Files
buzz/mobile
Wes f59b326568 Fix mobile onboarding policy loading, browser cancellation and pairing feedback (#8874)
Mobile onboarding could reject valid large legal documents, stay busy
after closing Android browser sign-in, and hide pairing-import errors
behind the community-link form. This change bounds join-policy responses
at 4 MiB while retaining 64 KiB for other responses, handles Android
browser cancellation through the native lifecycle/channel, keeps Cancel
sign-in usable, and shows friendly pairing errors on the landing screen
with a live-region announcement. Identity mismatch checks remain intact.

The browser-cancellation implementation incorporates the candidate from
#8847 (`cb241b3f1`); coordinate landing to avoid duplicate work. This PR
consolidates the three fixes exercised together during Android
onboarding acceptance.

## Validation

- Pixel 9 / Android 17, production hosted services, isolated debug
installs. Human acceptance plus native UI, saved public-identity and
restart checks as noted below. No iOS acceptance in this session.
- Latest build and invite-first acceptance: base
`a12ad1cdd29da8b2923eca5408e963a2659777ab` plus these patches.
- Focused tests on that base plus patches: **88 passed** across
hosted_journeys_test, hosted_admission_test, browser_auth_test,
pairing_hosted_handoff_test and pairing_provider_test, with
`BUZZ_AUTH_DOMAINS=communities.buzz.xyz`.
- Earlier baseline: 81 focused cases passed plus one
staging-configuration case passed separately (82 distinct cases across
seven onboarding/recovery files); these are historical, not current-head
certification.
- Earlier policy change: 41 focused tests, changed-file analysis and
isolated mutation check passed on the earlier base. Earlier browser
candidate native instrumentation/mutation evidence was not rerun on this
combined revision.
- Android debug APK built and installed successfully. Mandatory
commit/push hooks passed at `6442e5ff9`: analysis clean; mobile tests
4,047 passed / 34 skipped; additional package runs 4 and 27 passed;
file-size checks passed. These broad tests ran through the required push
hook, not a manually invoked suite. CI remains pending.

## Live testing report — October 31

| Journey | Result and evidence boundary |
|---|---|
| Fresh email signup / identity / hosted invite | Reproduced policy
response exceeding 64 KiB; after fix, admission and restart passed.
Profile/message visible locally; cross-account message receipt remains
unproven. Tested at `cfcaef4e9f` plus policy patch. |
| Browser close → retry → login → existing identity recovery → restart |
Passed at `d14f33a170` plus patches; recovered the expected public
identity and community. |
| Pairing a different identity into an existing install | Rejected
without replacing the original key. Initially hidden error became
visible with friendly copy; Back and restart preserved the community at
`b80217de3` plus patches. |
| Fresh pairing → wait for desktop approval → sign-in → community →
restart | Passed at `20742a236` plus patches; human confirmed approval
gate, saved public identity matched. |
| First-time desktop cancellation → welcome → fresh QR retry → community
→ restart | Passed at `20742a236` plus patches. Cancellation error
remained raw `user_denied`. |
| Android system Back while awaiting pairing approval | Human-confirmed
in already-onboarded Add Community; first-time phone-side Back variation
remains untested. |
| Wrong pairing code → rejection → correction → completion |
Human-confirmed at `a2540fbe3` plus patches. Exact error and
same-session versus fresh-QR retry were not independently captured. |
| Interrupt account onboarding at community picker → process restart →
recovery → admission | Passed at `a2540fbe3` plus patches. Restart
opened Add a community; Find my communities restored choices without
another login. Human completed admission. No destination had yet been
selected. |
| Invite-first into fresh signed-out app → intended community → restart
| Passed at `a12ad1cdd` plus patches; saved identity/destination
matched. Existing member and existing browser session. Initial Android
VIEW intent explicitly targeted the test package; ordinary HTTPS default
app-link resolution and new-member admission remain untested. |
| Malformed community input → error → Back → restart | Passed for `not a
community`; original community preserved. `not-a-community` is a valid
single-label hostname and was not counted as malformed-input evidence. |

## Remaining gaps and findings

Not release certification. Pairing landing-error regression/mutation
evidence is now recorded below. Current combined-revision native
instrumentation has not been rerun; its limited scope is described
below.

Deferred behavior, not implemented here:
- Wrong browser account after fresh pairing is correctly rejected, but
Retry reuses that app account session; in-app account switching must
preserve the transferred identity and destination. The live happy path
used a manual browser-account switch and fresh install.
- Pairing wait has no visible Cancel; tested system Back works.
- Desktop cancellation exposes raw error wording.
- Interrupted community selection requires an extra Find my communities
step.

Master checklist remains partial: seven categories exercised this
session, signup/community creation has historical coverage, seven
categories unexercised. New-member link-first admission, deeper
interruption/server-commit recovery, expiry/revocation/network failures,
key import, organization/self-hosted paths, phone-to-desktop transfer,
eligibility gates, accessibility/app-link variants and iOS require
separate coverage. Channel-discovery work is separate (#8869).

## Review checkpoint

[Carl’s
review](https://github.com/block/buzz/pull/8874#pullrequestreview-5724095754)
found no code blockers at `6442e5ff9`. Carl also reviewed test-only
follow-up `d43958653` and found no issues, accepting both validation
gaps as closed. A subsequent review identified stale callback → resume
cancelling a newer Android login. A narrow native fix and regression
validation are in progress; prior readiness attestation is withdrawn
pending this behavior change.

- **Android stack check passed (Pixel 9, Android 17):** after fresh
account sign-in, the human stopped at the community picker without
closing/restarting. `dumpsys activity activities` showed exactly one
MainActivity in Invite First task 567, with no CustomTab in that task or
the full component list. ChromeTabbedActivity remained in a separate
pre-existing browser task. This rules out a lingering duplicate activity
in this run; it does not independently trace `onNewIntent` or establish
all Android/browser variants. Binary production sources match
`6442e5ff9`.
- **Pairing regression/mutation passed:** extended the existing QR
journey using the real encrypted NIP-AB import and hosted coordinator.
Asserts visible friendly mismatch feedback, live-region wrapper,
unchanged stored community/account identity, and Back to home. Reused
the existing socket fake. Hosted journey + pairing provider files: 70
passed with configured auth domain; opt-out hosted journey file: 3
passed / 21 skipped; changed-file analysis clean. Isolated clone:
control passed, hiding the landing error failed the visible text
assertion, restoration passed. No production source change in this
follow-up.
- **Duplicate landing:** #8847 is superseded by this combined PR; its
Android slice is included here. No merge performed.

BrowserAuthPluginTest manually drives plugin hooks using an unmanaged
Activity and fake browser launcher. It proves the plugin state machine
only, not MainActivity wiring, real lifecycle order, process death, or
duplicate app_links callback delivery. Current CI does not run Android
instrumentation. Android ignores the debug ephemeral-login flag and
shares browser cookies.

Readiness checklist: agent review completed on production changes and
test follow-up; agent exercised the changed behavior; human completed
the documented Android journeys and final sign-in check.



## Stale callback follow-up (`b7aaaa788`)

Addresses [the later Android lifecycle
review](https://github.com/block/buzz/pull/8874#pullrequestreview-5724197312):
a recognized callback now clears browser-dismissal tracking before
rejecting a mismatched state. A stale callback cannot complete or cancel
the newer login. The existing native journey now includes the
intervening resume, successful current callback, and genuine browser
dismissal after a stale callback. Only two native files changed; policy
and pairing fixes are unchanged.

Validation: 88 focused Dart tests passed. Android app and test APK build
passed. On Pixel 9, the native plugin journey passed; in an isolated
source/Git/build clone, removing the reset failed at the newer attempt's
expected-zero-replies assertion; exact restoration passed. This proves
the plugin state machine on Android, not a real late browser callback
through OS lifecycle delivery. Carl reviewed `b7aaaa788` and found the
fix correct and minimal with no blockers. Human browser-close/retry
check remains pending; PR stays draft until that passes. Current-head CI
is also required for merge.

Accepted limitation: if a recognized stale callback arrives after the
current browser tab has already gone, automatic dismissal is suppressed
and the user may need the visible Cancel button. The callback cannot
complete sign-in without matching state; Dart validation remains
authoritative.

---------

Signed-off-by: Wes <wesbillman@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Brain <1a02c72794dcd0f07058a353bc3a81f4028b8c77c92c87fce6d5c8b85970a20b@buzz.block.builderlab.xyz>
2026-10-31 12:43:01 -06:00
..

Buzz Mobile

Flutter mobile client for Buzz.

See VISION_MOBILE.md for intended behavior and architecture.

Optional Builderlab login

BUZZ_AUTH_DOMAINS is a comma-separated build-time environment setting, passed with Flutter's --dart-define (shell environment variables alone are not read):

flutter run --dart-define=BUZZ_AUTH_DOMAINS=communities.buzz.xyz,communities.public.builderlabstaging.xyz

Unset or empty means Builderlab features are disabled: no account login, community creation, backup/recovery UI, reconnect prompts, or background account restoration. QR/code pairing, community links and invites use Nostr-only entry. Saved account keys and sessions are retained for a later enabled build.

A nonempty list enables Builderlab features and requires account setup only for matching domains. Those features need their backend endpoints. Normal relay key authentication remains in place. BUZZ_BUILDERLAB_URL selects the backend; setting it alone does not enable Builderlab features.

Entries match the domain itself and its subdomains, case-insensitively. Use DNS names, not URLs or wildcards. The list does not add trusted account servers: configured domains outside the supported Builderlab realm cannot use hosted setup. BUZZ_BUILDERLAB_URL still selects the trusted account environment.

Hosted relay authentication

--dart-define=BUZZ_HOSTED_RELAY_AUTH=true enables Builderlab relay assertions and reconnect sign-in only for BUZZ_AUTH_DOMAINS matches. It defaults off: configure backend assertion issuance before enabling mobile authentication, and enable relay enforcement last.

Setup

Use the Flutter SDK pinned by the repository. Activate Hermit from the repo root before resolving packages or running any Flutter command:

cd /path/to/buzz
. ./bin/activate-hermit
./bin/just mobile-install

mobile-build-android intentionally builds with --no-pub. If an IDE or an external Flutter SDK has touched mobile/.dart_tool, rerun mobile-install with the pinned SDK before building so flutter_test, sky_engine, and the engine all come from the same Flutter version.

iOS toolchain

Use Xcode 27.0 for iOS development and build validation on an Apple silicon Mac running macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later, as required by the Xcode 27 release notes. On Intel Macs or hosts that cannot meet those requirements, use a compatible Xcode 26 version, which remains supported. Activate the repository's pinned Flutter SDK with Hermit as described above.

When multiple Xcode versions are installed, select the intended version for the command with DEVELOPER_DIR, for example:

DEVELOPER_DIR=/Applications/Xcode-27.0.0.app/Contents/Developer xcodebuild -version

Adjust the path to your installation. Keep the compiler and SDK from the same Xcode installation. The pinned Flutter native-assets tooling can discover the globally selected SDK even when DEVELOPER_DIR selects another compiler, so use a build machine with a matching default Xcode when validating either Xcode 26 or Xcode 27.

The native cryptography dependency is pinned upstream C source in ios/BuzzPushKit/Sources/CSecp256k1; it requires no Swift build-plugin approval. GitHub's mobile CI currently uses the Xcode default of its macos-latest runner. The internal release toolchain is configured separately in buzz-releases.

Run

# From repo root (applies a worktree-isolated debug identity and starts/reuses Simulator):
just mobile-dev

# Direct (uses the app's configured community; apply worktree overrides first):
cd mobile && flutter run --dart-define=BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL=https://push.example

Worktree-aware debug identity

Debug builds produced from a git worktree get a unique app identifier keyed to the worktree directory name (xyz.block.buzz.dev.mobile.<slug> on iOS, xyz.block.buzz.mobile.<slug> on Android) plus a display-only branch label in the app name (Buzz (my-branch), or a short SHA when the worktree is detached). Because the identifier follows the directory rather than the branch, one worktree keeps exactly one installed app — and its login state — across branch switches, and builds from multiple worktrees install side by side, mirroring the desktop dev experience. Release and profile builds always keep the production identity and name.

just mobile-dev and just mobile-build-android apply this automatically by running scripts/mobile-worktree-overrides.sh, which writes two gitignored files:

  • mobile/ios/Flutter/WorktreeOverrides.xcconfig (included by Debug builds only; a developer's AppOverrides.xcconfig is included after it, so app-specific overrides like a personal BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER for device signing always win)
  • mobile/android/worktree.properties (read by the debug build type only)

Android developers can keep a stable local test identity that takes precedence over the generated worktree values by creating the gitignored mobile/android/AppOverrides.properties:

appName=Buzz Pairing
applicationIdSuffix=.device_pairing_e2e1

These values are consumed by the debug build type only. The standard just mobile-build-android command can still be used; regenerating worktree.properties does not overwrite AppOverrides.properties. Release and profile builds keep the production Buzz name and application ID.

For direct Xcode / Android Studio / flutter run development, run ./scripts/mobile-worktree-overrides.sh from the repo root once per branch switch to refresh the display label (the install identity never changes); the persisted files are then picked up by any subsequent build. In the main checkout the script is a no-op that removes stale override files, restoring the plain Buzz identity. To enable push in direct Xcode builds and Runner tests, supply a BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL build setting in the gitignored mobile/ios/Flutter/AppOverrides.xcconfig; the build phase validates and passes it through as a Flutter Dart define. Since // begins an xcconfig comment, spell the origin as BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL = https:/$()/push.example.

For an Android debug build that must remain installed alongside other Buzz worktree builds, set an explicit launcher name and package suffix when invoking the generator or a recipe that invokes it:

BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL="https://push.example" \
BUZZ_ANDROID_DEBUG_APP_NAME="Buzz Huddles" \
BUZZ_ANDROID_DEBUG_ID_SUFFIX=".huddles_829c" \
./bin/just mobile-build-android

This example produces the debug-only package xyz.block.buzz.mobile.huddles_829c with the launcher label Buzz Huddles. The suffix must start with a dot followed by a lowercase letter and may contain only lowercase letters, digits, and underscores. Release and profile builds ignore these overrides and retain the production package and name.

To remove leftover worktree-suffixed installs from booted iOS simulators and connected Android emulators, run just mobile-clean (add --dry-run via ./scripts/mobile-worktree-clean.sh --dry-run to preview). Production installs are never touched.

iOS push capability

Every iOS artifact builds and embeds the Notification Service Extension and native push bridge. Runtime activation is fail-closed and scoped to the current relay. After authenticated connectivity and a fully valid NIP-11 buzz-push-v1 push descriptor, Buzz independently requests display permission and registers with APNs. Display denial or request failure does not gate the device token, gateway enrollment, or lease publication, so a later user opt-in can display pushes without rebuilding transport authority. An absent, malformed, or unreachable descriptor leaves push inactive without partial enrollment.

Mobile builds without a gateway origin succeed with push unavailable. To enable push, supply the gateway origin explicitly:

flutter build ios --dart-define=BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL=https://push.example
flutter build apk --dart-define=BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL=https://push.example

The iOS and Android build gates validate any supplied define, rejecting empty or malformed values. Release/profile builds require an HTTPS origin without an explicit port. An absent define disables permission requests, APNs registration, gateway enrollment, and lease publication; Settings shows push as unavailable. No production gateway is selected implicitly. Enrollment grants and crash-recovery journals are scoped to this origin. Push has not shipped to existing users, so there is no legacy-state or cross-gateway migration. Changing gateways requires fresh enrollment; old installations expire under their original gateway's lease policy. Current-gateway response loss is still retried from the exact journaled request.

Relay rollout remains an explicit deployment opt-in. Only deployments with BUZZ_PUSH_ENABLED=true advertise the descriptor and process push. See docs/push-gateway-deployment.md for the canonical gateway profile contract, manual physical-device proof, measurements, and rollback procedure.

For local physical-device development, override the identity and sandbox environments in the gitignored mobile/ios/Flutter/AppOverrides.xcconfig:

BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER = com.example.buzz.mobile
BUZZ_DEVELOPMENT_TEAM = YOUR_TEAM_ID
BUZZ_IOS_PUSH_ENVIRONMENT = development
BUZZ_APP_ATTEST_ENVIRONMENT = development
BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL = https:/$()/push.example

Use your personal bundle ID and team above. Provision both the parent and its .NotificationService extension. Configure an isolated gateway with the matching App Attest application ID, APNs topic and sandbox certificate. Development attestation requires the explicit personal-dev-app-attest gateway build feature and BUZZ_PUSH_APP_ATTEST_ENVIRONMENT=development; ordinary gateway builds accept production attestation only. See docs/push-gateway-deployment.md. Validate distributed builds separately using a signed release candidate and its matching gateway configuration.

Parent app identifiers require Apple's Communication Notifications capability and a regenerated app provisioning profile. The Notification Service Extension profile does not require that capability. Enable it on the personal development App ID for local rich-presentation validation. Enabling it on distribution App IDs is a release follow-up and is not performed by this repository change. Without a matching parent profile, source and unit validation still work, but the app cannot be signed for a physical device.

APNs and the gateway continue to carry only the constant opaque wake-up. The extension fetches the message from the scoped relay, verifies message, sender profile, and channel-metadata signatures, and uses a bounded App Group cache for names and app-rendered avatar thumbnails. It never fetches an avatar URL; missing, stale, or invalid enrichment falls back to the verified message with a short sender pubkey, community subtitle, and no image.

Checks

dart format --output=none --set-exit-if-changed .
flutter analyze
flutter test --dart-define=BUZZ_PUSH_GATEWAY_URL=https://push.example

Or from the repo root: just mobile-check and just mobile-test.

When writing tests, favor a few journey tests that drive real user flows over many small logic tests. See Testing Conventions.

Android release signing

Android release builds fail unless all upload-key inputs are supplied through the environment:

  • BUZZ_ANDROID_UPLOAD_KEYSTORE_PATH: path to a CI-vended keystore file
  • BUZZ_ANDROID_UPLOAD_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD
  • BUZZ_ANDROID_UPLOAD_KEY_ALIAS
  • BUZZ_ANDROID_UPLOAD_KEY_PASSWORD

The keystore path must be absolute, and the keystore must remain outside the repository. Development and debug builds do not require these variables.

Release pipelines that sign through the central APK Signer service instead of a local upload keystore must set BUZZ_ANDROID_RELEASE_SIGNING=external. That mode produces an unsigned release bundle and refuses to run if any BUZZ_ANDROID_UPLOAD_* value is also set.

Architecture

lib/
├── main.dart              # Entry point, Riverpod bootstrap
├── app.dart               # MaterialApp with theme
├── shared/
│   └── theme/             # Catppuccin light/dark, spacing tokens, extensions
└── features/
    └── home/              # Placeholder home surface
  • State management: Riverpod + Hooks (HookConsumerWidget)
  • Theme: Catppuccin Latte (light) / Macchiato (dark) — matches desktop
  • Spacing: Grid tokens for consistent spacing
  • Linting: flutter_lints + riverpod_lint via custom_lint
  • Feature isolation: No cross-feature imports except shared/