fix: bake CHAT_UI_URL into Docker build for remote dashboard access by ericksoa · Pull Request #812 · NVIDIA/NemoClaw

ericksoa · 2026-03-24T14:11:05Z

Summary

setup.sh and onboard.js passed CHAT_UI_URL only as a runtime env var, but the gateway allowedOrigins are generated at build time and locked immutable (root:root 444 + Landlock). Remote browsers hit "origin not allowed" because the build always used the default localhost origin.
Sed the ARG CHAT_UI_URL line in the build-context Dockerfile copy when the env var is set, so the build-time config generator writes the correct allowedOrigins. URL is validated before interpolation to prevent injection.
Forward CHAT_UI_URL through brev-setup.sh and warn on headless hosts when it is unset.
Document CHAT_UI_URL requirement for remote deployments.

Fixes #795, fixes #20

Test plan

Existing security-c2-dockerfile-injection tests pass (13/13)
Full test suite passes (306/307, 1 pre-existing flaky timeout)
URL validation rejects all injection vectors (tested: |, $(), backticks, &, ;, spaces)
setup.sh without CHAT_UI_URL behaves identically to before (no regression)
CHAT_UI_URL=https://openclaw0-test.brevlab.com ./scripts/setup.sh bakes origin into build

Summary by CodeRabbit

Release Notes

Documentation
- Added instructions for remote dashboard access with CHAT_UI_URL configuration for Brev deployments
- Clarified setup differences between SSH port-forwarding and public URL scenarios
Improvements
- Setup script now logs CHAT_UI_URL configuration and warns about missing remote access settings on headless systems

setup.sh and onboard.js passed CHAT_UI_URL only as a runtime env var, but the gateway allowedOrigins are generated at build time and locked immutable (root:root 444 + Landlock). Remote browsers hit "origin not allowed" because the build always used the default localhost origin. Sed the ARG CHAT_UI_URL line in the build-context Dockerfile copy when the env var is set, so the build-time config generator writes the correct allowedOrigins. URL is validated before interpolation to prevent injection. Also forward CHAT_UI_URL through brev-setup.sh and warn on headless hosts when it is unset. Fixes #795, fixes #20

coderabbitai · 2026-03-24T14:11:18Z

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: cbc6442b-5e72-4230-8b61-f017b2910d6d

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 71ec390 and a212c2e.

📒 Files selected for processing (3)

docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md
scripts/brev-setup.sh
test/runner.test.js

✅ Files skipped from review due to trivial changes (2)

test/runner.test.js
docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (1)

scripts/brev-setup.sh

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Three files are updated to address remote dashboard access for NemoClaw on Brev: documentation is added describing the CHAT_UI_URL configuration requirement and browser-origin allowlisting mechanism; the setup script conditionally exports CHAT_UI_URL and emits warnings when remote access is misconfigured; and a test comment is annotated for gitleaks scanning.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Documentation `docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md`	New "Remote Dashboard Access" section documenting the `CHAT_UI_URL` configuration requirement, explaining browser-origin allowlisting embedded during build, and clarifying when this setting is necessary (Brev public URLs vs. local SSH port-forwarding).
Setup Script Enhancement `scripts/brev-setup.sh`	Conditional logic to export `CHAT_UI_URL` and log its value when non-empty. Emits three warning messages when remote browser access would fail due to missing origin allowlisting (triggered when `CHAT_UI_URL` is unset and no local X11 display is detected).
Test Annotation `test/runner.test.js`	Inline `// gitleaks:allow` comment added to stdout test data containing a URL with credentials, with no changes to test logic or assertions.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~12 minutes

Poem

🐰 The Brev dashboard now finds its way,
With origins set before deploy day,
Warnings whisper when config's askew,
Remote access flows—a rabbit's breakthrough! 🌐✨

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title 'fix: bake CHAT_UI_URL into Docker build for remote dashboard access' accurately captures the main change—incorporating CHAT_UI_URL at Docker build time to fix remote dashboard access failures.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	The PR addresses the core requirements from both linked issues: it fixes the 'origin not allowed' error (`#795`) by baking CHAT_UI_URL into the Docker build, and enables remote dashboard access (`#20`) through documentation and setup flow changes.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly scoped to the stated objectives: documentation updates for remote access, script modifications to forward CHAT_UI_URL, and a minor test comment addition for security scanning.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	Docstring coverage is 100.00% which is sufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

✨ Finishing Touches

📝 Generate docstrings

Create stacked PR
Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

Create PR with unit tests
Commit unit tests in branch fix/chat-ui-url-build-arg

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

coderabbitai

🧹 Nitpick comments (2)

docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md (2)

80-84: Multiple sentences on the same source line.

This paragraph contains three sentences that should each be on their own line for diff readability.
As per coding guidelines: "One sentence per line in source (makes diffs readable). Flag paragraphs where multiple sentences appear on the same line."

📝 Suggested reformat

-The NemoClaw dashboard validates the browser origin against an allowlist baked
-into the sandbox image at build time.  By default the allowlist only contains
-`http://127.0.0.1:18789`.  When accessing the dashboard from a remote browser
-(for example through a Brev public URL or an SSH port-forward), set
-`CHAT_UI_URL` to the origin the browser will use **before** running setup:
+The NemoClaw dashboard validates the browser origin against an allowlist baked into the sandbox image at build time.
+By default the allowlist only contains `http://127.0.0.1:18789`.
+When accessing the dashboard from a remote browser (for example through a Brev public URL or an SSH port-forward), set `CHAT_UI_URL` to the origin the browser will use **before** running setup:

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

In `@docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md` around lines 80 - 84, The paragraph
in docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md packs three sentences into one line;
split each sentence onto its own source line to follow "one sentence per line"
guideline so diffs are readable. Locate the paragraph mentioning NemoClaw, the
allowlist default `http://127.0.0.1:18789`, the remote browser access examples
(Brev public URL / SSH port-forward), and the `CHAT_UI_URL` instruction, and
break it into three separate lines—one for the allowlist/default origin, one for
the remote access examples, and one for the instruction to set `CHAT_UI_URL`
before running setup.

95-97: Multiple sentences on the same source line within admonition.

The note contains two sentences that should each appear on their own line.
As per coding guidelines: "One sentence per line in source (makes diffs readable)."

📝 Suggested reformat

 :::{note}
-On Brev, set `CHAT_UI_URL` in the launchable environment configuration so it is
-available when the setup script builds the sandbox image.  If `CHAT_UI_URL` is
-not set on a headless host, `brev-setup.sh` prints a warning.
+On Brev, set `CHAT_UI_URL` in the launchable environment configuration so it is available when the setup script builds the sandbox image.
+If `CHAT_UI_URL` is not set on a headless host, `brev-setup.sh` prints a warning.
 :::

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

In `@docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md` around lines 95 - 97, The admonition
text mentioning CHAT_UI_URL and brev-setup.sh contains multiple sentences on one
source line; edit the note so each sentence is on its own source line (e.g.,
split "On Brev, set `CHAT_UI_URL`... image." and "If `CHAT_UI_URL` is not set on
a headless host, `brev-setup.sh` prints a warning." into two separate lines) to
follow the "one sentence per line" guideline and improve diff readability.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against the current code and only fix it if needed.

Nitpick comments:
In `@docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md`:
- Around line 80-84: The paragraph in docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md
packs three sentences into one line; split each sentence onto its own source
line to follow "one sentence per line" guideline so diffs are readable. Locate
the paragraph mentioning NemoClaw, the allowlist default
`http://127.0.0.1:18789`, the remote browser access examples (Brev public URL /
SSH port-forward), and the `CHAT_UI_URL` instruction, and break it into three
separate lines—one for the allowlist/default origin, one for the remote access
examples, and one for the instruction to set `CHAT_UI_URL` before running setup.
- Around line 95-97: The admonition text mentioning CHAT_UI_URL and
brev-setup.sh contains multiple sentences on one source line; edit the note so
each sentence is on its own source line (e.g., split "On Brev, set
`CHAT_UI_URL`... image." and "If `CHAT_UI_URL` is not set on a headless host,
`brev-setup.sh` prints a warning." into two separate lines) to follow the "one
sentence per line" guideline and improve diff readability.

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 7746d00e-fb3d-47b1-a245-375d688efdb2

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between fb03994 and 71ec390.

📒 Files selected for processing (4)

bin/lib/onboard.js
docs/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.md
scripts/brev-setup.sh
scripts/setup.sh

cv

A few suggestions — nothing blocking, all optional.

cv · 2026-03-24T14:27:12Z

+  const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';
+  if (chatUiUrl !== 'http://127.0.0.1:18789') {


Nit: the default URL is repeated as a magic string here and must match the Dockerfile ARG default. If the Dockerfile default ever changes, this comparison silently breaks. Consider extracting a constant:

Suggested change

const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';

if (chatUiUrl !== 'http://127.0.0.1:18789') {

const DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL = 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';

const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL;

if (chatUiUrl !== DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL) {

cv · 2026-03-24T14:27:12Z

+  // Ref: https://github.com/NVIDIA/NemoClaw/issues/795
+  const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';
+  if (chatUiUrl !== 'http://127.0.0.1:18789') {
+    if (/^https?:\/\/[a-zA-Z0-9._:-]+(\/[a-zA-Z0-9._/~%-]*)?$/.test(chatUiUrl)) {


This regex is duplicated in scripts/setup.sh:198 (bash version). If one gets updated without the other, you get inconsistent validation depending on the entrypoint. Consider adding a comment in each location cross-referencing the other, e.g.:

// NOTE: keep in sync with scripts/setup.sh URL validation regex

cv · 2026-03-24T14:27:12Z

+CHAT_UI_ENV=""
+if [ -n "${CHAT_UI_URL:-}" ]; then
+  CHAT_UI_ENV="CHAT_UI_URL=$CHAT_UI_URL"
+fi
+
 # Capture full output to a temp file so we can filter for display but still
 # detect failures. The raw log is kept on failure for debugging.
 CREATE_LOG=$(mktemp /tmp/nemoclaw-create-XXXXXX.log)
 set +e
+# shellcheck disable=SC2086  # intentional word-split on CHAT_UI_ENV (validated URL, no spaces)
 openshell sandbox create --from "$BUILD_CTX/Dockerfile" --name "$SANDBOX_NAME" \
  --provider nvidia-nim \
-  -- env NVIDIA_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY" >"$CREATE_LOG" 2>&1
+  -- env NVIDIA_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY" $CHAT_UI_ENV >"$CREATE_LOG" 2>&1
 CREATE_RC=$?


The word-splitting approach works but requires a shellcheck suppression and is fragile if the regex ever allows spaces. Consider using a bash array instead — more idiomatic and avoids the suppression entirely:

Suggested change

CHAT_UI_ENV=""

if [ -n "${CHAT_UI_URL:-}" ]; then

CHAT_UI_ENV="CHAT_UI_URL=$CHAT_UI_URL"

fi

# Capture full output to a temp file so we can filter for display but still

# detect failures. The raw log is kept on failure for debugging.

CREATE_LOG=$(mktemp /tmp/nemoclaw-create-XXXXXX.log)

set +e

# shellcheck disable=SC2086 # intentional word-split on CHAT_UI_ENV (validated URL, no spaces)

openshell sandbox create --from "$BUILD_CTX/Dockerfile" --name "$SANDBOX_NAME" \

--provider nvidia-nim \

-- env NVIDIA_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY" >"$CREATE_LOG" 2>&1

-- env NVIDIA_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY" $CHAT_UI_ENV >"$CREATE_LOG" 2>&1

CREATE_RC=$?

# Build the runtime env args array.

ENV_ARGS=(NVIDIA_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY")

if [ -n "${CHAT_UI_URL:-}" ]; then

ENV_ARGS+=(CHAT_UI_URL="$CHAT_UI_URL")

fi

# Capture full output to a temp file so we can filter for display but still

# detect failures. The raw log is kept on failure for debugging.

CREATE_LOG=$(mktemp /tmp/nemoclaw-create-XXXXXX.log)

set +e

openshell sandbox create --from "$BUILD_CTX/Dockerfile" --name "$SANDBOX_NAME" \

--provider nvidia-nim \

-- env "${ENV_ARGS[@]}" >"$CREATE_LOG" 2>&1

Keep main's patchStagedDockerfile and formatEnvAssignment from #812, while preserving the security fix: strip NVIDIA_API_KEY from sandbox environment and delete from process.env after provider config storage.

harrism · 2026-03-26T02:42:43Z

+1 This fixes a usability issue for me.

# Conflicts: # bin/lib/onboard.js # scripts/brev-setup.sh # scripts/setup.sh

…VIDIA#812) ## Summary - `setup.sh` and `onboard.js` passed `CHAT_UI_URL` only as a runtime env var, but the gateway `allowedOrigins` are generated at **build time** and locked immutable (`root:root 444` + Landlock). Remote browsers hit "origin not allowed" because the build always used the default localhost origin. - Sed the `ARG CHAT_UI_URL` line in the build-context Dockerfile copy when the env var is set, so the build-time config generator writes the correct `allowedOrigins`. URL is validated before interpolation to prevent injection. - Forward `CHAT_UI_URL` through `brev-setup.sh` and warn on headless hosts when it is unset. - Document `CHAT_UI_URL` requirement for remote deployments. Fixes NVIDIA#795, fixes NVIDIA#20 ## Test plan - [ ] Existing `security-c2-dockerfile-injection` tests pass (13/13) - [ ] Full test suite passes (306/307, 1 pre-existing flaky timeout) - [ ] URL validation rejects all injection vectors (tested: `|`, `$()`, backticks, `&`, `;`, spaces) - [ ] `setup.sh` without `CHAT_UI_URL` behaves identically to before (no regression) - [ ] `CHAT_UI_URL=https://openclaw0-test.brevlab.com ./scripts/setup.sh` bakes origin into build  ## Summary by CodeRabbit ## Release Notes * **Documentation** * Added instructions for remote dashboard access with `CHAT_UI_URL` configuration for Brev deployments * Clarified setup differences between SSH port-forwarding and public URL scenarios * **Improvements** * Setup script now logs `CHAT_UI_URL` configuration and warns about missing remote access settings on headless systems  Co-authored-by: Carlos Villela <cvillela@nvidia.com>

…roxy access When CHAT_UI_URL is set to an HTTPS URL without an explicit port (as documented for Brev deployments), onboard injects the internal dashboard port (e.g. :18789) into the origin. Reverse proxies (Brev Cloudflare Tunnel, nginx, Caddy) serve on standard :443, so the browser origin doesn't carry the port — causing "origin not allowed" on the dashboard. Add the portless origin alongside the port-annotated one in allowedOrigins for non-loopback URLs. This is safe (same host) and covers both direct and proxied access paths. Prior art: PR NVIDIA#812 and PR NVIDIA#2440 fixed the CHAT_UI_URL plumbing but the port-override gap remained. Fixes NVIDIA#3000 Ref: NVIDIA#795, NVIDIA#20 Signed-off-by: Senthil Ravichandran <senthilr@nvidia.com>

…roxy access (#3002) ## Summary When `CHAT_UI_URL` is set to an HTTPS URL without an explicit port — as [documented](https://docs.nvidia.com/nemoclaw/latest/deployment/deploy-to-remote-gpu.html#remote-dashboard-access) for Brev deployments — onboard injects the internal dashboard port (`:18789`) into the origin via `onboard.ts:4002`. Reverse proxies (Brev Cloudflare Tunnel, nginx, Caddy, Tailscale Funnel) serve on standard `:443`, so the browser sends origin `https://host` which doesn't match `https://host:18789` in `allowedOrigins` — causing "origin not allowed" on the dashboard. **Root cause:** `generate-openclaw-config.py` builds `allowedOrigins` from the port-overridden URL only. **Fix:** Also include the portless origin for non-loopback URLs. This is safe (same host) and covers both direct and reverse-proxy access. ## Prior art PR #812 and PR #2440 fixed the `CHAT_UI_URL` plumbing but the port-override gap remained. This PR closes the remaining gap from the #795 / #20 lineage. ## Changes | File | Change | |------|--------| | `scripts/generate-openclaw-config.py` | Add portless origin to `allowedOrigins` for non-loopback URLs when a port is present | | `test/generate-openclaw-config.test.ts` | Update existing test to expect portless origin; add new test for reverse-proxy case | ## Testing - **Unit tests:** 43/43 passing (`vitest run test/generate-openclaw-config.test.ts`) - **Manual verification:** On Brev GCP (`nemoclaw-gcp`, n2-standard-4), confirmed that adding the portless origin to `allowedOrigins` resolves the CORS error when accessing `https://brev-nc-xxx.brevlab.com/chat?session=main` ## What this does NOT fix - `onboard.ts:4002` still unconditionally overrides the port. A future improvement could skip the port override when the URL is HTTPS with no explicit port, but this config-level fix is sufficient and lower-risk. ## Related - Fixes #3000 - Ref: #795 (Brev dashboard inaccessible — closed) - Ref: #20 (Remote dashboard access — closed) - Ref: PR #812 (bake CHAT_UI_URL into Docker build — merged) - Ref: PR #2440 (inject NEMOCLAW_DASHBOARD_PORT — merged) Signed-off-by: Senthil Ravichandran <senthilr@nvidia.com>  ## Summary by CodeRabbit * **Bug Fixes** * Improved origin handling: when a configured UI URL includes an explicit port and is non-loopback, the app accepts both the full origin (with port) and a portless origin; IPv6 hostnames keep bracket formatting and duplicate entries are removed. Loopback behavior is unchanged. * **Tests** * Expanded tests to cover ported and portless origins, reverse-proxy scenarios, IPv6 behavior (including loopback) and resilience to malformed port values.  Signed-off-by: Senthil Ravichandran <senthilr@nvidia.com>

ericksoa added the security label Mar 24, 2026

ericksoa self-assigned this Mar 24, 2026

coderabbitai Bot reviewed Mar 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

cv reviewed Mar 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

cv approved these changes Mar 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

wscurran mentioned this pull request Mar 25, 2026

Bug: ALLOWED_CHAT_IDS env var propagation #896

Closed

2 tasks

cv mentioned this pull request Mar 25, 2026

refactor(cli): shell consolidation, TypeScript migration & oclif #924

Closed

cv enabled auto-merge (squash) April 2, 2026 05:47

Merge branch 'main' into fix/chat-ui-url-build-arg

a212c2e

# Conflicts: # bin/lib/onboard.js # scripts/brev-setup.sh # scripts/setup.sh

cv merged commit 6386bf8 into main Apr 3, 2026
13 checks passed

cv deleted the fix/chat-ui-url-build-arg branch April 3, 2026 01:12

wscurran mentioned this pull request Apr 13, 2026

Dockerfile: pinned OpenClaw version, restrictive allowedOrigins, no way to update in sandbox #739

Closed

This was referenced May 4, 2026

fix(onboard): CORS origin mismatch when CHAT_UI_URL is behind a reverse proxy #3000

Closed

fix(onboard): include portless origin in allowedOrigins for reverse-proxy access #3002

Merged

wscurran added the bug-fix PR fixes a bug or regression label Jun 8, 2026

wscurran added NV QA Bugs found by the NVIDIA QA Team VDR Linked to VDR finding labels Jun 26, 2026

cjagwani mentioned this pull request Aug 24, 2026

[Epic] Integrate Switchyard routing into NemoClaw-managed Hermes through native NeMo Relay #7937

Open

18 tasks

Navigation Menu

Uh oh!

fix: bake CHAT_UI_URL into Docker build for remote dashboard access - #812

fix: bake CHAT_UI_URL into Docker build for remote dashboard access#812
cv merged 2 commits into
mainfrom
fix/chat-ui-url-build-arg

ericksoa commented Mar 24, 2026 •

edited by coderabbitai Bot

Loading

Uh oh!

coderabbitai Bot commented Mar 24, 2026 •

edited

Loading

Walkthrough

Changes

Estimated code review effort

Poem

Uh oh!

coderabbitai Bot left a comment

Uh oh!

cv left a comment

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Uh oh!

harrism commented Mar 26, 2026

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

4 participants

		const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL \|\| 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';
		if (chatUiUrl !== 'http://127.0.0.1:18789') {

-  const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';
-  if (chatUiUrl !== 'http://127.0.0.1:18789') {
+  const DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL = 'http://127.0.0.1:18789';
+  const chatUiUrl = process.env.CHAT_UI_URL || DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL;
+  if (chatUiUrl !== DEFAULT_CHAT_UI_URL) {

Uh oh!

Conversation

ericksoa commented Mar 24, 2026 • edited by coderabbitai Bot Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Summary

Test plan

Summary by CodeRabbit

Release Notes

Uh oh!

coderabbitai Bot commented Mar 24, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Walkthrough

Changes

Estimated code review effort

Poem

Uh oh!

coderabbitai Bot left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cv left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

cv Mar 24, 2026

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

harrism commented Mar 26, 2026

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

4 participants

ericksoa commented Mar 24, 2026 •

edited by coderabbitai Bot

Loading

coderabbitai Bot commented Mar 24, 2026 •

edited

Loading