fix(security): harden sandbox, auth, and shell deny patterns

Sandbox: add noexec/nosuid/nodev to tmpfs mounts, remove SETUID/SETGID/CHOWN
caps, add PidsLimit 256 default, keep no-new-privileges from base.

Auth: reject X-GoClaw-User-Id header spoofing in dev mode (no gateway token),
use full 32-byte HMAC for file tokens instead of truncated 16-byte.

Shell: add NFKC Unicode normalization + zero-width character stripping before
deny pattern matching, add 5 export-prefixed env var deny patterns, fix
exemption logic to check per-argument prefix instead of whole-command substring
(prevents bypass via comments while preserving skill store access).

docker-compose.sandbox.yml

@@ -2,13 +2,14 @@
 #
 # Prerequisites:
 #   1. Build the sandbox image:  docker build -t goclaw-sandbox:bookworm-slim -f Dockerfile.sandbox .
-#   2. Ensure Docker socket is accessible
+#   2. Ensure Docker socket is accessible (required for container orchestration)
 #
 # Usage:
-#   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.postgres.yml -f docker-compose.sandbox.yml up
+#   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.sandbox.yml up
 #
-# SECURITY NOTE: Mounting Docker socket gives the container control over host Docker.
+# SECURITY WARNING: This overlay mounts the Docker socket, giving the container
-# Only use in trusted environments where agent code execution isolation is required.
+# control over host Docker. Deploy only behind a trusted network boundary.
+# For maximum isolation, consider using Docker-in-Docker (dind) or Sysbox instead.
 
 services:
   goclaw:
@@ -26,16 +27,12 @@ services:
       - GOCLAW_SANDBOX_CPUS=1.0
       - GOCLAW_SANDBOX_TIMEOUT_SEC=300
       - GOCLAW_SANDBOX_NETWORK=false
-    # Override base cap_drop to allow Docker socket access.
+    # Docker socket requires overriding base cap_drop to allow container orchestration.
-    # Re-include base caps (SETUID/SETGID/CHOWN) lost when overriding cap_add.
+    # Keep security_opt (no-new-privileges) from base — do NOT clear it.
-    # WARNING: SETUID/SETGID with security_opt cleared (no no-new-privileges)
+    # Only add the minimum cap needed: NET_BIND_SERVICE for port binding.
-    # increases attack surface. Only use in trusted environments.
+    # SETUID/SETGID/CHOWN removed to prevent privilege escalation.
     cap_drop: []
     cap_add:
       - NET_BIND_SERVICE
-      - SETUID
-      - SETGID
-      - CHOWN
-    security_opt: []
     group_add:
       - ${DOCKER_GID:-999}

internal/http/auth.go

@@ -316,6 +316,15 @@ func enrichContext(ctx context.Context, r *http.Request, auth authResult) contex
 	ctx = store.WithLocale(ctx, extractLocale(r))
 	ctx = store.WithRole(ctx, string(auth.Role))
 	userID := extractUserID(r)
+	// Security: In dev mode (no gateway token configured), do not trust the
+	// X-GoClaw-User-Id header — force "system" to prevent identity spoofing.
+	if pkgGatewayToken == "" && auth.KeyData == nil && userID != "" {
+		slog.Warn("security.user_id_header_ignored_no_auth",
+			"attempted_user_id", userID,
+			"ip", r.RemoteAddr,
+		)
+		userID = "system"
+	}
 	// If the API key has a bound owner, force user_id to owner regardless of header.
 	if auth.KeyData != nil && auth.KeyData.OwnerID != "" {
 		if userID != "" && userID != auth.KeyData.OwnerID {

internal/http/file_token.go

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func FileSigningKey() string {
 }
 
 // SignFileToken creates a short-lived HMAC token for file access.
-// Token format: {base64url_hmac_16bytes}.{unix_expiry} (~40 chars).
+// Token format: {base64url_hmac_32bytes}.{unix_expiry}.
 // The path is bound into the signature so tokens can't be reused for other files.
 func SignFileToken(path, secret string, ttl time.Duration) string {
 	expiry := time.Now().Add(ttl).Unix()
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func VerifyFileToken(token, path, secret string) bool {
 func fileTokenHMAC(path, secret string, expiry int64) string {
 	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, []byte(secret))
 	mac.Write(fmt.Appendf(nil, "%s:%d", path, expiry))
-	return base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil)[:16])
+	return base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(mac.Sum(nil))
 }
 
 // SignMediaPath converts a media ref path to a signed /v1/files/ URL.

internal/sandbox/docker.go

@@ -49,9 +49,16 @@ func newDockerSandbox(ctx context.Context, name string, cfg Config, workspace st
 		args = append(args, "--read-only")
 	}
 	for _, t := range cfg.Tmpfs {
-		// Append default size if not already specified and TmpfsSizeMB > 0
+		if !strings.Contains(t, ":") {
-		if cfg.TmpfsSizeMB > 0 && !strings.Contains(t, ":") {
+			// Always add security flags; optionally add size limit
-			t = fmt.Sprintf("%s:size=%dm", t, cfg.TmpfsSizeMB)
+			opts := "noexec,nosuid,nodev"
+			if cfg.TmpfsSizeMB > 0 {
+				opts = fmt.Sprintf("size=%dm,%s", cfg.TmpfsSizeMB, opts)
+			}
+			t = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", t, opts)
+		} else if !strings.Contains(t, "noexec") {
+			// User-specified options but missing noexec — append security flags
+			t += ",noexec,nosuid,nodev"
 		}
 		args = append(args, "--tmpfs", t)
 	}

internal/sandbox/sandbox.go

@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ func DefaultConfig() Config {
 		ReadOnlyRoot:     true,
 		CapDrop:          []string{"ALL"},
 		Tmpfs:            []string{"/tmp", "/var/tmp", "/run"},
+		PidsLimit:        256,
 		MaxOutputBytes:   1 << 20, // 1MB
 		ContainerPrefix:  "goclaw-sbx-",
 		Workdir:          "/workspace",

internal/tools/shell.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/sandbox"
 	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/store"
+	"golang.org/x/text/unicode/norm"
 )
 
 // Dangerous command patterns organized into configurable deny groups.
@@ -72,9 +73,27 @@ func (t *ExecTool) DenyPaths(paths ...string) {
 	}
 }
 
-// AllowPathExemptions adds substrings that exempt a command from deny pattern matches.
+// AllowPathExemptions adds path prefixes that exempt a command from deny pattern matches.
-func (t *ExecTool) AllowPathExemptions(substrings ...string) {
+// Each shell argument is checked individually — commands like "cat .goclaw/skills-store/tool.py"
-	t.denyExemptions = append(t.denyExemptions, substrings...)
+// are exempt because the argument ".goclaw/skills-store/tool.py" starts with the prefix.
+func (t *ExecTool) AllowPathExemptions(prefixes ...string) {
+	t.denyExemptions = append(t.denyExemptions, prefixes...)
+}
+
+// normalizeCommand applies NFKC Unicode normalization and strips zero-width
+// characters before deny pattern matching, preventing Unicode-based bypasses.
+func normalizeCommand(s string) string {
+	// NFKC normalization: folds compatibility characters (e.g. fullwidth letters)
+	s = norm.NFKC.String(s)
+	// Strip zero-width characters that are invisible but can fragment tokens
+	s = strings.NewReplacer(
+		"\u200b", "", // zero-width space
+		"\u200c", "", // zero-width non-joiner
+		"\u200d", "", // zero-width joiner
+		"\u2060", "", // word joiner
+		"\ufeff", "", // BOM / zero-width no-break space
+	).Replace(s)
+	return s
 }
 
 // SetApprovalManager sets the exec approval manager for this tool.
@@ -118,6 +137,10 @@ func (t *ExecTool) Execute(ctx context.Context, args map[string]any) *Result {
 		return ErrorResult("command contains invalid NUL byte")
 	}
 
+	// Normalize command before all deny checks: NFKC + zero-width strip prevents
+	// Unicode-based pattern bypass while preserving functional command content.
+	normalizedCommand := normalizeCommand(command)
+
 	// Resolve deny patterns: per-agent overrides from context, fallback to all defaults.
 	denyOverrides := store.ShellDenyGroupsFromContext(ctx)
 	groupPatterns := ResolveDenyPatterns(denyOverrides)
@@ -135,12 +158,21 @@ func (t *ExecTool) Execute(ctx context.Context, args map[string]any) *Result {
 
 	// Check for dangerous commands (applies to both host and sandbox).
 	for _, pattern := range allPatterns {
-		if pattern.MatchString(command) {
+		if pattern.MatchString(normalizedCommand) {
-			// Check if any exemption applies (e.g. skills-store within .goclaw)
+			// Check if any exemption applies (e.g. skills-store within .goclaw).
+			// Uses argument-level prefix matching to prevent bypass via comments
+			// (e.g. "echo pwned # .goclaw/skills-store/") while still allowing
+			// commands like "cat .goclaw/skills-store/tool.py".
 			exempt := false
+			trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(normalizedCommand)
 			for _, ex := range t.denyExemptions {
-				if strings.Contains(command, ex) {
+				for _, field := range strings.Fields(trimmed) {
-					exempt = true
+					if strings.HasPrefix(field, ex) {
+						exempt = true
+						break
+					}
+				}
+				if exempt {
 					break
 				}
 			}
@@ -150,7 +182,7 @@ func (t *ExecTool) Execute(ctx context.Context, args map[string]any) *Result {
 
 			// Package install commands: route through approval flow instead of hard deny.
 			// This lets agents "request permission" from admin to install packages.
-			if t.approvalMgr != nil && matchesAny(command, pkgInstallPatterns) {
+			if t.approvalMgr != nil && matchesAny(normalizedCommand, pkgInstallPatterns) {
 				slog.Info("exec: package install requires approval", "command", truncateCmd(command, 100), "agent", t.agentID)
 				decision, err := t.approvalMgr.RequestApproval(command, t.agentID, 2*time.Minute)
 				if err != nil {

internal/tools/shell_deny_groups.go

@@ -118,6 +118,12 @@ var DenyGroupRegistry = map[string]*DenyGroup{
 			regexp.MustCompile(`\bGIT_DIFF_OPTS\s*=`),
 			regexp.MustCompile(`\bBASH_ENV\s*=`),
 			regexp.MustCompile(`\bENV\s*=.*\bsh\b`),
+			// export-prefixed variants: prevent setting dangerous env vars via export
+			regexp.MustCompile(`\bexport\s+LD_`),
+			regexp.MustCompile(`\bexport\s+DYLD_`),
+			regexp.MustCompile(`\bexport\s+BASH_ENV\b`),
+			regexp.MustCompile(`\bexport\s+ENV\s*=`),
+			regexp.MustCompile(`\bexport\s+PROMPT_COMMAND\b`),
 		},
 	},
 	"container_escape": {