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Reverse proxy and tunnel setup

Piclaw's web UI can run behind a reverse proxy or tunnel.

Use this guide when the browser reaches piclaw through an external hostname such as:

  • Cloudflare Tunnel
  • Caddy / Nginx / Traefik TLS termination
  • a load balancer or ingress controller
  • any setup where piclaw itself only sees an internal http://host:port hop

Effects of proxying

When piclaw is proxied, the external browser origin may differ from the direct origin seen by the app. Without proxy trust, that can break:

  • browser-origin / CSRF checks on state-changing requests
  • WebAuthn / passkey flows
  • absolute URL generation for web-channel links
  • client IP derivation for logging and rate limiting

piclaw only trusts forwarded proxy headers when you enable proxy trust explicitly.

Enable proxy trust

Set:

PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1

or in .piclaw/config.json:

{
  "web": {
    "trustProxy": true
  }
}

This maps to the runtime config consumed by:

  • runtime/src/utils/request-client.ts
  • runtime/src/channels/web/http/security.ts
  • runtime/src/channels/web/auth/request-origin.ts

Forwarded headers piclaw expects

When PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1 is enabled, piclaw resolves the external origin using this data:

  1. X-Forwarded-Proto (preferred) or Forwarded: proto=...
  2. X-Forwarded-Host (preferred) or Forwarded: host=...
  3. optional X-Forwarded-Port
  4. falls back to the request URL / Host header when no forwarded values are present

For client-IP derivation it uses:

  1. X-Forwarded-For
  2. X-Real-IP
  3. otherwise unknown

Minimum required headers

Your proxy should forward either:

  • the standard Forwarded header

or:

  • X-Forwarded-Host
  • X-Forwarded-Proto

Recommended extras:

  • X-Forwarded-Port
  • X-Forwarded-For
  • X-Real-IP

Cloudflare Tunnel example

A typical cloudflared setup can keep piclaw listening only on local HTTP while Cloudflare terminates TLS publicly.

Piclaw side

PICLAW_WEB_HOST=127.0.0.1
PICLAW_WEB_PORT=8080
PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1
# Leave PICLAW_WEB_EXTERNAL_URL unset when the same instance must work
# through both a public proxy hostname and direct LAN access.

If you run inside the standard container, keep the container/web binding consistent with your deployment model. The tunnel connects to piclaw over an internal hop while the browser uses the public HTTPS hostname.

Piclaw remembers the browser origin from forwarded headers on authenticated web requests. That remembered origin is used for generated web links when PICLAW_WEB_EXTERNAL_URL is unset, so public proxy access and LAN access can coexist without pinning the instance to one hostname.

cloudflared config example

tunnel: YOUR_TUNNEL_ID
credentials-file: /etc/cloudflared/YOUR_TUNNEL_ID.json

ingress:
  - hostname: piclaw.example.com
    service: http://127.0.0.1:8080
  - service: http_status:404

Cloudflare Tunnel will supply the external host/proto context. With PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1, piclaw will treat the browser origin as https://piclaw.example.com instead of the internal http://127.0.0.1:8080 hop.

Notes for passkeys

If WebAuthn/passkeys are enabled, the browser hostname used during enrolment/login must match the public hostname users actually visit. An account can have multiple credentials; keys registered for another RP ID do not satisfy the current hostname's factor checks. Enable proxy trust behind the tunnel.

Only accept forwarded headers from your trusted proxy: restrict direct backend access and have the proxy overwrite client-supplied forwarding headers. Preserve browser Origin and Cookie headers. In the gated family APIs, account mutations/invitation redemption require a matching Origin, and enrolment cookies use Secure/HttpOnly/SameSite=Strict. Use HTTPS for browser ceremonies. Do not strip private/no-store response headers or cache account, invitation or auth responses.

This is not a guide to deploying family mode; multi-user startup is still disabled.

Caddy example

piclaw.example.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080
}

Caddy already forwards the usual proxy headers needed for this flow. Enable PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1 on the piclaw side.

Nginx example

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name piclaw.example.com;

    ssl_certificate     /etc/letsencrypt/live/piclaw.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/piclaw.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;

        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Port $server_port;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }
}

Direct deployments

If users connect directly to piclaw with no proxy/tunnel in front:

  • leave PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=0
  • do not inject forwarded headers unnecessarily

Troubleshooting

Browser POSTs fail with origin / CSRF errors

Check:

  • PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1
  • forwarded host/proto headers are present
  • the public hostname in the browser matches the forwarded host

Symptoms usually include failed posting, uploads, or other state-changing requests behind a proxy.

Passkey / WebAuthn login fails only behind the proxy

Check:

  • the browser is using the final public hostname
  • PICLAW_TRUST_PROXY=1 is enabled
  • the proxy forwards host/proto correctly
  • you are not mixing multiple public hostnames during enrolment/login

Generated links point to the wrong host or http://

Check:

  • X-Forwarded-Host
  • X-Forwarded-Proto
  • optional X-Forwarded-Port
  • whether the proxy is rewriting Host unexpectedly
  • whether PICLAW_WEB_EXTERNAL_URL is set; if set, it deliberately overrides the remembered forwarded/browser origin

Client IPs all look wrong

Check:

  • X-Forwarded-For
  • X-Real-IP
  • whether there is more than one proxy hop in front of piclaw

Operational checklist

Before declaring a proxied deployment healthy, verify:

  • login works
  • posting works
  • uploads work
  • workspace writes work
  • SSE/web streaming stays connected
  • passkeys work, if enabled
  • generated links use the public origin

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