feat(webui): auth and deployment boundary (#435)

Add bind-host assessment that refuses 0.0.0.0/:: without override,
warns on non-loopback binds, and documents internal-only MVP serving.
Health endpoint exposes deployment metadata; docs cover Access/VPN/WARP
and runtime env assumptions without embedding secrets in the client.

Closes #435

docs/webui-deployment.md

@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# 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
+- **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.
+
+## 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

docs/webui-local-dev.md

@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ Optional environment variables:
 |----------|---------|---------|
 | `WEBUI_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | Bind address (keep local for MVP) |
 | `WEBUI_PORT` | `8765` | Listen port |
+| `WEBUI_REPO_ROOT` | repository root | Prompt library workflow hash root |
+| `WEBUI_PROJECT_REGISTRY` | packaged JSON | Project registry path |
+| `GITEA_MCP_CONFIG` | unset | Server-side MCP profile config (never sent to browser) |
+| `GITEA_MCP_PROFILE` | unset | Active MCP profile name (server-side only) |
+
+See [webui-deployment.md](webui-deployment.md) for internal-only serving,
+Cloudflare Access/WARP/VPN guidance, and unsafe bind overrides (#435).
 
 ## Routes (MVP)
 
@@ -82,8 +89,14 @@ credentials. The UI surfaces pagination proof (returned count, pages fetched,
 If credentials are missing or the fetch fails, the page shows an explicit error
 instead of an empty queue (fail closed).
 
+## Deployment boundary (#435)
+
+MVP serves on loopback by default. Binding `0.0.0.0` or `::` is **refused**
+unless `WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND=1`. Non-loopback hosts log a warning unless
+`WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND=1`. `GET /health` exposes `deployment` metadata.
+
 ## Tests
 
 ```bash
-pytest tests/test_webui_skeleton.py tests/test_webui_project_registry.py tests/test_webui_prompt_library.py tests/test_webui_queue_dashboard.py -q
+pytest tests/test_webui_skeleton.py tests/test_webui_project_registry.py tests/test_webui_prompt_library.py tests/test_webui_queue_dashboard.py tests/test_webui_deployment_boundary.py -q
 ```

tests/test_webui_deployment_boundary.py

@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+"""Tests for web UI deployment and auth boundary (#435)."""
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import unittest
+from pathlib import Path
+
+sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent))
+
+from starlette.testclient import TestClient
+
+from webui.app import create_app
+from webui.deployment_boundary import (
+    assess_bind_host,
+    runtime_assumptions,
+    scan_text_for_client_secrets,
+)
+
+
+class TestBindAssessment(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_loopback_is_safe(self):
+        for host in ("127.0.0.1", "localhost", "::1"):
+            with self.subTest(host=host):
+                result = assess_bind_host(host)
+                self.assertEqual(result.disposition, "safe")
+
+    def test_all_interfaces_refused_by_default(self):
+        for host in ("0.0.0.0", "::", "*"):
+            with self.subTest(host=host):
+                result = assess_bind_host(host)
+                self.assertEqual(result.disposition, "refuse")
+
+    def test_all_interfaces_allowed_with_override(self):
+        prior = os.environ.pop("WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND", None)
+        try:
+            os.environ["WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND"] = "1"
+            result = assess_bind_host("0.0.0.0")
+            self.assertEqual(result.disposition, "warn")
+        finally:
+            os.environ.pop("WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND", None)
+            if prior is not None:
+                os.environ["WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND"] = prior
+
+    def test_non_loopback_warns_without_override(self):
+        prior = os.environ.pop("WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND", None)
+        try:
+            os.environ.pop("WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND", None)
+            result = assess_bind_host("192.168.1.10")
+            self.assertEqual(result.disposition, "warn")
+        finally:
+            if prior is not None:
+                os.environ["WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND"] = prior
+
+    def test_runtime_assumptions_exclude_secrets(self):
+        assumptions = runtime_assumptions()
+        blob = " ".join(str(v) for v in assumptions.values())
+        self.assertNotIn("GITEA_TOKEN", blob)
+        self.assertIn("internal-operator-console", assumptions["deployment_mode"])
+
+
+class TestDeploymentRoutes(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.client = TestClient(create_app(bind_host="127.0.0.1"))
+
+    def test_health_includes_deployment_metadata(self):
+        response = self.client.get("/health")
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        data = response.json()
+        self.assertIn("deployment", data)
+        deployment = data["deployment"]
+        self.assertEqual(deployment["mode"], "internal-operator-console")
+        self.assertEqual(deployment["mvp_auth"], "none")
+        self.assertEqual(deployment["bind"]["disposition"], "safe")
+        self.assertIn("runtime_assumptions", deployment)
+
+    def test_rendered_pages_contain_no_embedded_secrets(self):
+        for path in ("/", "/projects", "/prompts", "/queue"):
+            with self.subTest(path=path):
+                text = self.client.get(path).text
+                self.assertEqual(scan_text_for_client_secrets(text), [])
+
+
+class TestStartupRefusal(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_refuses_all_interface_bind(self):
+        env = {**os.environ, "WEBUI_HOST": "0.0.0.0"}
+        env.pop("WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND", None)
+        repo_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [sys.executable, "-m", "webui"],
+            cwd=repo_root,
+            env=env,
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=3,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(result.returncode, 1)
+
+
+class TestClientSecretScanner(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_detects_token_like_content(self):
+        findings = scan_text_for_client_secrets("var x = GITEA_TOKEN_PRGS")
+        self.assertTrue(findings)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()

tests/test_webui_skeleton.py

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ class TestWebuiSkeleton(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(data["service"], "mcp-control-plane-webui")
         self.assertEqual(data["mode"], "read-only-mvp")
         self.assertIn("timestamp", data)
+        self.assertIn("deployment", data)
+        self.assertEqual(data["deployment"]["mode"], "internal-operator-console")
 
     def test_home_renders(self):
         response = self.client.get("/")

webui/__main__.py

@@ -2,16 +2,30 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import logging
 import os
 
 import uvicorn
 
 from webui.app import create_app
+from webui.deployment_boundary import assess_bind_host
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("webui")
+
+
+def _validate_bind_host(host: str) -> None:
+    assessment = assess_bind_host(host)
+    if assessment.disposition == "refuse":
+        logger.error("webui bind refused: %s", assessment.message)
+        raise SystemExit(1)
+    if assessment.disposition == "warn":
+        logger.warning("webui bind warning: %s", assessment.message)
 
 
 def main() -> None:
     host = os.environ.get("WEBUI_HOST", "127.0.0.1")
     port = int(os.environ.get("WEBUI_PORT", "8765"))
+    _validate_bind_host(host)
     uvicorn.run(create_app(), host=host, port=port, log_level="info")
 
 

webui/app.py

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ from starlette.requests import Request
 from starlette.responses import HTMLResponse, JSONResponse, Response
 from starlette.routing import Route
 
+from webui.deployment_boundary import deployment_snapshot
 from webui.layout import render_page
 from webui.project_registry import find_project, load_registry, registry_to_dict
 from webui.project_views import render_project_detail, render_projects_list
@@ -47,11 +48,13 @@ async def home(_request: Request) -> HTMLResponse:
 
 
 async def health(_request: Request) -> JSONResponse:
+    bind_host = _request.app.state.webui_bind_host
     return JSONResponse({
         "status": "ok",
         "service": "mcp-control-plane-webui",
         "mode": "read-only-mvp",
         "timestamp": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
+        "deployment": deployment_snapshot(bind_host=bind_host),
     })
 
 
@@ -156,9 +159,12 @@ async def method_not_allowed(request: Request, _exc: Exception) -> Response:
     return JSONResponse({"error": "not_found"}, status_code=404)
 
 
-def create_app() -> Starlette:
+def create_app(*, bind_host: str | None = None) -> Starlette:
     """Build the read-only MVP Starlette app."""
-    return Starlette(
+    import os
+
+    resolved_bind = bind_host or os.environ.get("WEBUI_HOST", "127.0.0.1")
+    app = Starlette(
         debug=False,
         routes=[
             Route("/", home, methods=["GET"]),
@@ -177,4 +183,6 @@ def create_app() -> Starlette:
             Route("/leases", leases, methods=["GET"]),
         ],
         exception_handlers={405: method_not_allowed},
-    )
+    )
+    app.state.webui_bind_host = resolved_bind
+    return app

webui/deployment_boundary.py

@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+"""Internal-only deployment boundary for the operator web UI (#435)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import ipaddress
+import os
+import re
+from dataclasses import asdict, dataclass
+from typing import Literal
+
+Disposition = Literal["safe", "warn", "refuse"]
+
+_LOOPBACK_HOSTS = frozenset({"127.0.0.1", "localhost", "::1"})
+_ALL_INTERFACE_HOSTS = frozenset({"0.0.0.0", "::", "*"})
+
+_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV = "WEBUI_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND"
+_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV = "WEBUI_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND"
+
+_FORBIDDEN_CLIENT_PATTERNS = (
+    re.compile(r"GITEA_(?:TOKEN|PASS|PASSWORD)", re.I),
+    re.compile(r"Bearer\s+[A-Za-z0-9._\-]{20,}"),
+    re.compile(r"password\s*[:=]\s*['\"][^'\"]+['\"]", re.I),
+)
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class BindAssessment:
+    host: str
+    disposition: Disposition
+    message: str
+    override_env: str | None = None
+
+
+def _truthy_env(name: str) -> bool:
+    return os.environ.get(name, "").strip().lower() in {"1", "true", "yes"}
+
+
+def assess_bind_host(host: str) -> BindAssessment:
+    """Classify a bind host as safe, warn, or refuse (fail closed on 0.0.0.0/::)."""
+    normalized = (host or "").strip().lower()
+    if not normalized:
+        return BindAssessment(
+            host=host,
+            disposition="refuse",
+            message="WEBUI_HOST must not be empty.",
+        )
+
+    if normalized in _LOOPBACK_HOSTS:
+        return BindAssessment(
+            host=host,
+            disposition="safe",
+            message="Loopback bind — suitable for local operator console.",
+        )
+
+    if normalized in _ALL_INTERFACE_HOSTS:
+        if _truthy_env(_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV):
+            return BindAssessment(
+                host=host,
+                disposition="warn",
+                message=(
+                    "Binding all interfaces. Protect with Cloudflare Access, "
+                    "WARP, VPN, or equivalent before exposing beyond localhost."
+                ),
+                override_env=_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV,
+            )
+        return BindAssessment(
+            host=host,
+            disposition="refuse",
+            message=(
+                f"Refusing all-interface bind ({host!r}). Set "
+                f"{_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV}=1 only when fronted by trusted "
+                "network access controls."
+            ),
+            override_env=_ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV,
+        )
+
+    try:
+        addr = ipaddress.ip_address(normalized)
+        if addr.is_loopback:
+            return BindAssessment(
+                host=host,
+                disposition="safe",
+                message="Loopback bind — suitable for local operator console.",
+            )
+    except ValueError:
+        pass
+
+    if _truthy_env(_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV):
+        return BindAssessment(
+            host=host,
+            disposition="warn",
+            message=(
+                "Non-loopback bind acknowledged. Restrict to a trusted network "
+                "and add Cloudflare Access, WARP, or VPN if reachable beyond it."
+            ),
+            override_env=_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV,
+        )
+
+    return BindAssessment(
+        host=host,
+        disposition="warn",
+        message=(
+            f"Non-loopback bind ({host!r}). MVP expects 127.0.0.1; set "
+            f"{_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV}=1 to acknowledge a trusted-network bind."
+        ),
+        override_env=_ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV,
+    )
+
+
+def runtime_assumptions() -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Documented runtime paths and hosts — never includes secrets."""
+    repo_root = (os.environ.get("WEBUI_REPO_ROOT") or "").strip()
+    registry = (os.environ.get("WEBUI_PROJECT_REGISTRY") or "").strip()
+    profile_config = (os.environ.get("GITEA_MCP_CONFIG") or "").strip()
+    profile_name = (os.environ.get("GITEA_MCP_PROFILE") or "").strip()
+    return {
+        "deployment_mode": "internal-operator-console",
+        "webui_host_env": "WEBUI_HOST",
+        "webui_port_env": "WEBUI_PORT",
+        "webui_repo_root_env": "WEBUI_REPO_ROOT",
+        "webui_repo_root": repo_root or "(defaults to repository root)",
+        "webui_project_registry_env": "WEBUI_PROJECT_REGISTRY",
+        "webui_project_registry": registry or "(packaged webui/data/projects.registry.json)",
+        "gitea_mcp_config_env": "GITEA_MCP_CONFIG",
+        "gitea_mcp_config": profile_config or "(optional; server-side only)",
+        "gitea_mcp_profile_env": "GITEA_MCP_PROFILE",
+        "gitea_mcp_profile": profile_name or "(optional; server-side only)",
+        "gitea_credentials": "Resolved server-side via gitea_auth; never embedded in HTML/JS",
+        "public_bind_override_env": _ALLOW_PUBLIC_BIND_ENV,
+        "remote_bind_override_env": _ALLOW_REMOTE_BIND_ENV,
+    }
+
+
+def scan_text_for_client_secrets(text: str) -> list[str]:
+    """Return human-readable findings if *text* looks like it embeds secrets."""
+    findings: list[str] = []
+    for pattern in _FORBIDDEN_CLIENT_PATTERNS:
+        if pattern.search(text):
+            findings.append(f"matched forbidden client pattern: {pattern.pattern}")
+    return findings
+
+
+def deployment_snapshot(*, bind_host: str | None = None) -> dict[str, object]:
+    host = bind_host if bind_host is not None else os.environ.get("WEBUI_HOST", "127.0.0.1")
+    bind = assess_bind_host(host)
+    return {
+        "mode": "internal-operator-console",
+        "mvp_auth": "none",
+        "bind": asdict(bind),
+        "runtime_assumptions": runtime_assumptions(),
+        "client_secret_policy": (
+            "No Gitea tokens, passwords, or profile secrets in HTML, JS, "
+            "or browser storage."
+        ),
+    }