Rust MCP gateway with Code Mode, authentication, setup, logs, CLI, HTTP API, and operator web UI.
Canonical remote: git@github.com:dinglebear-ai/labby.git.
The root README is the public entrypoint. The topic docs in docs/ own the detailed contracts; when this file and a topic doc disagree, fix the topic doc first and then refresh this summary.
- What Labby Does
- Quick Start
- Core Workflows
- Runtime Surfaces
- Configuration
- Current Catalogs
- Architecture
- Development
- Documentation
Labby is centered on the current gateway/operator surface:
- MCP gateway - connect HTTP and stdio upstream MCP servers, inspect their
tools/resources/prompts, apply exposure filters, publish protected MCP routes,
and optionally collapse the upstream catalog into Code Mode
searchandexecute. - Direct stdio proxy - launch one stdio MCP server with
labby proxy /path/to/dist.jsand expose its unmodified MCP surface over loopback or an owned Tailscale Serve HTTPS port with tailnet, bearer, OAuth, or explicit no-auth policy. - Authentication and protected routes - run bearer or OAuth authentication, manage route-scoped access, authorize upstream OAuth connections, and publish protected MCP endpoints.
- Code Mode snippets - author, store, and run reusable JavaScript snippets
against the upstream catalog, with artifacts persisted under
$LABBY_HOME. - Setup and doctor - bootstrap
~/.labby, provision the host service, and run a health audit across env, reachability, auth, and versions. - Filesystem service - scoped, path-safety-checked file operations exposed through the same action dispatch as every other service.
- Server logs - search and tail the local
labby servelog stream. - Incus and bare-metal setup - provision and operate a dedicated Labby gateway host without introducing a separate fleet or deployment product.
- Generated discovery - publish code-owned service, action, environment, proxy configuration, API route, OpenAPI, MCP help, CLI help, and feature-matrix artifacts under docs/generated.
Use the generated service, action, and CLI catalogs below for the complete
current product surface instead of copying inventories into hand-written
documentation. Standalone ACP chat, Marketplace/MCP Registry browser, Fleet,
Deploy, and the old Agent Artifact Manager (Stash) remain retired; current Linux principal-scoped File Stash is a separate contract. Bounded provider-backed discovery
through the artifacts control-plane service does not restore those products.
Download the reviewed installer snapshot over canonical HTTPS, then run it locally:
curl --proto '=https' --proto-redir '=https' --tlsv1.2 -fSLo labby-install.sh \
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dinglebear-ai/labby/5ee609bb255bebfbd9eef4d805998ac1e084b878/scripts/install.sh
sh labby-install.shThis initial script is trusted through canonical HTTPS delivery and the explicitly reviewed commit snapshot above; the download does not follow a mutable branch. Its reviewed, embedded SHA-256 pins authenticate the verifier bootstrap; the installer never downloads a replacement checksum to decide which verifier to trust. It uses an installed GitHub CLI 2.102.0 or newer, or downloads and verifies pinned 2.102.0 into a private temporary directory. It does not change your PATH or install that helper globally. Required system tools are curl, tar, and sha256sum or shasum; macOS bootstrap also uses unzip.
Labby release archives still require checksum and provenance verification against the exact repository, release workflow, immutable tag and hosted-runner policy. Releases with <archive>.sigstore.jsonl bundles need no GitHub account: verification runs without tokens and with an empty credential store. Older releases without bundles require your own GitHub authentication; the installer stops before downloading their archive if authentication is unavailable. No privileged credential is supplied or shared. Installing a binary does not establish complete onboarding; the subsequent product-owned setup checks remain required.
The recommended local setup uses a native service, loopback listener, generated protected credentials, and a short-lived browser handoff. In Settings, connect your Agent provider, choose a discovered model and complete a starter Agent test, register selected supported clients, then use Discover to add and verify an MCP server. Required failures remain visible and resumable; installation alone is not full readiness. No manual configuration-file edits are needed on this path.
The checked-in install-labby skill helps with guided installation, advanced deployments, and repair. It is optional. To add it to a skill-aware agent:
npx skills add https://github.com/dinglebear-ai/labby --skill install-labby$install-labby
The skill inspects the selected host, follows binary-owned setup operations, helps with explicitly requested advanced deployment choices, and verifies the same required first-use checks. Built-in Agent configuration and external-client registration are separate steps. Security-sensitive durable writes remain owned by the Labby binary.
See skills/install-labby/SKILL.md for the canonical APM orchestration skill and docs/adr/0001-install-labby-first-class-install-orchestrator.md for the architecture decision.
Teams that standardize on the Agent Package Manager get the skills and the MCP registration in one step:
apm install -g dinglebear-ai/labbyThat deploys install-labby, using-labby, using-codemode, and using-snippets into
~/.claude/skills and ~/.agents/skills and registers the labby stdio MCP
server (npx -y @dinglebear/labby mcp) for Claude Code and Codex; apm.yml at
the repository root is the manifest and apm outdated -g reports new
releases. APM does not install the labby binary or provision a gateway host:
use the standalone installer above and labby setup for that. The optional
$install-labby skill can guide those steps.
For independent verification of the installer itself, use GitHub CLI 2.102.0 or newer. Older versions are rejected by Labby's installer and release gates because they lack the corrected signer and source-ref verification policy. Public provenance bundles allow this verification without GitHub login; legacy attestation lookup requires your own gh auth login or GH_TOKEN.
Linux/macOS:
Release compatibility gate: select a release that publishes
labby-install.shand contains the documented first-runlabby setup --role ...interface. Confirm the selected tag exposes the installer and checksum before continuing; do not assume an older release matches the current setup contract.
version=vX.Y.Z
base="https://github.com/dinglebear-ai/labby/releases/download/$version"
curl -fSLO "$base/labby-install.sh"
curl -fSLO "$base/labby-install.sh.sha256"
# For releases publishing bundles; older releases require authenticated verification.
curl -fSLO "$base/labby-install.sh.sigstore.jsonl"
gh attestation verify labby-install.sh \
--bundle labby-install.sh.sigstore.jsonl \
--repo dinglebear-ai/labby \
--signer-workflow dinglebear-ai/labby/.github/workflows/release.yml \
--source-ref "refs/tags/$version" \
--deny-self-hosted-runners
shasum -a 256 -c labby-install.sh.sha256
LABBY_INSTALL_VERSION="$version" sh ./labby-install.shMCP clients that prefer npm launchers can run Labby through the Node wrapper:
npx -y @dinglebear/labby mcpThe npm launcher is a weaker trust path than the installer scripts. It
downloads the release archive for the current platform and verifies only the
.sha256 sidecar (or the SHA256SUMS manifest) published next to it on the
same release; it does not require gh and does not verify GitHub build
provenance. Use labby-install.sh on Linux or macOS when provenance
verification matters. Current releases do not publish Windows binaries or
installers. The Windows installer source uses the same reviewed verifier pins,
protected temporary extraction, and account-free bundle policy; Windows runtime
qualification is still required before a Windows release claim.
The separately downloaded and attested install scripts resolve an immutable GitHub Release containing the current
platform asset, prepare a verified GitHub CLI, verify the archive's attestation against the
Labby repository, release.yml, exact tag, and hosted-runner policy, verify its checksum, and install labby onto the
user PATH. The shell installer then runs labby setup, which
asks whether this machine should run a server or connect to an existing one.
Server setup configures authentication and a managed native service, or an Incus
container on supported Linux hosts. Client setup saves the explicit gateway URL
and configures browser sign-in or a bearer token. Desktop installation is optional
and off by default; if the published desktop package is unavailable, setup reports
that and still completes.
For Labby's supported ChatGPT web connection, configure the server in OAuth mode
and expose it through a publicly reachable HTTPS LABBY_PUBLIC_URL; bearer-only
mode is for local/CLI clients and is not the supported ChatGPT web path. The web
UI offers bearer token sign-in only over HTTPS or a direct loopback connection;
behind a TLS-terminating proxy, set LABBY_PUBLIC_URL=https://... to unlock it.
For unattended shell installs, set LABBY_SETUP_ROLE=server or client and the
corresponding LABBY_SETUP_* options. For a binary-only install, set
LABBY_INSTALL_NO_SETUP=1. Manual and automatic labby host update operations always
skip first-run setup. See the setup guide for examples.
Override install behavior with LABBY_INSTALL_DIR, LABBY_INSTALL_VERSION, or
LABBY_INSTALL_REPO. Source fallback is off by default. Opt in with
LABBY_ALLOW_SOURCE_FALLBACK=1; a pinned LABBY_INSTALL_VERSION is passed to
Cargo as the exact tag instead of silently building the default branch.
Each successful install retains the verified binary by SHA-256 plus an
owner-only receipt beneath <install-dir>/.labby-install/. At least the prior
verified artifact remains available when distribution is unavailable. Restore
it without downloading or changing $LABBY_HOME:
LABBY_INSTALL_ROLLBACK=1 sh ./labby-install.shRollback switches only the installed executable and receipt. It does not
downgrade or delete configuration, credentials, databases, or other durable
state. Inspect the receipt at <install-dir>/.labby-install/receipt.
Release qualification can install an already-downloaded candidate without
network or source fallback by setting LABBY_INSTALL_LOCAL_BINARY and its exact
lowercase LABBY_INSTALL_LOCAL_SHA256. The installer copies that input once to
private staging, verifies the staged bytes, and activates those same bytes. It
also rehashes every existing cached artifact before reuse. Before changing the
binary or either receipt, the installer writes a recovery journal beneath
.labby-install/; a later invocation restores the complete pre-install
snapshot when it finds an interrupted activation. If restoration fails, the
installer stops and retains the journal for diagnosis.
All Unix installer entry points share a process-level transaction lock and
flush journal boundaries before advancing them. Successful activation retains
only the current artifact and the immediately previous artifact required for
offline rollback.
For a persistent macOS server, enable daily updates in the existing server job:
LABBY_SERVICE_AUTO_UPDATE=1 bash scripts/install-macos-service.sh installThis runs labby serve --auto-update under launchd and removes the separate
updater job after the server passes its health check. See the
macOS setup instructions.
For an installation without a persistent server, use the standalone daily job:
labby host update auto enable
labby host update auto status
labby host update auto disableBoth modes require Apple Silicon. The installer uses a suitable existing GitHub
CLI or bootstraps its pinned verifier in a private temporary directory. They skip drafts, prereleases, missing platform assets, and versions
equal to or older than the installed binary. The installer verifies attestations
and checksums before atomic replacement. No separate language runtime is required.
Use labby host update --automatic --dry-run to check without installing.
Prerequisites:
- Rust 1.97.1 or newer. CI/release verifies with Rust 1.97.1.
justfor repo commands.cargo-nextestfor the main test suite.- Node.js 22.x and
pnpm 9.15.9to build the Labby web UI. The repo pins these in .mise.toml and apps/web/package.json. opensslif you want to generate a bearer token manually.
git clone git@github.com:dinglebear-ai/labby.git
cd labby
just install
labby serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765just install installs the locked frontend dependencies, builds and validates
the static web UI, then embeds it in the all-features release binary and installs
it at ~/.local/bin/labby. The normal build, run, and service-install recipes
also build the UI automatically before compiling Rust. Node.js and pnpm are
build-time tools only; prebuilt release binaries already include the UI.
On macOS, install the gateway as a persistent per-user service instead of
running labby serve in a terminal:
just macos-service-install
just macos-service-statusThis installs a launchd LaunchAgent that keeps Labby listening on
127.0.0.1:8765, restarts it after login or exit, and uses the stable absolute
LABBY_HOME (default ~/.labby) as both working directory and durable
configuration root. It never persists the directory from which installation
was invoked. Logs default to the same root. Use just macos-service-restart
after changing service settings
or just macos-service-uninstall to remove it. The cross-platform
just service-install, just service-status, just service-restart, and
just service-uninstall bindings select launchd on macOS and systemd on
Linux. This is suitable for a Tailscale Serve/Funnel route whose OAuth
callback targets the local gateway.
When overriding the launchd paths, LABBY_SERVICE_BIN, LABBY_STATE_DIR, and
LABBY_HOME must all be absolute; relative paths fail before the plist or
service is changed.
For loopback development, labby serve can bootstrap a missing bearer token for
you. If LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN is absent and LABBY_AUTH_MODE is not oauth, it
generates a token, writes a minimal ~/.labby/.env, reloads it into the running
process, prints configuration guidance, and continues. The token itself is stored in
~/.labby/.env rather than printed.
Bootstrap writes these required setup keys if no env exists yet:
LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN(generated random 64-character hex token)LABBY_MCP_TRANSPORT=httpLABBY_MCP_HTTP_HOST=127.0.0.1LABBY_MCP_HTTP_PORT=8765LABBY_AUTH_MODE=bearer
It also enforces secure file creation via Labby's env_merge path (0600 perms on
Unix). This is a minimal loopback bootstrap, not the guided onboarding flow.
Run labby setup for interactive server/client configuration, or
labby setup state --json to inspect the snapshot without changing configuration. Ongoing configuration is available in the operator UI's Settings pages.
For explicit setup with a manually generated bearer token:
mkdir -p ~/.labby
printf 'LABBY_AUTH_MODE=bearer\nLABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > ~/.labby/.env
chmod 600 ~/.labby/.env
labby setup
labby serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765Open http://127.0.0.1:8765/. Release binaries and normal source builds already
include the operator UI; no separate web-assets step is needed.
The recommended self-hosted gateway substrate is an amd64 Ubuntu 26.04 Incus system container. Bare metal is the secondary supported shape for a dedicated gateway host or VM. Labby does not ship a Docker image or Compose deployment; stdio MCP servers and agent CLIs are installed and launched at runtime.
labby host incus setup --version vX.Y.Z
incus exec labby -- systemctl status labby --no-pager
incus exec labby -- curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8765/readySee docs/runtime/INCUS.md for the full Incus
runbook, bare-metal variant, /dev/net/tun Tailscale passthrough, manual
claude/codex/gemini login checklist, and rollback commands.
After installing Labby, configure proxy defaults once and launch a JavaScript stdio server without proxy flags:
labby config proxy set
labby doctor proxy
labby proxy /path/to/dist.jsThe built-in zero-flag policy is Tailscale Serve plus tailnet authorization on a random high port. Child flags follow the first child token unchanged, and an explicit separator is available for unusual commands:
labby proxy /path/to/dist.js --workspace /srv/data --read-only
labby proxy -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /srv/dataUse labby proxy --local --auth none ... for explicit loopback-only
development. Bearer and OAuth setup, exact-port resource audiences, safe Serve
ownership, configuration precedence, output modes, and recovery are covered in
the stdio MCP proxy guide.
labby serve --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765
labby mcplabby serve starts the hosted HTTP runtime: /v1 product APIs, /mcp
streamable HTTP MCP, auth routes, OAuth relay endpoints, and static Labby web
assets when an export is available. labby mcp is the stdio MCP entrypoint for
local MCP clients. A client configured to launch labby mcp does not need an
HTTP URL: when a labby serve daemon is reachable, the stdio process becomes a
transparent bridge to that daemon and uses its gateway configuration, upstream
connections, and OAuth state. If no daemon is found and no explicit target is
set, it starts a standalone local gateway instead. See the
local bridge guide
for client configuration and LABBY_SERVER_URL fail-closed behavior.
labby --help
labby help --all
labby help server --all
labby help --search oauth
labby help --all --jsonPublic command names use separate words without hyphens. Flags and resource names retain normal syntax. Help and completion work offline, even with broken configuration. See the CLI guide and breaking migration map.
labby context add homelab --server https://example.invalid --use
labby auth login --context homelab
labby --context homelab server list
labby config checkContexts save non-secret destinations in the existing host configuration.
Explicit --server or --context never borrows an unrelated environment token
and never falls back to local execution. Host-local commands remain local.
labby server add github \
--url https://example.com/mcp \
--bearer-token-env GITHUB_MCP_TOKEN
labby gateway reload
labby server listStdio upstreams can execute local commands when tested or reconciled. Review
configuration before adding or testing them; the CLI retains each operation's
existing authorization and confirmation requirements.
The stdio spawn guard allows known runtimes such as npx, uvx, docker,
node, python, python3, deno, pipx, and dnx; customize it in
[gateway] inside config.toml.
Missing creation arguments can be filled by labby server add in an interactive
terminal. Scripts should use complete arguments and --no-input --json.
Timeouts use explicit units, such as 30s or 2m.
labby server restart alpha beta --timeout 30s
labby server restart --all --dry-run
labby --context homelab completions refresh
labby completions zsh --resourcesRestart waits for observed completion and a connected replacement unless
--no-wait is explicit. Bulk operations report every target and return a failing
exit status when any target fails; uncertain operations are never replayed.
Optional cached completion is authority-scoped and offline on every Tab key.
When [code_mode].enabled = true, Labby hides raw proxied upstream tools from MCP
list_tools() and exposes the canonical synthetic codemode tool.
labby code status
labby code enable
labby code search 'github issues' --limit 5
labby code describe github.search_issues
labby code run --file ./task.jsMCP call shapes:
{ "code": "async () => (await codemode.search({\"query\":\"github issues\",\"limit\":5})).results" }{ "code": "async () => callTool(\"github::search_issues\", {\"query\":\"repo:dinglebear-ai/labby gateway\"})" }{ "code": "async () => codemode.run(\"gateway-summary\", {\"includeHealth\": true})" }Code Mode can call exposed upstream tools and eligible catalog-admitted in-process Labby actions. Route, Loadout, caller, and action policy still apply; sandbox access does not grant unrestricted administration.
labby snippet list
labby snippet get gateway-summary
labby snippet add my-snippet --file ./my-snippet.js
labby snippet validate my-snippet
labby snippet run my-snippet
labby snippet test my-snippetSnippets are stored per-user under $LABBY_HOME and executed through the
gateway Code Mode runner, so they can reach exposed upstream tools and eligible
catalog-admitted in-process actions. The snippets service is gateway-gated: it is unavailable in builds
without the gateway feature.
labby doctor # system, auth, gateway, and relay audit
labby doctor system # local env vars, disk, toolchain
labby doctor auth # auth/OAuth env vars, files, permissions
labby doctor proxy # zero-route stdio-proxy config/dependency preflight
labby doctor proxy --app-url URL --mcp-url URL --route /path
# routed public reverse-proxy checks remain available
labby doctor relay
labby gateway status # query the selected daemon and its upstream state
labby logs --lines 50 # bounded local rolling logs, without systemd
labby logs --level error --query REQUEST_ID --json
labby logs journal --follow # explicitly stream the deployment journallabby doctor --json is the CI-friendly form; the exit code reflects the worst
severity found. Runtime errors include their command, origin, side-effect
classification, recovery guidance, and a request ID. --json errors remain one
JSON envelope on stderr; command results stay on stdout. Use -v or -vv for
diagnostics. --quiet suppresses console logs but never hides the actual error.
Removed surfaces. Earlier releases documented
labby marketplace,labby stash,labby nodes, andlabby deploy, along with ACP chat, the MCP Registry browser, and device/fleet runtimes. Those products have been deleted from source, manifests, packaging, and CI — not merely feature-gated.scripts/check-retired-features.shguards against reintroduction, and the historical designs are archived under docs/archive/retired-labby. Plugin marketplace assets now live in the separate dendrite repo.
Generic action dispatch:
curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8765/v1/gateway \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"action":"gateway.list","params":{}}'Dedicated product routes also exist for catalog discovery (/v1/{service}/actions),
setup, doctor, snippets, filesystem, server logs, gateway OAuth
(/v1/gateway/oauth/*), OAuth relay, auth allowlists (/v1/auth/allowed-emails),
/v1/openapi.json, interactive API docs at /v1/docs, and the browser session routes under /auth/*. See
generated API routes and
OpenAPI.
| Surface | Entry Point | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | labby <command> |
Current commands are generated in docs/generated/cli-help.md. Use --json for machine-readable output and `--color auto |
| MCP stdio | labby mcp |
Local editor/desktop MCP clients. |
| MCP HTTP | labby serve plus /mcp |
Streamable HTTP MCP with bearer or OAuth JWT auth. |
| HTTP API | labby serve plus /v1/* |
Generic POST /v1/{service} action dispatch plus dedicated product routes. |
| Web UI | labby serve plus exported assets |
Main routes are / (overview), /gateways, /gateway, /snippets, /usage, /settings (with core, services, services/[service], surfaces, features, doctor, extract, advanced subpages), /docs, /design-system, and /mcp/code-mode. |
MCP service tools use the shared action shape:
{
"action": "gateway.list",
"params": {}
}Every service tool also supports help and schema through the shared
dispatcher. Destructive MCP actions require the MRTR elicitation exchange.
Clients without form elicitation receive confirmation_required;
params.confirm does not authorize execution.
Configuration is split deliberately:
| Data | Location | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Secrets and endpoint values | $LABBY_HOME/.env |
LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN, LABBY_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET, upstream bearer token env values |
| Preferences | $LABBY_HOME/config.toml |
transport, CORS, auth mode, workspace root, gateway spawn guard, and upstream behavior |
LABBY_HOME selects the one authoritative configuration and durable-state
root and must be absolute. It defaults to ~/.labby; Labby does not implicitly
read CWD or XDG fallback files. Existing process environment values win over
values loaded from the selected .env. Runtime precedence is:
- CLI flags
- Environment variables
config.toml- Built-in defaults
Useful environment variables:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|---|
LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN |
Static bearer token for protected admin/API/MCP routes. |
LABBY_AUTH_MODE |
bearer or oauth. |
LABBY_PUBLIC_URL |
Public base URL for OAuth metadata, issuer/audience, callbacks, and allowed-host derivation. |
LABBY_AUTH_PROVIDER |
Inbound OAuth identity provider: google (stable) or authelia (open beta). |
LABBY_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID / LABBY_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET |
Google credentials when Google is selected. |
LABBY_AUTHELIA_ISSUER_URL / LABBY_AUTHELIA_CLIENT_ID / LABBY_AUTHELIA_CLIENT_SECRET |
Authelia OIDC configuration; see the pinned registration contract in the OAuth guide. |
LABBY_AUTH_ADMIN_EMAIL |
Administrator email or comma-separated emails; required in OAuth mode. |
LABBY_OAUTH_ENCRYPTION_KEY |
Base64 32-byte key required for encrypted upstream OAuth credentials. Rotation requires reauthorizing affected upstreams. |
LABBY_WEB_ASSETS_DIR |
Override static Labby export directory. |
LABBY_WEB_UI_AUTH_DISABLED |
Development-only browser auth bypass. |
LABBY_LOG / LABBY_LOG_FORMAT / LABBY_LOG_COLOR |
Tracing filter, text/json format, and non-TTY color policy. |
LABBY_LOG_DIR |
Optional rolling JSON file log directory. |
LABBY_ACTOR_KEY_SECRET |
Stable secret for redacted actor correlation in logs. |
LABBY_ADMIN_ENABLED |
Runtime opt-in for the lab_admin tool. |
Static bearer authentication establishes an operator transport ceiling, not a
universal durable administrator grant. Operation-specific access authority
still applies. Public protected MCP routes validate route-scoped Labby OAuth
JWTs; do not treat LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN as a public resource credential.
When driving the web UI with automation while OAuth is enabled, pass the bearer
token as a same-origin header. /auth/session recognizes that token and returns
an authenticated session projection whose authority depends on durable access
state; a bearer credential does not universally grant durable administration:
TOKEN=$(awk -F= '/^LABBY_MCP_HTTP_TOKEN=/{print $2}' ~/.labby/.env)
agent-browser open http://127.0.0.1:8765/gateways \
--headers "{\"Authorization\":\"Bearer $TOKEN\"}"See runtime configuration, environment variables, and OAuth.
Do not maintain action, feature, env, or coverage inventories by hand in this README. The generated artifacts describe the all-feature documentation projection. Runtime feature, platform, startup, route, and caller authorization gates still determine what a running gateway exposes:
| Artifact | Purpose |
|---|---|
| service-catalog.md | Service metadata, conditional registration, features, categories, and supported surfaces. |
| action-catalog.md | Per-service actions and destructive metadata. |
| env-reference.md | Env vars generated from service metadata. |
| api-routes.md | Mounted HTTP routes. |
| openapi.json | OpenAPI 3.1 schema. |
| feature-matrix.md | Cargo feature invariants. |
| mcp-help.md | MCP help projection. |
| cli-help.md | Clap command help snapshot. |
Refresh and verify them with:
just docs-generate
just docs-checklabby docs check verifies generated-artifact freshness and invariants. The
just docs-check recipe also checks Markdown links, documentation policy,
instruction topology, and control-plane contracts with their regression tests.
Neither establishes live service health or deployment acceptance. Fix generated
content at the entrypoints in the source-ownership index,
then regenerate; that index is itself generated.
The workspace uses Rust 2024, resolver 3, a single
[workspace.package] version, shared [workspace.dependencies], and shared
[workspace.lints] (unsafe_code = "forbid", mod_module_files = "deny",
disallowed_macros = "deny"). The member inventory and exact Git-pinned MCP SDK
revision are maintained in Cargo.toml;
Architecture owns the complete crate map.
| Path | Role |
|---|---|
| crates/labby-primitives | Workspace dependency-leaf crate: ActionSpec/ParamSpec, PluginMeta/EnvVar/Category, UiSchema, static SSRF checks. |
| crates/labby-apis | Pure SDK contracts for core HTTP behavior, setup, doctor, and Artifact control; no ambient product configuration. |
| crates/labby-auth | OAuth/JWT/session middleware, route support, and upstream OAuth runtime. |
| crates/labby-runtime | Surface-neutral contracts and helpers: ToolError, gateway config DTOs, dispatch helpers, redaction, path safety, and security helpers. |
| crates/labby-codemode | Client-neutral Code Mode runner kernel, broker, result shaping, snippets, and TypeScript descriptor generation. |
| crates/labby-gateway | Gateway manager, upstream MCP proxy pool, Code Mode host adapter, discovery/imports, virtual servers, protected routes, and OAuth lifecycle. |
| crates/labby-openapi | OpenAPI-to-Code-Mode derivation and hardened outbound HTTP execution. |
| crates/labby-browser | Reusable browser bridge, pairing, permission, and invocation runtime. |
| crates/labby-model | Model-checking and verification support; never a product dependency. |
| crates/labby-web | Embedded/filesystem web asset serving with symlink escape defense. |
| crates/labby | Product binary crate: CLI, MCP, HTTP API, config loading, gateway dispatch, logs, setup, snippets, filesystem access, and output rendering. |
| crates/labby-winjob | Windows Job Object process-tree support, isolated so the main workspace can keep unsafe_code = "forbid". |
| crates/xtask | Repo automation tasks; not published. |
| apps/web | Labby web UI, statically exported and served by labby serve. |
| packages/labby-mcp | npm launcher wrapper behind npx -y @dinglebear/labby mcp. |
| plugins | Claude/Codex plugin assets and skills. |
| docs | Topic documentation and generated inventories. |
Shared operations belong in the owning extracted runtime or product dispatch.
labby-gateway owns upstream discovery, routing, OAuth lifecycle, and the
gateway Code Mode host; labby-codemode owns the host-neutral kernel.
labby-apis remains a pure SDK boundary. Product adapters under
crates/labby/src translate input, caller context, and output without duplicating
authorization, validation, or operation semantics. See
Architecture and Dispatch.
Read the canonical AGENTS.md, the development workflow, and the nearest nested instructions before changing code. CLAUDE.md and GEMINI.md are compatibility symlinks to AGENTS.md. See documentation maintenance for documentation ownership and checks.
Builds and tests do not update an installed gateway. The install, service, host-sync, and auth-disabled local-preview commands below are separate opt-in operations, not routine validation steps.
Prefer the just aliases:
just check # cargo check --workspace --all-features
just test # cargo nextest run --workspace --all-features
just test-integration # cargo nextest run --workspace --all-features --run-ignored ignored-only
just lint # skill drift + toolchain sync + module reachability + clippy + fmt
just docs-check # generated freshness + links + documentation policy and regressions
just rustdoc-check # strict Rustdoc + workspace doctests
just deny # cargo deny check
just build # web export + optimized all-features Rust build
just build-release # web export + release build and binary installation
just service-install # build and install the native persistent gateway service
just service-status # inspect the native service manager state
labby host service install --install-self -y # install current binary + start system service
labby host service restart --install-self -y # reinstall current binary + restart service
labby host service status --json # inspect the host Labby gateway service
just host-sync # repo dev shortcut: rebuild + install binary + restart host service
just web-build # locked dependency install + validated static UI export
just web-watch # rebuild web assets when frontend files change
just run -- help # web export + cargo run --all-features -- <args>
just chat-local # local Labby admin UI workflow with browser auth disabled
just install # web export + release build + install ~/.local/bin/labby
just mcp-token # rotate checkout .env token and print it; not daemon secret rotationUse all-feature workspace verification plus affected standalone feature slices:
cargo check --workspace --all-features
cargo clippy --workspace --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo nextest run --workspace --all-features
cargo build --workspace --all-featuresDirect Cargo commands are low-level backend development paths: they do not build
the frontend and may embed no UI in a clean checkout. Use just build or
just install to produce a complete gateway binary. just check, just test,
and just lint do not invoke the frontend build; just web-build is an optional
frontend-only command, not a prerequisite users need to run separately.
CI uses the same posture and runs nextest with its CI profile. Use cargo test
only for narrow local slices or when a tool specifically requires it.
Frontend changes should also run the relevant pnpm scripts under
apps/web, and just web-build when exported assets matter.
The recommended self-hosted gateway runtime is the Incus system container
provisioned by labby host incus setup --version vX.Y.Z and converged
in-box with labby setup --provision. Bare metal uses the same provisioner and
system unit when the host or VM is dedicated to Labby. The default service is
/etc/systemd/system/labby.service, running as User=labby, Group=labby, with
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/labby serve. From a source checkout, just host-sync
remains the rebuild-and-restart developer shortcut.
Release Please maintains the version/changelog pull request and creates the
stable tag plus draft GitHub release when that pull request merges. The stable
tag triggers the heavy GitHub-hosted candidate workflow. It builds Linux and
macOS archives with checksums, publishes the npm launcher, and publishes Labby's
server.json metadata to the official MCP Registry. Only after qualification
and publication succeed does the workflow promote the draft GitHub release.
Incus substrate images build and publish independently through
.github/workflows/incus-image.yml; normal binary releases do not build an image.
plugins/labby supplies usage skills; plugins/install-labby owns the installer
skill, MCP configuration, and userConfig. Neither bundles the Labby binary
or automatic lifecycle hooks. The former
plugins/labby/hooks/hooks.json (SessionStart / ConfigChange shims) has been
removed; operators run labby setup themselves. Do not reintroduce a hooks/
directory, bundle a binary under plugins/labby/bin/, or add
Docker/systemd bootstrap logic to plugin assets.
just validate-plugin runs the supported read-only labby setup check flow
against an isolated Labby home. Plugin lifecycle hooks and per-service plugin
mutation commands remain retired.
- soma - RMCP runtime for provider-backed MCP servers.
- unifi-rmcp - UniFi controller REST API bridge.
- tailscale-rmcp - Tailscale API bridge for devices, users, and tailnet operations.
- unraid - Unraid monorepo; the Rust GraphQL bridge (
runraid) lives inunraid-rs/. - apprise-rmcp - Apprise notification fan-out bridge for many delivery backends.
- gotify-rmcp - Gotify push notification bridge for sends, messages, apps, and clients.
- arcane-rmcp - Arcane Docker management bridge for containers and related resources.
- ytdl-rmcp - Media download and metadata workflow server.
- synapse-rmcp - Local Synapse workflow server for scout and flux actions.
- cortex - Syslog and homelab log aggregation MCP server.
- axon - RAG, crawl, scrape, extract, and semantic search project.
Start at docs/README.md. High-value entrypoints:
Original Dinglebear-authored portions of this project are licensed under AGPL-3.0-only. The same file records the project-specific scope, third-party treatment, contribution policy, and availability of separately negotiated commercial terms.
