attr(yuno, "enable_command_authz");

    if(authz_enabled && src != gobj) {              // self-issued cmds bypass
        json_t *kw_authz = json_pack("{s:s}", "command", command);
        json_object_set(kw_authz, "kw", kw);        // checker owns kw_authz
        if(!gobj_user_has_authz(gobj, "__execute_command__", kw_authz, src)) {
            // logged (MSGSET_AUTH), then:
            return build_command_response(gobj, -403,
                json_sprintf("No permission to execute command: '%s'", command), 0, 0);
        }
    }
}

The three pieces that make it safe:

Effects with the gate OFF (default): the same as the old commented state. Every authenticated caller runs every command. The framework reads the SDF_AUTHZ_X flag, then allows the command immediately.

Effects with the gate ON: every SDF_AUTHZ_X command requires __execute_command__, resolved through the global authz_checker against the c_authz role model. This needs a running C_AUTHZ service — the default checker is fail-closed and denies when it cannot find one. If you enable the gate in a yuno without a C_AUTHZ role model, it denies all 133 SDF_AUTHZ_X commands. Enable it only where a role model exists, and test it on staging first. It is a breaking change for deployments that assigned no roles.

Implemented 2026-06-07 with a gated opt-in posture. Redesigned 2026-06-08 after the agent pilot: the check is now external-only, with the kw __username__ marker, and a global authz resolves on any gobj through the authzs_list global fallback. The gate therefore no longer denies the internal startup commands of a yuno. The fail-open-without-C_AUTHZ posture and the strict-always-enforce posture are still available. See TODO.md § Security: re-enable per-command authorization. The regression test is tests/c/command_authz/test_command_authz.c. It covers six cases: gate-off runs, external+deny → -403, internal-command bypass, self-bypass, external+granted runs, and global authz resolves.

4.6 EVF_AUTHZ_INJECT / EVF_AUTHZ_SUBSCRIBE

gobj.h declares the flags. gobj.c declares the matching global authzs (__inject_event__, __subscribe_event__). The enforcement for these flags is not found in the dispatcher (gobj_send_event, gobj_subscribe_event). Unlike the command check (§4.5, now re-armed behind a gate), event-level authz is still declared, not enforced — there is no enable_event_authz equivalent yet.

4.7 Where authz is enforced today

Two paths, in priority order:

  1. The framework command gate — when the yuno sets enable_command_authz TRUE (§4.5), every SDF_AUTHZ_X command from an external src is checked. This is the canonical path. For new services with a C_AUTHZ role model, use it instead of per-handler checks.

  2. Custom code inside specific gclasses that calls gobj_user_has_authz directly. Examples worth knowing about:

    • Inside C_AUTHZ’s own commands (you cannot list users without authority over the auth service itself).

    • Inside auth_bff for things like cookie-domain validation (c_auth_bff.c Host-vs-Domain matching, SEC-06).

    • The MQTT broker’s per-group publish/subscribe ACL (a topic-pattern model in the broker’s own treedb, not gobj_user_has_authz — see the mqtt_broker doc’s Authorization section).

If a yuno has no C_AUTHZ role model and you still need a command gated right now, add an explicit gobj_user_has_authz call at the top of that handler rather than turning on the (fail-closed) global gate.

4.8 Per-instance config keys (authz.*)

The C_AUTHZ gclass reads a small set of attrs at boot (see c_authz.c attrs_table):

KeyStatusPurpose
authz.masterboolWhether this instance owns the authz treedb (writer) or follows another (reader).
authz.authz_servicepreferredService name under which to build/look up the authz tree. Empty → defaults to yuno_role.
authz.authz_yuno_roleSDF_DEPRECATEDLegacy alias for authz.authz_service. Fallback at c_authz.c — only read if authz_service is empty. New configs must use authz.authz_service.
authz.tranger_pathoptionalExternal tranger storage path (when sharing the authz treedb across instances).

Same Authz.* keys (capital A) appear in some legacy configs — both spellings are accepted by jansson’s path resolution, but the canonical form is the lowercase authz.* used in yuno_agent/src/main.c.

There is also a JWKS migration analogous to §2.5:

KeyStatusPurpose
Authz.jwkspreferredArray of full JWK objects (the standard format).
Authz.jwt_public_keyslegacyOlder iss + pkey (raw PEM) tuple. Superseded by Authz.jwks. Drop from new configs.

Gotcha: if you use the deprecated authz.authz_yuno_role, the controlcenter will silently reject the agent’s identity card (“User not exist”) — the JWT validates fine but the user→service mapping returns empty. Both spellings reach c_authz.c but the deprecated one generally lags behind in coverage. Always prefer authz.authz_service.

4.9 Output events: a subscriber can refuse a login

C_AUTHZ publishes three events. They are how a service learns about the users reaching it, and they are the only hook it gets on the login path:

EventPublished fromPayload
EV_AUTHZ_USER_NEWmt_authenticate(), unknown userusername, dst_service
EV_AUTHZ_USER_LOGINmt_authenticate(), authenticatedusername, dst_service, user, session, services_roles, jwt_payload
EV_AUTHZ_USER_LOGOUTthe session’s EV_ON_CLOSEusername, user, session

EV_AUTHZ_USER_LOGIN is not a notification — it is a veto point. mt_authenticate() checks what gobj_publish_event() returns, and answers result: -1 (“Some subscriber refusing user”) when the return is negative. A subscriber that cannot accept the user therefore denies the login. The framework NAKs the identity card and drops the peer. Before this change the publish discarded its return value. A service that cannot register the user had no way to say so, and the user entered anyway. See the CHANGELOG for the release that changed it.

Consequences worth knowing before you write an action for this event:

The canonical refuser is c_controlcenter’s ac_user_login(): its treedb_controlcenter only opens in mt_play(), while the authz service is autoplay: true and authenticates from boot, so every login landing in that window is refused rather than let through unregistered.


4.10 Role/permission hardening backlog (final phase)

Status: deferred by decision (2026-07-24). The fleet runs today with authorization almost entirely off. Authentication decides who enters, and almost nothing decides what they can do. To enable it is a single final phase: define a role→permission matrix, create users with those roles, then enable the gates. Until then this is a living inventory. Record here every place that needs a role or permission check, as you find it, so that the final phase has a complete punch list. Do not enable the gates one by one, because a half-applied matrix locks out working operators. Land the whole matrix at one time.

Points found so far (verified this session unless noted):

  1. enable_command_authz is OFF on every node (attr absent). With it off, the per-command SDF_AUTHZ_X gate in command_parser.c never fires (see §4.5), so any principal the node authenticates can run the entire agent surfaceinstall-binary, update-binary, kill-yuno, deactivate-snap, create/delete-realm, command-yuno, configs, … The node authz list governs only open-console (the one unconditional check, in cmd_open_console). Fix in the final phase: set enable_command_authz + give each SDATAAUTHZ command a permission and map roles to it.

  2. The controlcenter’s command-agent is not scoped per node/tenant. cmd_command_agent (c_controlcenter.c) checks only the flat command-agent permission on the CC. A holder can then address every agent registered on that CC. The artgins CC is a multi-tenant hub: start-fleet, normedan hospital nodes, a CESGA cluster of about 15 nodes, raspz and more. One CC-root operator therefore reaches every node of every tenant. This needs a role and permission model that scopes which agents and tenants a CC role can command-agent, and which cmd2agent verbs it can forward.

  3. Seed admins are god-mode and immutable. yuneta, yuneta_admin@artgins.com (and the CC’s owner) carry realm_id:* service:* permission:*. The matrix needs granular roles below root, for example read-only observer, deploy-only, console-only (kitchen) and lifecycle-only, so that day-to-day operators are not root. claudia@artgins.com is the concrete test case. They are CC-root but not in the node authz, so today, with the gate off, they have full node management without open-console. The matrix must decide what they get per node.

  4. ac_mt_command on the client side trusts the peer’s asserted identity (empty Check AUTHZ banner in c_ievent_cli.c — see IPC.md §4.7). A node therefore fully trusts whatever __username__ the controlcenter it dialled asserts. That is load-bearing: the CC’s authentication must be airtight, because every node delegates authorization of the operator to it. Under a seal the CC is the only door, so this trust is the fleet’s whole perimeter.

  5. command-agent / command-yuno forward unchecked keys (“WARNING: parameter’s keys are not checked”). Once the gate is on, the forwarded cmd2agent/inner command is authz-checked at the destination — but confirm nested command-agent … cmd2agent="command-agent …" chains re-evaluate authz at each hop, not only at the first.

  6. seal-node / unseal-node / node-seal-status (proposed, see NODE_SEALING.md §3) must be authz-gated to a dedicated role — sealing/unsealing is the highest-privilege operation on the box.

  7. C_IEVENT_SRV cross-service gate already checks dst_service against the services_roles SET, but a test gap was noted (see the project memory / c_ievent_srv). The final phase must close it and add the service-level roles to the same matrix.

  8. open-console is currently the whole per-node boundary and it is a single flat permission: a root shell, or nothing. The matrix can split console access from full node management, since agent22’s entire surface is the console — a “console-only / break-glass” role is the natural unit.

When the final phase runs: author the matrix (roles × permissions × realm/service scope), provision users, set enable_command_authz on the agents and scope command-agent on the controlcenters, then re-verify the §2.1 access doors with a non-root role to confirm that the boundary works.


5. C_AUTHZ commands (user / role CRUD)

The command_table at c_authz.c declares them. These are the names:

CommandPurpose
helpList commands
authzsAuthz help
list-jwkJWKS keys cached by libjwt
add-jwkAdd a JWK manually
remove-jwkRemove a JWK
usersList users
accessesList users_accesses audit rows
create-userCreate a user row
enable-userFlip disabled=false
disable-userFlip disabled=true
delete-userRemove a user row (force=1 to delete one that holds roles. Immutable users are never deleted)
check-user-pwdVerify a password against credentials
set-user-pwdSet a user’s password
rolesList roles
user-rolesList a user’s roles
user-authzsEffective authzs of a user (after role inheritance)
set-max-sessionsBound concurrent sessions for a user

All are declared with SDF_AUTHZ_X, requiring __execute_command__ — enforced only when the broker yuno sets enable_command_authz (§4.5). It is off by default.

Agent-side: cmd_authzs_yuno (c_agent.c:6333, registered as authzs-yuno at c_agent.c) is the agent’s wrapper to broadcast authz data to all running yunos.


6. TLS

ytls (kernel/c/ytls/) is the runtime-selectable OpenSSL / mbedTLS abstraction. Every TCP gclass gets a ytls pointer and a use_ssl boolean. See IPC.md §6.6 for how TLS is hooked into the gate stack.

The interesting operational machinery in production is certificate auto-sync: keeping cert files fresh as letsencrypt rotates them.

6.1 cert_sync — overview

Driven by the agent. Periodically runs a “copy certs” command, diffs the result, and broadcasts a reload event to every yuno if anything changed. Yunos that hold TLS listeners reload from disk without dropping live connections.

        agent's cert_sync_timer (default 900 s)
                │  every interval:
                ▼
        snapshot /yuneta/store/certs                ← before
                │
        run cert_sync_copy_cmd (sudo)                ← e.g. copy from
                │                                     /etc/letsencrypt
                ▼
        snapshot /yuneta/store/certs                ← after
                │
        diff before vs after
                │
        ┌───────┴────────┐
        │                │
   no change         changed
        │                │
        │                └─► publish reload-certs to every running yuno
        │                    │
        │                    ▼
        │                yuno's C_TCP_S re-reads its cert from disk
        │                without closing existing connections
        ▼
   last_check ← now

6.2 The agent’s cert_sync_* attributes

c_agent.c:

AttributeDefaultPurpose
cert_sync_enabled1Master enable
cert_sync_interval_sec900 (15 min)How often to check
cert_sync_store_dir/yuneta/store/certsDirectory the yunos read certs from
cert_sync_copy_cmd/usr/bin/sudo -n /yuneta/store/certs/copy-certs.shCommand run on every tick
cert_sync_last_check0Unix ts, updated on tick
cert_sync_last_action0Unix ts, updated when a change applies
cert_sync_last_result""ok / skipped / error
cert_sync_failures0Cumulative failure counter

6.3 The copy-certs.sh convention

The default cert_sync_copy_cmd shells out via sudo -n to a script you control:

/usr/bin/sudo -n /yuneta/store/certs/copy-certs.sh

Typical content (deployer-supplied, not shipped by yunetas):

#!/bin/bash
# /yuneta/store/certs/copy-certs.sh
set -e
cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem /yuneta/store/certs/example.com.crt
cp /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem   /yuneta/store/certs/private/example.com.key
chown yuneta:yuneta /yuneta/store/certs/*.crt /yuneta/store/certs/private/*

The sudo -n needs NOPASSWD in sudoers. That is a wide grant. See §8.10.

6.4 The reload broadcast

c_agent.c: when the post-snapshot diff says “changed”, cert_sync_broadcast_reload() sends command=reload-certs service=__yuno__ to every running yuno via cmd_command_yuno(), plus the local agent.

Yunos without TLS listeners ignore the event. Yunos with TLS handle it at c_tcp_s.c — re-read the cert paths configured in their crypto attribute, swap the new cert into the listening context, leave existing connections alone.

6.5 cert-sync-now and cert-sync-status

cmd_cert_sync_now (c_agent.c:7098) forces a tick immediately. cmd_cert_sync_status (c_agent.c:7121) returns the full state: enabled, interval_sec, store_dir, copy_cmd, last_check, last_action, last_result, failures, plus a deploy_hook_last_run timestamp read from /var/lib/yuneta/last-deploy-hook-run if present.

6.6 How a yuno reads its cert paths

Direct from disk via its config. Example from batches/localhost/auth_bff.1801.json:26-27:

"crypto": {
    "ssl_certificate":     "/yuneta/store/certs/localhost.crt",
    "ssl_certificate_key": "/yuneta/store/certs/private/localhost.key"
}

The yuno does not know about cert-sync. It only reads these paths again when reload-certs arrives. Cert-sync is the producer, and the crypto block of the yuno is the consumer. They communicate only through the filesystem and the reload event.


7. Per-project Keycloak realms

The convention from auth_bff/README.md: one auth_bff instance per Keycloak realm, one realm per project.

7.1 Project-realm mapping (known production state)

ProjectKeycloak hostRealm nameNotes
yunetas devauth.artgins.comyunetas.comLocalhost dev batch, see batches/localhost/auth_bff.1801.json.
wattyzer(per project, private repo)(per project)See wattyzer batches/.
estadodelaire(per project, private repo)(per project)See estadodelaire batches/.

7.2 Bootstrap checklist for a new project

  1. Create the realm in Keycloak (<project> or <project>connect).

  2. Register the OAuth2 client in that realm:

    • Public client (no client_secret) if browser-only.

    • Confidential client (with secret) if server-to-server.

    • Set Valid Redirect URIs to the BFF’s callback.

    • Set Web Origins to the SPA’s origin.

  3. Write yunos/c/auth_bff/batches/<host>/auth_bff.<port>.json:

    {
        "issuer":               "https://auth.<project>.example/realms/<realm>/",
        "client_id":            "<client_id>",
        "client_secret":        "",
        "cookie_domain":        "<project>.example",
        "allowed_redirect_uri": "https://<project>.example/auth/callback"
    }
  4. Provision a TLS cert for <project>.example + auth.<project>.example under /yuneta/store/certs/ (or however the project’s cert_sync_copy_cmd delivers it).

  5. install-binary + create-config + create-yuno for the auth_bff (see YUNO_LIFECYCLE.md §6.1, SCAFFOLDING.md §10.1).

  6. If the project registers its users from the GUI, provision the IdP admin client too (§7.3). This client is a second one, and the checklist above does not create it.

7.3 The IdP admin client (register-idp-user)

C_IDP_KEYCLOAK (kernel/c/root-linux/src/c_idp_keycloak.c) creates a user in Keycloak with one command: register-idp-user. The local authzs user is written by C_AUTHZ, which subscribes to the event EV_IDP_USER_CREATED that the command publishes.

NOTE: Before SDK 7.9.7 this command was a command of C_AUTHZ, and callers sent it to the service authz. It is now a command of C_IDP_KEYCLOAK, and callers send it to the service idp. C_AUTHZ answers what a user may do; it does not provision accounts. Declare the new service in the yuno config:

{
    'name': 'idp',
    'gclass': 'C_IDP_KEYCLOAK',
    'priority': 0,
    'default_service': false,
    'autostart': true,
    'autoplay': false,
    'kw': {}
}

The commands are neutral (register-idp-user, and not register-kc-user), and so is the service name. A second identity provider comes as a second gclass that serves the same commands. You select it in the configuration.

CAUTION: The kc_* attrs are persistent, and a yuno keeps them in the file <GCLASS>-<service>-persistent-attrs.json of the realm. The gclass and the service name are both part of that name, so the values that set-kc-config wrote for C_AUTHZ-authz are not found by C_IDP_KEYCLOAK-idp, and the first register-idp-user answers kc_unavailable.

Move the six keys to the new file with the yuno stopped. Move them, and do not copy them: C_AUTHZ no longer declares the kc_* attrs, so a key left behind logs “GClass Attribute NOT FOUND” at every start of the yuno. The alternative is to run set-kc-config again, which needs the client secret again and writes it on a command line.

D=/yuneta/realms/<realm>/<role>^<id>/data
python3 - "$D" <<'EOF'
import json, os, sys
d = sys.argv[1]
src = os.path.join(d, "C_AUTHZ-authz-persistent-attrs.json")
dst = os.path.join(d, "C_IDP_KEYCLOAK-idp-persistent-attrs.json")
old = json.load(open(src))
json.dump({k: v for k, v in old.items() if k.startswith("kc_")},
          open(dst, "w"), indent=4)
json.dump({k: v for k, v in old.items() if not k.startswith("kc_")},
          open(src, "w"), indent=4)
EOF

Then view-kc-config on the idp service reads the values back, with the secret masked.

The command needs a second Keycloak client. The client of the SPA is not enough:

ClientTypeUsed byGrant
SPA clientpublic, with PKCEauth_bff + browserauthorization_code
admin clientconfidentialC_IDP_KEYCLOAKclient_credentials

The admin client needs a service account. That service account needs the manage-users role of the realm-management client of the same realm. Without this role, Keycloak refuses the call that creates the user.

CAUTION: Give this client only to a consumer that you trust with the realm. The manage-users role is realm-wide. The service account can create, change and delete every user of the realm, and not the users of one application only. In Keycloak a user belongs to the realm, and not to a client.

An account that register-idp-user creates can therefore authenticate against every client of the realm. The authorization does not travel with it. Each C_AUTHZ refuses a JWT when its username has no node in the local users topic, and it answers “User does not exist”. register-idp-user writes that local node only in the yuno that runs the command.

Give one client to each consumer, and name it user-provisioner-<consumer>. The name starts with the function, because the scope is the realm. The suffix names the holder of the secret. Then one node that leaks its secret costs one disabled client, and the admin events of Keycloak name the service account that created each account.

C_IDP_KEYCLOAK makes three calls to Keycloak, always in this order:

  1. POST /realms/<realm>/protocol/openid-connect/token, with grant_type=client_credentials. The token stays in memory until it expires.

  2. POST /admin/realms/<realm>/users, with the required actions UPDATE_PASSWORD and VERIFY_EMAIL. The new account has no password. After status 201, the gclass publishes EV_IDP_USER_CREATED, and C_AUTHZ writes the local authz user with the role that the caller gave. A subscriber that returns a negative value makes the answer carry the warning authz_write_failed.

  3. PUT /admin/realms/<realm>/users/<id>/execute-actions-email, with client_id=<kc_email_client_id> and redirect_uri=<kc_redirect_uri>. Keycloak sends the invitation email, and the user sets the password there.

The realm must have an SMTP server. If the realm has no SMTP server, call 3 fails. Then the answer carries the warning email_send_failed: the account exists, but nobody receives the invitation.

The redirect URI must be a valid redirect URI of kc_email_client_id. Keycloak refuses call 3 when that URI is not registered in that client.

One connection to Keycloak is shared, and the requests are serialized. A request waits in a queue of 32 places.

The configuration. Six persistent attrs hold it. set-kc-config writes the attrs that you pass, and view-kc-config reads them back with the secret masked. The defaults are empty on purpose: no identity is in the code, and none is in a committed config.

attrExampleNote
kc_base_urlhttps://auth.example.comKeycloak 17 and later have no /auth prefix
kc_realmexampleThe realm where the accounts are created
kc_admin_client_iduser-provisioner-exampleThe confidential client
kc_admin_client_secret(the secret)Persistent, and masked in view-kc-config
kc_email_client_idapp.example.comThe SPA client that the invitation email links to
kc_redirect_urihttps://app.example.com/Where the invitation sends the user after the password change

kc_crypto holds the TLS configuration of these outbound calls. By default it verifies the certificate against the system CA. For a private CA, or for mbedTLS, give it ssl_trusted_certificate. kc_timeout_ms (30000) is the watchdog of one round trip.

The authz gates. Every command calls gobj_user_has_authz itself, so all of them are enforced with enable_command_authz OFF (§4.5). There are three permissions, and they belong to the service idp:

permissionGates
configure-kcset-kc-config, view-kc-config
register-idp-userregister-idp-user
manage-idp-userslist-idp-users, get-idp-user, update-idp-user, delete-idp-user, send-idp-user-actions

Creating an account and deleting one are different permissions on purpose: an operator who registers people does not have to be able to delete them. A role with permission * on service * passes all three.

The error codes. The answer carries a stable error_code:

error_codeCause
no_permissionThe caller does not hold the permission the command needs
invalid_emailThe email parameter is empty, or it has no @
invalid_user_idThe command needs user_id and it is empty
nothing_to_updateupdate-idp-user was called with no field to change
unknown_roleThe role of register-idp-user is not in treedb_authzs
kc_unavailableNo configuration, or Keycloak is unreachable, or Keycloak answered 5xx
kc_token_refusedKeycloak refused the client credentials (401 or 403): wrong secret, or no manage-users role
user_not_foundKeycloak answered 404: no account with that user_id
user_already_existsKeycloak answered 409
kc_validation_errorKeycloak refused the data (4xx). The comment carries the Keycloak errorMessage
kc_timeoutThe round trip was longer than kc_timeout_ms
kc_busyMore than 32 requests are in the queue

An unconfigured C_IDP_KEYCLOAK answers kc_unavailable with the comment “Keycloak admin is not configured (run set-kc-config)”. The queue drains without a call to the network.

When the account is created, the result is 0. Then a warning field can carry email_send_failed or authz_write_failed. Both warnings tell you the same thing: the Keycloak account exists, but the second half is incomplete.

The recipe is §9.7.

7.4 Manage the accounts

register-idp-user creates one account. These five read and change what is already in the realm, so an operator does not have to open the Keycloak web console. All of them need the manage-idp-users permission, all of them answer asynchronously, and all of them go through the same queue and the same shared connection as the registration.

CommandKeycloak callAnswers
list-idp-usersGET /admin/realms/<realm>/usersThe page, as a list
get-idp-userGET /admin/realms/<realm>/users/<id>One account
update-idp-userPUT /admin/realms/<realm>/users/<id>{id}
delete-idp-userDELETE /admin/realms/<realm>/users/<id>{id}
send-idp-user-actionsPUT .../users/<id>/execute-actions-email{id}

user_id is the Keycloak uuid, and not the email. Read it from list-idp-users, or from the id of the answer of register-idp-user. The parameter is user_id and not id because command-yuno reserves id for the yuno filter.

The value is validated before it is used, and not only read: it goes into the path of the admin API, where a space breaks the request line and a / or a .. walks to another endpoint of the realm. Only the unreserved characters of RFC 3986 are accepted, which is all a uuid needs; anything else answers invalid_user_id. The search of list-idp-users is percent-encoded for the same reason.

list-idp-users pages, and the page is bounded. first and max are the Keycloak paging (default 50, ceiling 500), and search matches the username, the first and last name and the email. The ceiling is there because the realm is shared with every other product of the same organization: one call must not be able to pull all of it. brief=0 asks for the full representation.

update-idp-user changes only what you pass. firstName, lastName, enabled, emailVerified and requiredActions; a field you do not pass stays as it is. The booleans accept true/false from a SPA and 1/0 from command-yuno, which forwards parameters without coercing them. Send requiredActions=[] to clear the pending actions of an account.

delete-idp-user deletes in the IdP only. The treedb_authzs record stays where it is. The two planes are deleted one by one on purpose, so nobody loses an authorization record to a cascade they did not ask for; use delete-user of the authz service for the other half.

send-idp-user-actions is the invitation email again, with the actions you choose. The default is UPDATE_PASSWORD; VERIFY_EMAIL is the other common one. It needs the same kc_email_client_id and kc_redirect_uri as the registration, and the realm needs SMTP.

ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=list-idp-users search=alice max=10'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=update-idp-user user_id=<uuid> enabled=0'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=send-idp-user-actions user_id=<uuid> actions=VERIFY_EMAIL'

7.5 The default role of a provisioned user

C_AUTHZ has the persistent attr default_role. When it reacts to EV_IDP_USER_CREATED and the event carries no role, it links this one. Empty is the default, and then the user enters and can do nothing, which is visible and safe.

No role can be hardcoded, because the roles come from the initial_load of each realm and none is guaranteed to exist. For the same reason the attr is checked before it is used: a default_role that is not in treedb_authzs creates the user with no role and logs an error, instead of failing in silence for ever.

write-attr belongs to the yuno, not to the authz service, so it is addressed to __yuno__ and names the gobj to write. It persists what it writes.

ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=__yuno__ command=write-attr gobj=authz attribute=default_role value=<role_id>'

8. Sharp edges

8.1 client_secret in cleartext in batches

The localhost batch shows client_secret: "" (empty), but production batches in private repos commit the real secret in cleartext JSON. There is no encrypted-secret-store integration today. If you commit a production batch to git, the secret is in history forever — rotate it in Keycloak first.

8.2 SMTP password in cleartext

stress/c/listen/deploy-yuno/emailsender.artgins.json:7 has an SMTP password field in cleartext (the public repo example carries a placeholder, but the private repos have the real value). See project_emailsender_smtp_secret: pending env-var migration + rotation as of 2026-05-15. The same secret also lives in the agent’s treedb at runtime.

8.3 The command authz check is OFF by default

command_parser.c. The most important thing in this document. The check is re-armed (§4.5) but gated behind enable_command_authz, default OFF. By default the framework therefore does not call gobj_user_has_authz for commands, and every authenticated user can run every command. The effective posture is the same as the old commented-out state. Plan for this:

8.4 Event-level authz is also unenforced

EVF_AUTHZ_INJECT and EVF_AUTHZ_SUBSCRIBE (gobj.h) are declared and the global authzs __inject_event__ / __subscribe_event__ are registered (gobj.c), but no check runs in gobj_send_event or gobj_subscribe_event. Unlike the command check (§4.5, now gated-but-enforceable), event-level authz has no gate and no enforcement — declared only.

8.5 Authz default is allow

gobj_user_has_authz returns TRUE if no checker is installed (gobj.c). A yuno that did not register C_AUTHZ has zero authz enforcement, even for the custom gobj_user_has_authz calls inside individual gclasses. The default is open.

8.6 The yuneta bypass is authentication-only

c_authz.c permits the yuneta user to authenticate without JWT/password. It does not give yuneta automatic authz over everything. The user must still own roles. In practice the agent’s yuneta user owns every role in production, but a fresh deployment can authenticate as yuneta and still hit “no permission” on a custom-gated operation.

8.7 Legacy idp_url + realm still works

The deprecation warning is logged but the BFF accepts the legacy shape and constructs the URL automatically (c_auth_bff.c). Do not depend on this. Migrate the batches.

8.8 HTTP_CL chain leak on rapid disconnect

c_auth_bff.c. During load testing with aggressive client disconnects in the middle of /token, the outbound HTTP client chain is not always released. Watch the open-fd count of the process when the load is unusual.

8.9 No real-IdP smoke tests

tests/c/c_auth_bff/ runs against c_mock_keycloak.c. Regressions against a real Keycloak release go unnoticed in CI. Manual smoke test on staging is mandatory before any auth_bff release.

8.10 cert_sync_copy_cmd requires NOPASSWD sudo

sudo -n /yuneta/store/certs/copy-certs.sh. Pick the smallest possible NOPASSWD scope — ideally only that exact script path. A careless yuneta ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL line in sudoers turns the yuno process into a full-root foothold. Cert-sync needs nothing more than the one script.

8.11 Cert-sync is host-global

The cert_sync_* attrs are on the agent, not on the realm. One host shares one cert directory and one copy command across every realm. If two realms need disjoint certs you cannot achieve it through cert-sync — partition by host or ship cert paths directly via per-yuno config.

The BFF sets Domain=<host> with no port. A cookie set by the BFF on :1801 goes automatically to the WebSocket on :1800, on :1600 and on the other ports of the same hostname. This is deliberate, because it lets the SPA move between services. But it means that any yuno on the same hostname can read the cookie. Do not run an untrusted yuno on the same hostname as the BFF.

8.13 reload-certs is broadcast unconditionally

Every running yuno receives the event. A yuno without TLS does nothing in the handler. If the reload-certs handler of a yuno has a bug, the cert change produces a noisy error in every log, but the cert still propagates. The broadcast is best-effort, not transactional.


9. Recipes

9.1 Configure auth_bff for a new project (with Keycloak)

# 1. realm + client in Keycloak first
#    - realm name: <project>connect (convention)
#    - client: public + PKCE, valid redirect uri = https://<project>.example/auth/callback

# 2. write the batch config
cat > /yuneta/development/yunetas/yunos/c/auth_bff/batches/<host>/auth_bff.1801.json <<'EOF'
{
    "issuer":               "https://auth.<project>.example/realms/<project>connect/",
    "client_id":            "<project>-spa",
    "client_secret":        "",
    "cookie_domain":        "<project>.example",
    "allowed_redirect_uri": "https://<project>.example/auth/callback"
}
EOF

# 3. cert in /yuneta/store/certs/ (provisioned by your copy-certs.sh)

# 4. install + create + run via the agent (see YUNO_LIFECYCLE.md §6.1)

9.2 Migrate a legacy idp_url + realm batch to issuer

- "idp_url":  "https://auth.example.com",
- "realm":    "yunetas.com",
+ "issuer":   "https://auth.example.com/realms/yunetas.com/",

That is all. The deprecation warning stops on the next start. Verify the issuer URL with curl against <issuer>.well-known/openid-configuration.

9.3 Add a user via C_AUTHZ commands

# create (the role parameter has the format roles^<role_id>^users)
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=create-user username=alice@example.com role=roles^operator^users'

# password: for an MQTT device only. A human account authenticates by JWT.
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=set-user-pwd username=alice@example.com password=<...>'

# inspect
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=users'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=user-roles username=alice@example.com'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=user-authzs username=alice@example.com'

# disable, or delete (force=1 also deletes a user that holds roles)
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=disable-user username=alice@example.com'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=delete-user username=alice@example.com force=1'

There is no add-user-role command. create-user and update-user carry the role in their role parameter. create-user makes a local account only. To create the account in Keycloak and in the local treedb with one call, use register-idp-user (§7.3).

The credentials field of a user is hidden in the topic schema. A normal read answers null for it, and that is the filter, not an empty password.

9.4 Add a role with limited authzs

C_AUTHZ has no create-role command. A role is a node of the roles topic of the authzs treedb (§4.1). There are two ways to create one.

At the first start, the service reads its initial_load attr:

"initial_load": {
    "roles": [
        {"id": "root", "description": "Super-Owner of system", "realm_id": "*",
         "parent_role_id": "", "service": "*", "permission": "*", "disabled": false}
    ],
    "users": [
        {"id": "yuneta", "roles": ["roles^root^users"]}
    ]
}

At run time, the treedb service of the same yuno creates the node. The topic requires id, description, realm_id, service and permission. The JSON of record must have no spaces:

ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=treedb_authzs command=create-node topic_name=roles record={"id":"read_only","description":"Read-only","realm_id":"*","service":"__yuno__","permission":"__read_attribute__"}'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=roles'

Remember §8.3 — role assignments restrict command execution only on a yuno that has enable_command_authz set (and a running C_AUTHZ role model). With the gate off (default) the roles exist but are not consulted at the command boundary.

9.4b Turn the command authz gate ON for a yuno

# Set it in the yuno's config (SDF_RD — cannot be flipped via write-attr).
# Effective config = main.c fixed/variable_config merged with external JSON;
# add to the external batch JSON or main.c variable_config:
#   "enable_command_authz": true
#
# Pre-flight: the yuno MUST run a C_AUTHZ role model, else the fail-closed
# global checker denies every SDF_AUTHZ_X command. Verify first:
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=__yuno__ command=view-config' | grep -i enable_command_authz
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=user-authzs user_id=<me>'

# Then restart the yuno so the new config is read, and smoke-test a gated
# command as a low-privilege user (expect -403) and as an authorized one.

9.5 Rotate TLS certs

Typical letsencrypt flow:

# 1. let certbot renew (cron / systemd timer on the host)
sudo certbot renew --quiet

# 2. cert_sync runs on the agent's next tick (default 15 min);
#    to force it sooner:
ycommand -c 'cert-sync-now'

# 3. inspect
ycommand -c 'cert-sync-status'
# expect:
#   last_action: <recent timestamp>
#   last_result: ok
#   failures:    0

# 4. confirm yunos are using the new cert
openssl s_client -connect <host>:<port> -showcerts </dev/null 2>/dev/null \
    | openssl x509 -noout -dates

9.6 Diagnose “no permission” failures

With the command gate off (default), “no permission” only fires from explicit gobj_user_has_authz calls inside specific gclasses, for example the self-management commands of C_AUTHZ. With enable_command_authz on, the dispatcher itself can also answer -403 No permission to execute command. Read enable_command_authz of the yuno first, to know which path denied you.

# 1. who am I, according to the yuno?
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=__yuno__ command=view-attrs name=__username__'

# 2. what does the authz service say my authzs are?
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=authz command=user-authzs user_id=<me>'

# 3. enable the authzs trace globally to see the predicate's verdict
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=__yuno__ command=set-global-trace level=authzs set=1'
tail -F /yuneta/logs/<yuno>/*.log | grep -a '"msg":' | grep -i authz
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=__yuno__ command=set-global-trace level=authzs set=0'

If the trace shows the predicate returning TRUE but the operation still rejects, the rejection is from a different gate (cookie domain mismatch, JWT expiry, account disabled=true). Look at the BFF and C_AUTHZ logs.

9.7 Provision the Keycloak admin client for register-idp-user

Read §7.3 first. This recipe creates the confidential client, gives it the manage-users role, and configures the idp service. Before you start, configure SMTP in the realm (Realm settings → Email). Without SMTP the invitation email never leaves Keycloak.

1. Create the client, and read its secret. Run this from a shell with curl and python3:

KC=https://auth.example.com
REALM=<realm>
CLIENT=user-provisioner-<consumer>

read -r -s -p "Keycloak admin password: " KCPASS; echo
TOKEN=$(curl -s -X POST "$KC/realms/master/protocol/openid-connect/token" \
    -d grant_type=password -d client_id=admin-cli -d username=<admin-user> \
    --data-urlencode "password=$KCPASS" \
    | python3 -c 'import sys,json;print(json.load(sys.stdin)["access_token"])')

#   The client: confidential, with a service account, and no browser flow.
curl -s -X POST "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
    -d "{\"clientId\":\"$CLIENT\",
         \"description\":\"C_IDP_KEYCLOAK register-idp-user\",
         \"publicClient\":false,
         \"serviceAccountsEnabled\":true,
         \"standardFlowEnabled\":false,
         \"directAccessGrantsEnabled\":false}"

#   The manage-users role of realm-management, on its service account.
get_id() { python3 -c 'import sys,json;d=json.load(sys.stdin);print(d[0]["id"] if isinstance(d,list) else d["id"])'; }
CID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients?clientId=$CLIENT" | get_id)
SA=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients/$CID/service-account-user" | get_id)
RM=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients?clientId=realm-management" | get_id)
ROLE=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients/$RM/roles/manage-users")
curl -s -X POST "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/users/$SA/role-mappings/clients/$RM" \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d "[$ROLE]"

#   The secret.
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" "$KC/admin/realms/$REALM/clients/$CID/client-secret"

CAUTION: If one of these commands prints nothing, do it again with -i and without -s. A failed curl inside a pipe does not stop the shell, and the next command reads zero bytes. Then the message that you read is a Python error, and not the answer of Keycloak.

2. Configure the idp service of the yuno.

CAUTION: The secret travels on the command line. After the command, clear the history of the shell.

ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=set-kc-config kc_base_url=https://auth.example.com kc_realm=<realm> kc_admin_client_id=user-provisioner-<consumer> kc_admin_client_secret=<secret> kc_email_client_id=<spa-client> kc_redirect_uri=https://<spa-host>/'

3. Do a test.

ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=view-kc-config'
ycommand -c 'command-yuno id=<yuno> service=idp command=register-idp-user email=alice@example.com'

A good registration answers User registered: alice@example.com, plus the Keycloak id of the account. If the answer carries an error_code or a warning, read the two tables of §7.3.


10. Code pointers

WhatWhere
C_IDP_KEYCLOAK gclasskernel/c/root-linux/src/c_idp_keycloak.c
C_AUTH_BFF gclasskernel/c/root-linux/src/c_auth_bff.c
auth_bff yuno wrapperyunos/c/auth_bff/src/c_auth_bff_yuno.c
auth_bff endpoints dispatcherc_auth_bff.c
auth_bff attrs (issuer, deprecated idp_url)c_auth_bff.c
PKCE token callc_auth_bff.c
Cookie builderc_auth_bff.c
libjwt entry pointkernel/c/libjwt/src/jwt-verify.c
C_AUTHZ gclasskernel/c/root-linux/src/c_authz.c
authzs treedb schemakernel/c/root-linux/src/treedb_schema_authzs.c
register-idp-user + the three Keycloak callsc_authz.c (kc_get_token, kc_create_user, kc_send_email)
kc_* attrs, set-kc-config / view-kc-configc_authz.c
Role inheritance walkc_authz.c (get_user_roles)
yuneta super-user bypassc_authz.c
__username__ write-sidec_authz.c
gobj_user_has_authzgobj.h, gobj.c:9400
SDATAPM / SDATAAUTHZ macrosgobj.h
Command authz check (gated opt-in)kernel/c/gobj-c/src/command_parser.c
enable_command_authz attr (c_yuno)kernel/c/root-linux/src/c_yuno.c
Command authz regression testtests/c/command_authz/test_command_authz.c
EVF_AUTHZ_* flagsgobj.h
Agent’s cert_sync attrsyunos/c/yuno_agent/src/c_agent.c
cert_sync_tick (diff + broadcast)c_agent.c
cert_sync_broadcast_reloadc_agent.c
cert-sync-now / cert-sync-status commandsc_agent.c
reload-certs handler in TCP serverkernel/c/root-linux/src/c_tcp_s.c
Per-yuno cert paths (example)yunos/c/auth_bff/batches/localhost/auth_bff.1801.json:26-27
Localhost dev OIDC batchbatches/localhost/auth_bff.1801.json:55-58
auth_bff pending bugs (memory)~/.claude/.../memory/project_auth_bff_pending_bugs.md
SMTP cleartext (memory)~/.claude/.../memory/project_emailsender_smtp_secret.md