Files
LEDMatrix/docs/PERMISSIONS.md
ChuckandClaude Opus 5.5 3967a6cffc fix(security): re-harden root sudo helpers; installer fixes; ARCHITECTURE and PERMISSIONS docs (#640)
* docs: add ARCHITECTURE and PERMISSIONS guides

ARCHITECTURE.md maps the processes, the state the display and web
services share through the cache, the display loop, the plugin system,
the web UI and the update path, with links into the code and a
where-to-start table.

PERMISSIONS.md lists who owns what after install, both sudoers files
(and why iptables is not granted), the polkit rule, and which
scripts/fix_perms script to run as which user.

Both are linked from the docs index, along with the MQTT bridge README
and src/common/README.md.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: correct stale setup, service and troubleshooting claims

- README: quick actions run systemctl on ledmatrix.service (run.py), not
  display_controller.py; use_short_date_format has no effect; the
  installer uses system pip with --break-system-packages, not a venv.
- CONFIG_DEBUGGING: LEDMATRIX_DEBUG must be "true"; logs are in journald.
- GETTING_STARTED, WEB_INTERFACE_GUIDE, TROUBLESHOOTING: enabling a
  plugin, plugin settings, brightness and Vegas settings apply without a
  restart; matrix hardware settings still need one.
- TROUBLESHOOTING: install dependencies with sudo so the root service
  sees them; point permission problems at PERMISSIONS.md instead of a
  project-wide chown.
- ADVANCED_FEATURES: real BackgroundDataService stats keys; Vegas hooks
  return VegasDisplayMode and None falls back to capture; cache files
  are 0660; fix_web_permissions.sh runs as the web user and does not
  touch sudoers.
- STARLARK_APPS_GUIDE: only the linux-arm64 pixlet binary is downloaded.
- HOW_TO_RUN_TESTS: test class examples that exist.
- CLAUDE.md: PluginStoreManager, plugin_dirs.py, monorepo installs via
  the Trees API with ZIP fallback, requirements.txt is optional.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: mark deprecated plugin APIs and state manifest fields once

Methods @deprecated("3.7.0") (the set pinned in test_deprecation.py)
were shown as current API in the quick reference, API reference,
advanced guide, development guide and FONT_MANAGER. Each is now marked
deprecated with its replacement. FONT_MANAGER is rewritten around the
current API; the override editor is gone and override methods are
deprecated.

Required manifest fields were stated three different ways. The API
reference now has one section: the 7 schema-required fields, the 4 the
store refuses without, class_name for the loader, and the 8 to set.
The other guides link to it.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: document every src/common module and every widget

- src/common/README.md covered 7 of 17 modules. It now has a table of
  all of them (purpose, whether plugins import it, release to floor
  on), a short entry each, and logging advice that matches the code.
- SPORTS_UNIFICATION listed two shared modules and called
  sports_helpers the first; it now lists all six.
- The widgets README lists all 28 registered widgets plus the support
  files, and absorbs the parts that only docs/widget-guide.md had
  (x-options.labels, x-advanced, x-display hidden, plugin-file-manager).
  docs/widget-guide.md is now a pointer to it.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(security): fix_web_permissions.sh re-hardens the root sudo helpers

The script chowns the whole project to the web user. That included
scripts/fix_perms/safe_plugin_rm.sh and safe_pip_install.sh -- the two
helpers /etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_web lets the web user run as root -- so
running it turned both into a root shell for whoever can edit them. It
also re-grouped config_secrets.json away from ledmatrix.

After the chown it now does what first_time_install.sh's Steps 11 and
11.1 do: helpers back to root:root 755, and config_secrets.json back to
the web unit's User=:ledmatrix 640. Each step is non-fatal and prints the
manual command if it fails.

Also fixes what the script and its docs claimed: it never configured
sudoers, its closing hint pointed at ./configure_web_sudo.sh (wrong
path), and the README and ADVANCED_FEATURES.md said to run it with sudo,
which it refuses.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(security): validate and harden every sudoers drop-in the scripts write

configure_wifi_permissions.sh copied its rules into
/etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_wifi without `visudo -c`. A malformed drop-in
makes sudo refuse every command for every user, which on a headless Pi
leaves no way back in. It now checks first and leaves the installed file
alone when the rules do not parse, as the other two writers do. (It
already used mktemp, so that part of the review did not apply.)

It also grants the two literal commands wifi_manager.py runs for
NetworkManager's shared-mode dnsmasq drop-in -- `cp
/tmp/ledmatrix-nm-dnsmasq.conf .../dnsmasq-shared.d/ledmatrix-captive.conf`
and `rm -f` of that file. The directory's mkdir was granted, the file was
not. Both are pinned in test_sudo_allowlist_covers_calls.py.

configure_web_sudo.sh wrote its rules to /tmp/ledmatrix_web_sudoers_$$,
a predictable name in a world-writable directory; it now uses mktemp with
an EXIT trap, as first_time_install.sh does. It sets mode 440 on the
installed file instead of leaving the temp file's mode, and finds visudo
in /usr/sbin when that is not on the user's PATH, which skipped the
check silently.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(install): escape the project path in the DNS-fix and MQTT unit renderers

install_dns_fix.sh and install_mqtt_bridge.sh substituted
__PROJECT_ROOT_DIR__ with the raw path, while the other three renderers
go through sed_escape_replacement from lib_systemd_render.sh. A checkout
under a path containing `&`, `\` or `|` rendered a corrupted unit from
these two only. Both now source the helper and use it, and a test checks
that every placeholder substitution in scripts/install uses an escaped
value.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(install): stop the installer scripts reporting things that are not true

- first_time_install.sh printed "Password: ledmatrix123" for the setup
  access point. wifi_manager creates it as an open network ("No
  password" on the panel), so it now says so.
- Step 10.1 printed "✓ WiFi management permissions configured" straight
  after its own failure message; install_wifi_monitor.sh printed
  "✓ Package installation completed" after a failed apt install. The
  tick now only follows success.
- Step 7 printed "Web dependencies already installed ... in Step 5" in
  the one branch that runs because Step 5 did not install them, then
  created .web_deps_installed on that basis. It now warns and leaves the
  marker off so the next run retries, as the comment below it intends.
- check_system_compatibility.sh called Debian 12 Bookworm "full
  compatibility confirmed" while first_time_install.sh refuses anything
  but Debian 13. Bookworm, older Debian and non-Debian systems are now
  errors. Its counters used ((X++)), which under `set -e` exits the
  script at the first warning or error (the expression is 0), so the
  check never reached its summary on any system with one.
- configure_web_sudo.sh and configure_wifi_permissions.sh finished by
  testing `sudo -n test -f ...` and `sudo -n nmcli device status`,
  neither of which is granted, so they always reported a failure. They
  now ask `sudo -n -l` about commands the new rules do grant, which
  checks the rule without running anything.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(install): print the completion summary before rebooting

With -y -- and so for every one-shot `curl | bash` install, which always
passes -y -- first_time_install.sh ran `reboot` about 180 lines before
its "Installation Complete / Web UI Access" summary. reboot returns at
once, so the summary printed while the Pi was going down and the SSH
session usually dropped before the web UI address could be read.

The reboot block moves, unchanged, to the very end of the script. The
interactive prompt now also follows the summary. Because the summary now
runs before the -y reboot, its one command that could fail under
`set -Eeuo pipefail` (the SSID lookup, when nmcli reports a connected
device but no active network line) gets `|| true`; a missing SSID was
already handled as "SSID unknown".

one-shot-install.sh prints its "Next steps" after the installer returns,
by which time the reboot is under way, so it now says so, and README's
Quick Install mentions the automatic reboot.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore(scripts): correct wrong comments and messages, drop dead code

No behaviour change except the output text noted below.

- 2775 is setgid, not the sticky bit (first_time_install.sh Step 3.1,
  fix_plugin_permissions.sh), and root needs no "PWM hardware access"
  to plugin files.
- The 777 comments in first_time_install.sh Step 3's fallback and
  fix_assets_permissions.sh said root needs it to write. Root ignores
  mode bits; the comments now say what 777 actually opens. The 777
  itself is unchanged.
- apt_remove ends in `|| true`, so Step 12's "Some packages could not be
  removed" branch could never run; it is gone and the helper stays
  non-fatal.
- detect_web_service_user's comment named Step 8 for the web unit
  (install_service.sh installs it in Step 7.5) and now says which
  branch actually runs.
- Step 5 described an "already installed" check that does not exist;
  the ACTUAL_USER comment described the re-exec backwards.
- on_error printed a literal "\n" before "Common fixes:".
- Dead code: one-shot-install.sh's uncalled fix_tmp_permissions,
  LEDMATRIX_ELEVATED=1 (never read) on the sudo re-exec, and
  configure_web_sudo.sh's unused PYTHON_PATH, which also made a missing
  python3 fatal for rules that never mention it.
- start_display.sh / stop_display.sh said "for user: <you>"; the
  service runs as root.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* refactor(fix_perms): fix_cache_permissions.sh uses setup_cache.sh's model

There were two models for /var/cache/ledmatrix. setup_cache.sh (the
installer's Step 2) and install_web_service.sh share it through the
ledmatrix group: root:ledmatrix, 2775, files 660, which is also what
DiskCache relies on to give files the directory's group.
fix_cache_permissions.sh instead made it 777 and re-grouped it to the
invoking user's group, undoing that.

It now runs setup_cache.sh for /var/cache/ledmatrix and keeps its own
handling of ~/.ledmatrix_cache. Dropped: /var/cache/ledmatrix/
placeholder_logos (nothing reads it) and the checks against the
`daemon` user (no service runs as daemon).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* ci: pin actions/checkout in the Claude workflows, drop template comments

claude.yml and claude-code-review.yml used actions/checkout@v4 while
test.yml and release-version-check.yml pin the v4.2.2 commit SHA; they
now pin the same SHA. The commented-out starter-template settings
(prompt, claude_args, paths, author filter) are removed.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs(scripts): index every script and list removal candidates

New scripts/README.md gives one line per top-level script and scripts
directory, marked keep, dev-only or diagnostic, and lists the eight
scripts nothing in the repo refers to as candidates for removal (kept
for now). The install, utils and dev READMEs now list the files they
were missing.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* test: tighten two checks that mutation testing showed were too loose

- The wifi sudoers check matched `visudo -c -f "$TEMP_SUDOERS"` in the
  error report too, so replacing the check with `if false` still passed.
  It now requires the command as the condition.
- The summary test never had the setup access point up, so reinstating
  the bogus "Password: ledmatrix123" line went unnoticed. A case with
  hostapd active now checks the AP is described as open.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs(permissions): describe the repaired fix_perms scripts and new WiFi grants

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs(changelog): docs-scripts

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-09-24 17:31:41 -04:00

8.1 KiB

Permissions

Who owns what on an installed system, which privileged commands the web interface may run, and how to repair ownership when it goes wrong. The installer, first_time_install.sh, sets all of this up; this page describes the result.

Users and groups

Account Used by Why
root ledmatrix.service (the display) The LED matrix library needs direct GPIO access
The installing user (e.g. ledpi) ledmatrix-web.service, ledmatrix-update-verify.service A web server should not run as root
ledmatrix group shared files Members: the installing user, root, and daemon if it exists. Created by setup_cache.sh and the installer

The installer also adds the web user to systemd-journal and adm so the Logs tab can read the journal. Group changes apply after the user logs in again (services pick them up on restart).

Files and directories

Path Owner Mode Notes
Project directory web user dirs 755, files 644, *.sh 755 Set in the installer's "Normalize project file permissions" step
config/ web user 2775
config/config.json web user 644 Written by the web interface
config/config_secrets.json web user : ledmatrix 640 Owned by the web user because the web interface writes it; root reads it regardless of mode
plugin-repos/, plugins/ web user dirs 2775, files 664 The web interface installs and removes plugins
assets/ web user dirs 755, files 644 Root writes downloaded logos regardless
/var/cache/ledmatrix/ root:ledmatrix 2775 (setgid) Shared cache: see below
Cache files creator : ledmatrix 660
scripts/fix_perms/safe_plugin_rm.sh, safe_pip_install.sh root:root 755 Run as root through sudo, so the web user must not be able to edit them
/etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_web, ledmatrix_wifi root 440

What keeps it that way at runtime:

  • Config files. Saves go through src/config_manager_atomic.py, which applies get_config_file_mode() (640 for secrets, 644 otherwise) and, when running as root, moves the file's group to the project directory's group (ensure_shared_group_ownership() in src/common/permission_utils.py).
  • Cache files. src/cache/disk_cache.py sets every file it writes to 0660 and gives it the cache directory's group, without relying on the setgid bit. So a file root writes stays readable by the web user.
  • Plugin directories. run.py sets sys.dont_write_bytecode, because root-owned __pycache__ directories inside a plugin stop the web user updating or removing it.

ledmatrix-web.service deliberately has no CacheDirectory=: systemd would re-own /var/cache/ledmatrix to the web user and its primary group, and the web interface could no longer read what the display writes (see the comment in systemd/ledmatrix-web.service).

If /var/cache/ledmatrix is not usable, CacheManager falls back to ~/.ledmatrix_cache, /opt/ledmatrix/cache or a temp directory (src/cache_manager.py). The two services then may not share a cache, and the web UI shows stale or empty display status, on-demand state and plugin health. Fix the directory rather than living with the fallback.

sudo rules

/etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_web

Generated by web_sudoers_rules() in scripts/install/lib_sudoers.sh, the only place these rules are defined. Installed by the installer and by configure_web_sudo.sh, both of which check them with visudo -c first. The web user may run, without a password:

  • reboot, poweroff
  • systemctl start|stop|restart|enable|disable|status ledmatrix.service, systemctl is-active ledmatrix[.service]
  • systemctl start|stop|restart ledmatrix-web.service
  • bash <project>/scripts/fix_perms/safe_plugin_rm.sh * — removes a directory only if it resolves to a child of plugin-repos/ or plugins/
  • bash <project>/scripts/fix_perms/safe_pip_install.sh * — installs a requirements.txt only if it is the project's own or one under plugin-repos/ or plugins/, so the root display service can import the packages
  • journalctl -u ledmatrix.service *, -u ledmatrix *, -t ledmatrix *, tagged NOEXEC: journalctl opens a pager on a terminal, and a shell escape from that pager would be a root shell

/etc/sudoers.d/ledmatrix_wifi

Written by scripts/install/configure_wifi_permissions.sh (run as the web user; the installer calls it). It refuses to grant a binary that is not root-owned or is group/world-writable. The rules cover:

  • nmcli device wifi connect|disconnect *, nmcli device connect|disconnect *, nmcli radio wifi on|off
  • systemctl start|stop|restart hostapd, ... dnsmasq, systemctl restart NetworkManager
  • sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=0|1
  • nft add|delete table ip ledmatrix
  • rfkill unblock wifi
  • mkdir -p /etc/NetworkManager/dnsmasq-shared.d
  • cp of /tmp/hostapd.conf and /tmp/dnsmasq.conf to their fixed destinations, and rm -f /etc/dnsmasq.d/ledmatrix-captive.conf
  • cp /tmp/ledmatrix-nm-dnsmasq.conf to /etc/NetworkManager/dnsmasq-shared.d/ledmatrix-captive.conf, and rm -f of that file

iptables is deliberately not granted. The captive portal's rules are built from the interface name and port, so a rule covering them would need a trailing wildcard, and iptables --modprobe=<path> runs <path> as root: a wildcard grant is a root shell for the web user. Doing it safely needs a wrapper script that builds the rules itself, like safe_plugin_rm.sh. On a stock Raspberry Pi OS image the default user's blanket NOPASSWD rule (/etc/sudoers.d/010_pi-nopasswd) hides this gap.

polkit

The same script installs /etc/polkit-1/rules.d/10-ledmatrix-wifi.rules, which lets the web user perform any org.freedesktop.NetworkManager.* action without authentication.

Repair scripts

In scripts/fix_perms/. Run them from the project directory.

Script Run as What it does Notes
fix_plugin_permissions.sh sudo plugins/ and plugin-repos/ to root:<user>, dirs 2775, files 664; makes a 700 home directory 755 so root can traverse it Safe. Group-writable, so the web user keeps write access
fix_assets_permissions.sh sudo assets/ to <user>:<group>, mode 777 recursively Works, but looser than the installer's 755/644
fix_cache_permissions.sh sudo Runs setup_cache.sh for /var/cache/ledmatrix (root:ledmatrix, 2775, files 660), then makes ~/.ledmatrix_cache (the fallback cache) <user>:<group> mode 777 Safe. The ~/.ledmatrix_cache mode is still 777
fix_web_permissions.sh the web user, without sudo Resets project file ownership for the web user (it calls sudo itself), then makes safe_plugin_rm.sh and safe_pip_install.sh root:root 755 again and restores config_secrets.json to its owner, group ledmatrix, mode 640 Refuses to run as root. It does not write sudoers rules
safe_plugin_rm.sh, safe_pip_install.sh — Called by the web interface through sudo Not for manual use

To reinstall the sudoers rules, run ./scripts/install/configure_web_sudo.sh (web rules) or ./scripts/install/configure_wifi_permissions.sh (WiFi rules and polkit) as the web user, not with sudo.

After any of these, restart both services:

sudo systemctl restart ledmatrix.service ledmatrix-web.service

Checking

ls -ld /var/cache/ledmatrix          # drwxrwsr-x root ledmatrix
stat -c '%U:%G %a %n' config/config.json config/config_secrets.json
id                                   # web user should list ledmatrix
sudo -l                              # lists the NOPASSWD rules