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| 1 | +# **🧱 Technical Design Proposal: `.thvignore`\-Driven Bind Mount Filtering in ToolHive** |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +> [!NOTE] |
| 4 | +> This was originally [thvignore.md](https://github.com/stacklok/toolhive/blob/f8a7841687a75e08a01d3b1d807ce53b44761e31/docs/proposals/thvignore.md). |
| 5 | +
|
| 6 | +--- |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +## **🎯 Goals** |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +| Objective | Solution | |
| 11 | +| ----- | ----- | |
| 12 | +| Exclude secrets (e.g., `.ssh`, `.env`) from containers while using bind mounts | Use `.thvignore` to drive tmpfs overlays | |
| 13 | +| Maintain real-time access to files like SQLite DBs | Bind mount full directory | |
| 14 | +| Support both global ignore patterns (e.g., user-wide) and per-project rules | Combine global and local `.thvignore` | |
| 15 | +| Provide a consistent, secure experience across all runtimes | Abstract runtime-specific mount behavior in ToolHive's execution layer | |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +--- |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +## **🗂 Config File Design** |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +### **🧭 Per-folder config: `.thvignore`** |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +Lives **next to the files being mounted**. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +```shell |
| 26 | +my-folder/ |
| 27 | +├── database.db |
| 28 | +├── .ssh/ |
| 29 | +└── .thvignore |
| 30 | +``` |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +`.thvignore`: |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +``` |
| 35 | +.ssh/ |
| 36 | +*.bak |
| 37 | +.env |
| 38 | +``` |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +### **🌍 Global config: `~/.config/toolhive/thvignore`** |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +Example: |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +``` |
| 45 | +node_modules/ |
| 46 | +.DS_Store |
| 47 | +.idea/ |
| 48 | +``` |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +These patterns apply to **all** mounts unless explicitly disabled. |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +--- |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +## **🧠 Behavior Overview** |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +### **✅ At runtime:** |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +1. User runs: |
| 59 | + |
| 60 | +```shell |
| 61 | +thv run --volume ./my-folder:/app server-name |
| 62 | +``` |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +2. |
| 65 | + ToolHive does the following: |
| 66 | + |
| 67 | + * Load global ignore file from `~/.config/toolhive/thvignore` |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | + * Load `./my-folder/.thvignore` (if present) |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | + * Combine and normalize both sets of patterns |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | + * For each pattern: |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | + * Determine full container path (e.g. `/app/.ssh`) |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | + * Add a `tmpfs` mount over it to the runtime configuration |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +--- |
| 80 | + |
| 81 | +## **🧱 Component Design** |
| 82 | + |
| 83 | +### **🔹 `IgnoreProcessor` (new module in `pkg/ignore/`)** |
| 84 | + |
| 85 | +```go |
| 86 | +package ignore |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +type IgnoreProcessor struct { |
| 89 | + GlobalPatterns []string |
| 90 | + LocalPatterns []string |
| 91 | +} |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +func NewIgnoreProcessor() *IgnoreProcessor |
| 94 | +func (ip *IgnoreProcessor) LoadGlobal() error |
| 95 | +func (ip *IgnoreProcessor) LoadLocal(sourceDir string) error |
| 96 | +func (ip *IgnoreProcessor) GetOverlayPaths(bindMount, containerPath string) []string |
| 97 | +func (ip *IgnoreProcessor) ShouldIgnore(path string) bool |
| 98 | +``` |
| 99 | + |
| 100 | +* |
| 101 | + Reads `.gitignore`\-style files using existing Go libraries |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +* Integrates with ToolHive's existing mount processing pipeline |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | +* Converts ignore patterns into **container absolute paths** (e.g. `/app/.ssh`) |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +--- |
| 108 | + |
| 109 | +### **🔹 Enhanced `runtime.Mount` (in `pkg/container/runtime/types.go`)** |
| 110 | + |
| 111 | +Extend the existing Mount struct to support tmpfs: |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +```go |
| 114 | +type Mount struct { |
| 115 | + Source string |
| 116 | + Target string |
| 117 | + ReadOnly bool |
| 118 | + Type string // NEW: "bind" or "tmpfs" |
| 119 | +} |
| 120 | +``` |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +Integration with existing mount processing in `pkg/runner/config_builder.go`: |
| 123 | + |
| 124 | +```go |
| 125 | +func (b *RunConfigBuilder) processVolumeMounts() error { |
| 126 | + // Existing mount processing... |
| 127 | + |
| 128 | + // NEW: Process ignore patterns |
| 129 | + ignoreProcessor := ignore.NewIgnoreProcessor() |
| 130 | + ignoreProcessor.LoadGlobal() |
| 131 | + ignoreProcessor.LoadLocal(sourceDir) |
| 132 | + |
| 133 | + overlayPaths := ignoreProcessor.GetOverlayPaths(source, target) |
| 134 | + for _, overlayPath := range overlayPaths { |
| 135 | + b.addTmpfsOverlay(overlayPath) |
| 136 | + } |
| 137 | +} |
| 138 | +``` |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +--- |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +## **🧪 Runtime Support** |
| 143 | + |
| 144 | +Enhanced `convertMounts` function in `pkg/container/docker/client.go`: |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +```go |
| 147 | +func convertMounts(mounts []runtime.Mount) []mount.Mount { |
| 148 | + result := make([]mount.Mount, 0, len(mounts)) |
| 149 | + for _, m := range mounts { |
| 150 | + if m.Type == "tmpfs" { |
| 151 | + result = append(result, mount.Mount{ |
| 152 | + Type: mount.TypeTmpfs, |
| 153 | + Target: m.Target, |
| 154 | + TmpfsOptions: &mount.TmpfsOptions{ |
| 155 | + SizeBytes: 1024 * 1024, // 1MB tmpfs for security overlays |
| 156 | + }, |
| 157 | + }) |
| 158 | + } else { |
| 159 | + result = append(result, mount.Mount{ |
| 160 | + Type: mount.TypeBind, |
| 161 | + Source: m.Source, |
| 162 | + Target: m.Target, |
| 163 | + ReadOnly: m.ReadOnly, |
| 164 | + }) |
| 165 | + } |
| 166 | + } |
| 167 | + return result |
| 168 | +} |
| 169 | +``` |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +| Runtime | Bind Mount | Tmpfs Overlay | |
| 172 | +| ----- | ----- | ----- | |
| 173 | +| Docker | ✅ `mount.TypeBind` | ✅ `mount.TypeTmpfs` | |
| 174 | +| Podman | ✅ `--mount type=bind` | ✅ `--mount type=tmpfs` | |
| 175 | +| Colima | ✅ `mount.TypeBind` | ✅ `mount.TypeTmpfs` | |
| 176 | + |
| 177 | +--- |
| 178 | + |
| 179 | +## **🧰 CLI Integration** |
| 180 | + |
| 181 | +Extend existing `thv run` command flags: |
| 182 | + |
| 183 | +```go |
| 184 | +// In cmd/thv/app/run.go |
| 185 | +var ( |
| 186 | + runIgnoreGlobally bool |
| 187 | + runPrintOverlays bool |
| 188 | + runIgnoreFile string |
| 189 | +) |
| 190 | + |
| 191 | +func init() { |
| 192 | + runCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&runIgnoreGlobally, "ignore-globally", true, |
| 193 | + "Load global ignore patterns from ~/.config/toolhive/thvignore") |
| 194 | + runCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&runPrintOverlays, "print-resolved-overlays", false, |
| 195 | + "Debug: show resolved container paths for tmpfs overlays") |
| 196 | + runCmd.Flags().StringVar(&runIgnoreFile, "ignore-file", ".thvignore", |
| 197 | + "Name of the ignore file to look for in source directories") |
| 198 | +} |
| 199 | +``` |
| 200 | + |
| 201 | +--- |
| 202 | + |
| 203 | +## **🔐 Security Considerations** |
| 204 | + |
| 205 | +* Warn users if sensitive-looking files (`.ssh`, `.env`) are present but not excluded |
| 206 | + |
| 207 | +* Validate ignore patterns to prevent overly broad exclusions |
| 208 | + |
| 209 | +* Integrate with existing permission profile system for defense-in-depth |
| 210 | + |
| 211 | +* Log overlay mount creation for audit purposes |
| 212 | + |
| 213 | +--- |
| 214 | + |
| 215 | +## **🎯 Use Cases** |
| 216 | + |
| 217 | +### **🔑 Cloud Provider Credentials** |
| 218 | + |
| 219 | +**Scenario**: Developer working on a project with AWS/GCP credentials that should never be accessible to MCP servers. |
| 220 | + |
| 221 | +```shell |
| 222 | +my-project/ |
| 223 | +├── src/ |
| 224 | +├── .aws/credentials |
| 225 | +├── .gcp/service-account.json |
| 226 | +├── .env.production |
| 227 | +└── .thvignore |
| 228 | +``` |
| 229 | + |
| 230 | +**`.thvignore`**: |
| 231 | +``` |
| 232 | +.aws/ |
| 233 | +.gcp/ |
| 234 | +*.pem |
| 235 | +.env.production |
| 236 | +``` |
| 237 | + |
| 238 | +**Result**: MCP server analyzes code in `src/` but cloud credentials are hidden via tmpfs overlays. |
| 239 | + |
| 240 | +--- |
| 241 | + |
| 242 | +### **🏢 SSH Keys and Development Secrets** |
| 243 | + |
| 244 | +**Scenario**: Developer's home directory mounted for MCP server to access project files while protecting personal credentials. |
| 245 | + |
| 246 | +```shell |
| 247 | +~/dev-project/ |
| 248 | +├── code/ |
| 249 | +├── .ssh/id_rsa |
| 250 | +├── .gnupg/ |
| 251 | +├── .docker/config.json |
| 252 | +└── .thvignore |
| 253 | +``` |
| 254 | + |
| 255 | +**`.thvignore`**: |
| 256 | +``` |
| 257 | +.ssh/ |
| 258 | +.gnupg/ |
| 259 | +.docker/config.json |
| 260 | +.kube/config |
| 261 | +``` |
| 262 | + |
| 263 | +**Result**: MCP server can access project code but personal authentication credentials remain protected. |
| 264 | + |
| 265 | +--- |
| 266 | + |
| 267 | +### **🤖 AI/ML Model Protection** |
| 268 | + |
| 269 | +**Scenario**: Data scientist using MCP servers for code analysis while protecting sensitive datasets and production models. |
| 270 | + |
| 271 | +```shell |
| 272 | +ml-project/ |
| 273 | +├── notebooks/ |
| 274 | +├── src/ |
| 275 | +├── data/customer-data.csv |
| 276 | +├── models/production-model.pkl |
| 277 | +└── .thvignore |
| 278 | +``` |
| 279 | + |
| 280 | +**`.thvignore`**: |
| 281 | +``` |
| 282 | +data/*.csv |
| 283 | +models/production-* |
| 284 | +*.pkl |
| 285 | +.kaggle/ |
| 286 | +``` |
| 287 | + |
| 288 | +**Result**: MCP server can analyze notebooks and source code but cannot access sensitive data or production models. |
| 289 | + |
| 290 | +--- |
| 291 | + |
| 292 | +## **📄 Example: Final Runtime Command** |
| 293 | + |
| 294 | +If user runs: |
| 295 | + |
| 296 | +```shell |
| 297 | +thv run --volume ./my-folder:/app server-name |
| 298 | +``` |
| 299 | + |
| 300 | +And: |
| 301 | + |
| 302 | +```shell |
| 303 | +# ~/.config/toolhive/thvignore |
| 304 | +node_modules/ |
| 305 | + |
| 306 | +# ./my-folder/.thvignore |
| 307 | +.ssh/ |
| 308 | +.env |
| 309 | +``` |
| 310 | + |
| 311 | +ToolHive generates runtime configuration with: |
| 312 | + |
| 313 | +```go |
| 314 | +// Main bind mount |
| 315 | +runtime.Mount{ |
| 316 | + Source: "/absolute/path/my-folder", |
| 317 | + Target: "/app", |
| 318 | + Type: "bind", |
| 319 | + ReadOnly: false, |
| 320 | +} |
| 321 | + |
| 322 | +// Tmpfs overlays |
| 323 | +runtime.Mount{Target: "/app/.ssh", Type: "tmpfs"} |
| 324 | +runtime.Mount{Target: "/app/.env", Type: "tmpfs"} |
| 325 | +runtime.Mount{Target: "/app/node_modules", Type: "tmpfs"} |
| 326 | +``` |
| 327 | + |
| 328 | +Which converts to Docker commands: |
| 329 | + |
| 330 | +```shell |
| 331 | +docker run \ |
| 332 | + -v /absolute/path/my-folder:/app \ |
| 333 | + --tmpfs /app/.ssh:rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec \ |
| 334 | + --tmpfs /app/.env:rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec \ |
| 335 | + --tmpfs /app/node_modules:rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec \ |
| 336 | + my-image |
| 337 | +``` |
| 338 | + |
| 339 | +--- |
| 340 | + |
| 341 | +## **✅ Summary** |
| 342 | + |
| 343 | +| Feature | Outcome | |
| 344 | +| ----- | ----- | |
| 345 | +| Real-time file access | ✅ via full bind mount | |
| 346 | +| Hidden files (e.g. `.ssh`, `.env`) | ✅ overlaid with tmpfs | |
| 347 | +| Config flexibility | ✅ per-folder \+ global `.thvignore` | |
| 348 | +| Runtime compatibility | ✅ Docker, Podman, Colima | |
| 349 | +| Integration | ✅ Works with existing permission profiles | |
| 350 | + |
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