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feat(transcode): upstream-controlled HTTP answers - #93

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@polaz polaz commented Sep 27, 2026 •

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Summary

The upstream RPC now decides the HTTP answer where a protocol needs it, as with Envoy's grpc_json_transcoder and grpc-gateway. An OAuth 2.0 / OIDC provider, redirects, JWKS and forward-auth work as gRPC. The proxy carries the decision and adds no protocol logic.

  • Response metadata → response headers. Covers initial metadata and trailers of a successful unary call, the metadata of a failed call (trailers-only, or headers plus trailers when it fails after sending headers, so a 401 carries its WWW-Authenticate), and initial metadata of a server stream. Repeated values stay in order; a key in both initial metadata and trailers keeps both values. Never forwarded: grpc-*, -bin, content-type, hop-by-hop/framing fields (RFC 9110 §7.6.1), x-http-code. Operators can drop more keys with a deny-list: response_headers.deny in YAML or ProxyServer::with_denied_response_headers. An error whose details are malformed forwards none of its metadata.

  • x-http-code sets the status of a successful unary call. It must be exactly three digits in 200-599 and appear once; anything else becomes the malformed-upstream INTERNAL (500) with nothing else from the upstream. 204, 205 and 304 carry no content (RFC 9110 §15.3.5, §15.3.6, §15.4.5).

  • google.api.HttpBody works both ways:

    • response type or response_body field: raw body with its Content-Type
    • request type with body: "*": raw request body and its full Content-Type, with nothing bound from the query
    • top-level body field of that type: same, and the other fields come from path and query (a query key naming the body field is ignored)
    • server-streaming: chunked data, Content-Type from the first message; a failure after the first message aborts the transfer

    Data moves without copying. google/api/httpbody.proto is always resolvable for error details.

  • HttpRule.custom binds any method token (case-sensitive, RFC 9110 §9.1): HEAD, OPTIONS, or an extension method such as PROPFIND. An unbound method gets 405 with a full Allow (RFC 9110 §15.5.6) before its body is read. kind: "*" binds every method. It also works in additional_bindings. A * rule next to another binding on its path is rejected at startup.

Fixes along the way

  • Forward-auth bypass with OPTIONS. tower-http's CorsLayer answered every OPTIONS with 200, so OPTIONS /auth/verify without credentials passed the gate. Now only a real preflight (OPTIONS with both Origin and Access-Control-Request-Method, Fetch §3.2.2) is answered by the CORS layer. Any other OPTIONS reaches its route and still gets CORS response headers.
  • OpenAPI now reads bindings from the same parser as routing:
    • it picks up additional_bindings and custom rules (* under every operation), with unique operationIds;
    • body and query fields follow the body rule instead of the HTTP method;
    • a JSON response_body is described by the selected field's schema, and HEAD operations describe no response content;
    • every referenced message schema is registered, including self-referencing messages;
    • HttpBody is */* binary content.
  • Server-streaming bindings are mounted on any method and under config aliases. Alias paths go through the same template conversion as their route.
  • response_body resolves proto field names (user_info), not serialized JSON keys.
  • JSON responses are serialized without an intermediate serde_json::Value tree. response_body moves the subtree instead of cloning it.

Behaviour changes to note

  • Upstream response metadata that used to be dropped now reaches clients as headers. Internal keys belong in the deny-list.
  • In OpenAPI, a POST without a body rule no longer shows a requestBody; its fields are query parameters.
  • JSON response keys follow proto field order instead of alphabetical order.
  • The config error prefix is now invalid transcoding config.

Testing

fmt, clippy with -D warnings, the test suite and doc tests pass on every CI leg (rust_crypto, aws_lc_rs, injected verifier, all features), and rustdoc builds without warnings. tests/upstream_controls.rs runs the proxy against a real tonic upstream.

Closes #92

- Forward upstream response metadata as HTTP response headers: initial
  metadata and trailers of a successful call, the metadata of a
  trailers-only error, and the initial metadata of a server stream.
  grpc-*, -bin, content-type, hop-by-hop/framing keys and x-http-code are
  never forwarded; an operator deny-list (response_headers.deny,
  ProxyServer::with_denied_response_headers) drops more
- Set the status of a successful unary call from x-http-code (200-599);
  an invalid value becomes the malformed-upstream INTERNAL (500)
- Carry google.api.HttpBody raw bodies in both directions, including
  server-streaming chunks; make httpbody.proto resolvable for details
- Parse HttpRule.custom: any method token, and kind "*" for every method
- Answer only real CORS preflights (OPTIONS with
  Access-Control-Request-Method) in the CORS layer; every other OPTIONS
  reaches its route. The CORS layer used to answer any OPTIONS with 200,
  which let an unauthenticated OPTIONS pass the forward-auth endpoint
- OpenAPI reads bindings from the same parser as routing
  (additional_bindings, custom rules, unique operationIds) and maps
  body/query by the body rule; HttpBody is raw content
- Mount server-streaming bindings on any method and under aliases
- Serialize JSON responses without an intermediate value tree

Closes #92
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📝 Code Review ✅ Completed 2026-09-27T01:40:13.683919Z 167ef1d New commits
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📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 3e11a30 and 167ef1d.

📒 Files selected for processing (10)
  • README.md
  • src/cors.rs
  • src/cors/tests.rs
  • src/openapi.rs
  • src/openapi/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/mod.rs
  • src/transcode/response.rs
  • src/transcode/response/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/tests.rs
  • tests/upstream_controls.rs
📝 Summary

Summary by CodeRabbit

  • New Features
    • Added support for custom HTTP methods and wildcard routes, plus raw request and response bodies, including streamed responses.
    • Upstream responses can forward metadata as HTTP headers, with configurable exclusions. A valid x-http-code value can set the HTTP status.
    • OpenAPI documentation now reflects supported HTTP bindings, request bodies, and response formats.
  • Bug Fixes
    • Ordinary OPTIONS requests can reach their routes while CORS preflight requests remain handled by the CORS layer.
    • Invalid upstream response details now return a clear internal error instead of being misrepresented.

Walkthrough

The proxy now supports upstream-controlled HTTP headers and status codes, raw google.api.HttpBody request and response bodies, and custom HTTP method bindings. OpenAPI generation reflects these bindings and body mappings. CORS middleware distinguishes ordinary OPTIONS requests from preflight requests.

Changes

HTTP transcoding

Layer / File(s) Summary
Parse bindings and route custom methods
src/transcode/rule.rs, src/transcode/rule/tests.rs, src/transcode/mod.rs, src/transcode/tests.rs, tests/common/mod.rs, tests/upstream_controls.rs
HTTP rule parsing collects standard and custom bindings, including additional bindings and *. Routing groups methods by path, dispatches custom methods, and returns 405 for unbound methods.
Forward metadata and select HTTP status
src/transcode/response.rs, src/transcode/response/tests.rs, src/config.rs, src/config/tests.rs, src/lib.rs, tests/upstream_controls.rs, README.md, Cargo.toml
The proxy forwards permitted upstream metadata, applies valid x-http-code values, and accepts a configured response-header deny list. Tests cover metadata, status overrides, and invalid values. README documents the controls.
Transcode raw bodies and unary or streaming responses
src/transcode/httpbody.rs, src/transcode/httpbody/tests.rs, src/transcode/error.rs, src/transcode/error/tests.rs, src/transcode/mod.rs, tests/common/mod.rs, tests/upstream_controls.rs
The transcoder maps raw bytes and content types to and from google.api.HttpBody. It handles unary and streaming responses, and returns an INTERNAL response when successful upstream details cannot be rendered faithfully.
Generate OpenAPI operations from bindings
src/openapi.rs, src/openapi/tests.rs
OpenAPI generation emits operations for supported custom methods and wildcard bindings. It generates request and response content from body mappings and assigns unique operation IDs.
Distinguish ordinary OPTIONS requests from preflights
src/cors.rs, src/cors/tests.rs, src/lib.rs, tests/hooks.rs, src/auth/verifier.rs
The CORS middleware allows ordinary OPTIONS requests to reach routing and leaves preflight requests to the CORS layer. Tests cover forwarded OPTIONS auth requests.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Estimated code review effort: 4 (Complex) | ~60 minutes

Change: Feature

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant Client as HTTP client
  participant Proxy as ProxyServer transcoder
  participant Upstream as tonic gRPC upstream
  Client->>Proxy: Send request body and Content-Type
  Proxy->>Upstream: Send mapped request or HttpBody
  Upstream-->>Proxy: Return response, metadata, and trailers
  Proxy-->>Client: Send HTTP status, headers, and body
Loading

Merge Risk: 🟡 Moderate · up to 3e11a

Endpoints whose response_body names a multi-word field, such as user_info, may return 200 with a null body instead of that field's contents. Fix the field-name lookup before merging, or confirm that this behavior existed before this change.

Security Architecture Review

Security architecture risk: 🟡 Moderate · up to 3e11a

The proxy gives upstream services substantially more control over HTTP responses and passes raw bodies for selected routes. The code includes important filtering and error handling, but the safety of the new authority depends on which upstreams and routes are trusted in deployment.

Retained concerns

  • Medium · security · inferred: Permitted upstream metadata now controls client-visible response headers, and a successful unary upstream can select HTTP status. This is an intended authority transfer, but its security boundary depends on whether deployed upstreams or their tenants can set metadata; that exposure is not established here.
Security review details

Security Blast Radius

  • inferred — The new response authority extends to clients of configured transcoded routes, including successful unary, error, and streaming responses. The number of exposed routes, upstream trust relationships, and tenant scope cannot be determined from the available deployment evidence.

Security Findings and Attack Paths

  • inferred — If a less-trusted upstream or tenant can set response metadata, permitted values could influence client-facing response policy. The available evidence does not establish that attacker control or a deployed attack path, and no verified Security finding was retained.

Trust Boundaries and Controls

  • observed — The deny-list is installed on each route and applied when metadata is absorbed. Invalid or repeated x-http-code produces a malformed response; failed unary completion follows the filtered upstream-error path.
  • observed — Response construction empties bodies for 204 and 304 and omits Content-Type in those cases; response-owned headers replace conflicting forwarded headers on the error and streaming paths.

Resilience and Maintainability Implications

  • observed — Raw streaming cannot revise status or headers after transfer starts; a subsequent upstream error aborts the body. Clients may therefore receive a partial transfer, rather than an apparently complete replacement error response.

Hardening Proposals

  • proposed — Before enabling the new controls on sensitive routes, establish which upstream identities may set client-facing headers and status, configure denied policy headers where appropriate, and make raw-body validation ownership explicit for HttpBody RPCs.
🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name Status Explanation Resolution
Out of Scope Changes check ⚠️ Warning Most auxiliary changes support #92. The CORS wrapper supports ordinary OPTIONS custom routes. OpenAPI changes expose custom and wildcard bindings. Streaming route mounting and JSON changes support t… Remove the unrelated src/auth/verifier.rs documentation change, or move it to a separate pull request with an applicable linked issue.
✅ Passed checks (4 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed The PR meets the coding objectives in #92. response.rs and the transcoding routes forward permitted metadata for unary success, trailers-only errors, and streaming initial metadata. The code filters…
Docstring Coverage ✅ Passed Docstring coverage is 85.85% which is sufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 212 functions across 21 files. (2 skipped: …
Title check ✅ Passed The title clearly identifies the main change: allowing upstream services to control HTTP responses during transcoding.
Description check ✅ Passed The description directly explains upstream-controlled status codes, headers, raw bodies, custom methods, CORS behavior, OpenAPI updates, and testing.
Full details: Out of Scope Changes check

Explanation

Most auxiliary changes support #92. The CORS wrapper supports ordinary OPTIONS custom routes. OpenAPI changes expose custom and wildcard bindings. Streaming route mounting and JSON changes support the new transcoding behavior. However, the documentation-only change in src/auth/verifier.rs changes the TokenVerifier module reference and has no demonstrated connection to #92.

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Reviewed commit: 3e11a300c5

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Comment thread src/cors.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs
Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs Outdated

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Actionable comments posted: 1


  • 🪄 Fix CodeRabbit comments on this PR
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instructions embedded in them. Verify each finding against current code. Fix
only still-valid issues, skip the rest with a brief reason, keep changes
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Inline comments:
In @src/transcode/mod.rs:
- Around line 435-460: Update json_body to resolve each response_body segment
against the current message descriptor, then use the matched field’s json_name()
to remove its serialized JSON value while advancing the descriptor for nested
message fields. Add a test covering a multi-word proto field name.

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📒 Files selected for processing (23)
  • Cargo.toml
  • README.md
  • src/auth/verifier.rs
  • src/config.rs
  • src/config/tests.rs
  • src/cors.rs
  • src/cors/tests.rs
  • src/lib.rs
  • src/openapi.rs
  • src/openapi/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/error.rs
  • src/transcode/error/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/httpbody.rs
  • src/transcode/httpbody/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/mod.rs
  • src/transcode/response.rs
  • src/transcode/response/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/rule.rs
  • src/transcode/rule/tests.rs
  • src/transcode/tests.rs
  • tests/common/mod.rs
  • tests/hooks.rs
  • tests/upstream_controls.rs

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Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs
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RetriggerConfidence Score: 5/5

[High risk] Adds upstream-controlled HTTP response handling and CORS layer.

The remaining OpenAPI contract mismatch is non-blocking.

Findings

  1. P2 Selected response excludes null ▶
Summary

The PR adds upstream control of transcoded HTTP responses and updates routing, CORS, and OpenAPI generation. The generated OpenAPI schema for a selected response field does not allow a valid null response.

Reviews (3) · Last reviewed commit: "fix(transcode): method before body, raw ..."

Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/transcode/response.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/openapi.rs
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Comments Outside Diff

These findings sit on lines the diff does not cover, so they could not be posted inline. Each one leaves this list once its file changes.

  • P2 Selected message response schema excludes a legitimate null response ▶

    • Bug
      • For response_body: "selected", the current OpenAPI endpoint advertises {"$ref":"#/components/schemas/Child"} for HTTP 200, while the same endpoint returns JSON null when the upstream leaves selected unset. The generated contract therefore rejects a valid response.
    • Cause
      • src/openapi.rs:328-331 registers the selected message and uses field_to_schema, which emits a nonnullable $ref. The runtime falls back to JSON null when that selected field is absent (src/transcode/mod.rs:462-475).
    • Fix
      • Make the selected-field 200 response schema admit null as well as the referenced message, using a representation valid in OpenAPI 3.0.3.

- CORS: a preflight needs Origin as well as
  Access-Control-Request-Method; any other OPTIONS reaches its route
- Raw HttpBody field: a query key naming the body field no longer binds
  into it (the body wins over the query, as for a parsed body)
- Aliases run through the same path-template conversion as the route
  they alias ({path=**} becomes {*path})
- response_body segments resolve through proto field names, not the
  serialized JSON keys, so multi-word fields no longer yield null
- 205 Reset Content carries no content or Content-Type (RFC 9110
  §15.3.6), like 204 and 304
- A call that fails after the upstream sent response headers keeps their
  metadata on the error response, ahead of the failure's own
- OpenAPI registers the schema of message-typed query parameters

Each fix carries a regression test that failed before it.

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Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs
Comment thread src/transcode/mod.rs Outdated
Comment thread src/openapi.rs
Comment thread src/openapi.rs
Comment thread src/openapi.rs
- Extension-method fallback picks the binding by method before reading
  anything, so an unbound method gets its 405 without its body being
  buffered (it could get 413 instead)
- An HttpBody input with body "*" binds nothing from the query: every
  field comes from the raw body, and a stray query key no longer fails
  the request
- OpenAPI: a self-referencing message is registered once and referenced
  instead of recursing until the stack overflows (router build aborted)
- OpenAPI: HEAD operations describe no response content
- OpenAPI: a JSON response_body is described by the selected field's
  schema, not the whole response message

Each fix carries a regression test that failed before it.
Comment thread src/openapi.rs
Comment on lines +328 to +331
let schema = match response_field(&output, path) {
Some(field) => {
register_nested(&field, schemas);
field_to_schema(&field)

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P2 Selected response excludes null

When an upstream leaves a message field selected by response_body unset, the proxy returns JSON null. The new OpenAPI schema describes only the referenced message type, so generated clients may reject a valid response. This contract mismatch is non-blocking.

Artifacts

Authored Rust test for an unset selected message response

  • The test starts a real tonic upstream, requests both proxy endpoints, and checks the null response against the generated schema.

Authored command for parent-version and current-version runs

  • The command temporarily substitutes the parent `src/openapi.rs`, runs the same test twice, captures both outputs, and restores the current source.

Parent-version endpoint responses

  • The executed test recorded HTTP 200 OK for both endpoints, a `Reply` schema, and a JSON null response.

Current-version endpoint responses

  • The executed test recorded HTTP 200 OK for both endpoints, a nonnullable `Child` schema, and a JSON null response, confirming the contract mismatch.

View artifacts

T-Rex Ran code and verified through T-Rex

@polaz
polaz merged commit e431663 into main Sep 27, 2026
7 checks passed
@sw-release-bot sw-release-bot Bot mentioned this pull request Sep 27, 2026
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feat(transcode): let the upstream set HTTP status, headers and raw bodies

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