fix: re-pull the repo on every rebuild instead of reusing the stale clone

buildInstallation ran nixpacks against whatever was cloned at draft
creation time and never re-synced — every "rebuild" from the panel
silently rebuilt the same old commit forever, even after pushing new
commits. Confirmed repeatedly while iterating against a live repo
(had to git pull manually each time to actually pick up a fix).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.env.example

@@ -25,6 +25,14 @@ SESSION_SECRET=change-me-too
 # installation env vars and bearer tokens at rest
 MASTER_KEY=change-me-to-a-random-string-of-at-least-32-characters
 
-# Resource caps applied to every installed MCP container (same limit for all, no per-installation override in V1)
+# Resource caps applied to every installed MCP container (same limit for all, no per-installation
+# override in V1). Set either to 0 to disable that cap — needed on hosts that can't enforce cgroup
+# limits for nested containers (e.g. an unprivileged, OpenRC-based LXC with no systemd to delegate
+# cgroup controllers; `docker run` fails outright there if a limit is requested).
 CONTAINER_MEMORY_MB=512
 CONTAINER_CPUS=1
+
+# Absolute path to an SSH dir (key + known_hosts) with clone access to the repos you'll
+# install, mounted read-only into the manager container so `git clone ssh://...` works for
+# private repos. Required only if you install from private/SSH repo URLs.
+SSH_DIR=/root/.ssh

Dockerfile

@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
-FROM ghcr.io/railwayapp/nixpacks:1.41.0 AS nixpacks
 FROM docker:27-cli AS dockercli
 
+FROM debian:12-slim AS nixpacks
+# ghcr.io/railwayapp/nixpacks no longer ships the CLI binary in its image (repurposed
+# upstream for something else) — pull the pinned release tarball from GitHub instead.
+ARG NIXPACKS_VERSION=1.41.0
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends curl ca-certificates \
+  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* \
+  && curl -fsSL -o /tmp/nixpacks.tar.gz \
+    "https://github.com/railwayapp/nixpacks/releases/download/v${NIXPACKS_VERSION}/nixpacks-v${NIXPACKS_VERSION}-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz" \
+  && tar -xzf /tmp/nixpacks.tar.gz -C /usr/bin nixpacks \
+  && rm /tmp/nixpacks.tar.gz
+
 FROM node:20-slim AS build
 WORKDIR /repo
 COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
@@ -13,10 +23,13 @@ RUN npm run build --workspace apps/web
 RUN npm run build --workspace apps/server
 
 FROM node:20-slim
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends git ca-certificates \
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends git openssh-client ca-certificates \
   && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 COPY --from=nixpacks /usr/bin/nixpacks /usr/local/bin/nixpacks
 COPY --from=dockercli /usr/local/bin/docker /usr/local/bin/docker
+# nixpacks shells out to `docker build`, which defaults to BuildKit — needs the buildx
+# plugin present or it fails with "BuildKit is enabled but the buildx component is missing".
+COPY --from=dockercli /usr/local/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-buildx /usr/local/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-buildx
 
 WORKDIR /repo
 COPY package.json package-lock.json ./

LESSONS.md

@@ -2,11 +2,83 @@
 
 Recurring mistakes and gotchas found while building and operating this project, and how to avoid or work around them.
 
+## "Rebuild" must re-clone, not reuse the original checkout
+
+`buildInstallation` used to run `nixpacks build` directly against the repo directory left over
+from `createDraftInstallation`'s one-time clone — it never re-pulled. Every "rebuild" from the
+panel silently rebuilt the exact same old commit forever, even after pushing new commits to the
+repo; it looked like the rebuild worked (new image, new timestamp) but the code never changed.
+Found repeatedly while iterating on `nixpacks.toml` fixes against a live repo. Fixed by having
+`buildInstallation` call `cloneOrUpdateRepo` again (same as the initial clone) before every
+build.
+
+## A pinned external image's *contents* can still change
+
+The Dockerfile pinned `ghcr.io/railwayapp/nixpacks:1.41.0` and copied `/usr/bin/nixpacks` out
+of it. That path existed when the plan was written but was gone by the time of the first
+real production deploy — the image got repurposed upstream (now ships a Nix daemon, not the
+nixpacks CLI) even though the tag `1.41.0` still resolves.
+
+**Avoid it:** pinning a tag is not enough to guarantee what's inside an externally-published
+image stays the same — only pinning by digest guarantees bytes. For a single binary like this,
+prefer downloading the pinned release asset directly from the project's GitHub releases (a
+specific `vX.Y.Z` tag + exact filename) over extracting it from someone else's Docker image.
+
+## `git clone ssh://...` needs an actual `ssh` binary, and a key
+
+`node:20-slim` ships `git` but not `openssh-client` — cloning an `https://` repo works, but
+`ssh://` fails with "cannot run ssh: No such file or directory". Fixed by installing
+`openssh-client` in the final image. Separately, even with `ssh` present, cloning a private
+repo needs a key with access mounted into the container (`SSH_DIR` in `docker-compose.yml`,
+reusing the host's own deploy key) — confirmed both failures back to back while deploying.
+
+## `docker build` needs the buildx plugin present to use BuildKit
+
+Nixpacks shells out to `docker build`, which defaults to BuildKit. The manager's image only
+copied the bare `docker` CLI binary from `docker:27-cli`, not its buildx plugin, so every
+build failed with "BuildKit is enabled but the buildx component is missing or broken" —
+confirmed on the first real build attempt. Fixed by also copying
+`/usr/local/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-buildx` from the same `docker:27-cli` image.
+
+## Per-container memory/CPU cgroup limits need the host to delegate controllers
+
+`docker run --memory=...` fails outright ("error setting cgroup config... memory.max: no
+such file or directory") on a host where `cgroup.subtree_control` isn't populated down to
+where the container's cgroup lives. Confirmed on an unprivileged, OpenRC-based nested LXC
+(Alpine, no systemd) with `nesting=1`: systemd normally does this delegation automatically
+at boot; OpenRC doesn't, so `cgroup.subtree_control` stays empty at the LXC's own root and
+no controller is ever available to nested Docker containers. `CONTAINER_MEMORY_MB`/
+`CONTAINER_CPUS` can both be set to `0` to skip asking for a cap at all — on a host like this
+the outer LXC's own memory limit (if Proxmox/systemd-nspawn/etc. sets one) is the only
+enforced ceiling either way. Properly fixing the delegation means moving every process
+already in the LXC's root cgroup into a leaf scope and then writing the wanted controllers
+to the root's `cgroup.subtree_control` — not done here, since it's a live production LXC and
+restructuring its cgroup tree wasn't something to risk without asking first.
+
+## A global body parser breaks a reverse proxy mounted on the same app
+
+`app.use(express.json())` with no path restriction runs for *every* request, including the
+`/mcp/:slug` proxy route. By the time `http-proxy` tries to forward the request, body-parser
+has already fully drained the incoming stream — so the proxied request reaches the backend
+with the right `Content-Length` header but zero actual body bytes, and the backend just hangs
+waiting for a body that will never arrive. Every proxied POST (i.e. every real MCP call)
+hung with no response — found while testing the very first container through the proxy, not
+during earlier plain curl-to-container testing (which never went through Express's full
+middleware stack). Fixed by scoping the JSON parser to `/api` only (`app.use("/api",
+express.json())`), since the proxy route needs the raw stream untouched.
+
 ## Nixpacks silently picks its own default runtime version
 
 Nixpacks does not fail when a repo's `engines`/version requirement isn't met — it silently falls back to its own default (e.g. picked Node 18 for a repo requiring Node >=20 in `Social-MCP`). The build goes green, then the container crashes at runtime (`crypto is not defined`, missing globals, etc.).
 
-**Avoid it:** don't trust a green build as proof the runtime is correct. The manager now detects a Node version hint from the repo itself (`.nvmrc`, else `package.json` `engines.node`) and passes it to Nixpacks as `NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION` (`apps/server/src/build/nixpacks.ts`, `detectNodeVersion`), so the build uses the version the repo actually declares instead of Nixpacks' own default. Repos with no version hint at all still get Nixpacks' default, unchanged.
+**Avoid it:** don't trust a green build as proof the runtime is correct. The manager now detects a Node version hint from the repo itself (`.nvmrc`, else `package.json` `engines.node`) and passes it to Nixpacks (`apps/server/src/build/nixpacks.ts`, `detectNodeVersion`), so the build uses the version the repo actually declares instead of Nixpacks' own default. A Node repo (has `package.json`) with no hint of its own gets `DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION` (currently `20`) instead of falling through to Nixpacks' own default — confirmed necessary against a real repo (`ZenvairoSocial-MCP`, no `.nvmrc`/`engines.node` at all): build green, container crashed with "crypto is not defined" because Nixpacks picked Node 18, which predates stable `globalThis.crypto`.
+
+**Gotcha inside the gotcha:** `nixpacks` does **not** read `NIXPACKS_*` config from the
+process environment at all — only from its own `-e`/`--env` CLI flag. Setting
+`NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION` as a plain env var on the spawned process is silently ignored
+(`nixpacks plan` still showed `nodejs_18`); the fix above only actually took effect once
+passed as `nixpacks build ... -e NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION=20`. Caught because the very first
+container built after adding the "fix" still crashed the same way.
 
 ## Nixpacks needs a dependency manifest, and fails cleanly without one
 

apps/server/src/api/installations.ts

@@ -58,9 +58,31 @@ installationsRouter.post("/", async (req, res) => {
 });
 
 installationsRouter.patch("/:id/config", (req, res) => {
-  const { env, portEnvVar, hostEnvVar, httpPath, internalPort } = req.body ?? {};
+  const {
+    env,
+    portEnvVar,
+    hostEnvVar,
+    httpPath,
+    internalPort,
+    basicAuthUsername,
+    basicAuthPassword,
+    startCommand,
+    publishHostPort,
+    hostVolumes,
+  } = req.body ?? {};
   try {
-    const installation = configureInstallation(req.params.id, { env, portEnvVar, hostEnvVar, httpPath, internalPort });
+    const installation = configureInstallation(req.params.id, {
+      env,
+      portEnvVar,
+      hostEnvVar,
+      httpPath,
+      internalPort,
+      basicAuthUsername,
+      basicAuthPassword,
+      startCommand,
+      publishHostPort,
+      hostVolumes,
+    });
     res.json(toPublicJson(installation));
   } catch (err) {
     res.status(404).json({ error: (err as Error).message });

apps/server/src/build/nixpacks.test.ts

@@ -28,14 +28,20 @@ describe("detectNodeVersion", () => {
     expect(detectNodeVersion(dir)).toBe("20");
   });
 
-  it("returns undefined when there is no version hint", () => {
+  it("returns undefined for a non-Node repo (no package.json at all)", () => {
     const dir = mkTmpRepo();
     expect(detectNodeVersion(dir)).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  it("returns undefined for malformed package.json instead of throwing", () => {
+  it("falls back to the default version for a Node repo with no version hint", () => {
+    const dir = mkTmpRepo();
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, "package.json"), JSON.stringify({ name: "x" }));
+    expect(detectNodeVersion(dir)).toBe("20");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to the default version for malformed package.json instead of throwing", () => {
     const dir = mkTmpRepo();
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, "package.json"), "{not valid json");
-    expect(detectNodeVersion(dir)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(detectNodeVersion(dir)).toBe("20");
   });
 });

apps/server/src/build/nixpacks.ts

@@ -17,11 +17,17 @@ function parseMajorVersion(raw: string): string | undefined {
   return match ? match[1] : undefined;
 }
 
+// Nixpacks' own current default (18) predates stable globalThis.crypto/fetch — used as the
+// fallback for repos with a package.json but no version hint at all, confirmed in production
+// against ZenvairoSocial-MCP: build succeeded, container crashed on "crypto is not defined".
+const DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION = "20";
+
 /**
  * Nixpacks doesn't fail when a repo's declared runtime requirement isn't met — it silently
  * falls back to its own default version (seen in practice: Node 18 picked for a repo requiring
  * >=20, build green, container crashed at runtime on a missing global). Pinning
- * NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION from the repo's own .nvmrc/package.json closes that gap for Node repos.
+ * NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION from the repo's own .nvmrc/package.json closes that gap for Node repos;
+ * repos with no hint of their own still get DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION rather than nixpacks' default.
  */
 export function detectNodeVersion(repoDir: string): string | undefined {
   const nvmrcPath = path.join(repoDir, ".nvmrc");
@@ -31,7 +37,8 @@ export function detectNodeVersion(repoDir: string): string | undefined {
   }
 
   const pkgPath = path.join(repoDir, "package.json");
-  if (fs.existsSync(pkgPath)) {
+  if (!fs.existsSync(pkgPath)) return undefined;
+
   try {
     const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(pkgPath, "utf8")) as { engines?: { node?: string } };
     const engineNode = pkg.engines?.node;
@@ -40,30 +47,43 @@ export function detectNodeVersion(repoDir: string): string | undefined {
       if (version) return version;
     }
   } catch {
-      // malformed package.json — nothing to pin, let nixpacks use its default
-    }
+    // malformed package.json — fall through to the default below
   }
 
-  return undefined;
+  // It's a Node project (has a package.json) but declares no version of its own.
+  return DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION;
 }
 
-export function runNixpacksBuild(slug: string, repoDir: string, imageTag: string): Promise<BuildResult> {
+export function runNixpacksBuild(
+  slug: string,
+  repoDir: string,
+  imageTag: string,
+  startCommand?: string | null,
+): Promise<BuildResult> {
   return new Promise((resolve) => {
     const buildId = Date.now().toString();
     const logPath = buildLogPath(slug, buildId);
     fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(logPath), { recursive: true });
     const logStream = fs.createWriteStream(logPath, { flags: "a" });
 
-    const env = { ...process.env };
+    const args = ["build", repoDir, "--name", imageTag];
+    if (startCommand) {
+      // Lets an installation override the start command without needing a nixpacks.toml in
+      // the source repo — necessary for third-party repos we don't control (e.g. installing
+      // gitea.com/gitea/gitea-mcp as-is, which nixpacks builds fine but whose detected start
+      // command needs CLI flags like `-t http -p <port>` appended).
+      args.push("--start-cmd", startCommand);
+    }
     const nodeVersion = detectNodeVersion(repoDir);
     if (nodeVersion) {
-      env.NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION = nodeVersion;
-      logStream.write(
-        `[remote-mcp-manager] pinning NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION=${nodeVersion} (detected from .nvmrc/package.json engines.node)\n`,
-      );
+      // nixpacks does NOT read NIXPACKS_* config from the process environment — only from
+      // its own `-e`/`--env` CLI flag (confirmed: setting it as a plain env var is silently
+      // ignored, `nixpacks plan` still showed nodejs_18 for a repo pinned to 20 that way).
+      args.push("-e", `NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION=${nodeVersion}`);
+      logStream.write(`[remote-mcp-manager] pinning NIXPACKS_NODE_VERSION=${nodeVersion}\n`);
     }
 
-    const child = spawn("nixpacks", ["build", repoDir, "--name", imageTag], { env });
+    const child = spawn("nixpacks", args);
     child.stdout.pipe(logStream, { end: false });
     child.stderr.pipe(logStream, { end: false });
 

apps/server/src/db/index.ts

@@ -30,3 +30,19 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS installations (
   updated_at TEXT NOT NULL
 );
 `);
+
+// Added after the initial release — ALTER TABLE has no "ADD COLUMN IF NOT EXISTS" in SQLite,
+// so just ignore the "duplicate column" error on a DB that already has it.
+for (const ddl of [
+  "ALTER TABLE installations ADD COLUMN basic_auth_username TEXT",
+  "ALTER TABLE installations ADD COLUMN basic_auth_password_encrypted TEXT",
+  "ALTER TABLE installations ADD COLUMN start_command TEXT",
+  "ALTER TABLE installations ADD COLUMN publish_host_port INTEGER",
+  "ALTER TABLE installations ADD COLUMN host_volumes_json TEXT",
+]) {
+  try {
+    db.exec(ddl);
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (!(err as Error).message.includes("duplicate column")) throw err;
+  }
+}

apps/server/src/db/installations.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,11 @@ export type InstallationStatus =
   | "stopped"
   | "error";
 
+export interface HostVolume {
+  hostPath: string;
+  containerPath: string;
+}
+
 export interface Installation {
   id: string;
   slug: string;
@@ -29,6 +34,11 @@ export interface Installation {
   hostEnvVar: string;
   env: Record<string, string>;
   bearerToken: string | null;
+  basicAuthUsername: string | null;
+  basicAuthPassword: string | null;
+  startCommand: string | null;
+  publishHostPort: number | null;
+  hostVolumes: HostVolume[];
   createdAt: string;
   updatedAt: string;
 }
@@ -50,6 +60,11 @@ interface Row {
   host_env_var: string;
   bearer_token_encrypted: string | null;
   env_json_encrypted: string | null;
+  basic_auth_username: string | null;
+  basic_auth_password_encrypted: string | null;
+  start_command: string | null;
+  publish_host_port: number | null;
+  host_volumes_json: string | null;
   created_at: string;
   updated_at: string;
 }
@@ -72,6 +87,11 @@ function rowToInstallation(row: Row): Installation {
     hostEnvVar: row.host_env_var,
     env: row.env_json_encrypted ? JSON.parse(decryptSecret(row.env_json_encrypted)) : {},
     bearerToken: row.bearer_token_encrypted ? decryptSecret(row.bearer_token_encrypted) : null,
+    basicAuthUsername: row.basic_auth_username,
+    basicAuthPassword: row.basic_auth_password_encrypted ? decryptSecret(row.basic_auth_password_encrypted) : null,
+    startCommand: row.start_command,
+    publishHostPort: row.publish_host_port,
+    hostVolumes: row.host_volumes_json ? JSON.parse(row.host_volumes_json) : [],
     createdAt: row.created_at,
     updatedAt: row.updated_at,
   };
@@ -132,6 +152,11 @@ export interface InstallationUpdate {
   hostEnvVar?: string;
   env?: Record<string, string>;
   bearerToken?: string | null;
+  basicAuthUsername?: string | null;
+  basicAuthPassword?: string | null;
+  startCommand?: string | null;
+  publishHostPort?: number | null;
+  hostVolumes?: HostVolume[];
   gitRef?: string | null;
 }
 
@@ -150,6 +175,13 @@ export function updateInstallation(id: string, patch: InstallationUpdate): Insta
     hostEnvVar: patch.hostEnvVar ?? current.hostEnvVar,
     env: patch.env ?? current.env,
     bearerToken: patch.bearerToken !== undefined ? patch.bearerToken : current.bearerToken,
+    basicAuthUsername:
+      patch.basicAuthUsername !== undefined ? patch.basicAuthUsername : current.basicAuthUsername,
+    basicAuthPassword:
+      patch.basicAuthPassword !== undefined ? patch.basicAuthPassword : current.basicAuthPassword,
+    startCommand: patch.startCommand !== undefined ? patch.startCommand : current.startCommand,
+    publishHostPort: patch.publishHostPort !== undefined ? patch.publishHostPort : current.publishHostPort,
+    hostVolumes: patch.hostVolumes !== undefined ? patch.hostVolumes : current.hostVolumes,
     gitRef: patch.gitRef !== undefined ? patch.gitRef : current.gitRef,
   };
 
@@ -165,6 +197,11 @@ export function updateInstallation(id: string, patch: InstallationUpdate): Insta
       host_env_var = @hostEnvVar,
       env_json_encrypted = @envJsonEncrypted,
       bearer_token_encrypted = @bearerTokenEncrypted,
+      basic_auth_username = @basicAuthUsername,
+      basic_auth_password_encrypted = @basicAuthPasswordEncrypted,
+      start_command = @startCommand,
+      publish_host_port = @publishHostPort,
+      host_volumes_json = @hostVolumesJson,
       git_ref = @gitRef,
       updated_at = @updatedAt
      WHERE id = @id`,
@@ -180,6 +217,11 @@ export function updateInstallation(id: string, patch: InstallationUpdate): Insta
     hostEnvVar: next.hostEnvVar,
     envJsonEncrypted: encryptSecret(JSON.stringify(next.env)),
     bearerTokenEncrypted: next.bearerToken ? encryptSecret(next.bearerToken) : null,
+    basicAuthUsername: next.basicAuthUsername,
+    basicAuthPasswordEncrypted: next.basicAuthPassword ? encryptSecret(next.basicAuthPassword) : null,
+    startCommand: next.startCommand,
+    publishHostPort: next.publishHostPort,
+    hostVolumesJson: JSON.stringify(next.hostVolumes),
     gitRef: next.gitRef,
     updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
   });

apps/server/src/docker/containers.ts

@@ -32,15 +32,34 @@ export async function runInstallationContainer(installation: Installation): Prom
     [installation.hostEnvVar]: "0.0.0.0",
   };
 
+  // Installations are unreachable from outside mcp-net by design — every MCP client goes
+  // through the manager's own reverse proxy. publishHostPort is the one deliberate exception:
+  // it publishes the container's port to the host's loopback, for a native process on the same
+  // host (e.g. a legacy nginx location) that needs to reach this container directly.
+  const portBinding = installation.publishHostPort
+    ? { [`${installation.internalPort}/tcp`]: [{ HostIp: "127.0.0.1", HostPort: String(installation.publishHostPort) }] }
+    : undefined;
+
+  // Bind-mounts a host directory into the container — for state that must survive rebuilds
+  // and that nothing else manages (e.g. a browser profile with an existing logged-in session).
+  const binds = installation.hostVolumes.map((v) => `${v.hostPath}:${v.containerPath}`);
+
   const container = await docker.createContainer({
     name: installation.containerName,
     Image: installation.imageTag,
     Env: Object.entries(env).map(([k, v]) => `${k}=${v}`),
+    ...(portBinding ? { ExposedPorts: { [`${installation.internalPort}/tcp`]: {} } } : {}),
     HostConfig: {
       RestartPolicy: { Name: "unless-stopped" },
       NetworkMode: config.mcpNetworkName,
-      Memory: config.containerMemoryMb * 1024 * 1024,
-      NanoCpus: Math.round(config.containerCpus * 1e9),
+      // 0 disables the cap: some hosts (e.g. an unprivileged, OpenRC-based nested LXC with no
+      // systemd to delegate cgroup controllers) can't enforce per-container memory/CPU limits
+      // at all — `docker run` there fails outright trying to write memory.max. Confirmed on a
+      // real deploy; the outer host's own cap (if any) is the only ceiling in that case.
+      ...(config.containerMemoryMb > 0 ? { Memory: config.containerMemoryMb * 1024 * 1024 } : {}),
+      ...(config.containerCpus > 0 ? { NanoCpus: Math.round(config.containerCpus * 1e9) } : {}),
+      ...(portBinding ? { PortBindings: portBinding } : {}),
+      ...(binds.length > 0 ? { Binds: binds } : {}),
     },
   });
 

apps/server/src/index.ts

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ if (!config.sessionSecret) {
 
 const app = express();
 app.set("trust proxy", 1);
-app.use(express.json());
 app.use(
   session({
     secret: config.sessionSecret,
@@ -22,7 +21,12 @@ app.use(
     saveUninitialized: false,
     cookie: {
       httpOnly: true,
-      secure: process.env.NODE_ENV === "production",
+      // "auto": secure only if the request actually arrived over HTTPS (checks req.secure,
+      // which respects "trust proxy" + X-Forwarded-Proto). A flat `NODE_ENV === "production"`
+      // check meant the cookie was never stored at all when the admin panel is reached over
+      // plain HTTP (e.g. direct to the container, or behind a proxy that doesn't terminate TLS
+      // for it) — login would silently "succeed" but no session would ever persist.
+      secure: "auto",
       maxAge: 1000 * 60 * 60 * 12,
     },
   }),
@@ -33,6 +37,11 @@ app.get("/health", (_req, res) => res.json({ ok: true }));
 // Bearer-token-gated MCP reverse proxy, public (auth handled per-installation).
 app.all("/mcp/:slug", handleMcpProxyRequest);
 
+// Scoped to /api only: a global express.json() would consume the request body of every
+// request — including /mcp/:slug — before http-proxy gets a chance to forward it, leaving
+// the proxied backend waiting forever for a body that already got drained. Confirmed on a
+// real deploy: every proxied POST (i.e. every real MCP call) hung with zero bytes received.
+app.use("/api", express.json());
 app.use("/api/auth", authRouter);
 app.use("/api/installations", requireAuth, installationsRouter);
 

apps/server/src/proxy/mcpProxy.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { isAuthorized } from "./mcpProxy.js";
+import type { Installation } from "../db/installations.js";
+
+function makeInstallation(overrides: Partial<Installation> = {}): Installation {
+  return {
+    id: "1",
+    slug: "test",
+    name: "Test",
+    repoUrl: "https://example.com/repo.git",
+    gitRef: null,
+    status: "running",
+    statusDetail: null,
+    imageTag: "mcpmgr/test:latest",
+    containerId: null,
+    containerName: "mcp-test",
+    internalPort: 8080,
+    httpPath: "/mcp",
+    portEnvVar: "PORT",
+    hostEnvVar: "HOST",
+    env: {},
+    bearerToken: "secret-token",
+    basicAuthUsername: null,
+    basicAuthPassword: null,
+    createdAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+    updatedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe("isAuthorized", () => {
+  it("accepts a matching bearer token", () => {
+    expect(isAuthorized(makeInstallation(), "Bearer secret-token")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a wrong bearer token", () => {
+    expect(isAuthorized(makeInstallation(), "Bearer wrong")).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects basic auth when no credentials are configured", () => {
+    const creds = Buffer.from("user:pass").toString("base64");
+    expect(isAuthorized(makeInstallation(), `Basic ${creds}`)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("accepts matching basic auth when credentials are configured", () => {
+    const installation = makeInstallation({ basicAuthUsername: "user", basicAuthPassword: "pass" });
+    const creds = Buffer.from("user:pass").toString("base64");
+    expect(isAuthorized(installation, `Basic ${creds}`)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects wrong basic auth credentials", () => {
+    const installation = makeInstallation({ basicAuthUsername: "user", basicAuthPassword: "pass" });
+    const creds = Buffer.from("user:wrong").toString("base64");
+    expect(isAuthorized(installation, `Basic ${creds}`)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects when no Authorization header is present", () => {
+    expect(isAuthorized(makeInstallation(), "")).toBe(false);
+  });
+});

apps/server/src/proxy/mcpProxy.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import crypto from "node:crypto";
 import type { Request, Response } from "express";
 import httpProxy from "http-proxy";
-import { getInstallationBySlug } from "../db/installations.js";
+import { getInstallationBySlug, type Installation } from "../db/installations.js";
 import { getContainerIp } from "../docker/containers.js";
 
 const proxy = httpProxy.createProxyServer();
@@ -11,13 +11,33 @@ proxy.on("error", (err, _req, res) => {
   }
 });
 
-function tokensMatch(expected: string, provided: string): boolean {
+function stringsMatch(expected: string, provided: string): boolean {
   const a = Buffer.from(expected);
   const b = Buffer.from(provided);
   if (a.length !== b.length) return false;
   return crypto.timingSafeEqual(a, b);
 }
 
+export function isAuthorized(installation: Installation, authHeader: string): boolean {
+  if (authHeader.startsWith("Bearer ")) {
+    const provided = authHeader.slice(7);
+    return Boolean(installation.bearerToken) && stringsMatch(installation.bearerToken!, provided);
+  }
+
+  // Optional, per-installation: lets a client still using Basic Auth against the old nginx
+  // setup keep its credentials instead of switching to a bearer token right away.
+  if (authHeader.startsWith("Basic ") && installation.basicAuthUsername && installation.basicAuthPassword) {
+    const decoded = Buffer.from(authHeader.slice(6), "base64").toString("utf8");
+    const separatorIndex = decoded.indexOf(":");
+    if (separatorIndex === -1) return false;
+    const user = decoded.slice(0, separatorIndex);
+    const pass = decoded.slice(separatorIndex + 1);
+    return stringsMatch(installation.basicAuthUsername, user) && stringsMatch(installation.basicAuthPassword, pass);
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
 export async function handleMcpProxyRequest(req: Request, res: Response): Promise<void> {
   const { slug } = req.params;
   const installation = getInstallationBySlug(slug);
@@ -26,9 +46,7 @@ export async function handleMcpProxyRequest(req: Request, res: Response): Promis
     return;
   }
 
-  const authHeader = req.get("authorization") ?? "";
-  const provided = authHeader.startsWith("Bearer ") ? authHeader.slice(7) : "";
-  if (!provided || !tokensMatch(installation.bearerToken, provided)) {
+  if (!isAuthorized(installation, req.get("authorization") ?? "")) {
     res.status(401).json({ error: "unauthorized" });
     return;
   }

apps/server/src/service/orchestrator.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import {
   type Installation,
+  type HostVolume,
   createInstallation,
   updateInstallation,
   getInstallationById,
@@ -53,6 +54,11 @@ export function configureInstallation(
     hostEnvVar?: string;
     httpPath?: string;
     internalPort?: number;
+    basicAuthUsername?: string | null;
+    basicAuthPassword?: string | null;
+    startCommand?: string | null;
+    publishHostPort?: number | null;
+    hostVolumes?: HostVolume[];
   },
 ): Installation {
   return updateInstallation(id, patch);
@@ -63,10 +69,25 @@ export async function buildInstallation(id: string): Promise<Installation> {
   if (!installation) throw new Error("installation not found");
 
   updateInstallation(id, { status: "building", statusDetail: null });
+
+  // The clone on disk is otherwise only ever made once, at draft creation — without this,
+  // every "rebuild" silently reused that same stale checkout forever, never picking up new
+  // commits pushed to the repo afterwards.
+  try {
+    await cloneOrUpdateRepo(installation.slug, installation.repoUrl, installation.gitRef);
+  } catch (err) {
+    return updateInstallation(id, { status: "error", statusDetail: `git pull failed: ${(err as Error).message}` });
+  }
+
   const imageTag = `mcpmgr/${installation.slug}:latest`;
   const previousImageId = installation.imageTag ? await getImageId(installation.imageTag) : undefined;
 
-  const result = await runNixpacksBuild(installation.slug, repoDir(installation.slug), imageTag);
+  const result = await runNixpacksBuild(
+    installation.slug,
+    repoDir(installation.slug),
+    imageTag,
+    installation.startCommand,
+  );
 
   if (!result.success) {
     return updateInstallation(id, {

apps/web/index.html

@@ -2,7 +2,14 @@
 <html lang="en">
   <head>
     <meta charset="UTF-8" />
-    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
+    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, viewport-fit=cover" />
+    <meta name="color-scheme" content="light dark" />
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
+    <link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
+    <link
+      href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@400;500;600;700&family=JetBrains+Mono:wght@400;500;600&display=swap"
+      rel="stylesheet"
+    />
     <title>remote-mcp-manager</title>
   </head>
   <body>

apps/web/src/App.tsx

@@ -15,14 +15,14 @@ export function App() {
   if (authenticated === null) return null;
   if (!authenticated) return <Login onLoggedIn={() => setAuthenticated(true)} />;
 
+  const onLoggedOut = () => setAuthenticated(false);
+
   return (
     <BrowserRouter>
-      <div style={{ maxWidth: 900, margin: "0 auto", padding: 16, fontFamily: "sans-serif" }}>
       <Routes>
-          <Route path="/" element={<InstallationList />} />
-          <Route path="/installations/:id" element={<InstallationDetail />} />
+        <Route path="/" element={<InstallationList onLoggedOut={onLoggedOut} />} />
+        <Route path="/installations/:id" element={<InstallationDetail onLoggedOut={onLoggedOut} />} />
       </Routes>
-      </div>
     </BrowserRouter>
   );
 }

apps/web/src/components/Shell.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+import { NavLink } from "react-router-dom";
+import { api } from "../api/client";
+
+export function Shell({
+  title,
+  actions,
+  children,
+  onLoggedOut,
+}: {
+  title: string;
+  actions?: ReactNode;
+  children: ReactNode;
+  onLoggedOut: () => void;
+}) {
+  async function logout() {
+    await api.logout();
+    onLoggedOut();
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="shell">
+      <aside className="sidebar">
+        <div className="brand">
+          <span className="brand-mark">mcp</span>
+          <div>
+            <div className="brand-name">remote-mcp-manager</div>
+            <div className="brand-sub">Server control room</div>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+        <nav className="nav">
+          <NavLink to="/" className={({ isActive }) => `nav-link${isActive ? " active" : ""}`} end>
+            Installations
+          </NavLink>
+        </nav>
+        <div className="sidebar-footer">
+          <button type="button" className="btn btn-ghost btn-sm" onClick={logout}>
+            Sign out
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </aside>
+      <div className="main">
+        <header className="topbar">
+          <h1>{title}</h1>
+          {actions && <div className="topbar-actions">{actions}</div>}
+        </header>
+        <div className="content">{children}</div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}

apps/web/src/components/StatusBadge.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import type { Installation } from "../api/client";
+
+const LABELS: Record<Installation["status"], string> = {
+  draft: "Draft",
+  cloning: "Cloning",
+  building: "Building",
+  built: "Built",
+  starting: "Starting",
+  running: "Running",
+  stopped: "Stopped",
+  error: "Error",
+};
+
+export function StatusBadge({ status }: { status: Installation["status"] }) {
+  return (
+    <span className={`badge badge-${status}`}>
+      <span className="badge-dot" />
+      {LABELS[status]}
+    </span>
+  );
+}

apps/web/src/main.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { StrictMode } from "react";
 import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
 import { App } from "./App";
+import "./styles.css";
 
 createRoot(document.getElementById("root")!).render(
   <StrictMode>

apps/web/src/pages/InstallWizard.tsx

@@ -29,37 +29,45 @@ export function InstallWizard({
   }
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ border: "1px solid #ccc", padding: 16, marginBottom: 16 }}>
-      <h2>New installation</h2>
+    <div className="modal-overlay" onMouseDown={(e) => e.target === e.currentTarget && onCancel()}>
+      <div className="modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="wizard-title">
+        <div className="modal-header">
+          <h2 id="wizard-title" style={{ fontSize: 15 }}>
+            New installation
+          </h2>
+        </div>
         <form onSubmit={submit}>
-        <label>
-          Name
-          <input value={name} onChange={(e) => setName(e.target.value)} required style={{ display: "block", width: "100%" }} />
-        </label>
-        <label>
-          Repo URL
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="w-name">Name</label>
+            <input id="w-name" value={name} onChange={(e) => setName(e.target.value)} required autoFocus />
+          </div>
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="w-repo">Repository URL</label>
             <input
+              id="w-repo"
+              className="input-mono"
               value={repoUrl}
               onChange={(e) => setRepoUrl(e.target.value)}
               placeholder="https://github.com/user/repo.git"
               required
-            style={{ display: "block", width: "100%" }}
             />
-        </label>
-        <label>
-          Git ref (optional)
-          <input value={gitRef} onChange={(e) => setGitRef(e.target.value)} style={{ display: "block", width: "100%" }} />
-        </label>
-        <div style={{ marginTop: 8 }}>
-          <button type="submit" disabled={loading}>
+          </div>
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="w-ref">Git ref (optional)</label>
+            <input id="w-ref" className="input-mono" value={gitRef} onChange={(e) => setGitRef(e.target.value)} placeholder="main" />
+            <span className="field-hint">Branch, tag, or commit. Defaults to the repository's default branch.</span>
+          </div>
+          {error && <div className="alert">{error}</div>}
+          <div className="actions-row">
+            <button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary" disabled={loading}>
               {loading ? "Cloning…" : "Clone & continue"}
-          </button>{" "}
-          <button type="button" onClick={onCancel}>
+            </button>
+            <button type="button" className="btn" onClick={onCancel}>
               Cancel
             </button>
           </div>
-        {error && <p style={{ color: "crimson" }}>{error}</p>}
         </form>
       </div>
+    </div>
   );
 }

apps/web/src/pages/InstallationDetail.tsx

@@ -1,8 +1,35 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import { useLocation, useNavigate, useParams } from "react-router-dom";
 import { api, type Installation } from "../api/client";
+import { Shell } from "../components/Shell";
+import { StatusBadge } from "../components/StatusBadge";
 
-export function InstallationDetail() {
+function CopyChip({ value }: { value: string }) {
+  const [copied, setCopied] = useState(false);
+
+  async function copy() {
+    try {
+      await navigator.clipboard.writeText(value);
+      setCopied(true);
+      setTimeout(() => setCopied(false), 1500);
+    } catch {
+      // clipboard access denied — nothing to recover, the value is still selectable
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="copy-row">
+      <code className="code-chip">{value}</code>
+      <button type="button" className="btn btn-sm" onClick={copy}>
+        {copied ? "Copied" : "Copy"}
+      </button>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
+const DEPLOY_LOCKED_STATUSES = new Set<Installation["status"]>(["cloning", "building", "starting"]);
+
+export function InstallationDetail({ onLoggedOut }: { onLoggedOut: () => void }) {
   const { id } = useParams<{ id: string }>();
   const location = useLocation();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
@@ -12,6 +39,7 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
   const [hostEnvVar, setHostEnvVar] = useState("HOST");
   const [httpPath, setHttpPath] = useState("/mcp");
   const [log, setLog] = useState("");
+  const [logLoaded, setLogLoaded] = useState(false);
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
 
@@ -45,23 +73,73 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
     }
   }
 
-  if (!installation) return <p>Loading…</p>;
+  async function loadLogs() {
+    if (!installation) return;
+    await withBusy("logs", async () => {
+      const { log } = await api.logs(installation.id);
+      setLog(log);
+      setLogLoaded(true);
+    });
+  }
+
+  if (!installation) {
+    return (
+      <Shell title="Installation" onLoggedOut={onLoggedOut}>
+        <p className="cell-dim">Loading…</p>
+      </Shell>
+    );
+  }
+
+  const deployLocked = DEPLOY_LOCKED_STATUSES.has(installation.status);
 
   return (
+    <Shell title={installation.name} onLoggedOut={onLoggedOut}>
+      <a
+        href="/"
+        className="back-link"
+        onClick={(e) => {
+          e.preventDefault();
+          navigate("/");
+        }}
+      >
+        ← Back to installations
+      </a>
+
+      <div className="page-header">
         <div>
-      <button onClick={() => navigate("/")}>← Back</button>
-      <h1>{installation.name}</h1>
-      <p>
-        Status: <strong>{installation.status}</strong>
-        {installation.statusDetail && <span style={{ color: "crimson" }}> — {installation.statusDetail}</span>}
-      </p>
+          <div className="detail-title-row">
+            <h2 style={{ fontSize: 20 }}>{installation.name}</h2>
+            <StatusBadge status={installation.status} />
+          </div>
+          <div className="detail-sub">{installation.slug}</div>
+          {installation.statusDetail && <p className="status-detail">{installation.statusDetail}</p>}
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      {error && <div className="alert">{error}</div>}
 
       {installation.status === "running" && installation.bearerToken && (
-        <div style={{ border: "1px solid #ccc", padding: 12, marginBottom: 16 }}>
-          <strong>Public URL:</strong> <code>{installation.publicUrl}</code>
-          <br />
-          <strong>Bearer token:</strong> <code>{installation.bearerToken}</code>{" "}
+        <div className="card">
+          <div className="card-header">
+            <span className="card-title">Access</span>
+            <span className="card-hint">Used by MCP clients to reach this server</span>
+          </div>
+          <dl className="kv">
+            <dt>Public URL</dt>
+            <dd>
+              <CopyChip value={installation.publicUrl} />
+            </dd>
+            <dt>Bearer token</dt>
+            <dd>
+              <div className="copy-row">
+                <code className="code-chip">{installation.bearerToken}</code>
+                <button type="button" className="btn btn-sm" onClick={() => navigator.clipboard.writeText(installation.bearerToken!)}>
+                  Copy
+                </button>
                 <button
+                  type="button"
+                  className="btn btn-sm"
+                  disabled={busy !== null}
                   onClick={() =>
                     withBusy("regen", async () => {
                       await api.regenerateToken(installation.id);
@@ -69,59 +147,70 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
                     })
                   }
                 >
-            Regenerate token
+                  {busy === "regen" ? "Regenerating…" : "Regenerate"}
                 </button>
               </div>
+            </dd>
+          </dl>
+        </div>
       )}
 
-      <h2>Configuration</h2>
-      <table>
-        <tbody>
+      <div className="card section-gap">
+        <div className="card-header">
+          <span className="card-title">Configuration</span>
+          <span className="card-hint">Environment variables and runtime wiring</span>
+        </div>
+
+        {envRows.length === 0 && <p className="env-empty">No environment variables configured.</p>}
         {envRows.map(([k, v], idx) => (
-            <tr key={idx}>
-              <td>
+          <div className="env-row" key={idx}>
             <input
+              className="input-mono"
               value={k}
+              placeholder="KEY"
               onChange={(e) => {
                 const next = [...envRows];
                 next[idx] = [e.target.value, v];
                 setEnvRows(next);
               }}
             />
-              </td>
-              <td>
             <input
+              className="input-mono"
               value={v}
+              placeholder="value"
               onChange={(e) => {
                 const next = [...envRows];
                 next[idx] = [k, e.target.value];
                 setEnvRows(next);
               }}
             />
-              </td>
-              <td>
-                <button onClick={() => setEnvRows(envRows.filter((_, i) => i !== idx))}>remove</button>
-              </td>
-            </tr>
+            <button type="button" className="btn btn-sm btn-ghost" onClick={() => setEnvRows(envRows.filter((_, i) => i !== idx))}>
+              Remove
+            </button>
+          </div>
         ))}
-        </tbody>
-      </table>
-      <button onClick={() => setEnvRows([...envRows, ["", ""]])}>Add env var</button>
+        <button type="button" className="btn btn-sm" onClick={() => setEnvRows([...envRows, ["", ""]])}>
+          Add variable
+        </button>
 
-      <div style={{ marginTop: 12 }}>
-        <label>
-          Port env var name <input value={portEnvVar} onChange={(e) => setPortEnvVar(e.target.value)} />
-        </label>
-        <label style={{ marginLeft: 12 }}>
-          Host env var name <input value={hostEnvVar} onChange={(e) => setHostEnvVar(e.target.value)} />
-        </label>
-        <label style={{ marginLeft: 12 }}>
-          HTTP path <input value={httpPath} onChange={(e) => setHttpPath(e.target.value)} />
-        </label>
+        <div className="row section-gap">
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="port-env">Port env var</label>
+            <input id="port-env" className="input-mono" value={portEnvVar} onChange={(e) => setPortEnvVar(e.target.value)} />
+          </div>
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="host-env">Host env var</label>
+            <input id="host-env" className="input-mono" value={hostEnvVar} onChange={(e) => setHostEnvVar(e.target.value)} />
+          </div>
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="http-path">HTTP path</label>
+            <input id="http-path" className="input-mono" value={httpPath} onChange={(e) => setHttpPath(e.target.value)} />
+          </div>
         </div>
 
-      <div style={{ marginTop: 12 }}>
         <button
+          type="button"
+          className="btn btn-primary"
           disabled={busy !== null}
           onClick={() =>
             withBusy("config", async () => {
@@ -131,12 +220,18 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
             })
           }
         >
-          Save configuration
+          {busy === "config" ? "Saving…" : "Save configuration"}
         </button>
       </div>
 
-      <h2>Actions</h2>
+      <div className="card section-gap">
+        <div className="card-header">
+          <span className="card-title">Actions</span>
+        </div>
+        <div className="actions-row">
           <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn"
             disabled={busy !== null}
             onClick={() =>
               withBusy("build", async () => {
@@ -146,9 +241,11 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
             }
           >
             {busy === "build" ? "Building…" : "Build"}
-      </button>{" "}
+          </button>
           <button
-        disabled={busy !== null || installation.status === "cloning" || installation.status === "building" || installation.status === "starting"}
+            type="button"
+            className="btn"
+            disabled={busy !== null || deployLocked}
             onClick={() =>
               withBusy("deploy", async () => {
                 await api.deploy(installation.id);
@@ -157,8 +254,10 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
             }
           >
             {busy === "deploy" ? "Deploying…" : "Deploy"}
-      </button>{" "}
+          </button>
           <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn"
             disabled={busy !== null}
             onClick={() =>
               withBusy("redeploy", async () => {
@@ -167,9 +266,11 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
               })
             }
           >
-        Redeploy (env only)
-      </button>{" "}
+            {busy === "redeploy" ? "Redeploying…" : "Redeploy (env only)"}
+          </button>
           <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn"
             disabled={busy !== null}
             onClick={() =>
               withBusy("rebuild", async () => {
@@ -178,34 +279,34 @@ export function InstallationDetail() {
               })
             }
           >
-        Rebuild & redeploy
-      </button>{" "}
+            {busy === "rebuild" ? "Rebuilding…" : "Rebuild & redeploy"}
+          </button>
           <button
+            type="button"
+            className="btn btn-danger"
             disabled={busy !== null}
-        onClick={() =>
+            onClick={() => {
+              if (!window.confirm(`Delete "${installation.name}"? This stops and removes its container.`)) return;
               withBusy("delete", async () => {
                 await api.remove(installation.id);
                 navigate("/");
-          })
-        }
+              });
+            }}
           >
-        Delete
+            {busy === "delete" ? "Deleting…" : "Delete"}
           </button>
-
-      {error && <p style={{ color: "crimson" }}>{error}</p>}
-
-      <h2>Build log</h2>
-      <button
-        onClick={() =>
-          withBusy("logs", async () => {
-            const { log } = await api.logs(installation.id);
-            setLog(log);
-          })
-        }
-      >
-        Refresh log
-      </button>
-      <pre style={{ background: "#111", color: "#0f0", padding: 12, maxHeight: 300, overflow: "auto" }}>{log}</pre>
         </div>
+      </div>
+
+      <div className="card section-gap">
+        <div className="card-header">
+          <span className="card-title">Build log</span>
+          <button type="button" className="btn btn-sm" disabled={busy !== null} onClick={loadLogs}>
+            {busy === "logs" ? "Loading…" : "Refresh log"}
+          </button>
+        </div>
+        <pre className={`log-pane${logLoaded && !log ? " log-empty" : ""}`}>{log}</pre>
+      </div>
+    </Shell>
   );
 }

apps/web/src/pages/InstallationList.tsx

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { Link, useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
+import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
 import { api, type Installation } from "../api/client";
 import { InstallWizard } from "./InstallWizard";
+import { Shell } from "../components/Shell";
+import { StatusBadge } from "../components/StatusBadge";
 
-export function InstallationList() {
-  const [installations, setInstallations] = useState<Installation[]>([]);
+export function InstallationList({ onLoggedOut }: { onLoggedOut: () => void }) {
+  const [installations, setInstallations] = useState<Installation[] | null>(null);
   const [showWizard, setShowWizard] = useState(false);
   const navigate = useNavigate();
 
@@ -17,12 +19,15 @@ export function InstallationList() {
   }, []);
 
   return (
-    <div>
-      <div style={{ display: "flex", justifyContent: "space-between", alignItems: "center" }}>
-        <h1>Installations</h1>
-        <button onClick={() => setShowWizard((v) => !v)}>{showWizard ? "Close" : "New installation"}</button>
-      </div>
-
+    <Shell
+      title="Installations"
+      onLoggedOut={onLoggedOut}
+      actions={
+        <button type="button" className="btn btn-primary" onClick={() => setShowWizard(true)}>
+          New installation
+        </button>
+      }
+    >
       {showWizard && (
         <InstallWizard
           onCancel={() => setShowWizard(false)}
@@ -33,29 +38,39 @@ export function InstallationList() {
         />
       )}
 
-      <table style={{ width: "100%", borderCollapse: "collapse" }}>
+      {installations && installations.length === 0 && (
+        <div className="empty-state card">
+          <h2 style={{ fontSize: 15 }}>No installations yet</h2>
+          <p>Add a GitHub repository to clone, build, and deploy it as an MCP server.</p>
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {installations && installations.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="table-wrap">
+          <table>
             <thead>
               <tr>
-            <th align="left">Name</th>
-            <th align="left">Slug</th>
-            <th align="left">Status</th>
-            <th align="left">Repo</th>
+                <th>Name</th>
+                <th>Status</th>
+                <th>Slug</th>
+                <th>Repository</th>
               </tr>
             </thead>
             <tbody>
               {installations.map((i) => (
-            <tr key={i.id} style={{ borderTop: "1px solid #eee" }}>
+                <tr key={i.id} className="row-link" onClick={() => navigate(`/installations/${i.id}`)}>
+                  <td className="cell-name">{i.name}</td>
                   <td>
-                <Link to={`/installations/${i.id}`}>{i.name}</Link>
+                    <StatusBadge status={i.status} />
                   </td>
-              <td>{i.slug}</td>
-              <td>{i.status}</td>
-              <td>{i.repoUrl}</td>
+                  <td className="cell-mono">{i.slug}</td>
+                  <td className="cell-dim">{i.repoUrl}</td>
                 </tr>
               ))}
             </tbody>
           </table>
-      {installations.length === 0 && !showWizard && <p>No installations yet.</p>}
         </div>
+      )}
+    </Shell>
   );
 }

apps/web/src/pages/Login.tsx

@@ -21,22 +21,33 @@ export function Login({ onLoggedIn }: { onLoggedIn: () => void }) {
   }
 
   return (
-    <div style={{ maxWidth: 320, margin: "10vh auto" }}>
-      <h1>remote-mcp-manager</h1>
+    <div className="login-screen">
+      <div className="card login-card">
+        <div className="login-brand">
+          <span className="brand-mark">mcp</span>
+          <div>
+            <h1 className="login-title">remote-mcp-manager</h1>
+          </div>
+          <p className="login-sub">Sign in to manage your MCP server installations.</p>
+        </div>
         <form onSubmit={submit}>
+          <div className="field">
+            <label htmlFor="password">Admin password</label>
             <input
+              id="password"
               type="password"
-          placeholder="Admin password"
+              placeholder="Enter password"
               value={password}
               onChange={(e) => setPassword(e.target.value)}
               autoFocus
-          style={{ width: "100%", padding: 8, marginBottom: 8 }}
             />
-        <button type="submit" disabled={loading} style={{ width: "100%", padding: 8 }}>
+          </div>
+          {error && <div className="alert">{error}</div>}
+          <button type="submit" className="btn btn-primary" disabled={loading} style={{ width: "100%", justifyContent: "center" }}>
             {loading ? "Signing in…" : "Sign in"}
           </button>
-        {error && <p style={{ color: "crimson" }}>{error}</p>}
         </form>
       </div>
+    </div>
   );
 }

apps/web/src/styles.css

@@ -0,0 +1,803 @@
+/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+   remote-mcp-manager — design tokens
+   A control room for MCP server installations: dense, legible, calm.
+   Base palette tuned for a dark "ops console" feel, with a light
+   counterpart derived from the same hues for prefers-color-scheme.
+   ------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+
+:root {
+  color-scheme: light;
+
+  /* surfaces */
+  --bg: #f5f6fb;
+  --surface: #ffffff;
+  --surface-2: #eef0f8;
+  --surface-sunken: #e7e9f3;
+  --border: #dde1ee;
+  --border-strong: #c7cce0;
+
+  /* text */
+  --text: #161a2c;
+  --text-dim: #5b6180;
+  --text-faint: #8d93ad;
+
+  /* accent (signal teal — the one spot of color on an otherwise quiet UI) */
+  --accent: #0d9488;
+  --accent-strong: #0b7f74;
+  --accent-tint: rgba(13, 148, 136, 0.1);
+  --accent-contrast: #ffffff;
+
+  --danger: #dc2626;
+  --danger-tint: rgba(220, 38, 38, 0.1);
+
+  /* status hues — one per installation state */
+  --status-draft: #71778f;
+  --status-cloning: #2563eb;
+  --status-building: #b45309;
+  --status-built: #7c3aed;
+  --status-starting: #0e7490;
+  --status-running: #15803d;
+  --status-stopped: #52576e;
+  --status-error: #dc2626;
+
+  --radius-sm: 6px;
+  --radius: 10px;
+  --radius-lg: 14px;
+  --shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(22, 26, 44, 0.06), 0 8px 24px -12px rgba(22, 26, 44, 0.12);
+  --font-ui: "Inter", -apple-system, "Segoe UI", system-ui, sans-serif;
+  --font-mono: "JetBrains Mono", "SFMono-Regular", Consolas, Menlo, monospace;
+
+  padding-top: env(safe-area-inset-top, 0px);
+  padding-bottom: env(safe-area-inset-bottom, 0px);
+}
+
+@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
+  :root {
+    color-scheme: dark;
+
+    --bg: #0a0e1a;
+    --surface: #111728;
+    --surface-2: #161d33;
+    --surface-sunken: #080b15;
+    --border: #262f4b;
+    --border-strong: #37416a;
+
+    --text: #e9ebf5;
+    --text-dim: #9aa0bf;
+    --text-faint: #6a7093;
+
+    --accent: #2dd4bf;
+    --accent-strong: #5eead4;
+    --accent-tint: rgba(45, 212, 191, 0.14);
+    --accent-contrast: #06201c;
+
+    --danger: #f87171;
+    --danger-tint: rgba(248, 113, 113, 0.14);
+
+    --status-draft: #9aa1c2;
+    --status-cloning: #60a5fa;
+    --status-building: #fbbf24;
+    --status-built: #c4b5fd;
+    --status-starting: #22d3ee;
+    --status-running: #4ade80;
+    --status-stopped: #9aa1c2;
+    --status-error: #f87171;
+
+    --shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3), 0 12px 28px -14px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
+  }
+}
+
+* {
+  box-sizing: border-box;
+}
+
+html,
+body {
+  margin: 0;
+  background: var(--bg);
+  color: var(--text);
+}
+
+body {
+  font-family: var(--font-ui);
+  font-size: 14px;
+  line-height: 1.5;
+  -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
+}
+
+img {
+  max-width: 100%;
+}
+
+[hidden] {
+  display: none !important;
+}
+
+code,
+pre,
+kbd {
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+}
+
+a {
+  color: var(--accent);
+  text-decoration: none;
+}
+a:hover {
+  text-decoration: underline;
+}
+
+h1,
+h2,
+h3 {
+  margin: 0;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  letter-spacing: -0.01em;
+}
+
+button,
+input {
+  font-family: inherit;
+}
+
+:focus-visible {
+  outline: 2px solid var(--accent);
+  outline-offset: 2px;
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  * {
+    animation-duration: 0.001ms !important;
+    transition-duration: 0.001ms !important;
+  }
+}
+
+/* ---------------------------- app shell ---------------------------- */
+
+.shell {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 220px 1fr;
+  min-height: 100vh;
+}
+
+.sidebar {
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border-right: 1px solid var(--border);
+  padding: 20px 16px;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 24px;
+}
+
+.brand {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 10px;
+  padding: 0 4px;
+}
+
+.brand-mark {
+  width: 28px;
+  height: 28px;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  background: var(--accent);
+  color: var(--accent-contrast);
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-weight: 700;
+  font-size: 13px;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.brand-name {
+  font-weight: 600;
+  font-size: 14px;
+  letter-spacing: -0.01em;
+  line-height: 1.2;
+}
+
+.brand-sub {
+  font-size: 11.5px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+.nav {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 2px;
+}
+
+.nav-link {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+  padding: 8px 10px;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+  font-size: 13.5px;
+  font-weight: 500;
+}
+
+.nav-link:hover {
+  background: var(--surface-2);
+  text-decoration: none;
+  color: var(--text);
+}
+
+.nav-link.active {
+  background: var(--accent-tint);
+  color: var(--accent-strong);
+}
+
+.sidebar-footer {
+  margin-top: auto;
+}
+
+.main {
+  min-width: 0;
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+}
+
+.topbar {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 16px;
+  padding: 18px 28px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+  background: var(--surface);
+}
+
+.topbar h1 {
+  font-size: 18px;
+}
+
+.topbar-actions {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 8px;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+.content {
+  padding: 28px;
+  max-width: 1040px;
+  width: 100%;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------ buttons ------------------------------ */
+
+.btn {
+  appearance: none;
+  border: 1px solid var(--border-strong);
+  background: var(--surface);
+  color: var(--text);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  font-weight: 500;
+  padding: 7px 13px;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  cursor: pointer;
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  transition: background-color 0.12s, border-color 0.12s, color 0.12s;
+}
+
+.btn:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: var(--surface-2);
+}
+
+.btn:disabled {
+  opacity: 0.5;
+  cursor: not-allowed;
+}
+
+.btn-primary {
+  background: var(--accent);
+  border-color: var(--accent);
+  color: var(--accent-contrast);
+}
+
+.btn-primary:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: var(--accent-strong);
+  border-color: var(--accent-strong);
+}
+
+.btn-danger {
+  color: var(--danger);
+  border-color: var(--border-strong);
+}
+
+.btn-danger:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: var(--danger-tint);
+  border-color: var(--danger);
+}
+
+.btn-ghost {
+  border-color: transparent;
+  background: transparent;
+}
+
+.btn-ghost:hover:not(:disabled) {
+  background: var(--surface-2);
+}
+
+.btn-sm {
+  padding: 4px 9px;
+  font-size: 12px;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------ badges ------------------------------- */
+
+.badge {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  padding: 3px 9px 3px 7px;
+  border-radius: 999px;
+  font-size: 12px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  background: var(--surface-2);
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+  white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
+.badge-dot {
+  width: 7px;
+  height: 7px;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  flex-shrink: 0;
+}
+
+.badge-draft {
+  color: var(--status-draft);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-draft) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-cloning {
+  color: var(--status-cloning);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-cloning) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-building {
+  color: var(--status-building);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-building) 16%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-built {
+  color: var(--status-built);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-built) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-starting {
+  color: var(--status-starting);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-starting) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-running {
+  color: var(--status-running);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-running) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-stopped {
+  color: var(--status-stopped);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-stopped) 14%, transparent);
+}
+.badge-error {
+  color: var(--status-error);
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--status-error) 14%, transparent);
+}
+
+.badge-draft .badge-dot { background: var(--status-draft); }
+.badge-cloning .badge-dot { background: var(--status-cloning); }
+.badge-building .badge-dot { background: var(--status-building); }
+.badge-built .badge-dot { background: var(--status-built); }
+.badge-starting .badge-dot { background: var(--status-starting); }
+.badge-running .badge-dot { background: var(--status-running); }
+.badge-stopped .badge-dot { background: var(--status-stopped); }
+.badge-error .badge-dot { background: var(--status-error); }
+
+.badge-building .badge-dot,
+.badge-cloning .badge-dot,
+.badge-starting .badge-dot {
+  animation: pulse 1.4s ease-in-out infinite;
+}
+
+@keyframes pulse {
+  0%, 100% { opacity: 1; }
+  50% { opacity: 0.35; }
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------- cards -------------------------------- */
+
+.card {
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
+  padding: 20px;
+}
+
+.card + .card {
+  margin-top: 16px;
+}
+
+.card-header {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: baseline;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  gap: 12px;
+  margin-bottom: 14px;
+}
+
+.card-title {
+  font-size: 14px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+.card-hint {
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+/* -------------------------------- table -------------------------------- */
+
+.table-wrap {
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+table {
+  width: 100%;
+  border-collapse: collapse;
+}
+
+th {
+  text-align: left;
+  font-size: 11.5px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  text-transform: none;
+  padding: 11px 16px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+}
+
+td {
+  padding: 13px 16px;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+  vertical-align: middle;
+}
+
+tbody tr:last-child td {
+  border-bottom: none;
+}
+
+tbody tr {
+  transition: background-color 0.1s;
+}
+
+tbody tr.row-link:hover {
+  background: var(--surface-2);
+  cursor: pointer;
+}
+
+.cell-name {
+  font-weight: 600;
+}
+
+.cell-mono {
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+}
+
+.cell-dim {
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+}
+
+/* -------------------------------- forms -------------------------------- */
+
+.field {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  gap: 6px;
+  margin-bottom: 14px;
+}
+
+.field label {
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+}
+
+.field-hint {
+  font-size: 12px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+input[type="text"],
+input[type="password"],
+.input {
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border-strong);
+  color: var(--text);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  padding: 8px 10px;
+  font-size: 13.5px;
+  width: 100%;
+}
+
+input::placeholder {
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+input:focus-visible,
+.input:focus-visible {
+  border-color: var(--accent);
+}
+
+.input-mono {
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+}
+
+.row {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 10px;
+}
+
+.row > .field {
+  flex: 1;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------ env rows ------------------------------- */
+
+.env-row {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr auto;
+  gap: 8px;
+  margin-bottom: 8px;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+
+.env-empty {
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  padding: 8px 0;
+}
+
+/* -------------------------------- kv / code -------------------------------- */
+
+.kv {
+  display: grid;
+  grid-template-columns: 140px 1fr;
+  gap: 10px 16px;
+}
+
+.kv dt {
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  padding-top: 2px;
+}
+
+.kv dd {
+  margin: 0;
+}
+
+.copy-row {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 8px;
+}
+
+.code-chip {
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  background: var(--surface-sunken);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  padding: 5px 9px;
+  word-break: break-all;
+  flex: 1;
+  min-width: 0;
+}
+
+/* -------------------------------- log -------------------------------- */
+
+.log-pane {
+  background: var(--surface-sunken);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius);
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: 12px;
+  line-height: 1.6;
+  padding: 14px;
+  max-height: 360px;
+  overflow: auto;
+  white-space: pre-wrap;
+  word-break: break-word;
+}
+
+.log-pane:empty::before,
+.log-pane.log-empty::before {
+  content: "No log output yet.";
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------- alerts ------------------------------- */
+
+.alert {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 8px;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  padding: 10px 13px;
+  border-radius: var(--radius-sm);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  background: var(--danger-tint);
+  color: var(--danger);
+  border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--danger) 35%, transparent);
+  margin-bottom: 16px;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------- modal ------------------------------- */
+
+.modal-overlay {
+  position: fixed;
+  inset: 0;
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface-sunken) 72%, transparent);
+  backdrop-filter: blur(2px);
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  padding: 24px;
+  z-index: 50;
+}
+
+.modal {
+  background: var(--surface);
+  border: 1px solid var(--border);
+  border-radius: var(--radius-lg);
+  box-shadow: var(--shadow);
+  width: 100%;
+  max-width: 440px;
+  padding: 22px;
+}
+
+.modal-header {
+  display: flex;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  align-items: baseline;
+  margin-bottom: 16px;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------ page header ------------------------------ */
+
+.page-header {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  justify-content: space-between;
+  margin-bottom: 20px;
+  gap: 16px;
+}
+
+.back-link {
+  display: inline-flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 6px;
+  color: var(--text-dim);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  font-weight: 500;
+  margin-bottom: 14px;
+}
+.back-link:hover {
+  color: var(--text);
+  text-decoration: none;
+}
+
+.detail-title-row {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 10px;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+}
+
+.detail-sub {
+  font-family: var(--font-mono);
+  font-size: 13px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  margin-top: 4px;
+}
+
+.status-detail {
+  color: var(--danger);
+  font-size: 13px;
+}
+
+.actions-row {
+  display: flex;
+  gap: 8px;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+}
+
+.section-gap {
+  margin-top: 24px;
+}
+
+.empty-state {
+  text-align: center;
+  padding: 56px 24px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+}
+
+.empty-state p {
+  margin: 4px 0 0;
+  font-size: 13px;
+}
+
+/* ------------------------------ login ------------------------------ */
+
+.login-screen {
+  min-height: 100vh;
+  display: grid;
+  place-items: center;
+  background: var(--bg);
+}
+
+.login-card {
+  width: 100%;
+  max-width: 360px;
+  padding: 32px;
+}
+
+.login-brand {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-direction: column;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 10px;
+  margin-bottom: 24px;
+}
+
+.login-brand .brand-mark {
+  width: 40px;
+  height: 40px;
+  font-size: 15px;
+}
+
+.login-title {
+  font-size: 16px;
+}
+
+.login-sub {
+  font-size: 12.5px;
+  color: var(--text-faint);
+  text-align: center;
+}
+
+@media (max-width: 760px) {
+  .shell {
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  }
+  .sidebar {
+    flex-direction: row;
+    align-items: center;
+    justify-content: space-between;
+    border-right: none;
+    border-bottom: 1px solid var(--border);
+  }
+  .nav {
+    flex-direction: row;
+  }
+  .sidebar-footer {
+    margin-top: 0;
+  }
+  .content {
+    padding: 18px;
+  }
+  .topbar {
+    padding: 14px 18px;
+  }
+  .kv {
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  }
+  .env-row {
+    grid-template-columns: 1fr;
+  }
+}

docker-compose.yml

@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
       - ./data:/repo/data
+      # Reuses the host's own SSH key/known_hosts so the manager can `git clone` private
+      # repos over ssh:// the same way the host itself already does. Read-only.
+      # SSH_DIR must be an absolute path (compose doesn't expand "~").
+      - ${SSH_DIR}:/root/.ssh:ro
     networks:
       - mcp-net