ThothII/docs/install/server-workspace-registry.md

Server workspace-registry installation

This is the production operator guide. The application image is read-only, secrets are mounted read-only, and sessions use immutable Git-validated snapshots. Expose the application only behind an authenticated same-origin reverse proxy; never publish the core port directly.

Service account, storage, and firewall

Create a dedicated host service account and an operator root such as /srv/thothii. The core container is non-root UID/GID 10001 (thoth), so give that identity read/write ownership before first startup. Keep storage separated:

/srv/thothii/data/                # settings, session data, Pi state as applicable
/srv/thothii/workspace-registry/  # repo/, snapshots/, state/, locks/
/srv/thothii/secrets/             # Git and connector secret files, mode 0700
/srv/thothii/operator/            # untracked Compose/.env, mode 0700

Permit outbound TCP only to approved Git/Gitea, DWH, vector, embedding, and bastion endpoints. Allow inbound traffic only from the reverse proxy/Docker network. Do not give the runtime service account Gitea administration, database-superuser rights, or a shell in the Git host.

Gitea and remote Git setup

Create a private Gitea (or compatible Git) repository such as platform/thoth-workspaces. Protect main according to the release policy and grant the ThothII publisher only the intended repository scope. Commit canonical schema-v2 descriptors and generated .md/.env.example artifacts only; do not commit installation bindings or secret material.

For SSH, create a least-privilege deploy key, record Gitea's host key in managed known-hosts, and use ssh://git@git.example.invalid/platform/thoth-workspaces.git. For HTTPS, create a scoped machine credential in the secret manager and mount the Gitea/private CA separately. Never use a Gitea admin credential in the application.

Bootstrap an empty remote from a temporary review clone: migrate legacy descriptors, review their schema-v2 identity and generated artifacts, commit, and push main. The running server is not an authoring environment for migration.

Git credentials, CA, SSH key, and known-hosts mounts

Use the secret manager or a protected host-only procedure to create independent regular files under /srv/thothii/secrets. Set individual mode 0600, directory mode 0700, and ownership readable by the service account. These path-only variables are mounted read-only by Compose:

THT_WORKSPACE_GIT_CREDENTIALS_FILE=/srv/thothii/secrets/git-credentials
THT_WORKSPACE_GIT_CA_FILE=/srv/thothii/secrets/git-ca.pem
THT_WORKSPACE_GIT_SSH_KEY_FILE=/srv/thothii/secrets/git-ssh-key
THT_WORKSPACE_GIT_KNOWN_HOSTS_FILE=/srv/thothii/secrets/git-known-hosts

Use the credential file for HTTPS, or key and known-hosts for SSH. The base server Compose file mounts neither transport; add exactly one HTTPS override or SSH override. Strict host-key checking stays enabled and Git stderr is not exposed by the API. Rotate by atomically replacing the secret file, restarting core, and performing pull/status; never put the material in an environment variable or rendered Compose output.

Shared Git values, local bindings, and secret files

Git describes workspace schema, immutable ID, DWH/vector identity, semantic-index dimensions and distance, embedding contract, and LLM policy. The installation supplies remote/branch/installation ID and one absolute THT_WORKSPACE_BINDINGS_ENV_FILE containing only THT_WS_* transport, endpoint, user, and /run/secrets/... path bindings. The base Compose loads that file only into core. Secret contents are only in host files, never the values stored in Git or browser-local drafts.

The runtime registry layout is persistent and must be backed up together:

/data/workspace-registry/repo/
/data/workspace-registry/snapshots/
/data/workspace-registry/state/
/data/workspace-registry/locks/

Variable names derive from the immutable ID: psd-clinical becomes PSD_CLINICAL, producing THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_PASSWORD_FILE. A declared vector writer uses the distinct THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_WRITER_API_KEY_FILE; a reader file is never a writer substitute. Copy the bindings env example to the protected operator directory. Every path-valued *_FILE entry needs an absolute host-only *_SOURCE path. Generate the untracked connector override from those files during bootstrap; do not copy or maintain a workspace-specific Compose override.

Direct PostgreSQL, REST, and SSH tunnel bindings

Select only a transport allowed by canonical YAML; preserve database/schema/collection, model, dimensions, and distance as Git-shared identity.

# Direct PostgreSQL/pgvector with verified native TLS if a CA path is supplied.
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_TRANSPORT=postgres_direct
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_HOST=dwh.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_PORT=5432
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_USER=thoth_reader
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-dwh-reader
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_TRANSPORT=pgvector_direct
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_HOST=vector.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_PORT=5432
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_USER=thoth_vector_reader
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-vector-reader

# REST needs API-key file paths only when the descriptor declares authenticated diagnostics.
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_TRANSPORT=rest_api
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_BASE_URL=https://dwh.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_API_KEY_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-dwh-api-key
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_TRANSPORT=rest_api
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_BASE_URL=https://vectors.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_VECTOR_API_KEY_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-vector-api-key
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_EMBEDDING_BASE_URL=https://embeddings.internal.example

# SSH tunnel diagnostic only; runtime sessions are fail-closed in this release.
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_TRANSPORT=ssh_tunnel
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_USER=thoth_reader
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-dwh-reader
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_HOST=bastion.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_PORT=22
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_USER=thoth_tunnel
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-dwh-tunnel-key
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS_FILE=/run/secrets/psd-dwh-known-hosts
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_TARGET_HOST=dwh.internal.example
THT_WS_PSD_CLINICAL_DWH_SSH_TARGET_PORT=5432

Repeat SSH variables for VECTOR when selected. REST diagnostics refuse private per-request CAs rather than disable verification; use runtime-trusted HTTPS or verified direct/SSH native TLS. See the diagnostic protocol for its read-only checks and optional reversible writer probe.

An SSH connector can be tested with strict host-key and target verification, but it intentionally returns workspace_not_activatable; configure direct or REST transport before starting sessions. The Git registry itself may still use SSH normally.

Same-origin reverse proxy, bootstrap, and health

Copy the server Compose example plus exactly one selected Git override to the protected operator directory. Set THT_SOURCE_ROOT to the absolute ThothII checkout; a copied file cannot use a relative build context. Copy deploy/workspaces/server-sessions.yaml.example into that operator directory, review it, then set the absolute THT_SERVER_WORKSPACE_CONFIG path. Copy the bindings env example, then set absolute THT_WORKSPACE_BINDINGS_ENV_FILE and connector *_SOURCE paths. The same .env must set THT_SESSION_DB_HOST, THT_SESSION_DB_NAME, THT_SESSION_RUNTIME_USER, THT_SESSION_RUNTIME_PASSWORD_SOURCE, and THT_SESSION_CA_SOURCE; the base Compose file wires postgres, verify-full, and the two Docker secret mount paths. This is the public server profile, not a filesystem-session fallback. A Compose .env file is not a shell environment, so do not import it into the maintenance shell. Explicitly export the non-secret source and bindings paths before running the commands below.

Configure the portal proxy so the frontend and /api share one origin. It authenticates first and forwards the trusted identity expected by AUTH_MODE=upstream; it is the only public listener. From a trusted maintenance shell:

export THT_SOURCE_ROOT=/absolute/path/to/ThothII
export THT_WORKSPACE_BINDINGS_ENV_FILE="$(pwd -P)/workspace-bindings.env"
"$THT_SOURCE_ROOT/scripts/generate-connector-secrets-override.sh" --bindings-env "$THT_WORKSPACE_BINDINGS_ENV_FILE" --operator-env .env --output connector-secrets.local.yaml
"$THT_SOURCE_ROOT/scripts/compose-with-preflight.sh" --env-file .env \
  -f compose.workspace-registry.yaml -f git-ssh.workspace-registry.yaml -f connector-secrets.local.yaml up --build -d
"$THT_SOURCE_ROOT/scripts/compose-with-preflight.sh" --env-file .env \
  -f compose.workspace-registry.yaml -f git-ssh.workspace-registry.yaml -f connector-secrets.local.yaml exec -T core curl --fail --silent http://127.0.0.1:8787/health
"$THT_SOURCE_ROOT/scripts/compose-with-preflight.sh" --env-file .env \
  -f compose.workspace-registry.yaml -f git-ssh.workspace-registry.yaml -f connector-secrets.local.yaml exec -T core curl --fail --silent http://127.0.0.1:8787/workspace-registry/status

/health is liveness. Registry status verifies branch/head/degraded state and the active validated snapshot; authenticated /workspaces verifies application access. A server with no active snapshot is not ready for workspace sessions even if liveness succeeds.

Pull, publish, upgrade, backup, and recovery

Use the authenticated Workspace Management UI or POST /workspace-registry/pull. Drafts are browser-local. Publish takes a canonical diff, validates before commit, and pushes under a registry lock. On workspace_conflict, pull, resolve the reviewed field-level draft, validate/test, and publish; never edit repo/ inside a running volume.

For upgrades, record active status/head, drain active Pi work, stop core, and take a filesystem-consistent backup of /srv/thothii/workspace-registry plus /srv/thothii/data. Exclude /srv/thothii/secrets. Render Compose, deploy the compatible image, verify health/status, then resume proxy traffic.

For PSD migration, use a temporary review clone and the legacy transformer with absolute paths. Its schema-v1 output is migration_required; explicitly supply vector database/schema, collection identity, diagnostics, and the reviewed v2 contract before commit. Never import ${ENV} values or copy secret files.

After valid bootstrap, Git outage retains the active snapshot with degraded: true. Repair egress/DNS/CA/credentials, pull, and confirm healthy status. Roll back a bad descriptor through a reviewed Git revert/release branch, advance the remote through normal policy, pull it, and confirm the replacement snapshot. Restore a registry backup only while stopped and with a compatible image; do not delete snapshots as a rollback shortcut.

Troubleshooting and snapshot rollback

Stable code	Meaning and safe response
workspace_invalid	Invalid descriptor/path/snapshot; restore a reviewed canonical Git revision.
binding_missing	Missing/invalid local value or readable *_FILE; correct mount and permissions.
workspace_not_activatable	Bindings/diagnostics cannot activate; use sanitized fields to fix selected transport.
workspace_stale	Checkout changed/locked; stop concurrent registry work, never force Git in the volume.
workspace_conflict	Draft base stale; pull, resolve, validate, republish.
git_unavailable	Storage/remote/DNS/firewall/lock failed; preserve degraded active state while repairing it.
git_auth_failed	SSH/HTTPS material rejected or unreadable; rotate/fix file without printing it.
git_non_fast_forward	Checkout diverged; reconcile through registry workflow and branch policy.
git_push_rejected	Gitea policy rejected publish; review hooks/branch protection.
connector_unavailable	DNS/TLS/auth/resource identity failed; check egress and local bindings.
semantic_index_incompatible	Collection/model/dimensions/distance differs; perform explicit index migration.

If the current snapshot is valid but Git remains down, continue only work safe on that pinned revision and monitor status. If snapshots are missing or corrupt, stop the service, restore the newest verified registry backup, start it privately, verify status, and then reopen proxy traffic. A first-bootstrap failure has no fallback: repair remote trust rather than creating an unreviewed runtime checkout.