Charon/docs/plans/current_spec.md

Plan: Refactor Feature Flags to Optional Features

Overview

Refactor the existing "Feature Flags" system into a user-friendly "Optional Features" section in System Settings. This involves renaming, consolidating toggles (Cerberus, Uptime), and enforcing behavior (hiding sidebar items, stopping background jobs) when features are disabled.

User Requirements

1. Rename: 'Feature Flags' -> 'Optional Features'.
2. Cerberus: Move global toggle to 'Optional Features'.
3. Uptime: Add toggle to 'Optional Features'.
4. Cleanup: Remove unused flags (feature.global.enabled, feature.notifications.enabled, feature.docker.enabled).
5. Behavior:
   • Default: Cerberus and Uptime ON.
   • OFF State: Hide from Sidebar, stop background jobs, block notifications.
   • Persistence: Do NOT delete data when disabled.

Implementation Details

1. Backend Changes

backend/internal/api/handlers/feature_flags_handler.go

• Update defaultFlags list:
  • Keep: feature.cerberus.enabled, feature.uptime.enabled
  • Remove: feature.global.enabled, feature.notifications.enabled, feature.docker.enabled
• Ensure defaults are true if not set in DB or Env.

backend/internal/cerberus/cerberus.go

• Update IsEnabled() to check feature.cerberus.enabled instead of security.cerberus.enabled.
• Maintain backward compatibility or migrate existing setting if necessary (or just switch to the new key).

backend/internal/api/routes/routes.go

• Uptime Background Job:
  • In the go func() that runs the ticker:
    • Check feature.uptime.enabled before running uptimeService.CheckAll().
    • If disabled, skip the check.
• Cerberus Middleware:
  • The middleware already calls IsEnabled(), so updating cerberus.go is sufficient.

2. Frontend Changes

frontend/src/pages/SystemSettings.tsx

• Rename Card: Change "Feature Flags" to "Optional Features".
• Consolidate Toggles:
  • Remove "Enable Cerberus Security" from "General Configuration".
  • Render specific toggles for "Cerberus Security" and "Uptime Monitoring" in the "Optional Features" card.
  • Use feature.cerberus.enabled and feature.uptime.enabled keys.
  • Add user-friendly descriptions for each.
• Remove Generic List: Instead of iterating over all keys, explicitly render the supported optional features to control order and presentation.

frontend/src/components/Layout.tsx

• Fetch Flags: Use getFeatureFlags (or a new hook) to get current state.
• Conditional Rendering:
  • Hide "Uptime" nav item if feature.uptime.enabled is false.
  • Hide "Security" nav group if feature.cerberus.enabled is false.

3. Migration / Data Integrity

• Existing security.cerberus.enabled setting in DB should be migrated to feature.cerberus.enabled or the code should handle the transition.
• Action: We will switch to feature.cerberus.enabled. The user can re-enable it if it defaults to off, but we'll try to default it to ON in the handler.

Step-by-Step Execution

1. Backend: Update feature_flags_handler.go to clean up flags and set defaults.
2. Backend: Update cerberus.go to use new flag key.
3. Backend: Update routes.go to gate Uptime background job.
4. Frontend: Update SystemSettings.tsx UI.
5. Frontend: Update Layout.tsx sidebar logic.
6. Verify: Test toggling features and checking sidebar/background behavior.