A conceptual companion to registry.md's field-level gateway reference. Covers the
two questions (resolve / trust) an internal-only LAN service must answer:
- DNS: gateway-as-ingress, path-prefix vs host routes, LAN name resolution,
wildcard records, split-horizon (internal names, no public A records), and the
private-TLD vs public-subdomain zone styles with the worked router/wild-central
topology.
- TLS: the three gateway.tls modes (off / internal / acme) with when-to-use, the
internal-CA distribution pain vs the acme DNS-01 "no client setup" win, the
secure-context (WebCrypto) rationale, the put-a-service-on-HTTPS recipe,
operational prerequisites (443/80 bind, plugin caddy, DNS token, staging), and a
decision table.
Linked from CLAUDE.md's docs list.
internal-CA HTTPS forces every device to trust a private root, which breaks down
on some clients (Android browsers). acme mode instead obtains a real Let's Encrypt
wildcard cert (*.<domain>) via a DNS-01 challenge, so browsers trust it with zero
CA install — while services stay internal-only (no inbound exposure, no public A
records; only a transient _acme-challenge TXT touches the public zone, and LAN DNS
resolves the names to a private IP).
- Config: GatewayConfig/NodeConfig gain domain, acme_email, acme_dns_provider
(plumbed through load/save + registry + deploy, omitted-when-empty for
round-trip stability). tls stays the discriminator: off | internal | acme.
- Caddyfile generator: acme branch emits a global {email, acme_dns <provider>
{env.TOKEN}} block + one *.<domain> wildcard site with host matchers derived
from the service name (<name>.<domain>); path/static stay on :<port>. Shared
_host_matcher_block helper (reused by off-mode). CASTLE_ACME_STAGING=1 toggles
the LE staging CA; acme-without-domain falls back to HTTP with a warning.
- deploy(): _acme_preflight warns (never writes) when domain, the gateway-service
token env, or the CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN secret is missing.
- install.sh: opt-in --with-dns-plugin[=provider] builds a DNS-plugin Caddy via
xcaddy (pinned) to /usr/local/bin/caddy, which the gateway picks up on deploy.
- Tests: TestCaddyfileTlsAcme (global block, wildcard site, derived host matcher,
path routes on :port, staging toggle, no-domain fallback). Docs: gateway.tls
modes table + full acme/DNS-01 section (setup, wild-central LAN DNS, staging).
Adds "a stack whose default is a substrate": a shared self-hosted Supabase
backend plus a `--stack supabase` that scaffolds per-app projects (migrations +
edge functions + static UI) which deploy against it. Apps own their code and
stay repo-durable; only their rows/blobs live on the shared substrate.
- compose runner: new RunCompose supervises a multi-container stack as one
systemd unit (ExecStart=`compose up`, generated ExecStop=`compose down`);
secrets via EnvironmentFile. Reusable beyond Supabase. Deployment.stop_cmd
carries the teardown command through the registry.
- supabase stack: CLI --stack choice, STACK_DEFAULTS→frontend with
build.outputs=[public], _scaffold_supabase() (migrations/RLS/functions/
static UI/app manifest), and SupabaseHandler with a forward-only idempotent
migration runner (plan_migrations + psql build) and deno dev-verbs.
- docs: docs/stacks/supabase.md, registered in CLAUDE.md; compose runner
documented in registry.md.
- tests: compose run/stop cmd, systemd ExecStop, compose host-route TLS,
migration planner, supabase verb resolution, create --stack supabase.
When the gateway serves internal-CA HTTPS (gateway.tls=internal), other devices
must trust Caddy's root CA to accept *.lan HTTPS. Surface that from the dashboard
instead of hand-copying root.crt around.
- API: GET /gateway/ca.crt returns the public root cert (PEM) as a download,
sourced from Caddy's admin API (/pki/ca/local — matches the running gateway)
with an on-disk root.crt fallback. 404 unless tls=internal. GatewayInfo gains
`tls` and `ca_fingerprint` (SHA-256, for out-of-band verification). The CA
private key is never exposed — only the public root.
- UI: a "CA cert" button in the Gateway panel, shown only when tls=internal,
linking to the download with the fingerprint in its tooltip.
- Tests for the tls=off defaults and the 404-without-internal-tls path; docs note
the button + endpoint.
The gateway was HTTP-only by design, but a plain-HTTP origin is not a browser
"secure context", so apps that need WebCrypto (device identity, E2E crypto)
can't run when proxied — only localhost or HTTPS qualifies.
Add an opt-in `gateway.tls: internal`. When set, each host route
(proxy.caddy.host) is emitted as its own `<host> { tls internal; reverse_proxy }`
site, served over HTTPS by Caddy's local CA (Caddy binds :443 and redirects :80).
Path-prefix/static routes stay on the HTTP :<port> site — give a service a host
route to put it on HTTPS. Default (unset/off) keeps the existing HTTP-only
Caddyfile (single :<port> block, auto_https off, host matchers inline).
Plumbing mirrors gateway_port: GatewayConfig.tls (castle.yaml load/save) →
NodeConfig.gateway_tls (registry load/save, set in deploy) → the Caddyfile
generator. Tests cover both modes; docs/registry.md documents the option plus
the two operational requirements (binding 443/80 via the unprivileged-port
sysctl, and trusting Caddy's root CA on clients) and the host-route-vs-prefix
guidance that motivates it.
- Introduced `_write_castle_config` function to scatter nested config into separate YAML files for programs, services, and jobs.
- Updated `castle_root` fixture to utilize the new config writing method.
- Added tests for configuration aggregation and scattering in `test_health.py`.
- Removed legacy unit handling from `manifest.py` and refactored related code in `config.py`.
- Updated documentation to reflect new configuration directory structure.
- Removed obsolete unit tests related to unit expansion.
A python-runner service ran from a tool venv (uv tool install --editable),
separate from the project venv that uv sync manages. The editable link kept
source live, but dependencies were resolved independently in each venv, so a
new dependency landed in the project venv and never reached the running
service — leaving no clean rollout for it.
Deploy now emits ExecStart=uv run --project <source> --no-dev <program>,
running the service in place from its own project venv. uv run syncs the env
to the lockfile before launching, so a single restart picks up both code and
dependency changes; the ExecStart is deterministic from source and never goes
stale. The tool-venv install is gated to the command runner only; uv tool
install is reserved for tool-behavior programs, where PATH is the point. A
python service with no resolvable source falls back to a PATH lookup.
The gateway does two things — reverse-proxy services and serve static
frontends — but the dashboard/API route table only ever showed the proxy
routes, so 'serving a frontend' and 'proxying a service' looked like unrelated
features and castle-app/power-graph-app were invisible in the route view.
Now there's one concept: a route maps an address (path '/foo' or host 'foo.lan')
to a target of one kind — static (a built dist served by file_server), proxy
(a local service port), or remote (a service on another node).
- core: caddyfile.py gains compute_routes() — the single source of truth for
the route list; generate_caddyfile_from_registry renders it (output byte-for-
byte identical, verified against the live Caddyfile). Adds a GatewayRoute
dataclass.
- api: GatewayRoute model → {address, kind, target, name, node}; GET /gateway
builds from compute_routes (incl. config for static frontends + mesh for
remote), so the table matches what Caddy actually does.
- app: Gateway panel shows Address · Kind · Target for every route (static
frontends + host routes now appear); program detail shows 'Reachable at
/foo/ · served (static)' for static frontends.
- cli: 'castle gateway status' prints the full route table.
- docs: registry.md/design.md/CLAUDE.md describe routes as one concept with
three target kinds.
core 94 / cli 24 / api 52 green; ruff + app build clean; Caddyfile unchanged.
A service/job's env is now exactly its defaults.env — castle injects no hidden
convention vars. Values support ${port}/${data_dir}/${name} placeholders
(resolved at deploy, alongside ${secret:…}), so a program's own env var names
map to castle's computed values without hardcoding.
Why: the auto-injected <PREFIX>_PORT/<PREFIX>_DATA_DIR were a guess at the
program's env names — right for castle-scaffolded services, dead weight for
adopted ones (lakehouse carried two dead vars; notification-bridge/backup jobs
too). They also weren't visible in the config editor (computed at deploy), which
was the source of the 'four env vars but the UI shows none' mystery.
- core: resolve_env_vars gains a context (${port}/${data_dir}/${name});
deploy builds env from defaults.env only — no <PREFIX>_* injection, no
port_env. Removed the port_env field and the dead _env_prefix helper.
- cli: 'service/job create' gains repeatable --env KEY=VALUE (replaces
--port-env); 'program create' scaffolds <PREFIX>_PORT/_DATA_DIR: ${…} for new
daemons.
- app: removed the 'Port env' field; the Environment editor (defaults.env) is
the single place, with a placeholder hint.
- live migration: central-context/castle-api/power-graph/protonmail mapped their
real vars explicitly; lakehouse → just LAKEHOUSED_DAEMON_PORT: ${port}, data
stays in ~/.lakehoused. Verified all services healthy on their ports, dead
vars gone, zero failed units.
- docs: registry.md/design.md/stack guides + findings updated to the explicit
model.
core 94 / cli 24 / api 52 green; ruff + app build clean.
Sweep of accumulated drift unrelated to the CLI reorg:
- Source paths: ~/.castle/code/<name> → /data/repos/<name> (REPOS_DIR), and
source: code/X → absolute /data/repos/X. registry.md source-resolution table
and 'how programs get in' section rewritten for the /data/repos layout.
- Old field name component: → program: in all YAML examples.
- Old term 'component' → 'program' throughout design.md and the stack guides.
- Frontend serving: corrected the copy-to-artifacts/content model to serve-in-
place from the repo (<source>/<dist>), matching Phase 2b; dropped the dead
_copy_app_static reference and the 'runtime never references the source tree'
claim (frontends are the deliberate exception).
- Stale endpoints/commands: /components → /deployments; castle create/add →
castle program create/add in the create.py/add.py docstrings.
CLAUDE.md was already current. cli 24 green; ruff clean.
Names collide across resource types (a program and a service can share a name),
so the CLI no longer resolves bare names. Operations live under the resource
they act on; platform lifecycle and the cross-resource overview stay top-level.
castle program list|info|create|add|clone|delete|run|install|uninstall|
build|test|lint|format|type-check|check
castle service list|info|create|delete|deploy|enable|disable|start|stop|restart|logs
castle job <same verbs> (create takes --schedule)
castle gateway start|stop|reload|status
castle list | status | deploy [name] # cross-cutting
castle start | stop | restart # whole platform (systemd verbs)
Key changes:
- info/delete/list/run are resource-scoped (no more cross-section name match).
- delete only removes the named resource's entry; program delete still blocks
when a deployment references it.
- per-resource start/stop/restart (systemctl on the unit/timer); top-level
start/stop/restart act on the whole platform.
- expose → 'service create' (more general: --program ref, --runner); gained
'job create' (the CLI never had one).
- dropped up/down — bringing things online is the honest 'deploy && start'.
Docs (CLAUDE.md, registry.md, stack guides) and user-facing messages updated.
core 94 / cli 24 / api 52 green; ruff clean. Verified live: program/service/job
list+info scope correctly, service create+scoped-delete round-trips.
Driven by adopting lakehouse (an existing daemon that bundles its own SPA) —
see docs/findings-lakehouse.md.
#3 deploy reloads the gateway. castle deploy regenerated the Caddyfile but
left the running Caddy on the old config, so new proxy routes were silently
dead. Deploy now reloads the gateway when it's running.
#1 castle expose <program>. Turns an adopted program into a service
(run/port/health/proxy/systemd) in one command — the missing
daemon-to-service step. Flags: --port --health --path --run --port-env
--host --no-proxy.
#2 port_env mapping. A service can declare expose.http.internal.port_env so
castle sets the env var the program actually reads (e.g. lakehoused reads
LAKEHOUSED_DAEMON_PORT, not castle's convention LAKEHOUSE_PORT). Castle now
genuinely drives an adopted daemon's bind port.
#4a auto-base for react-vite. The build passes VITE_BASE = the gateway serve
prefix (/<name>/, or / for castle-app); vite.config reads it. A castle-built
frontend now works at its subpath with no hand-tuned base. castle-app's
vite.config updated as the reference.
#4b host-based routing. proxy.caddy.host routes a whole hostname to the backend
root via a host matcher inside the :9000 site, so a root-based SPA (base="/")
serves unchanged — the fix for proxying an app castle can't rebuild. Caddyfile
now emits 'auto_https off' (HTTP-only gateway on a non-standard port).
Nit: activate skips the editable reinstall when the tool is already on PATH.
Tests: core 94, cli 24, api 52; ruff + app build clean. Verified live: lakehouse
runs under systemd, API at /lakehouse, full UI (SPA boots) via host routing.
Move all instance state into ~/.castle/ with clear separation:
- code/ — user project source (was components/)
- artifacts/ — generated specs, built content (was generated/, static/)
- data/ — service runtime data (was /data/castle/)
- secrets/ — credentials
castle.yaml moves to ~/.castle/castle.yaml as the canonical location.
Source paths use repo: prefix for git repo programs (castle-api, app)
and relative paths for user projects (code/central-context).
Add idempotent install.sh for bootstrapping infrastructure (Docker,
Caddy, MQTT, Postgres, Neo4j) with interactive service detection.
Remove components/ from repo (now in ~/.castle/code/), deinit
submodules, remove .gitmodules.
- Updated the terminology from "components" to "programs" across the codebase, including in config loading, saving, and manifest specifications.
- Introduced a new `stacks.py` file to handle lifecycle actions for development stacks, implementing handlers for Python and React Vite stacks.
- Adjusted tests to reflect the new program structure and ensure proper functionality.
- Revised documentation to align with the new terminology and structure, ensuring clarity on the purpose and configuration of programs, services, and jobs.
feat: implement HealthBadge and RoleBadge components for displaying health status and roles
feat: create LogViewer component for streaming logs of services
feat: develop SecretsEditor for managing secrets with CRUD operations
feat: introduce ToolCard component for displaying tool information
style: add global CSS variables and styles for consistent theming
feat: set up API client for handling requests to the backend
feat: implement hooks for fetching components, statuses, and tools
feat: create routes for dashboard, component details, and tools
feat: add service management endpoints for starting, stopping, and restarting services
feat: implement event bus for handling real-time updates via SSE
feat: create health check and logs endpoints for monitoring services
feat: add tests for health and tools endpoints to ensure functionality
chore: update project configuration files and dependencies for better development experience
- Introduced category tools support in the `castle create` command.
- Added detailed guides for creating components in CLAUDE.md.
- Implemented new API endpoints for listing and retrieving tool details.
- Updated component and tool models to include additional metadata.
- Improved error handling and response structures in service actions.
- Enhanced documentation for component registry and web APIs.
- Introduced `uv.lock` for dependency management with various packages including `pytest`, `colorama`, and `pluggy`.
- Added `pyrightconfig.json` for Python type checking configuration.
- Expanded `recommendations.md` with detailed scaling recommendations and project management strategies.
- Created shared `ruff.toml` for consistent linting across projects.
- Developed `Castle Tools` with various utilities including Android backup, browser automation, document conversion, and search tools.
- Implemented `backup-collect` and `schedule` tools for system administration tasks.
- Enhanced `search` functionality with indexing and querying capabilities using Tantivy.
- Added comprehensive documentation for each tool, including usage examples and installation instructions.
