feat: add support for shared-instance RPC configuration in client and gateway

Author: Giu Platania

examples/EmergencyManagement/README.md

@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ Both the CLI demo and the FastAPI gateway read [`client/client_config.json`](cli
 - Override the location of the configuration file with `NORTH_API_CONFIG_PATH` or provide JSON directly through `NORTH_API_CONFIG_JSON`.
 - Requests can target different LXMF services by supplying an `X-Server-Identity` header or a `server_identity` query parameter to the gateway.
 - The repository ships with a sample Reticulum directory at [`examples/EmergencyManagement/.reticulum`](./.reticulum) that pins `rpc_key` to `F1E2D3C4B5A697887766554433221100`. When the gateway and LXMF service use this directory (or any config with the same key) they can attach to the same shared instance without prompting.
+- Remote deployments should set `use_shared_instance_rpc` to `false` to avoid attempting shared-instance RPC connections on hosts that only communicate over the mesh.
 
 | Key | Purpose |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ Both the CLI demo and the FastAPI gateway read [`client/client_config.json`](cli
 | `lxmf_config_path` | Optional override for the Reticulum configuration directory. |
 | `lxmf_storage_path` | Optional override for the LXMF storage directory. |
 | `shared_instance_rpc_key` | RPC key used when attaching to a shared Reticulum instance. |
+| `use_shared_instance_rpc` | Set to `true` to use the shared-instance RPC key (local clients); set to `false` on remote hosts that should not attach via RPC. |
 | `generate_test_messages` | When `true`, the CLI seeds random emergency messages and events during startup. |
 | `enable_interactive_menu` | Enables the interactive CLI menu after the initial demo run. Disable when scripting automated flows. |
 | `test_message_count` | Number of emergency messages to seed when `generate_test_messages` is enabled. |

examples/EmergencyManagement/client/client_config.json

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
   "generate_test_messages": true,
   "enable_interactive_menu": true,
   "shared_instance_rpc_key": "F1E2D3C4B5A697887766554433221100",
+  "use_shared_instance_rpc": true,
   "test_message_count": 5,
   "test_event_count": 5
 }

examples/EmergencyManagement/client/client_emergency.py

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 LXMF_CONFIG_PATH_KEY = "lxmf_config_path"
 LXMF_STORAGE_PATH_KEY = "lxmf_storage_path"
 SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY = "shared_instance_rpc_key"
+USE_SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY = "use_shared_instance_rpc"
 ENABLE_INTERACTIVE_MENU_KEY = "enable_interactive_menu"
 DEFAULT_DISPLAY_NAME = "OpenAPIClient"
 DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 30.0
@@ -124,6 +125,7 @@
     "load_client_config",
     "write_client_config",
     "SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY",
+    "USE_SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY",
 ]
 
 
@@ -238,6 +240,15 @@ def _coerce_positive_int(value, default: int) -> int:
     return default
 
 
+def _is_shared_instance_rpc_enabled(config: Mapping[str, Any]) -> bool:
+    """Return ``True`` when shared-instance RPC access should be used."""
+
+    flag = config.get(USE_SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY)
+    if isinstance(flag, bool):
+        return flag
+    return bool(config.get(SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY))
+
+
 def _normalise_config_directory(path_value: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
     """Return a directory path suitable for Reticulum configuration."""
 
@@ -665,6 +676,8 @@ async def main():
             rpc_key_value = None
     else:
         rpc_key_value = None
+    if not _is_shared_instance_rpc_enabled(config_data):
+        rpc_key_value = None
 
     identity_config_dir = Path(identity_config_path)
     try:

examples/EmergencyManagement/web_gateway/app.py

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
     LXMF_STORAGE_PATH_KEY,
     REQUEST_TIMEOUT_KEY,
     SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY,
+    USE_SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY,
     load_client_config,
     read_server_identity_from_config,
     write_client_config,
@@ -357,6 +358,15 @@ def _normalise_optional_hex(value: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
     return None
 
 
+def _is_shared_instance_rpc_enabled(config: ConfigDict) -> bool:
+    """Return True when shared-instance RPC access should be used."""
+
+    flag = config.get(USE_SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY)
+    if isinstance(flag, bool):
+        return flag
+    return bool(_normalise_optional_hex(config.get(SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY)))
+
+
 def _resolve_timeout(config: ConfigDict) -> float:
     """Return the timeout value configured for the client."""
 
@@ -389,6 +399,8 @@ def _create_client_from_config() -> LXMFClient:
     rpc_key_override = _normalise_optional_hex(
         _CONFIG_DATA.get(SHARED_INSTANCE_RPC_KEY)
     )
+    if not _is_shared_instance_rpc_enabled(_CONFIG_DATA):
+        rpc_key_override = None
     timeout_seconds = _resolve_timeout(_CONFIG_DATA)
     display_name = _resolve_display_name(_CONFIG_DATA)