feat(docker): run container as host user to avoid root-owned bind mounts

Add opt-in terminal.docker_run_as_host_user config flag that passes
--user $(id -u):$(id -g) to the Docker backend so files written into
bind-mounted directories (/workspace, /root, docker_volumes entries) are
owned by the host user instead of root.

When enabled on POSIX platforms, also drops SETUID/SETGID caps since the
container no longer needs gosu/su to switch users.  Falls back cleanly on
platforms without os.getuid (e.g. native Windows Docker) with a warning.

Wired through all three config.yaml -> TERMINAL_* env-var bridges:
  - cli.py env_mappings        (CLI + TUI startup)
  - gateway/run.py _terminal_env_map (gateway / messaging platforms)
  - hermes_cli/config.py _config_to_env_sync (`hermes config set`)

Also fixes docker_mount_cwd_to_workspace silently failing in gateway
mode -- it was missing from gateway/run.py's _terminal_env_map.

Adds tests/tools/test_terminal_config_env_sync.py to guard against
future drift between the three bridges (same bug class shipped twice
in one month).

Bundled Hermes image won't work with this flag since its entrypoint
expects to start as root for the usermod/gosu hermes flow; works with
the default nikolaik/python-nodejs image and plain Debian/Ubuntu.
This commit is contained in:
Ben 2026-04-29 16:16:43 +10:00
parent 1d4218be56
commit 5531c0df82
10 changed files with 412 additions and 15 deletions

View file

@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ def _make_dummy_env(**kwargs):
host_cwd=kwargs.get("host_cwd"),
auto_mount_cwd=kwargs.get("auto_mount_cwd", False),
env=kwargs.get("env"),
run_as_host_user=kwargs.get("run_as_host_user", False),
)
@ -384,9 +385,10 @@ def test_normalize_env_dict_rejects_complex_values():
assert result == {"GOOD": "string"}
def test_security_args_include_setuid_setgid_for_gosu_drop():
"""_SECURITY_ARGS must include SETUID and SETGID so the image entrypoint
can drop from root to the non-root `hermes` user via gosu.
def test_security_args_include_setuid_setgid_for_gosu_drop(monkeypatch):
"""The default (run_as_host_user=False) invocation must include SETUID and
SETGID caps so the image entrypoint can drop from root to the non-root
`hermes` user via gosu.
Without these caps gosu exits with
``error: failed switching to 'hermes': operation not permitted``
@ -396,17 +398,117 @@ def test_security_args_include_setuid_setgid_for_gosu_drop():
after the drop the drop is a one-way transition performed before the
`no_new_privs` bit is enforced on the exec boundary.
"""
args = docker_env._SECURITY_ARGS
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env, "find_docker", lambda: "/usr/bin/docker")
calls = _mock_subprocess_run(monkeypatch)
_make_dummy_env()
run_calls = [c for c in calls if isinstance(c[0], list) and len(c[0]) >= 2 and c[0][1] == "run"]
assert run_calls, "docker run should have been called"
run_args = run_calls[0][0]
# Flatten to set of added caps for clarity.
added = {
args[i + 1]
for i, flag in enumerate(args[:-1])
run_args[i + 1]
for i, flag in enumerate(run_args[:-1])
if flag == "--cap-add"
}
assert "SETUID" in added, "SETUID cap missing — gosu drop in entrypoint will fail"
assert "SETGID" in added, "SETGID cap missing — gosu drop in entrypoint will fail"
# Sanity: the hardening posture is still in place.
assert "--cap-drop" in args and "ALL" in args
assert "--security-opt" in args and "no-new-privileges" in args
# ── run_as_host_user tests ────────────────────────────────────────
def test_run_as_host_user_passes_uid_gid(monkeypatch):
"""With run_as_host_user=True, --user <uid>:<gid> is added to docker run."""
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env, "find_docker", lambda: "/usr/bin/docker")
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env.os, "getuid", lambda: 1234, raising=False)
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env.os, "getgid", lambda: 5678, raising=False)
calls = _mock_subprocess_run(monkeypatch)
_make_dummy_env(run_as_host_user=True)
run_calls = [c for c in calls if isinstance(c[0], list) and len(c[0]) >= 2 and c[0][1] == "run"]
assert run_calls, "docker run should have been called"
run_args = run_calls[0][0]
# --user must be present and must be paired with "1234:5678"
assert "--user" in run_args, f"--user flag missing from docker run args: {run_args}"
idx = run_args.index("--user")
assert run_args[idx + 1] == "1234:5678", (
f"expected --user 1234:5678, got --user {run_args[idx + 1]}"
)
def test_run_as_host_user_drops_setuid_setgid_caps(monkeypatch):
"""When --user is passed, the container never needs gosu, so SETUID/SETGID
caps are omitted for a tighter security posture."""
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env, "find_docker", lambda: "/usr/bin/docker")
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env.os, "getuid", lambda: 1000, raising=False)
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env.os, "getgid", lambda: 1000, raising=False)
calls = _mock_subprocess_run(monkeypatch)
_make_dummy_env(run_as_host_user=True)
run_calls = [c for c in calls if isinstance(c[0], list) and len(c[0]) >= 2 and c[0][1] == "run"]
run_args = run_calls[0][0]
added = {
run_args[i + 1]
for i, flag in enumerate(run_args[:-1])
if flag == "--cap-add"
}
assert "SETUID" not in added, (
"SETUID cap should be dropped when running as host user — no gosu drop is needed"
)
assert "SETGID" not in added, (
"SETGID cap should be dropped when running as host user — no gosu drop is needed"
)
# Core non-privilege-drop caps must still be there (pip/npm/apt need them).
assert "DAC_OVERRIDE" in added
assert "CHOWN" in added
assert "FOWNER" in added
def test_run_as_host_user_default_off(monkeypatch):
"""Without the opt-in, no --user flag is emitted — preserving existing behavior."""
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env, "find_docker", lambda: "/usr/bin/docker")
calls = _mock_subprocess_run(monkeypatch)
_make_dummy_env() # run_as_host_user defaults to False
run_calls = [c for c in calls if isinstance(c[0], list) and len(c[0]) >= 2 and c[0][1] == "run"]
run_args = run_calls[0][0]
assert "--user" not in run_args, (
f"--user should not be in docker run args when opt-in is off: {run_args}"
)
def test_run_as_host_user_warns_and_skips_when_no_posix_ids(monkeypatch, caplog):
"""On platforms without POSIX getuid/getgid, log a warning and leave the
container at its image default user (no --user flag, full cap set)."""
monkeypatch.setattr(docker_env, "find_docker", lambda: "/usr/bin/docker")
# Simulate a platform where os.getuid is absent (e.g. Windows host).
monkeypatch.delattr(docker_env.os, "getuid", raising=False)
monkeypatch.delattr(docker_env.os, "getgid", raising=False)
calls = _mock_subprocess_run(monkeypatch)
with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING):
_make_dummy_env(run_as_host_user=True)
run_calls = [c for c in calls if isinstance(c[0], list) and len(c[0]) >= 2 and c[0][1] == "run"]
run_args = run_calls[0][0]
assert "--user" not in run_args
# Fall back to the full cap set since the container still starts as root.
added = {
run_args[i + 1]
for i, flag in enumerate(run_args[:-1])
if flag == "--cap-add"
}
assert "SETUID" in added
assert "SETGID" in added
assert any(
"does not expose POSIX uid/gid" in rec.getMessage()
for rec in caplog.records
), "expected a warning when POSIX ids are unavailable"