# Web UI deployment boundary (#435)

The MCP Control Plane web UI is an **internal operator console**, not a
customer-facing application. The MVP assumes local or trusted-network access
only.

## MVP deployment model

- **Default bind:** `127.0.0.1:8765` (`WEBUI_HOST` / `WEBUI_PORT`)
- **Authentication:** none in MVP — protection comes from network placement.
  The authorization, RBAC, redaction, and audit model that future gated writes
  must pass through is defined in
  [`webui-authz-audit.md`](webui-authz-audit.md) (#633).
- **Mutations:** read-only routes; gated write actions remain disabled (#434)
- **Secrets:** resolved server-side via `gitea_auth` / `GITEA_MCP_CONFIG`; never
  embedded in HTML, JavaScript, or browser storage

Do **not** expose the UI on the public internet without an access layer.

## Beyond localhost

If the UI must be reachable outside the operator laptop:

1. Prefer **Cloudflare Access**, **Cloudflare WARP**, or an org **VPN** so only
   authenticated staff reach the service.
2. Bind to a specific interface only when necessary — never `0.0.0.0` / `::`
   without understanding the exposure.
3. Set explicit override env vars only after access controls are in place:
   - `WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND=1` — acknowledges all-interface bind (`0.0.0.0`, `::`)
   - `WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND=1` — acknowledges a non-loopback host

Startup **refuses** all-interface binds unless `WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND=1`.
Non-loopback binds log a warning unless `WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND=1`.

## Environment variables

| Variable | Default | Purpose |
|----------|---------|---------|
| `WEBUI_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | Bind address |
| `WEBUI_PORT` | `8765` | Listen port |
| `WEBUI_REPO_ROOT` | repository root | Workflow/schema hash root for prompt library |
| `WEBUI_PROJECT_REGISTRY` | packaged JSON | Project registry file path |
| `GITEA_MCP_CONFIG` | unset | Server-side MCP profile config path (optional) |
| `GITEA_MCP_PROFILE` | unset | Active MCP profile name (optional) |
| `WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND` | unset | Acknowledge `0.0.0.0` / `::` bind |
| `WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND` | unset | Acknowledge non-loopback bind |

Gitea credentials (`GITEA_TOKEN_*`, `.env.*`, keychain refs) are read only on
the server when a page needs live Gitea data (e.g. `/queue`). They are not
shipped to the browser.

## Health / deployment metadata

`GET /health` includes a `deployment` object with bind disposition, runtime
assumption paths, and the client-secret policy. Use it to verify an instance is
configured for internal-only operation.

## Process restart / reload disposition

The console never exposes a restart or reload control; process restart of the
MCP control-plane runtime is governed separately. Restart is a last resort behind
reconnect/rebind, full restart is operator/admin-only under controller approval
plus safety gates, and break-glass is an incident-backed path. See
[`architecture/mcp-restart-governance.md`](architecture/mcp-restart-governance.md)
(#656).

## Non-goals (MVP)

- Full SSO or session login in the UI
- Hosting on the public internet without Access/VPN/WARP
- Embedding Gitea tokens in the frontend bundle