---
title: Conduit — Operations Runbook
type: runbook
tags:
  - mesh
aliases: []
related:
  - [[central-deploy-cutover]]
  - [[conduit]]
  - [[recon-operations]]
  - [[deployment]]
  - [[ct-runbook]]
updated: 2026-07-16
---

# Conduit — Operations Runbook

## When to use

Deploying a change, adding a pull source, provisioning an API key, or reviewing the [[navi]]/[[meshai]] migration history for [[conduit]]. See [[conduit]] for architecture and current state.

## Key facts

| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Host / SSH | utility CT 104 — `ssh zvx@100.64.0.12` |
| Deploy dir | `/opt/conduit` (owned `conduit:conduit`) |
| Virtualenv | `/opt/conduit/.venv` (uv-managed, editable install) |
| Systemd unit | `conduit.service` (single-worker — do NOT add `--workers`, single-flight + quota lock are per-process) |
| DB / DSN env | `/etc/conduit/conduit.env` → `CONDUIT_DB_DSN` (own `conduit` DB on the shared Postgres 16) |
| Master key | `/etc/conduit/master.key` (`CONDUIT_MASTER_KEY_PATH`) |
| Deploy-key model | Pull-only: CT 104 pulls `main` via read-only deploy key `ct104-conduit-deploy`; cannot push |
| Migration runner | `conduit-migrate` (forward-only SQL in `sql/migrations/001`–`007`, tracked in `schema_migrations`) |
| Bind | `0.0.0.0:8010` |
| Test DB | `conduit_test` (separate from prod `conduit`; a conftest guard hard-aborts if tests ever resolve to prod) |

---

## Deploy a change

Run on CT 104 as `zvx`.

```bash
# 1. Pull latest main
sudo -u conduit git -C /opt/conduit fetch origin
sudo -u conduit git -C /opt/conduit checkout main
sudo -u conduit git -C /opt/conduit pull

# 2. Install (editable, picks up code + dep changes)
sudo -u conduit bash -c 'cd /opt/conduit && uv pip install -e ".[dev]"'

# 3. Preview then apply migrations
sudo -u conduit bash -c 'cd /opt/conduit && set -a && . /etc/conduit/conduit.env && set +a && /opt/conduit/.venv/bin/conduit-migrate --check'
sudo -u conduit bash -c 'cd /opt/conduit && set -a && . /etc/conduit/conduit.env && set +a && /opt/conduit/.venv/bin/conduit-migrate'

# 4. Restart
sudo systemctl restart conduit

# 5. Verify
systemctl is-active conduit
curl -sS -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' http://localhost:8010/health   # expect 200
curl -sS -o /dev/null -w '%{http_code}\n' http://localhost:8010/up/tomtom_flow_tiles/flow/8/48/95.pbf   # expect 200, a live tile
```

Note: **code and schema changes still need this deploy + restart cycle.** Only *source-table* changes made through the GUI hot-reload without a restart (see "Add a pull source" below).

---

## Fresh deploy from scratch

`scripts/provision.sh` (repo root) is the canonical from-scratch installer — it stands up one [[conduit]] instance from nothing: Postgres role + database (plain Postgres, no timescaledb/postgis), generated secrets (AES-256 master key + session secret), a uv-managed venv with an editable install, schema migrations, an optional GUI operator, and (optionally) a systemd unit. It takes every name/path/port as an env var or flag — no Matt-specific values are hardcoded, so it's the same script for the live deploy and for a disposable test instance.

Example (adjust for a real deploy — this example matches the throwaway shape used to prove the script works):

```bash
DB_NAME=conduit_fresh DB_ROLE=conduit_fresh \
INSTALL_DIR=/tmp/conduit-fresh ENV_FILE=/tmp/conduit-fresh/env \
MASTER_KEY_PATH=/tmp/conduit-fresh/master.key BIND_PORT=8011 \
SYSTEMD=off ADMIN_USER=admin SERVICE_NAME=conduit-fresh \
/tmp/conduit-fresh/scripts/provision.sh
```

For a real systemd-managed deploy, set `SYSTEMD=on` plus `SERVICE_NAME`/`SERVICE_USER`/`SERVICE_GROUP`/`BIND_HOST`/`BIND_PORT` to taste; the script renders, installs, enables, and starts the unit. Run `scripts/provision.sh --help` for the full parameter list.

**Migrations are schema-only.** `003_sources.sql` creates the `sources` table but seeds no rows — a fresh install's `sources` table is empty after `conduit-migrate`. Sources (and the API keys they reference) are provisioned **after** the schema exists, via the GUI or `conduit-admin`/SQL — see "Add a pull source" and "Provision an API key" below.

The test suite provisions its own `conduit_test` database (via `provision.sh`) and never touches prod — a conftest guard hard-aborts if tests ever resolve to the prod `conduit` DSN.

---

## Add a pull source

Sources are rows in the `sources` table. **The GUI hot-reloads:** a source add/edit/delete made through the management GUI calls `Broker.set_sources()` and takes effect immediately, no restart. A direct out-of-band SQL INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE against `sources` still requires a `systemctl restart conduit` to take effect — prefer the GUI.

Columns: `name`, `url_template`, `api_key_alias`, `ttl_seconds`, `header_auth`, `enabled`, static `headers` (jsonb, for UA-sensitive upstreams), quota caps (`max_calls_per_day`/`_minute`/`_month`), and retention fields (`retain`, `retention_days`, `poll_interval_seconds`, `poll_path`).

`url_template` contract: a Python `str.format()` template filled with two named substitutions —

- `{path}` — the upstream path only (no query string), taken from the inbound request after the source name and before the first `?`.
- `{key}` — the decrypted API key for `api_key_alias`, if set.

If the inbound request itself carries a query string, it's appended to the templated URL (`&` if the template already has its own `?`, else `?`) rather than substituted in — so caller-supplied params compose instead of colliding into a double `?`. If `header_auth` is true, the key is injected as a header instead of into the URL.

**Worked example — `tomtom_flow_tiles` (via SQL; the GUI form is equivalent and hot-reloads):**

```bash
sudo -u conduit bash -c 'cd /opt/conduit && set -a && . /etc/conduit/conduit.env && set +a && psql "$CONDUIT_DB_DSN" -c "
INSERT INTO sources (name, url_template, api_key_alias, ttl_seconds, header_auth)
VALUES (
  '"'"'tomtom_flow_tiles'"'"',
  '"'"'https://api.tomtom.com/maps/orbis/traffic/tile/{path}?key={key}&apiVersion=1'"'"',
  '"'"'tomtom'"'"',
  60,
  false
)
ON CONFLICT (name) DO NOTHING;
"'

sudo systemctl restart conduit   # only required for this out-of-band SQL path
```

For UA-sensitive upstreams (NWS contact header, Idaho Power WAF, avalanche.org UA), set the static `headers` jsonb column instead of/alongside `header_auth`. For quota-capped upstreams (e.g. TomTom's free plan), set `max_calls_per_day`/`_minute`/`_month`. For a source that should accumulate history, set `retain=true` plus `retention_days` and `poll_interval_seconds` (and `poll_path` if the retained resource differs from the primary path) — the background `Poller` picks it up without any additional step.

---

## Provision an API key

API keys live in Conduit's own AES-256-GCM encrypted keystore (`api_keys` table), addressed by the `alias` a source's `api_key_alias` references. Encrypted under Conduit's own master key (`/etc/conduit/master.key`) — this store is separate from [[central]]'s (central no longer exists to have one).

Keys currently held: `tomtom`, `roads511`, `firms` — all harvested from central before its retirement or provisioned directly. For a brand-new key, insert it directly through the keystore's encrypt path (no plaintext in shell history or logs), or use the GUI's API Keys page.

---

## meshai migration (2026-07-15) — completed record

All 13 of [[meshai]]'s native hazard adapters were repointed from their direct upstream to Conduit's `/up/{source}/…`: NWS, SWPC (×4 endpoints), ducting, WFIGS/fires (2 feeds), FIRMS, avalanche, USGS streams, usgs_quake, tomtom_traffic, roads511, WZDx (pinned `511.idaho.gov/api/wzdx`), and satpass (its Celestrak TLE call).

meshai kept all of its own transform/fusion/mesh-routing logic — only the fetch step moved to Conduit. Keys for `tomtom`, `roads511`, and `firms` now live only in Conduit's keystore; meshai no longer holds them. Every repoint was a zero-restart hot-reload on meshai's side (`apply_config()`), coordinated via meshai's config API. `traffic` (tomtom_traffic) was migrated last, unblocked by the faithful-4xx-passthrough fix (PR #16) — before that fix, TomTom's legitimate `400 "Point too far from nearest existing segment"` responses were being swallowed/mis-wrapped as 502 by Conduit.

---

## navi traffic-tile cutover (2026-07-14) — historical record

navi's `/api/traffic/` tiles were repointed from [[central]] to [[conduit]]. Exact change:

**On CT 104 — widen Conduit's bind:**

`conduit.service`'s `ExecStart` uvicorn flag was changed from loopback to mesh-reachable — `--host 127.0.0.1` → `--host 0.0.0.0` (the `--port 8010` is unchanged). Unit backed up first, then:

```bash
# edit the ExecStart --host token in /etc/systemd/system/conduit.service:
#   --host 127.0.0.1  →  --host 0.0.0.0
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart conduit
```

**On recon-vm — rewrite the nginx proxy:**

`/etc/nginx/sites-available/navi.echo6.co`, `location ^~ /api/traffic/` block changed to:

```nginx
location ^~ /api/traffic/ {
    rewrite ^/api/traffic/(.*)$ /up/tomtom_flow_tiles/$1 break;
    proxy_pass http://central.echo6.mesh:8010;
    # (existing tile-cache directives unchanged)
}
```

Then:

```bash
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
```

Verified via the real nginx path (curl through the vhost) plus fresh rows in Conduit's `payloads` table.

### Rollback target has changed

At the time of this cutover, [[central]] was the rollback target. **Central no longer exists** (retired + DB dropped 2026-07-15). If the navi tile path ever needs to roll back off Conduit, the rollback target is now **direct TomTom** (bypassing both Conduit and the defunct central), not central — a new direct-TomTom nginx config would need to be written; the old pre-cutover nginx backup pointing at central is no longer a valid rollback target.

```bash
# CT 104 — revert the unit if narrowing the bind back to loopback is ever needed
sudo cp /etc/systemd/system/conduit.service.bak-precutover /etc/systemd/system/conduit.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart conduit
```

The recon-vm nginx `.bak-precutover` backup (proxying to central) is now historical only — do not restore it, since central is gone.

---

## Gotchas

- **Single-worker only.** Single-flight coalescing and the quota lock are per-process; adding uvicorn `--workers` breaks both guarantees. Do not add workers.
- **`/up` rejects HEAD** (405) — GET only.
- **`/up` and `/history` are unauthenticated**, mesh-internal, tiles-trust model. The GUI is the authenticated surface (operator auth + CSRF).
- **Source hot-reload is GUI-only.** A source change through the GUI takes effect immediately; a direct SQL change to `sources` still needs `systemctl restart conduit`.
- **Central is gone.** It is not a rollback target for anything anymore — see "Rollback target has changed" above. Its data is recoverable only from the pi-nas archive dump.
- **Retention is opt-in and idle by default.** The `Poller` only does work for sources with `retain=true`; an empty/near-empty `payload_history` is expected unless retention has been turned on for specific sources.