Files
alkhttp/docs/architecture/decisions/042-openapi-gateway-pattern.md
T
glm-5.3-flash 4a825d33e7 feat(infra): full-surface integration suite + docs sync + publish prep
Full-surface integration suite (tests/full_surface.rs, mcp feature):
- one HttpAdapter over real TCP (ProtocolHandler::handle path) serving
  gateway endpoints, /openapi.json, /mcp, and the WS channels session
- gateway: search/schema/call/subscribe/batch/publish presence,
  envelope shapes, error fidelity end-to-end
- from_openapi import -> Internal-by-default invisible from the wire ->
  External facade composes it via env.invoke -> upstream HTTP API
  called end-to-end (ADR-015 composition model exercised)
- to_openapi 6-path doc validated against openapiv3 over the wire
- to_mcp: MCP client connects to /mcp on the served adapter, lists the
  4 gateway tools, search returns ACL-filtered ops (Sub excluded)

Production fix: the WS upgrade route was reserved but never wired into
HttpAdapter's router (the ws-upgrade-session tests built their own
router). Now wired with ws_bearer_auth (401 without a resolvable
token) around ws_upgrade_handler.

Docs sync: all 28 'Port notes' sections/blockquotes stripped from
ported ADRs/specs; OQ-01/OQ-02 statuses corrected to resolved in
overview.md, websocket.md, and the README table (open-questions.md was
already current).

Publish prep: cargo publish --dry-run --allow-dirty succeeds;
cargo doc --no-deps warning-free (ADR link targets fixed); feature
combinations (default / test-support / mcp / wss / all) compile
warning-free under clippy -D warnings.

Verified: cargo test (182 lib default), --all-features (227 lib + 29
integration), clippy -D warnings x3 feature sets, fmt, doc,
publish --dry-run.
2026-08-28 16:07:56 +00:00

292 lines
15 KiB
Markdown

# ADR-042: OpenAPI Gateway Pattern for to_openapi
*Ported from alknet ADR-042 (OpenAPI Gateway Pattern for to_openapi); re-targeted to alkhttp.*
## Status
Proposed
## Context
The current `to_openapi` spec (`http-adapters.md` in this crate's
`docs/architecture/`; alknet original: `crates/http/http-adapters.md`)
describes `to_openapi` as generating a traditional OpenAPI document with
one path
entry per `External` operation — `POST /fs/readFile`,
`POST /agent/chat`, etc., each with parameters, request body, and
responses built from the operation's `input_schema`/`output_schema`/
`error_schemas`. This is the "inverse of `from_openapi`" framing: since
`from_openapi` merges OpenAPI path params / query params / request body
into a single flat JSON input schema, `to_openapi` should split them
back out.
### The flat→structured problem
The inverse is genuinely messy. The call protocol's input is a flat JSON
object (e.g., `{ path, content, encoding }` for `fs/writeFile`). To
generate a traditional OpenAPI path entry (`POST /fs/{path}` with path
param `path`, body `content`), `to_openapi` would need to know which
fields are path params, which are query params, and which is the body.
That information isn't in the flat schema — it's metadata the call
protocol doesn't carry because it doesn't care about HTTP parameter
structure. `to_openapi` would need either:
1. HTTP-specific metadata on `OperationSpec` (which fields are path
params, etc.) — a leaky abstraction that puts HTTP concerns in the
protocol-foundation crate (alkcall), or
2. Heuristics (guess that fields named `id` are path params?) — fragile
and wrong, or
3. Manual annotation per operation — boilerplate that defeats the "pure
projection" promise.
All three are messy. The flat→structured split is the hard direction,
and it's the one `to_openapi` has to do.
### The per-caller API surface problem
A traditional OpenAPI document is static — it describes the full API
surface regardless of who's reading it. Real APIs have per-caller
authorization: an admin sees admin operations, a regular user sees a
subset. OpenAPI has no standard mechanism for "show me only what I have
access to." The Gitea API is a concrete failure case: its OpenAPI spec
dumps the full API (including admin operations) to every caller,
regardless of privilege. A user reading the spec can't tell which
endpoints they can actually call without trial-and-error `403`s.
The call protocol already has the per-caller filtering primitive:
`services/list` is `AccessControl::check(identity)`-filtered — the
caller sees only the operations they are authorized to call. A
`to_openapi` that generates a static full-surface doc loses this
property. A `to_openapi` that uses the gateway pattern preserves it.
### The pattern that works
The same tool-gateway pattern ADR-041 applies to `to_mcp` applies here:
`to_openapi` exposes a small fixed set of endpoints that gate access to
the full operation registry. The external client (a code generator, a
human developer, a `fetch`-based client) calls `search` to discover
operations, `schema` to learn an operation's input shape, `call` to
invoke. The input is always a flat JSON body — no path/query/body split
to reverse-engineer. JSON Schema for the input/output is already in the
`OperationSpec` — no conversion beyond wrapping it in OpenAPI's schema
format.
The OpenAPI gateway has one endpoint the MCP gateway doesn't:
`subscribe` (SSE). OpenAPI/SSE supports streaming; MCP tool calls don't.
So the OpenAPI gateway is 5 endpoints; the MCP gateway is 4. (In
alkhttp, the OpenAPI gateway is extended with `/publish` — ADR-068 —
making it 6 endpoints; see Decision §1.)
## Decision
### 1. `to_openapi` exposes a fixed gateway endpoint set, not one path per operation
`to_openapi` generates an OpenAPI document with a small fixed set of
endpoints that gate access to the full operation registry. The external
client discovers and invokes operations through the gateway.
The gateway endpoint set (initial, two-way-door extensible):
| OpenAPI path | Call protocol operation | HTTP method | Purpose |
|--------------|------------------------|-------------|---------|
| `/search` | `services/list` | `GET` | List/search available operations (filtered by the caller's `AccessControl`). Returns names + descriptions. |
| `/schema` | `services/schema` | `GET` | Get an operation's full `OperationSpec` (input/output JSON Schemas, error schemas). |
| `/call` | `call.requested` (Query/Mutation) | `POST` | Invoke an operation by name with a JSON input. Returns the output or a typed error ([ADR-023](023-operation-error-schemas.md)). |
| `/batch` | multiple `call.requested` | `POST` | Invoke multiple operations in one request (correlated request IDs, alknet OQ-14). Returns an array of results. |
| `/subscribe` | `call.requested` (Sub) | `POST` (SSE) | Invoke a streaming operation. Body `{ operation, input }` (same shape as `/call`); response is `text/event-stream` — each `call.responded` is an SSE frame, `call.completed` closes the stream. |
Five endpoints (the 5-endpoint set, extended with `/publish` in alkhttp
— ADR-068; `POST /publish` invokes Pub operations — producer→consumer
streaming; the request body is streamed as newline-delimited JSON, each
line one published chunk, and the final `ResponseEnvelope` is returned
as the HTTP response). The client calls `/search` to find operations,
`/schema` to learn the input shape, `/call` (or `/subscribe` for
streaming, `/publish` for Pub streaming) to invoke. The input is always
a flat JSON body (`{ operation: "/fs/readFile", input: { ... } }`); the
output is the operation's result as JSON. No path/query/body split to
reverse-engineer.
### 2. `subscribe` is the OpenAPI gateway's streaming endpoint (SSE)
The OpenAPI gateway includes `subscribe` (which the MCP gateway excludes
— ADR-041, MCP tool calls are request/response). The `subscribe`
endpoint maps `Sub` operations onto SSE: `POST /subscribe` with
a `{ operation, input }` JSON body (same shape as `/call`) and
`Accept: text/event-stream`, each `call.responded` event is an SSE
`data:` frame, `call.completed` closes the stream, `call.aborted` closes
with an error frame. This is the same SSE projection ADR-036 describes
for `h2`/`http/1.1` clients — the gateway's `subscribe` endpoint is the
single SSE entry point instead of per-operation SSE streams.
`POST` (not `GET`) is used because `/subscribe` is an invoke endpoint
that carries `{ operation, input }` in the request body, the same flat
JSON body shape the rest of the gateway uses. A `GET` request has no
body, so it cannot carry the operation name and input. The SSE response
is negotiated via `Accept: text/event-stream` on the `POST`, not via the
method. (Browsers using `EventSource` cannot `POST`, but browsers use
WebSocket for the bidirectional path — ADR-044; the HTTP gateway's
`/subscribe` is for non-browser HTTP clients, and `fetch` +
`ReadableStream` handles POST-SSE cleanly.)
### 3. The generated OpenAPI doc is per-caller (AccessControl-filtered)
The `/search` endpoint's results are filtered by the caller's
`AccessControl::check(identity)` — the client sees only the operations
it is authorized to call. The `/call` and `/subscribe` endpoints run the
same `AccessControl` check on dispatch. The generated OpenAPI doc
describes the gateway endpoints (5 fixed paths — extended with
`/publish` in alkhttp, ADR-068); the per-caller
operation surface is discovered through `/search`, not preloaded into
the doc.
This is the key advantage over a traditional per-operation-paths OpenAPI
doc: the per-caller API surface is the default, not an afterthought. A
client reading the gateway OpenAPI doc learns the gateway's shape (5
endpoints, stable — 6 in alkhttp); a client calling `/search` learns
what *it* can call (per-caller, AccessControl-filtered). The Gitea
failure mode (dumping admin ops to every caller) is structurally
impossible — `/search` doesn't return operations the caller can't call.
### 4. The gateway OpenAPI doc is a compatibility contract
Once published, the gateway endpoint set (5 endpoints — extended with
`/publish` in alkhttp, ADR-068) and the
request/response shapes are a compatibility contract ([ADR-017](017-call-protocol-client-and-adapter-contract.md)
Consequences). Adding endpoints is additive (non-breaking); removing or
renaming is a one-way door. The initial 5-endpoint set is the published
contract. The versioning strategy for the generated doc was tracked as
alknet OQ-39 (now **resolved by
[ADR-045](045-to-openapi-gateway-spec-versioning.md)**:
`info.version` semver tracks the gateway endpoint contract, not the
operation set) — the gateway pattern simplifies versioning to 5 stable
endpoints instead of a per-operation surface.
### 5. A traditional per-operation-paths projection is additive, not replacement
A deployment that wants a traditional REST OpenAPI doc (per-operation
paths with split parameters) can build it as a separate projection with
the HTTP-specific metadata (which fields are path params, etc.). The
gateway pattern is the default `to_openapi` projection; the traditional
projection is an additive alternative for deployments that need it. The
gateway does not foreclose the traditional projection — it just doesn't
require it for the common case.
## Consequences
**Positive:**
- No flat→structured split. The gateway's input is always a flat JSON
body (`{ operation, input }`); the operation's input/output schemas
are already JSON Schemas in the `OperationSpec`. No reverse-
engineering of path/query/body semantics. The messy direction of the
`from_openapi` inverse is sidestepped.
- Per-caller API surface by default. `/search` is
`AccessControl`-filtered; the client sees only what it can call. The
Gitea failure mode (dumping admin ops to every caller) is structurally
impossible. This is a property the traditional per-operation-paths
OpenAPI doc cannot provide (OpenAPI has no per-caller filtering
concept).
- Easy to build clients for. Any language's `fetch` + JSON Schema
libraries can call the gateway: `POST /call` with a JSON body, get a
JSON result. No code generator needed for the common case; a code
generator produces a `CallClient` (call/search/schema/batch/
subscribe) instead of typed per-operation methods.
- 5 stable endpoints instead of a per-operation surface (6 in alkhttp
with `/publish`, ADR-068). The
versioning concern (alknet OQ-39) is simpler — a small set of
endpoints that rarely change vs. a per-operation surface that changes
on every operation addition/modification.
- `subscribe` maps cleanly onto SSE — the same projection ADR-036
describes, just as a single gateway entry point instead of per-
operation SSE streams.
- A deployment that wants the traditional REST surface can build it
additively. The gateway doesn't foreclose it.
**Negative:**
- The generated OpenAPI doc is not a "nice UI" by default. A Swagger UI
rendering shows 5 generic endpoints instead of a REST tree. This is
the tradeoff for avoiding the flat→structured split and gaining per-
caller filtering. A deployment that wants the nice UI builds the
traditional projection (additive, with metadata).
- A code generator reading the gateway OpenAPI doc produces a
`CallClient` (generic call/search/schema methods), not typed per-
operation methods. Typed methods require the traditional projection
(with metadata) or a client that reads `/search` + `/schema` and
generates typed wrappers at build time. The gateway is optimized for
the `fetch`-and-JSON-Schema use case, not the code-generation use
case.
- The gateway doc is less "traditional" — a developer expecting a
REST OpenAPI doc sees a small RPC-style surface instead. This is
honest (the call protocol is a flat JSON RPC, not a REST API), but
it's a departure from OpenAPI conventions.
## Assumptions
1. **The gateway endpoint set is stable.** Once external clients build
against the 5-endpoint gateway, changing the endpoint set (renaming,
removing) breaks them. Adding endpoints is additive (non-breaking).
The initial 5-endpoint set is the published contract (alkhttp
extends it with `/publish` — ADR-068 — an additive addition, the
pattern this assumption already permits).
2. **`AccessControl` filtering is the right per-caller mechanism.** The
client sees the operations it's authorized to call. If an operation's
existence is itself sensitive, `Visibility::Internal`
([ADR-015](015-privilege-model-and-authority-context.md)) is
the mechanism — Internal ops are excluded from `services/list` and
therefore from `/search` results. The gateway does not add a
separate visibility layer.
3. **The common case is `fetch` + JSON Schema, not code generation.**
The gateway is optimized for the developer who calls `POST /call`
with a JSON body and parses the result. The code-generation case
(typed per-operation methods) is served by the traditional projection
(additive) or a client that generates wrappers from `/search` +
`/schema` at build time.
4. **`subscribe` (SSE) is the streaming projection for the gateway.**
Over `h2`/`http/1.1`, subscriptions are SSE. Over WebSocket (the v1
browser bidirectional path, ADR-044), subscriptions project onto the
WS connection directly as binary messages — the gateway's `/subscribe`
is the `h2`/`http/1.1` SSE path; the WebSocket path is the native
call-protocol session (the alkcall crate's `docs/architecture/`
stream model; the gateway shape does not
appear on WS per [ADR-048](048-websocket-native-session-not-gateway.md)).
WebTransport (`h3`, deferred per ADR-044) would project onto
WebTransport streams; no deferred WebTransport spec is carried in
alkhttp (per ADR-044).
## References
- [ADR-015](015-privilege-model-and-authority-context.md) —
External/Internal visibility (Internal ops excluded from
`services/list`, therefore from `/search`; the decision record is
alkcall ADR-017)
- [ADR-017](017-call-protocol-client-and-adapter-contract.md) —
`to_*` adapters are projections; published-spec compatibility contract
(the decision record is alkcall ADR-022)
- [ADR-023](023-operation-error-schemas.md) — typed error `details`
mapped to OpenAPI error responses (the decision record is alkcall
ADR-016)
- [ADR-036](036-http-to-call-operation-mapping.md) — the SSE projection
for subscriptions over `h2`/`http/1.1` (the gateway's `/subscribe`
endpoint uses the same SSE framing)
- [ADR-044](044-defer-webtransport-browsers-use-websocket.md) —
WebSocket is the v1 browser bidirectional path; `h3`/WebTransport
deferred (the gateway's `/subscribe` is the `h2`/`http/1.1` SSE path;
the WS path is the native call-protocol session). ADR-038 is
superseded by ADR-044.
- [ADR-068](068-gateway-publish-endpoint.md) — the alkhttp extension of
this ADR's gateway: `POST /publish` (Pub operations,
newline-delimited JSON chunks) makes the OpenAPI gateway 6 endpoints
- ADR-041 (MCP Tool-Gateway Pattern for `to_mcp`) — the sibling gateway
pattern for `to_mcp` (4 tools; `subscribe` excluded because MCP tool
calls are request/response; ported to alkhttp — see
`decisions/041-mcp-tool-gateway-pattern.md` if present, otherwise the
alknet record)
- alknet OQ-39 — `to_openapi` published-spec versioning (simplified by
the gateway pattern to 5 stable endpoints; **resolved by
[ADR-045](045-to-openapi-gateway-spec-versioning.md)**)
- `http-adapters.md` (in this crate's `docs/architecture/`) — the spec
that implements the gateway (alknet original:
`crates/http/http-adapters.md`)