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fix(security): surface schedule/user-less flow runAs fail-open (#1888 follow-up) - #2308
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…follow-up) With flow `runAs` now enforced (#1888, PR #2302), a SCHEDULE-triggered flow with the default `runAs:'user'` has no trigger user: `resolveRunDataContext` returns undefined, so the CRUD nodes pass no ObjectQL `options.context` and the security middleware — which skips when there is no identity (it delegates auth to the auth layer) — runs the operation UNSCOPED (effectively elevated). An author who left `runAs` at the 'user' default expecting a restricted run silently gets an unscoped one. That is fail-open, and exactly the kind of "security property that silently does the opposite of what it implies" ADR-0049 prohibits. This makes the boundary case #1888 deliberately left open an explicit product decision. Denying outright (fail-closed) would break legitimate scheduled CRUD — empirically 2 of 3 example scheduled CRUD flows relied on the default — and silently elevating would hide the author's intent. So prevention happens where the platform can tell intent apart (author/build time), and the runtime stays non-breaking but is no longer silent: - Author-time lint (@objectstack/cli, lintFlowPatterns): a new advisory rule `flow-schedule-runas-unscoped` flags a schedule-triggered flow whose effective `runAs` is user (explicit or unset) and which performs a data op, pointing the author at `runAs:'system'`. Catches it at compile time before deploy (most flows are AI-authored). - Runtime warning (@objectstack/service-automation): the engine emits one clear warning per run when a user-mode run resolves no trigger identity and the flow touches data — the fail-open is audible, not silent. Behavior is otherwise unchanged (scheduled CRUD is not broken). New helpers `runIsUnscopedUserMode`, `flowTouchesData`, `DATA_NODE_TYPES` exported beside `resolveRunDataContext`; the two runContext construction sites collapse into one `resolveRunContext`. - Spec describe (@objectstack/spec): FlowSchema.runAs now states a scheduled run has no user, so under `user` it runs unscoped — declare `system`. First-party example flows that tripped the new lint are fixed to declare `runAs:'system'` (stale_opportunity_sweep, app-todo task_reminder / overdue_escalation) — they read/write across owners and were running unscoped. Longer term, attributing scheduled runs to a dedicated service principal (scopable + audit-attributable) is the right enforcement — M2 follow-up. Proven by a service-automation unit test (warns once for a user-less user-mode data run; silent for system / an identified user / a data-less flow) and a dogfood gate (flow-runas-schedule.dogfood.test.ts) that drives user-less runs through the real automation + security + data stack: a `runAs:'user'` run reads + writes an owner-scoped note a member cannot — audibly — while `runAs:'system'` is the explicit, warning-free equivalent. Refs #1888, ADR-0049. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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📓 Docs Drift CheckThis PR changes 5 package(s): 96 hand-written doc(s) reference the affected code and may need an implementation-accuracy re-verification:
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Add an e2e test wiring the REAL ScheduleTrigger to the REAL AutomationEngine: a
fired scheduled job builds a user-less { event:'schedule' } context, reaches the
engine, threads the unscoped (user-mode, user-less) identity to the data node, and
trips the [runAs] warning — proving the fail-open via the actual cron path (the
unit + dogfood tests call engine.execute() with a hand-made context). Also asserts
runAs:'system' propagates elevated with no warning.
Adds @objectstack/service-automation as a dev-dependency of trigger-schedule (the
first place the two real halves meet; the FlowTrigger contract is declared
structurally so there is no runtime/build dependency).
Refs #1888, ADR-0049.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>Uh oh!
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This was referenced Jun 25, 2026
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…pal for user-less runs) (#2318) * docs(adr): ADR-0073 — automation execution identity (non-human principal for user-less runs) Completes the identity model (ADR-0068 unified the human surface) by adding the non-human / automation identity that user-less runs need: - Automation is a first-class identity expressed as built-in roles (`automation` org-scoped, `platform_automation` unscoped) — the ADR-0068 idiom; no anonymous run. - `runAs` becomes an authorization POSTURE (user / automation-with-RLS / system), decoupling authorization from attribution; `automation` (RLS-enforced) is the new safe default for user-less triggers, `system` (god-mode) unchanged for back-compat. - Attribution always concrete (audit actor), decoupled from record ownership so automation never silently owns the rows it writes (owner-RLS would hide them). - User-less `runAs:'user'` is a configuration error. Staged per ADR-0049: contract + seeded roles + lint completeness now (non-breaking, mirrors ADR-0068 v1); runtime wiring (attribution then RLS-enforced authorization + scopable grants) deferred to M2. Grounds the decision in how Salesforce / ServiceNow / AWS IAM / K8s / iPaaS / GitHub Actions handle automation identity. Status: Proposed — for discussion. Refs #1888, #2308; builds on ADR-0049/0057/0066/0068. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com> * docs(adr): ADR-0073 v2 — right-size v1 to decision-record + guardrail, defer runtime to M2 (gated on first consumer) * docs(adr): ADR-0073 — correct tenancy model to environment-per-database (ADR-0002); automation principal is per-env Data-Plane, cross-env is Control-Plane --------- Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This was referenced Jul 15, 2026
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Problem
Follow-up to #1888 (flow
runAsenforcement). WithrunAsnow enforced, a schedule-triggered flow with the defaultrunAs:'user'has no trigger user.resolveRunDataContextreturnsundefined, so the CRUD nodes pass no ObjectQLoptions.context, and the security middleware — which skips when there is no identity (it delegates auth to the auth layer,security-plugin.ts:343-349) — runs the operation UNSCOPED (effectively elevated).An author who left
runAsat the'user'default expecting a restricted run silently gets an unscoped one. That is fail-open, and exactly the kind of "security property that silently does the opposite of what it implies" ADR-0049 prohibits.Key architectural finding: a "zero-authority user context" does not fail closed — the middleware skips on no-identity by design. (And
report-scheduleis not a second fail-open: report-service uses an explicitSYSTEM_CTX = { isSystem:true }.)Decision — Option 1 (author-time prevention + non-breaking runtime visibility)
Empirically, 2 of 3 first-party scheduled CRUD flows relied on the default, so fail-closed (option 3) would break legitimate scheduled CRUD. Silently elevating would hide author intent. A dedicated service principal (option 2) is the right long-term enforcement (attributable + scopable) but is M2 work. So:
@objectstack/cli): new advisory ruleflow-schedule-runas-unscoped— a schedule-triggered flow whose effectiverunAsisuser(explicit or unset) and which performs a data op is flagged towardrunAs:'system'. Catches it at compile time (most flows are AI-authored).@objectstack/service-automation): the engine emits one clear[runAs]warning per run when a user-mode run resolves no trigger identity and the flow touches data — the fail-open is audible, not silent. Behavior is otherwise unchanged (scheduled CRUD is not broken). The tworunContextsites collapse into oneresolveRunContext; new helpersrunIsUnscopedUserMode/flowTouchesData/DATA_NODE_TYPESexported besideresolveRunDataContext.@objectstack/spec):FlowSchema.runAsnow states a scheduled run has no user → underuserit runs unscoped → declaresystem.stale_opportunity_sweep, app-todotask_reminder/overdue_escalationnow declarerunAs:'system'— they read/write across owners and were running unscoped by default.Tests (all green)
crud-runas.test.ts): engine warns once for a user-less user-mode data run; silent forsystem, for an identified user, and for a data-less flow; plusrunIsUnscopedUserMode/flowTouchesDataunits. (221 pass)flow-runas-schedule.dogfood.test.ts): drives user-less runs through the real automation + security + data stack viakernel.getService('automation').execute— arunAs:'user'run reads + writes an owner-scoped note a member cannot (audibly), whilerunAs:'system'is the explicit, warning-free equivalent. (8 pass)lint-flow-patterns.test.ts): fires on schedule + user/unset + data node; silent forsystem, no-data, and non-schedule triggers. (35 pass)Refs #1888, ADR-0049.
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