claude-code-conduit/claude-info/architecture.md

# Architecture

## File layout

```
server/
  index.mjs           — Express app, routing, policy enforcement
  actions.mjs         — Action registry (add new actions here)
  auth.mjs            — HMAC-SHA256 middleware, canApprove/policy checks
  config.mjs          — Loads config.json + secrets.json
  helpers.mjs         — exec(), path resolution, volume mapping
  queue.mjs           — In-memory queue for policy=queue actions
  mail_perms.mjs      — Persistent mail permission store (JSON file)
  mailer.mjs          — Nodemailer wrapper
  policy_overrides.mjs — Runtime policy override store (JSON file)
  google_calendar.mjs  — Google Calendar API wrapper (googleapis)

bin/
  ccc-server.mjs   — Server entry point
  ccc-client.mjs   — CLI client (used by agent)
  ccc-queue.mjs    — TUI queue manager (used by human on host)
  ccc-keygen.mjs   — Secret generation / filtering utility
```

## Request lifecycle

1. Client signs request with HMAC-SHA256 (includes timestamp; replays rejected after 30s)
2. `auth.mjs` middleware validates signature, sets `req.conduit_user`
3. `POST /action` looks up the action definition in `actions.mjs`
4. Validates required params
5. Applies policy:
   - `auto-accept` → runs handler immediately, returns result
   - `queue` → enqueues, returns `{ status: 'queued', id }`; human approves/denies via TUI
   - `auto-deny` → rejects immediately

## Action handler context (`ctx`)

```js
{
  caller,          // string — authenticated username
  users,           // object — full users map from secrets.json
  mail_perm_store, // MailPermStore instance
  exec,            // (bin, args) => void — runs a host process (no-op in --dry-run)
  mailer_send,     // async (to, subject, body) => void
  calendar,        // Google_Calendar_Client | null — null if not configured
}

// Effective policy resolution (index.mjs, evaluated per request):
// 1. action's group is disabled → auto-deny
// 2. action has individual override → use it
// 3. fall back to hardcoded policy in actions.mjs
```

New modules are instantiated in `index.mjs` and added to `make_ctx()`.

## Config file (`config.json`)

```json
{
  "secrets":    "../secrets.json",   // required — path to users/secrets
  "mail_perms": "mail-perms.json",   // optional — persists mail permissions
  "smtp": { ... },                   // optional — enables send-email action
  "bind": "127.0.0.1",
  "port": 3015
}
```

All relative paths are resolved from the config file's directory.

## Secrets file (`secrets.json`)

```json
{
  "users": {
    "agent": { "secret": "<hmac-key>", "canApprove": [] },
    "user":  { "secret": "<hmac-key>", "canApprove": ["agent"] }
  }
}
```

`canApprove` lists whose queued actions a user may approve/deny.

## Path resolution

Container paths are translated to host paths via `VOLUME_MAPPING` in `server/helpers.mjs`. Paths outside known volumes are rejected. Default mapping:

| Container | Host |
|-----------|------|
| `/workspace` | `<CONTAINER_PATH>/workspace` |
| `/home/claude` | `<CONTAINER_PATH>/claude-home` |

Edit `CONTAINER_PATH` and `VOLUME_MAPPING` in `helpers.mjs` to match the local setup.

## Adding a new action

```js
// server/actions.mjs
'my-action': {
    description: 'What it does',
    params: [
        { name: 'foo', required: true,  type: 'string' },
        { name: 'bar', required: false, type: 'path' },
    ],
    policy: 'auto-accept',  // or 'queue' | 'auto-deny'
    group: 'my-group',      // optional — makes it togglable in the TUI policy view
    handler: ({ foo, bar }, ctx) => {
        // ctx is optional — omit second arg if unused
        return { result: foo };
    },
},
```

## Permission model

- `canApprove` in `secrets.json` — static root of trust, never runtime-writable
- Queue approve/deny — requires `canApprove` over the submitting user
- Mail permissions — requires `canApprove` over the target user
- **Policy overrides** — requires `canApprove.length > 0` (i.e. any user trusted to approve others)

This precedent means: **to mutate permissions, you must have authority over the affected party.** Agents start with `canApprove: []` so they can never elevate their own access.

## Adding a new injectable service (like mailer or calendar)

1. Create `server/my_service.mjs` exporting a factory function
2. Extend `load_config` in `server/config.mjs` to read and return the new config block
3. Instantiate the service in `index.mjs` using the config values
4. Add it to the `make_ctx()` return object
5. Use it in action handlers via `ctx.my_service`

See [`contributing.md`](contributing.md) for the full checklist when adding any feature.