the platform stops knowing what VNC is

Desktop is a plugin as of today, and this is the half that leaves. sidecar/vnc/, api/desktop/ and
apps/Desktop/ are gone from src/, along with the vocabulary that was the real problem.

sidecar/protocol.ts had a VNC section: vnc:start, vnc:ensure-password, vnc:stop, four reply variants
and two types. sidecar-registry.ts had startVnc, ensureVncPassword, stopVnc, isVncConnected. Four
functions and a dozen message types in the platform, describing a feature that is not the platform's —
the rule CLAUDE.md states most plainly, and its clearest breach.

What replaced them is generic. sendSidecarCommand(kind, cmd) and isSidecarConnected(kind) know that a
command has a type and an id and that a reply carries the same id. A plugin's sidecar speaks whatever
it likes through them and nothing here has to be edited when it adds a message.

The desktop PERMISSION leaves too, and that is the interesting part: it was kind: 'execution', a kind
a plugin permission cannot have and never will, because a permission nobody can delegate is a
contradiction. The plugin expresses the same refusal as ownerOnly: ['/'] — every path under it denied
to anyone but the owner. Verified: /api/desktop, /api/desktop/vnc-password and a path that does not
exist all resolve owner-only. registry.test.ts records the round trip rather than just dropping the
key from its list.

Also gone: the app store's `vnc` entry, which would have offered an older second way to install the
same thing against a process PM2 no longer has, and four commented-out mounts left from 2026-08-13.

The disconnect-scope test used startVnc as its stand-in for "another sidecar's long-running request".
It now uses the generic door, which is the better instrument — that file is about the blast radius of
a disconnect and never had anything to do with VNC.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-08-21 00:42:19 +00:00
co-authored by Claude Opus 5
parent b1a2d67b76
commit fcdbf02649
20 changed files with 67 additions and 929 deletions
+2 -5
View File
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ import { registerChatPushNotifications } from './servers/api/chat/notify-push';
import { startNudger } from './servers/api/chat/nudger';
import { taskRunnerWebsocket } from './servers/api/tasks/task-executor';
import { pipelineWebsocket } from './servers/api/tasks/pipeline-executor';
// import { desktopWebsocket } from './servers/api/desktop/websocket';
import officerWeb from './apps/officer-web/index.gen.html';
// import { startBrowserRelay } from './servers/api/browser/relay'; // switched off — see below
import { registerSidecar, unregisterSidecar, handleSidecarMessage } from './servers/sidecar-registry';
@@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ type WSData = {
userId: number;
email: string;
username: string;
provider: 'terminal' | 'chat' | 'chat-notify' | 'task-runner' | 'pipeline' | 'desktop' | 'sidecar';
provider: 'terminal' | 'chat' | 'chat-notify' | 'task-runner' | 'pipeline' | 'sidecar';
sessionId?: string;
cwd?: string;
command?: string;
@@ -161,7 +160,6 @@ const handlers: Record<string, any> = {
'chat-notify': chatNotifyWebsocket,
'task-runner': taskRunnerWebsocket,
pipeline: pipelineWebsocket,
// desktop: desktopWebsocket,
sidecar: sidecarWebsocket,
};
@@ -318,7 +316,7 @@ console.log(
async function upgradeWs(
req: Request,
server: any,
provider: 'terminal' | 'chat' | 'chat-notify' | 'task-runner' | 'pipeline' | 'desktop',
provider: 'terminal' | 'chat' | 'chat-notify' | 'task-runner' | 'pipeline',
) {
const token = new URL(req.url).searchParams.get('token');
if (!token) return new Response('Unauthorized', { status: 401 });
@@ -449,7 +447,6 @@ const server = serve({
'/api/terminal/ws': (req, server) => upgradeWs(req, server, 'terminal'),
'/api/chat/ws': (req, server) => upgradeWs(req, server, 'chat'),
'/api/chat/notify/ws': (req, server) => upgradeWs(req, server, 'chat-notify'),
// '/api/desktop/ws': (req, server) => upgradeWs(req, server, 'desktop'),
// CalDAV/CardDAV. These live OUTSIDE /api because DAV clients are given a bare domain and probe
// fixed, spec-defined paths — `/.well-known/caldav` unauthenticated, before they hold any
// credential at all. They need naming explicitly here or the `/*` SPA fallback below swallows them
-33
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@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
import { createRouter } from '../../create-router';
import * as sidecar from '@@/sidecar-registry';
export const desktopRouter = createRouter();
// The desktop UI asks for the password before it can open the WebSocket — and that WebSocket is what
// starts the VNC session. So this cannot wait for a session to exist: on a fresh install nothing has
// ever written the password, and answering "not configured" deadlocked the page permanently.
//
// Officer does not read the password file itself. It lives in the owner's ~/.vnc, next to the rfbauth
// file x11vnc authenticates against, and the sidecar is the process that writes both — so it is the
// process that answers for them too. `vnc:ensure-password` is idempotent: it returns the existing
// pair when both files are already there, and provisions them when they are not.
desktopRouter.get('/vnc-password', async (ctx) => {
const user = ctx.get('user');
if (!sidecar.isVncConnected()) {
return ctx.json({ error: 'VNC sidecar is not connected' }, 503);
}
try {
const password = await sidecar.ensureVncPassword(user.email);
return ctx.json({ password });
} catch (err) {
const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Could not provision the VNC password';
console.error('[desktop] VNC password provisioning failed:', message);
return ctx.json({ error: message }, 500);
}
});
// GET /vnc-status is gone. It was never called — DesktopView asks only for /vnc-password — and it was
// the sole reason the `vnc:status` command existed on the sidecar wire protocol at all. Noted as dead
// by docs/sidecar-audit-2026-07.md months ago.
-122
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@@ -1,122 +0,0 @@
import type { ServerWebSocket } from 'bun';
import type { Socket } from 'bun';
import * as sidecar from '@@/sidecar-registry';
type WSData = { userId: number; email: string; username: string; sessionId?: string };
type VncSession = {
tcpSocket: Socket<{ ws: ServerWebSocket<WSData> }> | null;
pendingMessages: Buffer[];
};
const sessions = new Map<ServerWebSocket<WSData>, VncSession>();
export const desktopWebsocket = {
async open(ws: ServerWebSocket<WSData>) {
const session: VncSession = { tcpSocket: null, pendingMessages: [] };
sessions.set(ws, session);
let port: number;
try {
const result = await sidecar.startVnc({
email: ws.data.email,
username: ws.data.username,
});
port = result.port;
} catch (err) {
const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Failed to start VNC session';
console.error('[desktop] VNC start failed:', message);
sessions.delete(ws);
ws.close(4004, 'VNC server unavailable');
return;
}
try {
const tcpSocket = await Bun.connect({
hostname: '127.0.0.1',
port,
socket: {
data(_socket, data) {
try {
ws.sendBinary(Buffer.from(data));
} catch {
// ws already closed
}
},
close() {
sessions.delete(ws);
try {
ws.close();
} catch {
/* ignore */
}
},
error(_socket, err) {
console.error('[desktop] TCP error:', err.message);
sessions.delete(ws);
try {
ws.close();
} catch {
/* ignore */
}
},
connectError(_socket, err) {
console.error('[desktop] TCP connect error:', err.message);
sessions.delete(ws);
try {
ws.close(4004, 'VNC server unavailable');
} catch {
/* ignore */
}
},
open(socket) {
for (const msg of session.pendingMessages) {
socket.write(msg);
}
session.pendingMessages = [];
},
},
data: { ws },
});
session.tcpSocket = tcpSocket;
} catch (err) {
const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Failed to connect to VNC server';
console.error('[desktop] VNC connect failed:', message);
sessions.delete(ws);
ws.close(4004, 'VNC server unavailable');
}
},
message(ws: ServerWebSocket<WSData>, raw: string | Buffer) {
const session = sessions.get(ws);
if (!session) return;
const data = typeof raw === 'string' ? Buffer.from(raw) : Buffer.from(raw);
if (!session.tcpSocket) {
session.pendingMessages.push(data);
return;
}
try {
session.tcpSocket.write(data);
} catch {
// ignore
}
},
close(ws: ServerWebSocket<WSData>) {
const session = sessions.get(ws);
if (session?.tcpSocket) {
try {
session.tcpSocket.end();
} catch {
// ignore
}
}
sessions.delete(ws);
},
drain() {},
};
+1 -1
View File
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ describe('member provisioning is declared for every entry', () => {
// against an API that does not exist. Transmission was an example until 2026-08-18 and slskd until
// 2026-08-19, when they became `plugins/transmission/` and `plugins/soulseek/` — hence the list
// rather than a single id: it must stay non-empty, or this assertion passes by iterating nothing.
for (const id of ['vnc', 'notify']) expect(byId(id)!.members).toBe('none');
for (const id of ['notify']) expect(byId(id)!.members).toBe('none');
});
// A test asserting the vault is invite-only lived here until 2026-08-18, when it left to become
+3 -14
View File
@@ -239,20 +239,9 @@ export const CATALOGUE: CatalogueEntry[] = [
permission: 'notify',
configFields: [],
},
{
id: 'vnc',
ui: { name: 'Desktop', icon: 'MonitorSmartphone', color: '#ec4899', rootRoute: '/desktop', routes: ['/desktop'] },
process: 'officer-vnc',
label: 'Desktop',
summary: 'Mirror this machine’s display in the browser',
members: 'none',
modes: ['config'],
permission: 'desktop',
// x11vnc against an Xorg display. There is nothing to mirror on a headless box or on macOS, so the
// store should say so rather than install something that starts and immediately fails.
requires: 'linux-display',
configFields: [],
},
// The `vnc` entry left with the desktop plugin on 2026-08-21. The app store predates the marketplace,
// and a plugin is installed through that now — an entry here would offer a second, older way to install
// the same thing, against a process PM2 no longer has.
];
export const byId = (id: string): CatalogueEntry | undefined => CATALOGUE.find((e) => e.id === id);
+2 -2
View File
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ describe('what adding a member would do', () => {
it('predicts the outcome per service without contacting anything', () => {
expect(plannedOutcome(byId('memos')!)).toBe('provisioned');
expect(plannedOutcome(inviteOnly)).toBe('invited');
expect(plannedOutcome(byId('vnc')!)).toBe('not-applicable');
expect(plannedOutcome(byId('notify')!)).toBe('not-applicable');
});
});
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ describe('which installed services have work to do', () => {
// two. It has been re-pointed five times as services left — jellyfin, invoiceshelf and slskd to
// `plugins/`, caldav to CORE — and memos is the last one standing. If memos ever leaves too, this
// wants a literal fixture like `installer.test.ts` has, not a sixth re-point.
const ids = servicesNeedingMemberProvision(['memos', 'vnc']).map((e) => e.id);
const ids = servicesNeedingMemberProvision(['memos', 'notify']).map((e) => e.id);
expect(ids.sort()).toEqual(['memos']);
});
-2
View File
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ import { queueRouter } from './api/queue/queue';
// The browser relay is switched off — see server.tsx. Restoring this mount means restoring the
// registry's claim on '/browser' in the same commit, or assertPermissionTotality refuses to boot.
// import { browserRouter } from './api/browser/router';
// import { desktopRouter } from './api/desktop/rest';
import { bugReportRouter } from './api/bug-report/bug-report';
import { agentStatusRouter } from './api/agent-status/router';
import { chatRouter } from './api/chat/chat';
@@ -156,7 +155,6 @@ const PROTECTED_MOUNTS: [prefix: string, router: ReturnType<typeof createRouter>
['/command-hq', commandHqRouter],
['/pipeline-jobs', pipelineJobsRouter],
['/jobs', pipelineJobsRouter], // unified jobs API (script + pipeline); /pipeline-jobs kept for the existing UI
// ['/desktop', desktopRouter], // plugin — switched off 2026-08-13
];
/** Every prefix served behind the account gate. Read by the permission totality check at boot. */
+6 -4
View File
@@ -212,10 +212,12 @@ describe('self-service routes', () => {
describe('kinds', () => {
test('execution permissions are never grantable', () => {
const grantable = new Set(GRANTABLE_PERMISSIONS.map((c) => c.key));
// `files` left this list on 2026-08-11, then `terminal` and `chat` the same day — see the tests below and
// docs/per-user-linux-accounts.md. Everything still here runs as the OWNER in the owner's home with no
// per-caller resolution at all.
for (const key of ['tasks', 'desktop', 'browser', 'items']) {
// `files` left this list on 2026-08-11, then `terminal` and `chat` the same day — see the tests below
// and docs/per-user-linux-accounts.md. `desktop` left on 2026-08-21, differently: it became a plugin,
// and a plugin permission has no kind at all. What made it execution — one physical screen, the
// owner's — is now `ownerOnly: ['/']` in that plugin's manifest, which is the same refusal reached by
// a different route. Everything still here runs as the OWNER in the owner's home.
for (const key of ['tasks', 'browser', 'items']) {
expect(PERMISSION_BY_KEY.get(key)?.kind).toBe('execution');
expect(grantable.has(key)).toBe(false);
}
+4 -10
View File
@@ -322,16 +322,10 @@ const CORE_REGISTRY: Permission[] = [
kind: 'execution',
api: ['/skills', '/tools', '/agents', '/processes', '/rescan'],
},
{
key: 'desktop',
label: 'Desktop',
description: "The server owner's physical screen",
kind: 'execution',
// api: ['/desktop'], // plugin — switched off 2026-08-13
// ws: ['desktop'],
api: [],
routes: ['/desktop'],
},
// `desktop` left with the plugin on 2026-08-21. It is the first permission to make the round trip from
// `kind: 'execution'` to a plugin's own, and the property survived the move: a plugin permission has no
// kind, so "runs as the owner and cannot be shared" is expressed as `ownerOnly: ['/']` in the plugin's
// manifest instead. Same answer, stated where the paths are.
// `/browser` — the Chrome-extension relay — is unmounted as of 2026-08-13 and dropped from this claim,
// because check 2 of assertPermissionTotality refuses to boot on a permission claiming a prefix nothing
// serves. Put both back together or neither.
+7 -4
View File
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
// direction. Sidecars restart independently by design; that is the whole point of them being PM2 peers.
import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
import { registerSidecar, unregisterSidecar, spawnClaude, startVnc } from './sidecar-registry';
import { registerSidecar, unregisterSidecar, spawnClaude, sendSidecarCommand } from './sidecar-registry';
/** A socket that records what was written and never answers, so requests stay pending. */
function silentSocket() {
@@ -55,7 +55,10 @@ const CLAUDE_PARAMS = {
sessionKey: 'test-session',
};
const VNC_PARAMS = { email: 'owner@example.com', username: 'owner' };
// A stand-in for "some other sidecar's long-running request". This was `startVnc` until the desktop
// plugin took it on 2026-08-21; the generic door is the better instrument anyway, since what this file
// tests is the SCOPE of a disconnect and never had anything to do with VNC.
const otherRequest = (id: string) => sendSidecarCommand('vnc', { type: 'vnc:start', id });
describe('unregisterSidecar', () => {
test('an unrelated sidecar disconnecting leaves other sidecars’ requests in flight', async () => {
@@ -80,7 +83,7 @@ describe('unregisterSidecar', () => {
test('a sidecar’s own disconnect still rejects its own request', async () => {
const vnc = register('vnc', ['vnc']);
const start = startVnc(VNC_PARAMS);
const start = otherRequest('test-start');
const state = settleState(start);
await awaitSend(vnc);
@@ -94,7 +97,7 @@ describe('unregisterSidecar', () => {
register('agent', ['claude']);
const vnc = register('vnc', ['vnc']);
const desktop = startVnc(VNC_PARAMS);
const desktop = otherRequest('test-desktop');
const desktopState = settleState(desktop);
await awaitSend(vnc);
+37 -26
View File
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import type {
LiveClaudeSession,
LiveOpenCodeSession,
OpenCodeRunParams,
VncStartParams,
} from './sidecar/protocol';
import type { SidecarRegistration } from './sidecar/registration-protocol';
import type { TurnMessage } from './api/chat/types';
@@ -170,10 +169,43 @@ export function on(eventType: string, handler: EventHandler): () => void {
}
// ── Command sending ──
//
// ── The generic door, for plugins ──
//
// `sendCommand` below is private and its `SidecarCommand` union names every message the PLATFORM knows
// about. That was fine while every sidecar was the platform's. A plugin's sidecar speaks a vocabulary
// this file must not learn — the desktop extraction is what made that concrete: `startVnc`,
// `ensureVncPassword` and a dozen `vnc:*` variants lived here, in the platform, describing a plugin.
//
// So a plugin drives its own sidecar through `sendSidecarCommand`, which knows only that a command has a
// type and an id and that a reply carries the same id. The vocabulary stays in the plugin, and nothing
// here has to be edited when a plugin adds a message.
const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
const LONG_TIMEOUT_MS = 6 * 60 * 1000;
/** A message to a sidecar. `id` is what the reply is matched on; everything else is the plugin's. */
export type PluginSidecarCommand = { type: string; id: string } & Record<string, unknown>;
/**
* Send a command to whichever sidecar handles `kind`, and wait for the reply with the same id.
*
* The plugin-facing half of `sendCommand`. Rejects when no sidecar handles that kind — which for a
* plugin means its own process is not running, and is a better error than a timeout.
*/
export function sendSidecarCommand<T = unknown>(
kind: string,
cmd: PluginSidecarCommand,
timeoutMs = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS,
): Promise<T> {
return sendCommand(kind, cmd as unknown as SidecarCommand, timeoutMs) as Promise<T>;
}
/** Is a sidecar handling `kind` connected right now? */
export function isSidecarConnected(kind: string): boolean {
return !!findSidecarHandling(kind);
}
function sendCommand(kind: string, cmd: SidecarCommand, timeoutMs = DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS): Promise<any> {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
const sc = findSidecarHandling(kind);
@@ -482,28 +514,7 @@ export function onOpenCodeSession(handler: (sessionKey: string, sessionId: strin
// Nothing here any more. The pty sidecar serves its own listener; `/api/terminal/*` is a proxy and
// `/api/terminal/ws` a byte relay, both keyed off the `pty:server` port like every other HTTP sidecar.
// ── VNC ──
export async function startVnc(params: VncStartParams): Promise<{ port: number; display: number }> {
const res = await sendCommand('vnc', { type: 'vnc:start', id: nextId(), params });
if (res.type === 'vnc:started') return { port: res.port, display: res.display };
if (res.type === 'vnc:error') throw new Error(res.error);
throw new Error('Unexpected response');
}
// Provision the VNC password without starting a server. The desktop UI needs it before it can open
// the WebSocket that would start one, so asking vnc:start here would be circular.
export async function ensureVncPassword(email: string): Promise<string> {
const res = await sendCommand('vnc', { type: 'vnc:ensure-password', id: nextId(), email });
if (res.type === 'vnc:password') return res.password;
if (res.type === 'vnc:error') throw new Error(res.error);
throw new Error('Unexpected response from VNC sidecar');
}
export function stopVnc(email: string): void {
sendFire('vnc', { type: 'vnc:stop', id: nextId(), email });
}
export function isVncConnected(): boolean {
return findSidecarHandling('vnc') !== undefined;
}
// The VNC helpers that were here — startVnc, ensureVncPassword, stopVnc, isVncConnected — left with the
// desktop plugin on 2026-08-21. They were the clearest example of the platform knowing what a plugin was
// about: four functions and a dozen `vnc:*` message types describing a feature that is not the
// platform's. What replaced them is `sendSidecarCommand` above, which is generic.
+5 -26
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@@ -118,12 +118,7 @@ export type SidecarCommand =
// Which OpenCode turns are running right now. The counterpart of `claude:list`, and thinner for a
// reason: OpenCode has no warm session between turns, so there is nothing to report but the running
// ones — see `listRunningServeTurns`.
| { type: 'opencode:list'; id: string }
// VNC
| { type: 'vnc:start'; id: string; params: VncStartParams }
// Provision the VNC password without starting a server — the UI needs it before it can connect
| { type: 'vnc:ensure-password'; id: string; email: string }
| { type: 'vnc:stop'; id: string; email: string };
| { type: 'opencode:list'; id: string };
// ── Responses/Events (sidecar → API server) ──
@@ -158,11 +153,7 @@ export type SidecarEvent =
| { type: 'claude:session-key'; id: string; sessionKey: string | null }
| { type: 'claude:sessions'; id: string; sessions: LiveClaudeSession[] }
| { type: 'opencode:sessions'; id: string; sessions: LiveOpenCodeSession[] }
// VNC
| { type: 'vnc:started'; id: string; port: number; display: number }
| { type: 'vnc:password'; id: string; password: string }
| { type: 'vnc:stopped'; id: string }
| { type: 'vnc:error'; id: string; error: string }
// OpenCode — the sidecar reports where its `opencode serve` is listening (random port) on connect
| { type: 'opencode:server'; port: number }
// OpenCode turn streaming (analog of claude:*): spawned ack, per-message stream, session id report
@@ -290,21 +281,9 @@ export type OpenCodeRunParams = {
durable?: boolean; // commit turn output to chat_session_events (default true) — see ClaudeSpawnStreamingParams
};
// ── VNC types ──
export type VncStartParams = {
email: string;
username: string;
resolution?: string;
};
export type VncSessionInfo = {
email: string;
display: number;
port: number;
pid: number;
alive: boolean;
};
// The VNC command variants and their types left with the desktop plugin on 2026-08-21. A plugin's
// sidecar speaks its own vocabulary through `sendSidecarCommand`, which knows only that a command has a
// type and an id — see the note above it in sidecar-registry.ts.
// ── PTY ──
//
-72
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@@ -1,72 +0,0 @@
import type { SidecarCommand, SidecarEvent } from '../protocol';
import * as vncManager from './vnc-manager';
import { createSidecarConnector } from '../connect';
import { getOwnerHomeDir } from '@@/data-path';
import { API_URL } from '../../officer-url.mjs';
// ── Command handlers ──
type ReplyFn = (msg: SidecarEvent) => void;
async function handleCommand(cmd: SidecarCommand, reply: ReplyFn) {
switch (cmd.type) {
case 'ping':
reply({ type: 'pong', id: cmd.id });
break;
case 'vnc:start': {
try {
const { port, display } = await vncManager.startSession(cmd.params);
reply({ type: 'vnc:started', id: cmd.id, port, display });
} catch (err) {
reply({ type: 'vnc:error', id: cmd.id, error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) });
}
break;
}
case 'vnc:ensure-password': {
try {
const { password } = await vncManager.ensureVncPassword(getOwnerHomeDir(cmd.email));
reply({ type: 'vnc:password', id: cmd.id, password });
} catch (err) {
reply({ type: 'vnc:error', id: cmd.id, error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) });
}
break;
}
case 'vnc:stop':
vncManager.stopSession(cmd.email);
reply({ type: 'vnc:stopped', id: cmd.id });
break;
default:
reply({
type: 'error',
id: (cmd as SidecarCommand).id,
error: `Unknown command type: ${(cmd as Record<string, unknown>).type}`,
});
}
}
// ── Connect to API server ──
const connection = createSidecarConnector({
apiUrl: `${API_URL}/api/sidecar/register`,
name: 'vnc',
handles: ['vnc'],
onCommand(cmd, reply) {
handleCommand(cmd as SidecarCommand, reply as ReplyFn);
},
});
// ── Graceful shutdown ──
function shutdown(signal: string) {
console.log(`[vnc] ${signal} received, stopping all sessions...`);
vncManager.stopAll();
connection.destroy();
process.exit(0);
}
process.on('SIGTERM', () => shutdown('SIGTERM'));
process.on('SIGINT', () => shutdown('SIGINT'));
-346
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@@ -1,346 +0,0 @@
import { existsSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync, statSync } from 'node:fs';
import { join } from 'node:path';
import type { VncStartParams, VncSessionInfo } from '../protocol';
import { getOwnerHomeDir } from '@@/data-path';
// Mirrors the physical display instead of spawning a virtual desktop per user, so the
// browser shows the same session as the screen. There is one seat, hence one shared
// mirror — the first caller's VNC password is the one it answers with.
const MIRROR_PORT = 5900;
const READY_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000;
// Above this framebuffer width the stream is halved; at or below it, pixels are served 1:1.
const SCALE_ABOVE_WIDTH = 2560;
// The display number is NOT fixed. Under LightDM the user session got :0, so this was hardcoded to it.
// GDM gives :0 to its own greeter and starts the user's Xorg with -displayfd, letting the kernel pick —
// in practice :1. Hardcoding :0 made the mirror fail with "Can't open display" on every GNOME machine.
//
// Find it by socket ownership instead: /tmp/.X11-unix/X<n> is owned by whoever runs that X server, so
// the one owned by us is the owner's session and any other is the greeter's. Fall back to the lowest
// socket (covers a root-run Xorg, as LightDM did) and finally to :0 so behaviour never gets worse than
// the constant it replaced.
function resolveDisplayNum(): number {
const uid = typeof process.getuid === 'function' ? process.getuid() : null;
let sockets: number[] = [];
try {
sockets = readdirSync('/tmp/.X11-unix')
.filter((n) => /^X\d+$/.test(n))
.map((n) => Number(n.slice(1)))
.sort((a, b) => a - b);
} catch {
return 0;
}
if (uid != null) {
const own = sockets.find((n) => {
try {
return statSync(`/tmp/.X11-unix/X${n}`).uid === uid;
} catch {
return false;
}
});
if (own !== undefined) return own;
}
return sockets[0] ?? 0;
}
// x11vnc reads the display's cookie from the logged-in user's X authority, so no root is needed. Where
// that cookie lives depends on the display manager: GDM (Ubuntu GNOME on Xorg) keeps it in the
// per-session dir /run/user/<uid>/gdm/Xauthority; LightDM (or a manual startx) uses the classic
// ~/.Xauthority. Try the GDM path first, then fall back. While the greeter owns the seat the user's
// cookie doesn't exist yet and mirroring fails until someone is logged in.
function resolveXauthority(): string | null {
const uid = typeof process.getuid === 'function' ? process.getuid() : null;
const candidates = [
uid != null ? `/run/user/${uid}/gdm/Xauthority` : null,
join(process.env.HOME ?? '', '.Xauthority'),
].filter((p): p is string => Boolean(p));
return candidates.find((p) => existsSync(p)) ?? null;
}
type MirrorSession = {
email: string;
username: string;
display: number;
port: number;
pid: number;
};
let mirror: MirrorSession | null = null;
function isProcessAlive(pid: number): boolean {
try {
process.kill(pid, 0);
return true;
} catch {
return false;
}
}
// Provision the pair of files a VNC session needs: `password` in plaintext, which the API hands to
// the browser, and `passwd` in rfbauth format, which x11vnc authenticates against. Idempotent —
// returns the existing password when both are already present.
//
// x11vnc writes the rfbauth file itself via -storepasswd. This used to shell out to tigervnc's
// `vncpasswd -f`, which is not installed by default (and is not in tigervnc-common, despite what
// setup-desktop.sh claimed), so the rfbauth file silently never appeared — the failure was swallowed
// because only a zero exit code triggered the write.
export async function ensureVncPassword(homeDir: string): Promise<{ password: string; passwdFile: string }> {
const vncDir = join(homeDir, '.vnc');
const passwdFile = join(vncDir, 'passwd');
const plainFile = join(vncDir, 'password');
if (existsSync(passwdFile) && existsSync(plainFile)) {
const password = (await Bun.file(plainFile).text()).trim();
if (password) return { password, passwdFile };
}
mkdirSync(vncDir, { recursive: true });
// 8 printable ASCII characters. VNC truncates to 8, so there is no point generating more.
const password = Array.from(crypto.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(8)))
.map((b) => String.fromCharCode(33 + (b % 94)))
.join('');
await Bun.write(plainFile, password);
const proc = Bun.spawnSync({
cmd: ['x11vnc', '-storepasswd', password, passwdFile],
stdout: 'ignore',
stderr: 'pipe',
});
if (proc.exitCode !== 0 || !existsSync(passwdFile)) {
const stderr = proc.stderr.toString().trim();
throw new Error(`Could not write the VNC password file: ${stderr || 'x11vnc -storepasswd failed'}`);
}
Bun.spawnSync({ cmd: ['chmod', '600', passwdFile], stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore' });
Bun.spawnSync({ cmd: ['chmod', '600', plainFile], stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore' });
console.log(`[vnc] provisioned VNC password at ${vncDir}`);
return { password, passwdFile };
}
type Geometry = { w: number; h: number; x: number; y: number };
type DisplayGeometry = { framebufferWidth: number | null; primary: Geometry | null; connected: number };
// X composes every attached output into ONE framebuffer, so with two monitors side by side the
// framebuffer is their combined width and mirroring it whole sends both screens squashed together.
// Read the layout so the caller can clip to a single output.
//
// Returns nulls when xrandr is missing or X is not up; callers treat that as "don't scale, don't clip",
// because serving too many pixels beats serving nothing.
function readDisplayGeometry(xauthority: string, display: string): DisplayGeometry {
const proc = Bun.spawnSync({
cmd: ['xrandr', '--current'],
env: { ...process.env, DISPLAY: display, XAUTHORITY: xauthority },
stdout: 'pipe',
stderr: 'ignore',
});
if (proc.exitCode !== 0) return { framebufferWidth: null, primary: null, connected: 0 };
const out = proc.stdout.toString();
const fb = out.match(/current\s+(\d+)\s*x\s*(\d+)/);
// Count ENABLED outputs, not merely connected ones: a screen that is plugged in but switched off
// still reports "connected" and contributes nothing to the framebuffer. Only an enabled output
// carries a WxH+X+Y geometry, so requiring that is what distinguishes the two.
const connected = (out.match(/^\S+ connected(?: primary)? \d+x\d+\+\d+\+\d+/gm) ?? []).length;
// "HDMI-A-0 connected primary 3840x2160+0+0 (normal left ..." — the geometry only appears on an
// output that is actually enabled, so a connected-but-off output correctly yields no match.
const p = out.match(/^\S+ connected primary (\d+)x(\d+)\+(\d+)\+(\d+)/m);
const primary = p ? { w: Number(p[1]), h: Number(p[2]), x: Number(p[3]), y: Number(p[4]) } : null;
return { framebufferWidth: fb ? Number(fb[1]) : null, primary, connected };
}
async function isPortOpen(port: number): Promise<boolean> {
try {
const socket = await Bun.connect({
hostname: '127.0.0.1',
port,
socket: { data() {}, error() {} },
});
socket.end();
return true;
} catch {
return false;
}
}
// A listener on the port is NOT proof our server started. The running mirror lives in module state, so
// a sidecar restart forgets it while the process keeps running orphaned — and then this check sees the
// ORPHAN listening and reports success, leaving the platform convinced it started something the browser
// is not looking at. That is not hypothetical: on 2026-08-01 an Xvnc left over from the virtual-desktop
// experiment held 5900, and the mirror reported healthy while the browser was served a stale XFCE
// session. So reclaim the port first, and treat our own process dying as failure.
async function reclaimPort(port: number): Promise<void> {
if (!(await isPortOpen(port))) return;
console.log(`[vnc] port ${port} already held — killing the orphan before starting`);
Bun.spawnSync({ cmd: ['fuser', '-k', '-TERM', `${port}/tcp`], stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore' });
for (let i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
await Bun.sleep(100);
if (!(await isPortOpen(port))) return;
}
Bun.spawnSync({ cmd: ['fuser', '-k', '-KILL', `${port}/tcp`], stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'ignore' });
await Bun.sleep(300);
}
// x11vnc stays in the foreground, so readiness is the listening port rather than exit code — but only
// once we know the process we spawned is the one alive to own it.
async function waitForPort(port: number, proc: { exitCode: number | null }): Promise<boolean> {
const deadline = Date.now() + READY_TIMEOUT_MS;
while (Date.now() < deadline) {
if (proc.exitCode !== null) return false;
if (await isPortOpen(port)) return true;
await Bun.sleep(100);
}
return false;
}
export async function startSession(params: VncStartParams): Promise<{ port: number; display: number }> {
if (mirror && isProcessAlive(mirror.pid)) {
return { port: mirror.port, display: mirror.display };
}
mirror = null;
const homeDir = getOwnerHomeDir(params.email);
const { passwdFile } = await ensureVncPassword(homeDir);
// An orphan from a previous sidecar life would still hold the port and be mistaken for a healthy start.
await reclaimPort(MIRROR_PORT);
const displayNum = resolveDisplayNum();
const display = `:${displayNum}`;
const xauthority = resolveXauthority();
if (!xauthority) {
throw new Error(`No X authority found (GDM or ~/.Xauthority) — nobody is logged in on ${display}`);
}
// With more than one output attached the framebuffer spans them all, and mirroring it whole shows
// every monitor side by side, squashed. Clip to the primary so the remote view is one screen at the
// right proportions. Only when a primary is actually marked and there is more than one output —
// otherwise the framebuffer already IS the single screen and clipping would just add a failure mode.
const geo = readDisplayGeometry(xauthority, display);
const clipTo = geo.connected > 1 && geo.primary ? geo.primary : null;
const clip = clipTo ? ['-clip', `${clipTo.w}x${clipTo.h}+${clipTo.x}+${clipTo.y}`] : [];
if (clipTo) {
console.log(`[vnc] ${geo.connected} outputs attached — clipping to the primary ${clip[1]}`);
}
// Halving a 4K screen keeps the stream sane over the tailnet, but the same 0.5 applied to a small
// screen is just lost detail — and with no monitor plugged in, X falls back to something tiny
// (800x480 here), which halves to an unreadable 400x240. Scale only when there is genuinely too much
// to send, and judge that on what is actually being served: the clip if there is one, else the
// whole framebuffer.
const width = clipTo ? clipTo.w : geo.framebufferWidth;
const scale = width !== null && width > SCALE_ABOVE_WIDTH ? ['-scale', '0.5'] : [];
if (width !== null) {
console.log(`[vnc] serving ${width}px wide — ${scale.length ? 'scaling to 50%' : '1:1'}`);
}
const proc = Bun.spawn({
cmd: [
'x11vnc',
'-display',
display,
'-auth',
xauthority,
'-rfbport',
String(MIRROR_PORT),
'-rfbauth',
passwdFile,
'-localhost',
'-forever',
'-shared',
...clip,
...scale,
// No -noxdamage. It was set when this was written, with no recorded reason, and it is expensive:
// without the DAMAGE extension x11vnc cannot be told which rectangles changed, so it polls the
// WHOLE framebuffer continuously to find out. That makes cost scale with screen area rather than
// with what actually moved — on a 4K mirror it is the single biggest source of latency, and it is
// why a smaller machine felt instant by comparison. This X server reports DAMAGE, MIT-SHM and
// XFIXES, so the optimisation is genuinely available.
//
// If stale patches ever appear on screen (some drivers under-report damage), putting -noxdamage
// back is the fix — at the cost of the polling above.
'-quiet',
],
stdout: 'ignore',
stderr: 'pipe',
});
// Drain stderr so the pipe cannot fill and stall x11vnc; keep the tail for errors
let stderrTail = '';
(async () => {
const reader = (proc.stderr as ReadableStream<Uint8Array>).getReader();
const decoder = new TextDecoder();
try {
while (true) {
const { done, value } = await reader.read();
if (done) break;
stderrTail = (stderrTail + decoder.decode(value, { stream: true })).slice(-2000);
}
} catch {
// process ended
}
})();
if (!(await waitForPort(MIRROR_PORT, proc))) {
try {
proc.kill();
} catch {
// already dead
}
throw new Error(`x11vnc failed to listen on ${MIRROR_PORT}: ${stderrTail.trim() || 'timed out'}`);
}
mirror = {
email: params.email,
username: params.username ?? '',
display: displayNum,
port: MIRROR_PORT,
pid: proc.pid,
};
console.log(`[vnc] mirroring ${display} on port ${MIRROR_PORT} (pid ${proc.pid})`);
return { port: MIRROR_PORT, display: displayNum };
}
export function stopSession(_email: string): void {
if (!mirror) return;
try {
process.kill(mirror.pid);
} catch {
// already dead
}
console.log(`[vnc] stopped mirror of :${mirror.display} (pid ${mirror.pid})`);
mirror = null;
}
export function getSession(_email: string): VncSessionInfo | null {
if (!mirror) return null;
const alive = mirror.pid > 0 && isProcessAlive(mirror.pid);
if (!alive) {
mirror = null;
return null;
}
return {
email: mirror.email,
display: mirror.display,
port: mirror.port,
pid: mirror.pid,
alive,
};
}
export function stopAll(): void {
stopSession('');
}
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import { appRegistryMetas as previewMetas } from '../apps/Preview';
import { appRegistryMetas as dashboardMetas } from '../apps/Dashboards';
import { appRegistryMetas as chatHistoryMetas } from '../apps/ChatHistory';
import { appRegistryMetas as widgetMetas } from '../apps/Widgets';
import { appRegistryMetas as desktopMetas } from '../apps/Desktop';
import { appRegistryMetas as monitorMetas } from '../apps/SystemMonitor';
import { appRegistryMetas as qrTransferMetas } from '../apps/QrTransfer';
import { appRegistryMetas as davMetas } from '../apps/Dav';
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ export const apps = [
...dashboardMetas,
...chatHistoryMetas,
...widgetMetas,
...desktopMetas,
...monitorMetas,
...qrTransferMetas,
...davMetas,
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
import { MonitorSmartphone } from 'lucide-react';
export const DesktopHeader = () => {
return (
<>
<MonitorSmartphone className="h-3.5 w-3.5 shrink-0" />
<span className="text-xs font-medium shrink-0">Remote Desktop</span>
</>
);
};
@@ -1,225 +0,0 @@
import type { CSSProperties } from 'react';
import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
import { useClient } from 'hooks/useClient';
import { useMounted } from 'hooks/useMounted';
export type DesktopViewProps = {
className?: string;
style?: CSSProperties;
};
// The BUNDLE, not public/novnc/rfb.js. That entry is unbundled noVNC source: 42 ES modules whose
// imports nest six levels deep, so a native dynamic import made the browser walk the graph — fetch,
// parse, discover the next level, fetch again. Six sequential round trips and 42 requests before the
// desktop could even begin connecting, which over the tailnet is seconds, and a hard refresh pays it
// every time. One file is one round trip.
//
// Regenerate after updating vendored noVNC:
// bun build public/novnc/rfb.js --outfile=public/novnc/rfb.bundle.js --format=esm --minify --target=browser
const NOVNC_URL = '/novnc/rfb.bundle.js';
const buildWsUrl = () => {
const protocol = window.location.protocol === 'https:' ? 'wss:' : 'ws:';
const token = localStorage.getItem('BEARER_TOKEN') ?? '';
return `${protocol}//${window.location.host}/api/desktop/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`;
};
type RFBInstance = {
resizeSession: boolean;
scaleViewport: boolean;
showDotCursor: boolean;
focusOnClick: boolean;
disconnect: () => void;
sendCredentials: (creds: { password: string }) => void;
addEventListener: (type: string, listener: (ev: CustomEvent) => void) => void;
};
let rfbModulePromise: Promise<{
default: new (target: HTMLElement, url: string, options?: { credentials?: { password?: string } }) => RFBInstance;
}> | null = null;
const loadRFB = () => {
if (!rfbModulePromise) {
rfbModulePromise = import(/* @vite-ignore */ NOVNC_URL) as NonNullable<typeof rfbModulePromise>;
}
return rfbModulePromise!;
};
export const DesktopView = ({ className, style }: DesktopViewProps) => {
const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
const rfbRef = useRef<RFBInstance | null>(null);
const isMounted = useMounted();
const client = useClient();
const [status, setStatus] = useState<'connecting' | 'connected' | 'reconnecting' | 'disconnected' | 'error'>(
'connecting',
);
const [errorMsg, setErrorMsg] = useState('');
useEffect(() => {
if (!isMounted) return;
const container = containerRef.current;
if (!container) return;
let disposed = false;
let attempts = 0;
let retryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
// Tearing an RFB down makes it fire its own `disconnect`, and a bad password fires `securityfailure`
// and then `disconnect` too. Both would otherwise be read as "officer went away, reattach".
let generation = 0;
let fatal = false;
const MAX_ATTEMPTS = 5;
const RETRY_DELAYS = [1000, 2000, 3000, 5000, 5000];
const detach = () => {
const rfb = rfbRef.current;
rfbRef.current = null;
generation++;
if (!rfb) return;
try {
rfb.disconnect();
} catch {
/* ignore */
}
};
// x11vnc mirrors :0 with `-forever`, so the desktop itself outlives this socket — losing it means
// officer restarted under us, not that the session ended. Reattach instead of parking on
// "Disconnected" until someone reopens the panel.
const retry = (reason: string) => {
if (disposed || fatal || retryTimer) return;
detach();
if (attempts >= MAX_ATTEMPTS) {
setStatus('disconnected');
setErrorMsg(reason);
return;
}
const delay = RETRY_DELAYS[attempts] ?? 5000;
attempts++;
setStatus('reconnecting');
setErrorMsg(`${reason} — reconnecting (${attempts}/${MAX_ATTEMPTS})...`);
retryTimer = setTimeout(() => {
retryTimer = null;
void connect();
}, delay);
};
const connect = async () => {
const gen = ++generation;
const isCurrent = () => !disposed && gen === generation;
let password = '';
try {
const res = await client.get<{ password: string }>('/desktop/vnc-password');
password = res.password;
} catch {
if (!isCurrent()) return;
// Officer being down is the common case here, and it comes back — so this is a retry, not a
// dead end. A sidecar that is genuinely missing still ends up at "Disconnected" after five.
retry('Failed to fetch VNC password');
return;
}
if (!isCurrent()) return;
let RFB: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof loadRFB>>['default'];
try {
const mod = await loadRFB();
RFB = mod.default;
} catch (err) {
console.error('[desktop] Failed to load noVNC:', err);
if (!isCurrent()) return;
fatal = true;
setStatus('error');
setErrorMsg('Failed to load noVNC library');
return;
}
if (!isCurrent()) return;
const wsUrl = buildWsUrl();
const rfb = new RFB(container, wsUrl, {
credentials: { password },
});
// The mirror cannot resize — it reflects the physical screen — so resizeSession is off.
// scaleViewport STAYS ON, and it is load-bearing: noVNC maps a click as
// (clientX - canvasRect.left) / display._scale, and autoscale() is the only thing that sets the
// canvas's displayed size and _scale in the same call. Turn it off and _scale is pinned at 1 while
// the canvas is displayed at some other size, which doubled every coordinate on 2026-08-01.
rfb.resizeSession = false;
rfb.scaleViewport = true;
rfb.focusOnClick = true;
// noVNC hides the browser's own cursor over the canvas and draws the REMOTE cursor in its place.
// Until the server sends a cursor shape its image is RFB.cursors.none — so nothing is drawn, the
// real cursor is hidden, and the pointer becomes invisible. Pointer coordinates are unaffected
// (measured: x 5..1108, y 11..714 against a 1109x715 session — a perfect 1:1 map), which is why
// this looked like a desync when it was only ever a visibility problem: the clicks were landing
// correctly all along. A dot is better than nothing when the server has not supplied a shape.
rfb.showDotCursor = true;
rfbRef.current = rfb;
rfb.addEventListener('connect', () => {
if (!isCurrent()) return;
attempts = 0;
setErrorMsg('');
setStatus('connected');
});
// Every disconnect we did not ask for is worth retrying, clean or not: officer closing its side
// tidily during a restart still reports `clean`, and the desktop behind it is still there.
rfb.addEventListener('disconnect', () => {
if (!isCurrent()) return;
rfbRef.current = null;
retry('Connection lost');
});
rfb.addEventListener('credentialsrequired', () => {
rfb.sendCredentials({ password });
});
rfb.addEventListener('securityfailure', (ev: CustomEvent) => {
if (!isCurrent()) return;
fatal = true;
setStatus('error');
setErrorMsg(ev.detail.reason || 'Security failure');
});
};
// Coming back to the tab after the retries ran out should try once more rather than stay dead.
const handleVisibility = () => {
if (disposed || fatal || document.visibilityState !== 'visible') return;
if (rfbRef.current || retryTimer) return;
attempts = 0;
setStatus('connecting');
void connect();
};
document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibility);
void connect();
return () => {
disposed = true;
document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', handleVisibility);
if (retryTimer) clearTimeout(retryTimer);
detach();
};
}, [isMounted, client]);
return (
<div
className={className}
style={{ backgroundColor: '#1a1a2e', overflow: 'hidden', position: 'relative', ...style }}
>
{status === 'connecting' && (
<div className="absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
Connecting to desktop...
</div>
)}
{(status === 'reconnecting' || status === 'disconnected' || status === 'error') && (
<div className="absolute inset-0 flex items-center justify-center text-sm text-muted-foreground">
{errorMsg || 'Disconnected from desktop'}
</div>
)}
<div ref={containerRef} style={{ width: '100%', height: '100%' }} />
</div>
);
};
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
import { DesktopView } from './DesktopView';
export const DesktopWrapper = () => <DesktopView className="h-full w-full" />;
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
import type { AppRegistryMeta } from '../../AppRegistry';
import { MonitorSmartphone } from 'lucide-react';
import { DesktopWrapper } from './DesktopWrapper';
import { DesktopHeader } from './DesktopHeader';
export { DesktopView, type DesktopViewProps } from './DesktopView';
export const appRegistryMetas: AppRegistryMeta[] = [
{
key: 'officerdev/desktop',
name: 'Remote Desktop',
icon: MonitorSmartphone,
component: DesktopWrapper,
header: DesktopHeader,
availableOnPanel: false,
// noVNC scales the remote framebuffer itself and maps pointer coordinates against that; a wrapping
// CSS transform would leave every click landing somewhere other than where it was aimed.
zoomable: false,
},
];
-2
View File
@@ -86,8 +86,6 @@ export type { FileType } from './apps/FileViewer';
export { SeekBar, useSeekBar } from './apps/FileViewer/renderers/SeekBar';
export { TerminalView } from './apps/Terminal';
export type { TerminalViewProps } from './apps/Terminal';
export { DesktopView } from './apps/Desktop';
export type { DesktopViewProps } from './apps/Desktop';
export {
DashboardListApp,
DashboardPreview,