browser-vault-gui/CLEANUP_SUMMARY.md

# 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.