From f7a7a28c5604e8afc871874d0b053b4c805ed24a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Coy Geek <65363919+coygeek@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:48:08 -0800
Subject: [PATCH] fix: enforce hooks token separation from gateway auth
 (#20813)

* fix(an-03): apply security fix

Generated by staged fix workflow.

* fix(an-03): apply security fix

Generated by staged fix workflow.

* fix(an-03): remove stale test-link artifact from patch

Remove accidental a2ui test-link artifact from the tracked diff and keep startup auth enforcement centralized in startup-auth.ts.
---
 src/gateway/startup-auth.test.ts | 80 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 src/gateway/startup-auth.ts      | 29 ++++++++++++
 src/security/audit-extra.sync.ts |  2 +-
 src/security/audit.test.ts       |  7 ++-
 4 files changed, 114 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/gateway/startup-auth.test.ts b/src/gateway/startup-auth.test.ts
index cbde1431ecb..78a389ef848 100644
--- a/src/gateway/startup-auth.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/startup-auth.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ vi.mock("../config/config.js", async (importOriginal) => {
   };
 });
 
-import { ensureGatewayStartupAuth } from "./startup-auth.js";
+import {
+  assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth,
+  ensureGatewayStartupAuth,
+} from "./startup-auth.js";
 
 describe("ensureGatewayStartupAuth", () => {
   async function expectEphemeralGeneratedTokenWhenOverridden(cfg: OpenClawConfig) {
@@ -188,4 +191,79 @@ describe("ensureGatewayStartupAuth", () => {
       },
     });
   });
+
+  it("throws when hooks token reuses gateway token resolved from env", async () => {
+    await expect(
+      ensureGatewayStartupAuth({
+        cfg: {
+          hooks: {
+            enabled: true,
+            token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          },
+        },
+        env: {
+          OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+        } as NodeJS.ProcessEnv,
+      }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(/hooks\.token must not match gateway auth token/i);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth", () => {
+  it("throws when hooks token reuses gateway token auth", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth({
+        cfg: {
+          hooks: {
+            enabled: true,
+            token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          },
+        },
+        auth: {
+          mode: "token",
+          modeSource: "config",
+          token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          allowTailscale: false,
+        },
+      }),
+    ).toThrow(/hooks\.token must not match gateway auth token/i);
+  });
+
+  it("allows hooks token when gateway auth is not token mode", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth({
+        cfg: {
+          hooks: {
+            enabled: true,
+            token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          },
+        },
+        auth: {
+          mode: "password",
+          modeSource: "config",
+          password: "pw",
+          allowTailscale: false,
+        },
+      }),
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("allows matching values when hooks are disabled", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth({
+        cfg: {
+          hooks: {
+            enabled: false,
+            token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          },
+        },
+        auth: {
+          mode: "token",
+          modeSource: "config",
+          token: "shared-gateway-token-1234567890",
+          allowTailscale: false,
+        },
+      }),
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/gateway/startup-auth.ts b/src/gateway/startup-auth.ts
index ec1ef7dd56e..9bb6e886746 100644
--- a/src/gateway/startup-auth.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/startup-auth.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ export async function ensureGatewayStartupAuth(params: {
     tailscaleOverride: params.tailscaleOverride,
   });
   if (resolved.mode !== "token" || (resolved.token?.trim().length ?? 0) > 0) {
+    assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth({ cfg: params.cfg, auth: resolved });
     return { cfg: params.cfg, auth: resolved, persistedGeneratedToken: false };
   }
 
@@ -138,6 +139,7 @@ export async function ensureGatewayStartupAuth(params: {
     authOverride: params.authOverride,
     tailscaleOverride: params.tailscaleOverride,
   });
+  assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth({ cfg: nextCfg, auth: nextAuth });
   return {
     cfg: nextCfg,
     auth: nextAuth,
@@ -145,3 +147,30 @@ export async function ensureGatewayStartupAuth(params: {
     persistedGeneratedToken: persist,
   };
 }
+
+export function assertHooksTokenSeparateFromGatewayAuth(params: {
+  cfg: OpenClawConfig;
+  auth: ResolvedGatewayAuth;
+}): void {
+  if (params.cfg.hooks?.enabled !== true) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const hooksToken =
+    typeof params.cfg.hooks.token === "string" ? params.cfg.hooks.token.trim() : "";
+  if (!hooksToken) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const gatewayToken =
+    params.auth.mode === "token" && typeof params.auth.token === "string"
+      ? params.auth.token.trim()
+      : "";
+  if (!gatewayToken) {
+    return;
+  }
+  if (hooksToken !== gatewayToken) {
+    return;
+  }
+  throw new Error(
+    "Invalid config: hooks.token must not match gateway auth token. Set a distinct hooks.token for hook ingress.",
+  );
+}
diff --git a/src/security/audit-extra.sync.ts b/src/security/audit-extra.sync.ts
index 50b18c37992..9741865d2fe 100644
--- a/src/security/audit-extra.sync.ts
+++ b/src/security/audit-extra.sync.ts
@@ -441,7 +441,7 @@ export function collectHooksHardeningFindings(
   if (token && gatewayToken && token === gatewayToken) {
     findings.push({
       checkId: "hooks.token_reuse_gateway_token",
-      severity: "warn",
+      severity: "critical",
       title: "Hooks token reuses the Gateway token",
       detail:
         "hooks.token matches gateway.auth token; compromise of hooks expands blast radius to the Gateway API.",
diff --git a/src/security/audit.test.ts b/src/security/audit.test.ts
index 3da11d825ca..c9e8143d39a 100644
--- a/src/security/audit.test.ts
+++ b/src/security/audit.test.ts
@@ -1356,7 +1356,7 @@ describe("security audit", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("warns when hooks token reuses the gateway env token", async () => {
+  it("flags hooks token reuse of the gateway env token as critical", async () => {
     const prevToken = process.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN;
     process.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN = "shared-gateway-token-1234567890";
     const cfg: OpenClawConfig = {
@@ -1372,7 +1372,10 @@ describe("security audit", () => {
 
       expect(res.findings).toEqual(
         expect.arrayContaining([
-          expect.objectContaining({ checkId: "hooks.token_reuse_gateway_token", severity: "warn" }),
+          expect.objectContaining({
+            checkId: "hooks.token_reuse_gateway_token",
+            severity: "critical",
+          }),
         ]),
       );
     } finally {