The web UI shipped as "experimental" and was never finished — no nav
off the dashboard, no live updates, no settled design, never a
supported surface. It was opt-in by default already; leaving the code
in the tree for v0.1.0 only invited "does this work?" questions and
kept HostSummary/BangerSummary/SudoStatus types on the public RPC
surface that nothing else uses.
Removed:
internal/webui/ (all Go + templates + assets)
internal/daemon/web.go (server start / Layout / Config / ListVMs / ListImages)
internal/daemon/dashboard.go (DashboardSummary aggregator)
Simplified:
internal/api/types.go drop WebURL on PingResult, drop
HostSummary / SudoStatus / BangerSummary /
DashboardSummary / DashboardSummaryResult
internal/model/types.go drop DaemonConfig.WebListenAddr
internal/config/config.go drop web_listen_addr from fileConfig + Load
internal/daemon/daemon.go drop webListener / webServer / webURL fields +
startWebServer() call + ping WebURL population
internal/cli/banger.go `daemon status` output no longer branches on web
internal/daemon/{doc.go,ARCHITECTURE.md} drop web UI sections
README.md drop web_listen_addr config bullet + security paragraph
Tests updated to reflect the new shape. Coverage 57.3 -> 58.9% (the
webui package was largely untested; its removal lifts the ratio
without moving the numerator). `banger daemon status` output and
--help are web-free. Lint + full suite green.
Separates what a VM IS (durable intent + identity + deterministic
derived paths — `VMRuntime`) from what is CURRENTLY TRUE about it
(firecracker PID, tap device, loop devices, dm-snapshot target — new
`VMHandles`). The durable state lives in the SQLite `vms` row; the
transient state lives in an in-memory cache on the daemon plus a
per-VM `handles.json` scratch file inside VMDir, rebuilt at startup
from OS inspection. Nothing kernel-level rides the SQLite schema
anymore.
Why:
Persisting ephemeral process handles to SQLite forced reconcile to
treat "running with a stale PID" as a first-class case and mix it
with real state transitions. The schema described what we last
observed, not what the VM is. Every time the observation model
shifted (tap pool, DM naming, pgrep fallback) the reconcile logic
grew a new branch. Splitting lets each layer own what it's good at:
durable records describe intent, in-memory cache + scratch file
describe momentary reality.
Shape:
- `model.VMHandles` = PID, TapDevice, BaseLoop, COWLoop, DMName,
DMDev. Never in SQLite.
- `VMRuntime` keeps: State, GuestIP, APISockPath, VSockPath,
VSockCID, LogPath, MetricsPath, DNSName, VMDir, SystemOverlay,
WorkDiskPath, LastError. All durable or deterministic.
- `handleCache` on `*Daemon` — mutex-guarded map + scratch-file
plumbing (`writeHandlesFile` / `readHandlesFile` /
`rediscoverHandles`). See `internal/daemon/vm_handles.go`.
- `d.vmAlive(vm)` replaces the 20+ inline
`vm.State==Running && ProcessRunning(vm.Runtime.PID, apiSock)`
spreads. Single source of truth for liveness.
- Startup reconcile: per running VM, load the scratch file, pgrep
the api sock, either keep (cache seeded from scratch) or demote
to stopped (scratch handles passed to cleanupRuntime first so DM
/ loops / tap actually get torn down).
Verification:
- `go test ./...` green.
- Live: `banger vm run --name handles-test -- cat /etc/hostname`
starts; `handles.json` appears in VMDir with the expected PID,
tap, loops, DM.
- `kill -9 $(pgrep bangerd)` while the VM is running, re-invoke the
CLI, daemon auto-starts, reconcile recognises the VM as alive,
`banger vm ssh` still connects, `banger vm delete` cleans up.
Tests added:
- vm_handles_test.go: scratch-file roundtrip, missing/corrupt file
behaviour, cache concurrency, rediscoverHandles prefers pgrep
over scratch, returns scratch contents even when process is
dead (so cleanup can tear down kernel state).
- vm_test.go: reconcile test rewritten to exercise the new flow
(write scratch → reconcile reads it → verifies process is gone →
issues dmsetup/losetup teardown).
ARCHITECTURE.md updated; `handles` added to Daemon field docs.
Replaces the static model.Default* constants that drove --vcpu / --memory
/ --disk-size with a three-layer resolver:
1. [vm_defaults] in ~/.config/banger/config.toml (if set)
2. host-derived heuristics (cpus/4 capped at 4; ram/8 capped at 8 GiB)
3. baked-in constants (floor)
Visibility:
- Every `vm run` / `vm create` prints a `spec:` line before progress
begins: `spec: 4 vcpu · 8192 MiB · 8G disk`. Matches the VM that
actually gets created because the CLI is now the single source of
truth — it resolves, populates the flag defaults, and forwards the
explicit values to the daemon.
- `banger doctor` adds a "vm defaults" check showing per-field
provenance (config|auto|builtin) and the config file path for
overrides.
- `--help` shows the resolved defaults (e.g. `--vcpu int (default 4)`
on an 8-core host).
No `banger config init` command, no first-run side effects, no writes
to the user's filesystem behind their back. Users who want explicit
control set the keys; everyone else gets sensible numbers that track
their hardware.
Replace the three hardcoded host→guest credential syncs (opencode,
claude, pi) with a generic `[[file_sync]]` config list. Default is
empty — users opt in to exactly what they want synced, with no
surprise about which tools banger "supports".
```toml
[[file_sync]]
host = "~/.local/share/opencode/auth.json"
guest = "~/.local/share/opencode/auth.json"
[[file_sync]]
host = "~/.aws" # directories are copied recursively
guest = "~/.aws"
[[file_sync]]
host = "~/bin/my-script"
guest = "~/bin/my-script"
mode = "0755" # optional; default 0600 for files
```
Semantics:
- Host `~/...` expands against the host user's $HOME. Absolute host
paths are used as-is.
- Guest must live under `~/` or `/root/...` — banger's work disk is
mounted at /root in the guest, so that's the syncable namespace.
Anything outside is rejected at config load.
- Validation at config load: reject empty paths, relative paths,
`..` traversal, `~user/...`, malformed mode strings. Errors name
the offending entry index.
- Missing host paths are a soft skip with a warn log (existing
behaviour). Other errors (read, mkdir, install) abort VM create.
- File entries: `install -o 0 -g 0 -m <mode>` (default 0600).
- Directory entries: walked in Go; each source file is installed
with its own source permissions preserved. The entry's `mode` is
ignored for directories.
Removed (all dead after this):
- `ensureOpencodeAuthOnWorkDisk`, `ensureClaudeAuthOnWorkDisk`,
`ensurePiAuthOnWorkDisk`, the shared `ensureAuthFileOnWorkDisk`,
their `warn*Skipped` helpers, `resolveHost{Opencode,Claude,Pi}AuthPath`,
and the work-disk relative-path + default display-path constants.
- The capability hook registering the three syncs now calls the
generic `runFileSync` once.
Seven tests exercising the old codepath deleted; six new tests cover
the new runFileSync (no-op on empty config, file copy, custom mode,
missing-host-skip, overwrite, recursive directory). Config-layer
test adds happy-path parsing and a case-per-shape table of invalid
entries (empty, relative host, guest outside /root, '..' traversal,
`~user`, bad mode).
README updated: replaces the "Credential sync" section with a
"File sync" section showing the new config shape.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
The `image build` flow spun up a transient Firecracker VM, SSHed in,
and ran a large bash provisioning script to derive a new managed
image from an existing one. It overlapped heavily with the golden-
image Dockerfile flow (same mise/docker/tmux/opencode install logic
duplicated in Go as `imagemgr.BuildProvisionScript`) and had far more
machinery: async op state, RPC begin/status/cancel, webui form +
operation page, preflight checks, API types, tests. For custom
images, writing a Dockerfile is simpler and more reproducible.
Removed end-to-end:
- CLI `image build` subcommand + `absolutizeImageBuildPaths`.
- Daemon: BuildImage method, imagebuild.go (transient-VM orchestration),
image_build_ops.go (async begin/status/cancel), imagemgr/build.go
(the 247-line provisioning script generator and all its append*
helpers), validateImageBuildPrereqs + addImageBuildPrereqs.
- RPC dispatches for image.build / .begin / .status / .cancel.
- opstate registry `imageBuildOps`, daemon seam `imageBuild`,
background pruner call.
- API types: ImageBuildParams, ImageBuildOperation, ImageBuildBeginResult,
ImageBuildStatusParams, ImageBuildStatusResult; model type
ImageBuildRequest.
- Web UI: Backend interface methods, handlers, form, routes, template
branches (images.html build form, operation.html build branch,
dashboard.html Build button).
- Tests that directly exercised BuildImage.
Doctor polish (task C):
- Drop the "image build" preflight section entirely (its raison d'être
is gone).
- Default-image check now accepts "not local but in imagecat" as OK:
vm create auto-pulls on first use. Only flag when the image is
neither locally registered nor in the catalog.
Net: 24 files touched, 1,373 lines deleted, 25 added.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Add daemon-backed workspace and guest-session primitives so host
orchestrators can prepare /root/repo, launch long-lived guest commands,
and attach to pipe-mode sessions over the local stdio mux bridge.
Persist richer session metadata and launch diagnostics, preflight guest
cwd/command requirements, make pipe-mode attach rehydratable from guest
state after daemon restart, and allow submodules when workspace prepare
runs in full_copy mode.
At the same time, stop vm run from auto-attaching opencode, make it
print next-step commands instead, and make glibc guest images more
agent-ready by installing node, opencode, claude, and pi while syncing
opencode/claude/pi auth files into work disks on VM start.
Validation:
- GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./...
- make build
- banger vm workspace prepare --help
- banger vm session --help
- banger vm session start --help
- banger vm session attach --help
Make `banger vm list` easier to scan by resolving each VM image ID back to the registered image name when that mapping is available, while still falling back to a short ID for unknown images.
Raise the shared default VM memory from 1024 MiB to 2048 MiB so new VMs, CLI help, and daemon-side defaults all align on a 2 GiB baseline.
Add CLI coverage for the image-name rendering path and validate the change with go test ./..., make build, `banger vm list`, and `banger vm create --help`.
Hard-cut banger away from source-checkout runtime bundles as an implicit source of\nimage and host defaults. Managed images now own their full boot set,\nimage build starts from an existing registered image, and daemon startup\nno longer synthesizes a default image from host paths.\n\nResolve Firecracker from PATH or firecracker_bin, make SSH keys config-owned\nwith an auto-managed XDG default, replace the external name generator and\npackage manifests with Go code, and keep the vsock helper as a companion\nbinary instead of a user-managed runtime asset.\n\nUpdate the manual scripts, web/CLI forms, config surface, and docs around\nthe new build/manual flow and explicit image registration semantics.\n\nValidation: GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./..., bash -n scripts/*.sh,\nand make build.
Add a localhost-only web console so VM and image management no longer depends on the CLI for every inspection and lifecycle action.
Wire bangerd up to a configurable web listener, expose dashboard and async image-build state through the daemon, and serve CSRF-protected HTML pages with host-path picking, VM/image detail views, logs, ports, and progress polling for long-running operations.
Keep the browser path aligned with the existing sudo and host-owned artifact model: surface sudo readiness, print the web URL in daemon status, and document the new workflow. Polish the UI with resource usage cards, clearer clickable affordances, cancel paths, confirmation prompts, image-name links, and HTTP port links.
Validation: GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./...
Stop relying on ad hoc rootfs handling by adding image promotion, managed work-seed fingerprint metadata, and lazy self-healing for older managed images after the first create.
Rebuild guest images with baked SSH access, a guest NIC bootstrap, and default opencode services, and add the staged Void kernel/initramfs/modules workflow so void-exp uses a matching Void boot stack.
Replace the opaque blocking vm.create RPC with a begin/status flow that prints live stages in the CLI while still waiting for vsock health and opencode on guest port 4096.
Validate with GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./... and live void-exp create/delete smoke runs.
Make iterating on a Firecracker-friendly Void guest practical without replacing the Debian default image path.
Add local Void rootfs build/register/verify plumbing, a language-agnostic dev package baseline, and guest SSH/work-disk hardening so new images use the runtime bundle key, keep a normal root bash environment, and repair stale nested /root layouts on restart.
Replace the guest PING/PONG responder with an HTTP /healthz agent over vsock, rename the runtime bundle and config surface from ping helper to agent while still accepting the legacy keys, and route the post-SSH reminder through the new vm.health path.
Validated with GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./..., make build, bash -n customize.sh make-rootfs-void.sh, and git diff --check.
Beat VM create wall time without changing VM semantics.
Generate a work-seed ext4 sidecar during image builds and rootfs rebuilds, then clone and resize that seed for each new VM instead of rebuilding /root from scratch. Plumb the new seed artifact through config, runtime metadata, store state, runtime-bundle defaults, doctor checks, and default-image reconciliation so older images still fall back cleanly.
Add a daemon TAP pool to keep idle bridge-attached devices warm, expose stage timing in lifecycle logs, add a create/SSH benchmark script plus Make target, and teach verify.sh that tap-pool-* devices are reusable capacity rather than cleanup leaks.
Validated with go test ./..., make build, ./verify.sh, and make bench-create ARGS="--runs 2".
Remind users when a VM is still running after hanger vm ssh exits instead of silently dropping them back to the host shell.\n\nAttach a Firecracker vsock device to each VM, persist the host vsock path/CID,\nadd a new guest-side banger-vsock-pingd responder to the runtime bundle and both\nimage-build paths, and expose a vm.ping RPC that the CLI and TUI call after SSH\nreturns. Doctor and start/build preflight now validate the helper plus\n/dev/vhost-vsock so the feature fails early and clearly.\n\nValidated with go mod tidy, bash -n customize.sh, git diff --check, make build,\nand GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./... outside the sandbox because the\ndaemon tests need real Unix/UDP sockets. Rebuild the image/rootfs used for new\nVMs so the guest ping service is present.
Serve daemon-managed .vm names directly from bangerd on 127.0.0.1:42069 instead of shelling out to mapdns. This keeps DNS state tied to VM lifecycle and lets the daemon rebuild records from running VMs after startup or reconcile.
Add a small in-process authoritative DNS server, register and remove records from the VM start/stop/delete paths, and show the listener in daemon status. Remove the mapdns config and preflight surface, stop helper-flow DNS publishing in customize.sh and interactive.sh, drop dns.sh from the runtime bundle, and update docs/tests for the new local-resolver integration model.
Validated with GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache go test ./..., GOCACHE=/tmp/banger-gocache make build, and bash -n customize.sh interactive.sh.
VM start, image build, and network/setup failures were hard to diagnose because bangerd emitted almost no lifecycle logs and the Firecracker SDK logger was discarded. This adds a daemon-wide JSON logger with configurable log level so failures leave breadcrumbs instead of only side effects.
Log the main daemon and VM lifecycle stages, preserve raw Firecracker and image-build helper output in dedicated files, and include those log paths in daemon status and returned errors. Bridge SDK logrus output into the daemon logger at debug level so low-level Firecracker diagnostics are available without making normal info logs unreadable.
Validation: go test ./... and make build. Left unrelated worktree changes out of this commit, including internal/api/types.go, the deleted shell scripts, and my-rootfs.ext4.
Stop assuming one workstation layout for runtime artifacts, mapdns, and host tooling. The daemon and shell helpers now use portable mapdns configuration, and runtime bundles can carry bundle.json metadata for their default kernel, initrd, modules, rootfs, and helper paths.
Load bundle metadata through config with a legacy layout fallback, thread mapdns_bin/mapdns_data_file through the Go and shell paths, and add command-scoped preflight checks for VM start, NAT, image build, work-disk resize, and SSH so missing tools or artifacts fail with actionable errors.
Update the runtime-bundle manifest, docs, and tests to match the new model. Verified with go test ./..., make build, and bash -n customize.sh interactive.sh dns.sh make-rootfs.sh verify.sh.
Fix the misleading make install path where banger and bangerd still depended on a repo checkout for Firecracker, guest artifacts, image builds, and the SSH key.
Replace repo-root inference with an explicit runtime bundle model: resolve a runtime_dir from env/config/install layout, derive concrete artifact paths from it, and update the daemon, CLI, and image-build flow to use those paths. Keep repo_root only as an explicit compatibility alias instead of auto-detecting it.
Teach customize.sh to run from a read-only bundled runtime tree while writing transient state under XDG/BANGER_STATE_DIR, and make make install copy the runtime assets into PREFIX/lib/banger so installed binaries stay usable outside the repo.
Validate with go test ./..., make build, bash -n customize.sh, and make install DESTDIR=/tmp/banger-install PREFIX=/usr. An out-of-repo installed-binary smoke test was attempted, but this sandbox blocked bangerd from binding its Unix socket (setsockopt: operation not permitted).
Replace the daemon's hand-rolled Firecracker process/socket client with the official firecracker-go-sdk while keeping the existing VM lifecycle and host-side disk and TAP setup intact.
Build machine configs through the SDK, launch Firecracker through a sudo process runner, resolve the real VM PID after startup, and use the SDK client for Ctrl-Alt-Del instead of raw REST calls. Drop the unused cached Firecracker state and add focused adapter tests for config and process-runner wiring.
Validated with go mod tidy, go test ./..., and make build. A live KVM/Firecracker smoke boot was not run in this environment.
Replace the shell-only user workflow with `banger` and `bangerd`: Cobra commands, XDG/SQLite-backed state, managed VM and image lifecycle, and a Bubble Tea TUI for browsing and operating VMs.\n\nKeep Firecracker orchestration behind the daemon so VM specs become persistent objects, and add repo entrypoints for building, installing, and documenting the new flow while still delegating rootfs customization to the existing shell tooling.\n\nHarden the control plane around real usage by reclaiming Firecracker API sockets for the user, restarting stale daemons after rebuilds, and returning the correct `vm.create` payload so the CLI and TUI creation flow work reliably.\n\nValidation: `go test ./...`, `make build`, and a host-side smoke test with `./banger vm create --name codex-smoke`.
