Merge pull request 'docs: attachments & storage backend design (#38, #31)' (#69) from issue-38-31-storage-design into main

- enforce server-side body cap via http.MaxBytesReader: oversized JSON
  bodies are rejected with 413 instead of being fully decoded first
- negative burn_after_reads rejected with 400 (zero still = default 1)
- limit=0 explicitly maps to default page size; shared parseLimit clamp
  for /api/public and /api/mine (huge/non-numeric values too)
- negative/non-numeric offset clamped to 0 via parseOffset (was
  pass-through)
- regression tests in issue68_validation_test.go

expires_at/expires_in validation intentionally excluded: covered by #60.

README.md

@@ -79,6 +79,16 @@ curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/pastes \
 
 Full API docs: [docs/API.md](docs/API.md). Design docs: [docs/design/](docs/design/) (currently: [client-side E2E encryption](docs/design/e2e-encryption.md), issue #39).
 
+## Performance Notes
+
+The history and Saved pages use client-side filtering: when you type in the
+search box, the UI fetches the most recent 100 pastes (`limit=100`, the API
+maximum) once per query and filters/sorts them in the browser. Pastes beyond
+the newest 100 are not searched; a match count against the full total is still
+shown. This keeps search instant without a server-side query. If large
+instances need full search later, it will be a server-side endpoint (see
+issue #32).
+
 ## CI
 
 Gitea Actions workflow at `.gitea/workflows/ci.yml`:

docs/design/attachments-storage.md

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Attachments & Storage Backend Design (#38, #31)
+
+Status: research/design, no implementation. Consumers: paste cans (#4).
+
+## Part A — Attachments: S3/MinIO vs filesystem-on-volume (#38)
+
+### Options
+
+**Option 1: Filesystem on the k3s PVC (current 5Gi volume).**
+Store blobs under `<data-dir>/attachments/<paste-id>/<n>-<sha256-8>`, metadata in SQLite (paste_id, filename, size, sha256, mime, created_at).
+
+- Pros: zero new infra, zero new credentials, trivial backup (the volume backup job already covers the DB), atomic rename on write, works in dev and prod identically.
+- Cons: volume is size-capped (5Gi today; resizable but bounded); serving large files passes through the app process (no ranged-GET offload); multi-replica later would need RWX volume.
+
+**Option 2: MinIO via S3 API.**
+MinIO is already proven in this homelab (Outline). Store at key `<paste-id>/<n>`; same SQLite metadata row.
+
+- Pros: effectively unbounded capacity, presigned URLs (direct browser download, offloads serving from palette pods), ranged requests free, lifecycle rules could auto-expire orphaned objects.
+- Cons: another credential/secret to manage, another failure mode, MultipartForm still terminates at the palette pod (MinIO only helps *serving*, not *uploading*, unless we do presigned uploads — which breaks the cans multipart flow and the auth/unlock checks), backup now spans two systems.
+
+### Key considerations
+
+- **Upload path is the same either way.** Palette receives `multipart/form-data` (cans need text items + file drops in one request), must enforce auth/password/burn rules server-side. A filesystem backend adds no upload complexity; S3 adds an extra hop (buffer → PUT to MinIO). Streaming straight from `multipart.Reader` to the sink works for both (`io.Copy` to a temp file, or to an S3 PUT with `Content-Length` known or multipart buffering).
+- **Size limits.** Everything is admin-tunable via the settings API (#40 pattern) — add `max_attachment_bytes` (default 10 MiB, hard server-side cap checked *before* reading the body via `Content-Length`, plus a counted reader during copy so chunked uploads can't lie). SQLite itself is not a constraint either way; the PVC is the real cap for Option 1.
+- **MIME handling.** Security-critical (pentest #34 already fixed a content-type XSS on `/raw`). Rules:
+  - Never trust the client-declared Content-Type. Sniff the first 512 bytes (`http.DetectContentType`), intersect with an allowlist.
+  - Serve from a dedicated route (`/{id}/a/{n}`) with `Content-Type` from the stored *sniffed* type, `X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff`, `Content-Security-Policy: sandbox`, `Content-Disposition: attachment` unless the type is on a safe-inline allowlist (text/plain, images, PDF at user opt-in).
+  - Never render user HTML/SVG inline (`image/svg+xml` is XSS-capable — serve as `attachment` always, or store sanitized).
+- **Streaming & serving.**
+  - Filesystem: `http.ServeContent` on the opened file gives ranged GETs, ETag, Last-Modified for free.
+  - MinIO: proxy via `GetObject` + `io.Copy` (simple, keeps auth checks in palette) or presigned GET (faster, but URL embeds credentials-temporarily and bypasses palette's per-request auth — wrong for pastes with passwords/burn semantics). Given cans inherit password/burn parity (#4), **proxying is required, which erodes MinIO's main serving advantage**.
+- **Lifecycle parity.** Attachments must honor soft-delete grace and sweep: sweeper hard-delete also removes blobs (files: `os.Remove`; S3: `DeleteObject`), best-effort with logging; orphan sweep job compares DB rows to store contents.
+
+### Recommendation
+
+**Filesystem-on-volume first.** At current scale (single replica, PVC-based deploy, one user + homelab traffic) it is simpler end-to-end and keeps serving/auth/lifecycle in one place. The internal API should be a narrow blob interface (`Put(ctx, key, r io.Reader, size int64) / Open(key) / Delete(key)`) — about 60 lines per backend — so **MinIO becomes a drop-in later** if attachments outgrow the volume. That's the honest middle path: filesystem default, S3-ready seam, no MinIO dependency until it pays for itself.
+
+## Part B — SQLite vs Postgres vs Redis (#31)
+
+### Assessment of SQLite at pastebin scale
+
+- **Driver**: modernc.org/sqlite (pure Go, no cgo) — slightly slower than mattn/go-sqlite3 but fine; single-writer semantics are the real constraint, not driver speed.
+- **Access pattern**: paste-heavy, write-rare/read-often; primary keys and small set of indexes (visibility+created, expires, deleted); no joins beyond can items. This is SQLite's best case.
+- **WAL mode** is already on (`journal_mode(WAL), busy_timeout(5000)`) — concurrent readers don't block the single writer.
+- **Numbers**: SQLite comfortably handles millions of rows and hundreds of reads/sec; WAL write throughput is thousands of small inserts/sec. A pastebin doing even 100k pastes (avg 10 KB = ~1 GB DB) is trivial. Reads: prepared `WHERE id=?` lookups at this size are sub-millisecond.
+- **Weak points to watch** (document, none urgent):
+  1. Single writer — heavy concurrent create traffic serializes. Mitigation: already rate-limited (#2); fine until that's the bottleneck (unlikely).
+  2. `LENGTH(content)` on every list row — fine now; if it shows up in profiling, store `size` as a column (schema already has a `Size` field; list queries could use it).
+  3. Sweeper runs a table-wide `UPDATE`+`DELETE` on tick — indexed, fine.
+  4. No network access to the DB file — locks palette to single-replica. Acceptable: current deploy is one replica.
+- **Redis is the wrong tool** here: it's a cache/queue, not a system of record. Pastes are durable data with expiry semantics already implemented in SQLite. Redis would only add an optional read-cache layer for hot pastes — pure complexity for zero measured need.
+
+### Should we build a backend abstraction (SQLite default, optional Postgres)?
+
+Arguments for: multi-replica scaling later; "docker image env choice" sounds nice; Postgres gives real concurrency and network access.
+Arguments against: a `Store` interface covering the current query surface is a real refactor (sqlite-flavored SQL: `INSERT OR IGNORE`-style upserts, partial indexes, `?` placeholders are compatible but behaviors differ — e.g. `sqlite` driver pragmas, transaction isolation, `AUTOINCREMENT` semantics); two backends means two test matrices and two migration paths forever; and there is **no current need** — single replica, single writer, modest data.
+
+**Recommendation: stay SQLite-only. Do not build the abstraction now.**
+Specifically:
+
+1. Keep all persistence behind `internal/store` (already done in #35 — the package boundary *is* the abstraction, at zero cost).
+2. Avoid SQLite-specific SQL going forward where free (standard placeholders, no `RETURNING` quirks) — cheap discipline that keeps a future port honest.
+3. Define the trigger conditions for revisiting, and write them down:
+   - multiple replicas needed (scale-out), or
+   - sustained WAL write contention (busy timeouts observed in logs), or
+   - DB file > ~5-10 GB, or
+   - a concrete user request for a Postgres-backed image.
+4. When a trigger fires, port `internal/store` to Postgres behind an interface extracted *then* — the refactor is mechanical against a real need, instead of speculative complexity now.
+5. For the docker image: `PALETTE_DB_PATH` env already implies the deployment choice; no extra backend knob needed.
+
+## Summary
+
+| Decision | Choice |
+|---|---|
+| Attachment backend | Filesystem on PVC, behind a ~3-method blob interface; MinIO as a later drop-in, not a dependency |
+| Size limits | `max_attachment_bytes` admin setting, default 10 MiB, enforced pre-read + during stream |
+| MIME | Server-side sniff (512 bytes) + allowlist; `nosniff`, CSP `sandbox`, `Content-Disposition: attachment` except safe-inline types; SVG never inline |
+| Database | SQLite (WAL, modernc) only; no Postgres/Redis, no backend abstraction until a written trigger fires |

docs/design/cookie-preferences.md

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+# Design: Cookie-Based Preferences and Access Keys (#30)
+
+Status: design note — no implementation yet.
+Related: #37 (vwr viewer cookie), #34 (HMAC unlock cookie), #26 (creator auto-unlock), #36 (settings gear).
+
+## Current cookie surface
+
+| Cookie | Purpose | Lifetime | Flags today |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| `vwr` | Anonymous viewer id; scopes `/mine` history and burn-after-N per-viewer dedupe; client-sent `vwr` also authorizes delete | 1 year | `HttpOnly`, `SameSite=Lax`, `Path=/` |
+| `pw_<id>` | Per-paste password unlock token = HMAC(paste id, PALETTE_UNLOCK_SECRET) | 1 hour | `HttpOnly`, `SameSite=Lax`, `Path=/` |
+| `tok_<id>` | One-time deletion-token handoff after create | 60 s | `HttpOnly`, `SameSite=Lax`, `Path=/` |
+
+The access-key feature is an extension of the `pw_<id>` pattern, not a new mechanism.
+
+## Part 1: Preference storage
+
+### What settings
+
+Only settings the *creator* sets when writing a paste, so the "new paste" form
+can pre-fill them:
+
+- Default language (`lang`)
+- Default expiry (`expires_in` / custom expiry)
+- Burn-after-N-reads default
+- Password-protect-by-default toggle (checkbox pre-checked; the password itself is never stored)
+- Default visibility of the "raw" link, if such a toggle exists
+- Collapsed/expanded state of the settings gear panel itself
+
+Never stored in cookies: passwords, access keys for pastes the user hasn't
+unlocked, deletion tokens (beyond the existing 60 s `tok_` handoff), anything
+typed into the paste body or title fields (existing rule: auto-detect must not
+overwrite user-typed content).
+
+### One cookie, not many
+
+A single `prefs` cookie holding a compact JSON object:
+
+```
+prefs={"lang":"go","exp":"1h","burn":0,"pw":1}
+```
+
+- One cookie avoids the browser per-domain cookie count (typically 50+ per
+  domain; Chrome 180) eating the budget that per-paste access-key cookies need.
+- Per-paste cookies (`pw_<id>`) are inherently name-per-paste and cannot be
+  consolidated — that's the constraint that makes a single `prefs` cookie
+  mandatory rather than stylistic.
+
+### Size limits
+
+- RFC 6265: user agents SHOULD support at least 4096 bytes per cookie. Keep
+  `prefs` under 256 bytes of JSON — it holds a handful of short enum values.
+- Server behavior: if the cookie is present but oversized/invalid JSON, ignore
+  it silently and serve defaults. Never reject a request over a bad preference
+  cookie.
+- Validate on the server (allowlist of known values); a cookie is untrusted
+  input like any header.
+
+### Flags
+
+`HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax; Path=/; Max-Age=31536000; Secure` (Secure once the
+prod instance serves HTTPS — it will, behind the letsencrypt IngressRoute;
+dev on plain HTTP needs the flag conditional on config).
+
+Preferences are not sensitive, but `HttpOnly` costs nothing and keeps script
+from mutating them; `SameSite=Lax` matches the existing cookies.
+
+## Part 2: Access-key cookies
+
+### Goal
+
+"Remember unlocked pastes on this browser" — after entering a password (or
+after creating a private paste), subsequent visits skip the unlock form. This
+extends `pw_<id>` from a 1-hour session convenience to a durable capability.
+
+### Design: extend `pw_<id>`, don't invent a new scheme
+
+The token is already HMAC(paste id, PALETTE_UNLOCK_SECRET) — unforgeable and
+per-paste (fix for the #34 bypass). Changes:
+
+1. **Opt-in checkbox on the unlock form** ("remember on this browser") and a
+   matching checkbox/note at creation time. Default OFF. Non-consenting
+   visitors keep the current 1-hour cookie.
+2. **Extended lifetime** when opted in: `Max-Age = min(paste expiry, 90 days)`.
+   The cookie must never outlive the paste — derive the cap from the paste's
+   `ExpiresAt` at unlock time. Burn-after-N pastes: cap short (e.g. 24 h),
+   since the paste may burn at any read.
+3. **Name collision**: paste ids are fixed-length server-generated, so
+   `pw_<id>` names stay bounded (~40 bytes each). With the 50-cookies-per-
+   domain budget, cap remembered pastes at ~30: when minting the 31st, drop
+   the oldest expired-paste cookies server-side (server knows which ids are
+   expired/deleted; send expired `Set-Cookie` with `Max-Age=0` to reclaim).
+4. **Delete authorization interplay**: today a client-sent `vwr` matching the
+   paste's ViewerID authorizes delete. Access-key cookies grant *read*
+   capability only. Do not let a `pw_<id>` cookie authorize deletion — that
+   would mean cookie theft escalates from "read a paste" to "destroy it".
+   Delete stays bound to `vwr` or the deletion token.
+
+### Scoping
+
+- Keep `Path=/` (paste URLs are `/{id}` at the root; per-paste `Path=/{id}`
+  would work but saves nothing and complicates cleanup).
+- Per-paste scope via the cookie *name* is the existing, tested pattern —
+  no shared "access key ring" cookie. A consolidated `keys` cookie would
+  mean one stolen cookie exposes every remembered paste at once.
+
+## Part 3: Security considerations (honest accounting)
+
+- **XSS exfiltration**: `HttpOnly` prevents JS from *reading* the cookies, but
+  not from *using* them — an XSS payload can simply `fetch('/<paste-id>')` and
+  exfiltrate the content through the page the cookie unlocks. HttpOnly raises
+  the bar (drive-by script can't dump the jar to an attacker server in one
+  request), it does not make access-key cookies safe. This is a real
+  limitation, not a solved problem. Mitigations in order of value:
+  1. Fix the stored-XSS class at the source — #34 already allowlisted
+     content-types on `/raw`; the standing debt items (CSP, X-Frame-Options,
+     Referrer-Policy) directly reduce cookie-use exfiltration and should land
+     before or with this feature.
+  2. Keep access-key cookies opt-in, so the blast radius is bounded to users
+     who accepted the tradeoff.
+- **Cookie theft = paste access**: anyone holding `pw_<id>` can read that
+  paste until the cookie or paste expires, from any machine. That is inherent
+  to capability cookies. Consequences accepted deliberately: pastes here are
+  ephemeral (1 min–1 yr expiry), passwords are low-stakes share convenience,
+  and there are no user accounts to compromise. Document this in the UI copy
+  ("stores unlock access on this browser").
+- **Shared machines**: a remembered cookie defeats the password for the next
+  user of the browser. The opt-in checkbox with plain-language copy is the
+  mitigation; do not default it on.
+- **Cookie tossing / fixation**: a subdomain attacker could try to force
+  cookies; palette is a single host, no untrusted subdomains. `SameSite=Lax`
+  blocks cross-site attachment of the cookies on form posts to unlock
+  endpoints.
+- **Multi-instance / secret rotation**: tokens are HMACs under
+  `PALETTE_UNLOCK_SECRET`; rotating the secret silently invalidates all
+  remembered cookies (acceptable — next visit re-prompts). Both dev and prod
+  k3s instances need the same secret only if sharing a domain, which they do
+  not.
+- **Preferences cookie**: not security-sensitive, but still validate/allowlist
+  server-side to avoid it becoming an injection sink into templates.
+
+## Recommendation
+
+Implement in two small, separately reviewable pieces:
+
+1. **`prefs` cookie** (do first, low risk): single JSON cookie < 256 bytes,
+   server-validated allowlist, `HttpOnly; SameSite=Lax; Max-Age=1y`, drives
+   only form pre-fill. Ship with #36's settings gear.
+2. **Extended `pw_<id>` opt-in** (second, security-sensitive): opt-in checkbox,
+   Max-Age capped by paste expiry (90-day ceiling, 24 h for burn pastes),
+   oldest-cookie eviction at ~30 pastes, no delete authorization from access
+   cookies, and land the CSP/X-Frame-Options hardening debt from #34 in the
+   same or preceding change. UI copy must disclose that the cookie preserves
+   paste access on the browser.
+
+Rejected alternatives: single consolidated access-key cookie (aggregate theft
+risk, and the per-domain cookie-count argument cuts the other way for keys —
+consolidation maximizes what one stolen cookie unlocks); localStorage for
+preferences (XSS-readable, no benefit over HttpOnly cookies here); server-side
+accounts/session table (out of scope — Palette is deliberately anonymous).

internal/api/admin.go

@@ -172,6 +172,11 @@ func (a *apiServer) adminKeyOK(r *http.Request, key string) bool {
 
 func (a *apiServer) adminAuth(next http.HandlerFunc, key string) http.HandlerFunc {
 	return func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if !rateLimitAdmin(r) {
+			log.Printf("admin auth RATE LIMITED: %s %s from %s", r.Method, r.URL.Path, r.RemoteAddr)
+			writeRateLimited(w, 60)
+			return
+		}
 		if !a.adminKeyOK(r, key) {
 			log.Printf("admin auth FAILURE: %s %s from %s", r.Method, r.URL.Path, r.RemoteAddr)
 			writeErr(w, 401, "unauthorized")

internal/api/adminratelimit_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package api
+
+// #66: admin key attempts must be rate limited per IP (5/min), constant-time
+// compared, and failures logged. Hammering bad keys must yield 429s.
+
+import (
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestAdminKeyRateLimited: burst of 5 bad-key attempts allowed (401), the 6th
+// gets 429, and even the correct key is blocked from that IP until refill.
+func TestAdminKeyRateLimited(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServer(t)
+	h := srv.routes()
+	reqIP := "10.7.7.1:1234"
+
+	var got429, retryAfter bool
+	var lastCode int
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		req := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/admin/api/settings", nil)
+		req.RemoteAddr = reqIP
+		req.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", "wrong-key")
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		lastCode = rec.Code
+		if rec.Code == 429 {
+			got429 = true
+			retryAfter = rec.Header().Get("Retry-After") != ""
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !got429 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 429 after hammering bad keys, last status %d", lastCode)
+	}
+	if !retryAfter {
+		t.Error("429 missing Retry-After header")
+	}
+
+	// Correct key from the same IP is also locked out.
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/admin/api/settings", nil)
+	req.RemoteAddr = reqIP
+	req.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", srv.adminKey)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	if rec.Code != 429 {
+		t.Errorf("correct key after lockout: got %d, want 429", rec.Code)
+	}
+
+	// A different IP is unaffected.
+	req2 := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/admin/api/settings", strings.NewReader(`{"rate_limit_burst":5,"rate_limit_per_minute":60,"max_content_bytes":1048576,"custom_slug_reservation_days":30,"burn_viewer_window_minutes":15}`))
+	req2.RemoteAddr = "203.0.113.9:1234"
+	req2.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", srv.adminKey)
+	rec2 := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec2, req2)
+	if rec2.Code != 200 {
+		t.Errorf("correct key from another IP: got %d, want 200", rec2.Code)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestAdminKeyConstantTimeCompare: sanity check that the comparison is
+// constant-time (uses subtle.ConstantTimeCompare, not ==).
+func TestAdminKeyConstantTimeCompare(t *testing.T) {
+	srv := newTestServer(t)
+	r := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/", nil)
+	r.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", "test-admin-key")
+	if !srv.adminKeyOK(r, srv.adminKey) {
+		t.Fatal("correct key rejected")
+	}
+	r.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", "wrong")
+	if srv.adminKeyOK(r, srv.adminKey) {
+		t.Fatal("wrong key accepted")
+	}
+	// differ in length: must not panic/mismatch unexpectedly
+	r.Header.Set("X-Admin-Key", "test-admin-key-longer")
+	if srv.adminKeyOK(r, srv.adminKey) {
+		t.Fatal("longer wrong key accepted")
+	}
+}

internal/api/cans.go

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 package api
 
 import (
-	"palette/internal/store"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
+	"palette/internal/store"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -40,6 +40,12 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleCreateCan(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 			writeErr(w, 400, "invalid expires_in")
 			return
 		}
+		// #60: clamp at the API boundary like the pastes API does -
+		// reject zero/negative and durations past the 1-year UI cap.
+		if !store.ValidExpiry(d) {
+			writeErr(w, 400, "expires_in must be between 1 minute and 1 year")
+			return
+		}
 		t := now + int64(d.Seconds())
 		expiresAt = &t
 	}
@@ -143,8 +149,6 @@ func detectContentType(name string, content []byte) string {
 	return "text/plain"
 }
 
-
-
 func (a *apiServer) handleGetCan(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	id := chi.URLParam(r, "id")
 	can, err := a.store.GetCan(id)

internal/api/cans_expiry_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package api
+
+import (
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// #60: the cans API must clamp expires_in at the boundary exactly like the
+// pastes API — reject zero/negative durations and anything over the 1-year
+// UI cap, accept the exact boundaries.
+func TestCreateCanExpiryBounds(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		expiresIn string
+		wantCode  int
+	}{
+		{"-1h", 400},    // negative
+		{"-0s", 400},    // negative zero
+		{"0s", 400},     // zero
+		{"1ns", 400},    // positive but below the 1-minute floor
+		{"59s", 400},    // just under the floor
+		{"1m", 201},     // exactly the floor
+		{"90s", 201},    // just over the floor
+		{"8760h", 201},  // exactly 1 year
+		{"8785h", 400},  // 1 year + 1 day: over the cap
+		{"87600h", 400}, // 10 years, the originally reported case
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		globalLimiter = newLimiter() // avoid create rate limit between cases
+		body, ct := multipartBody(t, map[string]string{
+			"json_items": `[{"title":"a.txt","content":"AAA"}]`,
+			"expires_in": c.expiresIn,
+		}, "files", "pic.txt", "file data")
+		req := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/api/pastes/can", body)
+		req.Header.Set("Content-Type", ct)
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		if rec.Code != c.wantCode {
+			t.Errorf("expires_in %q: got %d want %d (%s)",
+				c.expiresIn, rec.Code, c.wantCode, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/api/issue68_validation_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+package api
+
+// Regression tests for #68 input-validation gaps: negative/oversized content
+// lengths (413), limit=0 → default page size, unchecked query params
+// (negative offset), and negative burn_after_reads.
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func createPasteRaw(t *testing.T, h http.Handler, body string) *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
+	t.Helper()
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("POST", "/api/pastes", strings.NewReader(body))
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	return rec
+}
+
+// A request whose decoded content exceeds the admin-tunable cap is rejected
+// with 413 and a clear message (content under the body cap, over the
+// content cap).
+func TestCreatePasteContentOverCap413(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	// content over MaxContentBytes (5MiB) but under body cap (+4KiB): send
+	// just over the content cap so the per-field check fires first.
+	content := strings.Repeat("a", 5*1024*1024+10)
+	rec := createPasteRaw(t, h, fmt.Sprintf(`{"content":"%s"}`, content))
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d want 413: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(rec.Body.String(), "content exceeds max") {
+		t.Fatalf("unclear error message: %s", rec.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+// A request whose entire body is larger than the server-side body cap is cut
+// off by http.MaxBytesReader and answered with 413, not decoded into memory
+// (#68: previously a giant body was fully buffered, then rejected only at
+// the per-field check — actually the decode happened before any check).
+func TestCreatePasteBodyOverCap413(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	// shrink the content cap so the body cap is small too
+	ss := s.settings.get()
+	ss.MaxContentBytes = 64 * 1024
+	if err := s.settings.set(ss); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	content := strings.Repeat("a", 200*1024) // 200KiB > 64KiB+4KiB body cap
+	rec := createPasteRaw(t, h, fmt.Sprintf(`{"content":"%s","title":"x"}`, content))
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d want 413: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+// Negative content lengths cannot be expressed via JSON, but a negative
+// expires-style numeric payload must not crash; more importantly the
+// burn_after_reads field: negative values are rejected with a clear message.
+func TestCreatePasteNegativeBurnAfterReads(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	rec := createPasteRaw(t, h, `{"content":"hi","burn_after_reads":-5}`)
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d want 400: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(rec.Body.String(), "burn_after_reads") {
+		t.Fatalf("unclear error message: %s", rec.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	// 0 and positive values still work (0 = default single read, per #49)
+	rec = createPasteRaw(t, h, `{"content":"hi","burn_after_reads":0,"burn_after_read":true}`)
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusCreated {
+		t.Fatalf("zero burn_after_reads: got %d want 201: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+// limit=0 on list endpoints returns the default page size (existing clamp
+// treats <=0 as default; #68 asks this be explicit and tested).
+func TestListLimitZeroUsesDefault(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	// seed 3 public pastes
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		rec := createPasteRaw(t, h, fmt.Sprintf(`{"content":"p%d"}`, i))
+		if rec.Code != 201 {
+			t.Fatalf("seed: got %d: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, q := range []string{"/api/public?limit=0", "/api/public"} {
+		req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", q, nil)
+		rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+		if rec.Code != 200 {
+			t.Fatalf("%s: got %d", q, rec.Code)
+		}
+		var got struct {
+			Limit int                   `json:"limit"`
+			Total int                   `json:"total"`
+			Items []struct{ ID string } `json:"items"`
+		}
+		json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &got)
+		if got.Limit != 25 || len(got.Items) != 3 {
+			t.Fatalf("%s: limit=%d items=%d, want limit 25 and all 3 items", q, got.Limit, len(got.Items))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Huge limit values are clamped to the max page size (already the behavior;
+// regression-tested here per #68 "validate unchecked params").
+func TestListLimitHugeClamped(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/public?limit=999999999", nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	var got struct {
+		Limit int `json:"limit"`
+	}
+	json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &got)
+	if got.Limit != 25 {
+		t.Fatalf("limit=%d, want clamped to 25", got.Limit)
+	}
+}
+
+// Negative offset previously passed through unchecked to SQL (harmless in
+// SQLite, but invalid); it must be clamped to 0 (#68).
+func TestListNegativeOffsetClamped(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+		rec := createPasteRaw(t, h, fmt.Sprintf(`{"content":"p%d"}`, i))
+		if rec.Code != 201 {
+			t.Fatalf("seed: got %d", rec.Code)
+		}
+	}
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/public?offset=-999", nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	if rec.Code != 200 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d", rec.Code)
+	}
+	var got struct {
+		Offset int `json:"offset"`
+		Total  int `json:"total"`
+	}
+	json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &got)
+	if got.Offset != 0 || got.Total != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("offset=%d total=%d, want offset 0 and total 2", got.Offset, got.Total)
+	}
+
+	// /api/mine too (needs the viewer cookie)
+	req = httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/mine?offset=-5", nil)
+	req.AddCookie(&http.Cookie{Name: "vwr", Value: "offclamp"})
+	rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	var mine struct {
+		Offset int `json:"offset"`
+	}
+	json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &mine)
+	if mine.Offset != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("mine offset=%d, want 0", mine.Offset)
+	}
+}
+
+// Non-numeric limit/offset fall back to defaults instead of 500s.
+func TestListGarbageParams(t *testing.T) {
+	s := testServer(t)
+	h := s.routes()
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/api/public?limit=abc&offset=xyz", nil)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	if rec.Code != 200 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d", rec.Code)
+	}
+	var got struct {
+		Limit  int `json:"limit"`
+		Offset int `json:"offset"`
+	}
+	json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &got)
+	if got.Limit != 25 || got.Offset != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("limit=%d offset=%d, want 25/0", got.Limit, got.Offset)
+	}
+}

internal/api/ratelimit.go

@@ -84,6 +84,12 @@ func rateLimitUnlock(id string, r *http.Request) bool {
 	return globalLimiter.allow("unlock:"+id+":"+clientIP(r), 5.0/60.0, 5)
 }
 
+// rateLimitAdmin: 5 attempts per minute per IP on the admin key check (#66),
+// same pattern as the unlock limiter (#34).
+func rateLimitAdmin(r *http.Request) bool {
+	return globalLimiter.allow("admin:"+clientIP(r), 5.0/60.0, 5)
+}
+
 // writeRateLimited responds 429 with Retry-After based on refill rate.
 func writeRateLimited(w http.ResponseWriter, retryAfterSecs int) {
 	w.Header().Set("Retry-After", strconv.Itoa(retryAfterSecs))

internal/api/server.go

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ func (a *apiServer) routes() http.Handler {
 	r := chi.NewRouter()
 	r.Use(middleware.Recoverer)
 	r.Use(middleware.Timeout(30 * time.Second))
+	r.Use(a.limitRequestBody) // #68: hard server-side body cap -> 413
 	r.Use(viewerCookieMiddleware)
 	r.Use(web.SecurityHeaders) // #59: CSP + hardening headers on HTML pages
 
@@ -153,16 +154,22 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleCreatePaste(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 	var p store.Paste
 	if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&p); err != nil {
+		if isBodyTooLarge(err) { // #68: body cut off by MaxBytesReader
+			writeBodyTooLarge(w)
+			return
+		}
 		writeErr(w, 400, "invalid json body")
 		return
 	}
-	if strings.TrimSpace(p.Content) == "" {
-		writeErr(w, 400, "content is required")
+	if status, msg := checkContent(p.Content, s.MaxContentBytes); status != 0 {
+		writeErr(w, status, msg)
 		return
 	}
-	if int64(len(p.Content)) > s.MaxContentBytes { // #40: admin-tunable
-		writeErr(w, 413, fmt.Sprintf("content exceeds max %d bytes", s.MaxContentBytes))
-		return
+	if p.BurnAfterReads != nil { // #68: reject negative read budgets
+		if err := parseBurnAfterReads(*p.BurnAfterReads); err != nil {
+			writeErr(w, 400, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
 	}
 	// #40: admin-configurable default expiry
 	if (p.ExpiresIn == nil || *p.ExpiresIn == "") && s.DefaultExpiry != "" {
@@ -291,11 +298,8 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleListMine(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		writeJSON(w, 200, map[string]any{"total": 0, "items": []any{}})
 		return
 	}
-	limit, _ := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("limit"))
-	if limit <= 0 || limit > 100 {
-		limit = 50
-	}
-	offset, _ := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("offset"))
+	limit := parseLimit(r, 50, 100)
+	offset := parseOffset(r)
 	rows, total, err := a.store.ListMine(vid, limit, offset)
 	if err != nil {
 		writeErr(w, 500, "db error")
@@ -314,11 +318,8 @@ func (a *apiServer) handleListMine(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 }
 
 func (a *apiServer) handleListPublic(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
-	limit, _ := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("limit"))
-	if limit <= 0 || limit > 100 {
-		limit = 25
-	}
-	offset, _ := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("offset"))
+	limit := parseLimit(r, 25, 100)
+	offset := parseOffset(r)
 	rows, total, err := a.store.ListPublic(limit, offset)
 	if err != nil {
 		writeErr(w, 500, "db error")

internal/api/validate.go

@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+package api
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// #68 input-validation helpers. Paste/can payloads are size-capped and list
+// endpoints get a single place where limit/offset are parsed and clamped.
+
+// maxRequestBody returns the HTTP body cap for JSON create endpoints: the
+// admin-tunable content cap plus headroom for JSON field overhead, floored
+// at 64KiB so a tiny admin-configured cap can't break small requests.
+func (a *apiServer) maxRequestBody() int64 {
+	s := a.settings.get()
+	max := s.MaxContentBytes + 4096
+	if max < 64*1024 {
+		max = 64 * 1024
+	}
+	return max
+}
+
+// limitRequestBody wraps the request body with http.MaxBytesReader so
+// oversized payloads are cut off server-side instead of being fully decoded
+// into memory before the per-field size check runs (#68). A read over the
+// cap surfaces as *http.MaxBytesError, which handlers map to 413.
+func (a *apiServer) limitRequestBody(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Body != nil {
+			r.Body = http.MaxBytesReader(w, r.Body, a.maxRequestBody())
+		}
+		next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+	})
+}
+
+// writeBodyTooLarge emits the 413 response for a body rejected by
+// MaxBytesReader.
+func writeBodyTooLarge(w http.ResponseWriter) {
+	writeErr(w, http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge, "request body too large")
+}
+
+// isBodyTooLarge reports whether err came from http.MaxBytesReader.
+func isBodyTooLarge(err error) bool {
+	var mbe *http.MaxBytesError
+	return errors.As(err, &mbe)
+}
+
+// checkContent validates paste content: rejects whitespace-only content
+// (400) and content over the byte cap (413). Returns (0, "") when valid.
+func checkContent(content string, maxBytes int64) (int, string) {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(content) == "" {
+		return http.StatusBadRequest, "content is required"
+	}
+	if int64(len(content)) > maxBytes { // #40/#68: admin-tunable cap
+		return http.StatusRequestEntityTooLarge,
+			fmt.Sprintf("content exceeds max %d bytes", maxBytes)
+	}
+	return 0, ""
+}
+
+// parseLimit clamps the ?limit query param: missing/non-numeric/zero/negative
+// or over-max values fall back to def. Zero intentionally maps to the default
+// page size, matching the pre-existing `<= 0` clamp (#68).
+func parseLimit(r *http.Request, def, max int) int {
+	n, err := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("limit"))
+	if err != nil || n <= 0 || n > max {
+		return def
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+// parseOffset clamps the ?offset query param: missing/non-numeric or negative
+// values become 0 (#68: negative offsets previously passed through to SQL).
+func parseOffset(r *http.Request) int {
+	n, err := strconv.Atoi(r.URL.Query().Get("offset"))
+	if err != nil || n < 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+// parseBurnAfterReads validates the burn_after_reads field (#68): negative
+// values are rejected; zero/absent mean the default single read.
+func parseBurnAfterReads(n int) error {
+	if n < 0 {
+		return errors.New("burn_after_reads must be a positive number")
+	}
+	return nil
+}

internal/web/static/table.js

@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ const PaletteTable = (() => {
         const filtered = state.filter.length > 0;
         const off = (state.page - 1) * opts.perPage;
         const url = (filtered || state.sortKey)
-          ? opts.endpoint + '?limit=500&offset=0'
+          ? opts.endpoint + '?limit=' + (opts.fetchLimit || 100) + '&offset=0'
           : opts.endpoint + '?limit=' + opts.perPage + '&offset=' + off;
         const res = await fetch(url);
         const data = await res.json();