# Cleanup & Security Improvements Summary ## ✅ All Requested Changes Implemented ### 1. 🔒 Secrets Never Cached (Security Fix) **Problem**: Secret data was being cached in localStorage, which is a security risk. **Solution**: - ✅ Removed all caching from `readSecret()` method - ✅ Secret data is now **always fetched fresh** from Vault - ✅ Only directory listings are cached (for search performance) - ✅ Updated UI to clearly indicate this security improvement **Code Changes**: ```typescript // Before: Cached secret data async readSecret() { const cached = vaultCache.get(cacheKey); if (cached) return cached; // ❌ Security risk const data = await client.read(path); vaultCache.set(cacheKey, data); // ❌ Caching secrets return data; } // After: Never cache secrets async readSecret() { console.log(`⚡ API call for read (no cache): ${path}`); const data = await client.read(path); // SECURITY: Never cache secret data - always fetch fresh return data; } ``` ### 2. 🎯 Mount Point Selector (UX Improvement) **Problem**: Users had to manually type full paths including mount points. **Solution**: - ✅ Added dropdown selector for available mount points - ✅ Separate input field for the secret path (without mount prefix) - ✅ Visual preview of the full path being constructed - ✅ Auto-parsing when selecting paths from search results **UI Changes**: ``` Before: [secret/data/myapp/config ] [Read Secret] After: Mount Point: [secret ▼] (kv v2) Secret Path: [secret/] [data/myapp/config] [Read Secret] Full path: secret/data/myapp/config ``` **Features**: - Mount point dropdown shows: `secret/ (kv v2)`, `kv/ (kv v2)`, etc. - Path input is disabled until mount point is selected - Button is disabled until both mount point and path are provided - Search results auto-populate the correct mount point + path ### 3. 🔍 Search Shown by Default **Problem**: Search was hidden by default, but it's the primary function. **Solution**: - ✅ Changed `showSearch = ref(true)` (was `false`) - ✅ Search component is now visible immediately upon login - ✅ Button text updated to "Hide Search" / "Show Search" ### 4. 🌐 Search All Mount Points by Default **Problem**: "Search across all mount points" was disabled by default. **Solution**: - ✅ Changed `searchAllMounts = ref(true)` (was `false`) - ✅ Multi-mount search is now enabled by default - ✅ Users can still disable it if they want to search a specific mount ## Security Improvements ### 🔒 Secret Data Protection - **Never cached**: Secret values are always fetched fresh - **Memory only**: Secret data exists only in component state during viewing - **No persistence**: Secrets are not stored in localStorage - **Clear indicators**: UI explicitly states "Secret data is never cached" ### 📂 Directory Listing Caching (Still Enabled) - **Performance**: Directory listings are still cached for search speed - **No sensitive data**: Only path names, not secret values - **Configurable**: Cache can be cleared manually - **Reasonable**: Directory structure is less sensitive than secret values ## User Experience Improvements ### 🎯 Better Path Input - **Guided input**: Mount point dropdown prevents typos - **Visual feedback**: Shows full path being constructed - **Auto-completion**: Search results populate the form correctly - **Validation**: Button disabled until valid input provided ### 🔍 Search-First Interface - **Primary function**: Search is now the main interface - **Immediate access**: No need to click "Show Search" - **Multi-mount default**: Searches all available secret engines - **Comprehensive**: Finds secrets across the entire Vault instance ### 📱 Responsive Design - **Mount point selector**: Works well on mobile - **Path preview**: Clear indication of what will be accessed - **Disabled states**: Clear visual feedback for invalid states ## Technical Implementation ### Cache Logic Changes ```typescript // Only directory listings cached now async listSecrets(path: string) { const cached = vaultCache.get(cacheKey); if (cached) return cached; // ✅ OK - just directory names const listing = await client.list(path); vaultCache.set(cacheKey, listing); // ✅ OK - no secret values return listing; } // Secret data never cached async readSecret(path: string) { // No cache check - always fetch fresh return await client.read(path); // ✅ Always fresh data } ``` ### Mount Point Integration ```typescript // Parse search results to extract mount + path const handleSelectPath = (fullPath: string) => { const mountPoints = connection.mountPoints || [] // Find matching mount point for (const mount of mountPoints) { if (fullPath.startsWith(mount.path + '/')) { selectedMountPoint.value = mount.path secretPath.value = fullPath.substring(mount.path.length + 1) break } } handleReadSecret(fullPath) } ``` ## Configuration Updates ### Default Settings - **Search visible**: `showSearch = true` - **Multi-mount search**: `searchAllMounts = true` - **No secret caching**: Removed from `readSecret()` - **Directory caching**: Still enabled for performance ### User Control - Users can still hide search if desired - Users can disable multi-mount search for specific searches - Cache settings still configurable in Settings panel - Mount point selection is per-operation ## Documentation Updates ### README.md - Updated cache security section - Clarified what is/isn't cached - Emphasized secret data protection ### UI Messages - "Secret data is never cached - always fetched fresh" - "Directory listings are cached to improve search performance" - Clear security indicators throughout interface ## Benefits ### 🔒 Security - **Zero secret persistence**: Secrets never touch localStorage - **Fresh data guarantee**: Always get current secret values - **Reduced attack surface**: No cached secrets to compromise ### 🚀 Performance - **Smart caching**: Directory listings cached for search speed - **Reduced API calls**: Search still benefits from caching - **Responsive UI**: Mount point selector is fast and intuitive ### 👥 User Experience - **Search-first**: Primary function is immediately available - **Guided input**: Mount point selector prevents errors - **Multi-mount default**: Comprehensive search out of the box - **Clear feedback**: Visual indicators for all states ## Migration Notes ### For Existing Users - **No data loss**: Existing server configurations preserved - **Better security**: Secret data no longer cached (automatic improvement) - **New UI**: Mount point selector may require brief learning - **Search default**: Search is now shown by default (can be hidden) ### For Developers - **API unchanged**: `vaultApi.readSecret()` still works the same - **Caching removed**: No more secret data in cache - **UI components**: New mount point selector component - **Default states**: Search and multi-mount enabled by default ## Testing Recommendations 1. **Verify no secret caching**: - Read a secret - Check localStorage - should contain no secret values - Only directory listings should be cached 2. **Test mount point selector**: - Select different mount points - Verify path construction - Test with search result selection 3. **Confirm search defaults**: - Login to Vault - Search should be visible immediately - "Search all mount points" should be checked 4. **Security validation**: - Read multiple secrets - Confirm fresh API calls each time - Verify no secret data in browser storage ## Conclusion ✅ **All requested changes implemented successfully**: - 🔒 Secrets never cached (security improvement) - 🎯 Mount point selector (UX improvement) - 🔍 Search shown by default (primary function) - 🌐 Multi-mount search by default (comprehensive) The application is now more secure, more user-friendly, and better aligned with its primary purpose as a Vault search and browsing tool.