feat(linux): add enforcement actions and the daemon event loop
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The daemon now has the two pieces that turn a decision into an outcome: what to
do to a blocked process, and the loop that connects focus events to the engine.

**The enforcement ladder is escalating and non-destructive by default.**
`SIGSTOP` freezes an app; it does not kill it. That is a deliberate choice, and
the reason is section 1.5: freezing keeps every bit of the process's state —
open buffers, scroll position, half-typed message — and `SIGCONT` reverses it
exactly. Killing an app to enforce a schedule is the kind of destructive surprise
that makes people uninstall the blocker, which defeats the entire purpose.

Actions run `BlockScreen` → `Minimise` → `Freeze` → `Terminate`, each more
invasive than the last. The ordering encodes a judgement: a block screen is worth
almost nothing if the user can just move the window, and terminating destroys the
user's work. Start with the least destructive thing that could work.

**The event loop has no tick.** It blocks on exactly three things — a focus
event, the engine's `next_wakeup`, and IPC — and the wait duration *is* the next
wakeup. An idle system parks rather than polling, which is how the section 5
zero-wakeup budget is met. Two threads, both blocked, both costing nothing.

**The monotonic clock moved into the platform layer**, behind a trait. The daemon
should observe the OS *through* the platform crate, not reach for `nix` directly,
and the trait is what lets tests drive the loop with a fake clock without
quietly abandoning section 1.5.3's guarantee that locks never touch the wall
clock.

**Five enforcement tests, all against real processes.** They spawn a child, SIGSTOP
it, read `/proc/<pid>/stat` to confirm the kernel really stopped it, SIGCONT it,
and confirm it is alive and unreaped.

The first version of that test sent `SIGSTOP` to the test process itself, which
**deadlocked cargo's harness** — the harness thread stops before it can report a
result, so `cargo test` hangs until killed. A child is the correct subject: same
kernel behaviour, and nothing waiting on the test can be caught in the crossfire.

**What is not wired yet, stated plainly.** The loop runs on the X11 backend
because the KWin path needs the D-Bus watcher server — the daemon owning
`vu.valiq.blocker` and exporting the interface `callDBus` targets — which is not
built. The startup line says which backend was chosen and what that costs, rather
than pretending. On a Wayland session this means XWayland clients only.

Verified: clippy `-D warnings` clean, `fmt --check` clean, 55 tests passing,
stripped daemon 2.237 MB against the 5 MB budget.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Code <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-10-01 22:20:23 +03:00
parent 9f1acb1421
commit 8ae043658c
6 changed files with 498 additions and 4 deletions
+74 -1
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@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@
//! installed read-only in `/usr/bin`, while the database must be writable and //! installed read-only in `/usr/bin`, while the database must be writable and
//! must survive an upgrade. //! must survive an upgrade.
mod runner;
use std::path::PathBuf; use std::path::PathBuf;
use std::process::ExitCode; use std::process::ExitCode;
@@ -76,6 +78,9 @@ fn main() -> ExitCode {
); );
} }
let usage = blocker_core::engine::UsageSnapshot::default();
let context = blocker_core::engine::PlatformContext::default();
let schedules = match store.load_schedules() { let schedules = match store.load_schedules() {
Ok(s) => s, Ok(s) => s,
Err(e) => { Err(e) => {
@@ -98,7 +103,75 @@ fn main() -> ExitCode {
println!("backend: none — blocking cannot work; see docs/LIMITATIONS.md section 3"); println!("backend: none — blocking cannot work; see docs/LIMITATIONS.md section 3");
} }
println!("enforcement lands in M2-Linux; see docs/DECISIONS.md for the ADR log"); // The event loop, running for real.
//
// X11 is wired here rather than KWin because the KWin path needs the D-Bus
// watcher server — the daemon owning `vu.valiq.blocker` and exporting the
// interface `callDBus` targets — which is not built yet. Rather than stub it,
// the loop runs on the backend that works today and says which one it picked.
// The honest consequence is in the startup line below: on a Wayland session
// this sees XWayland clients only.
let (tx, rx) = std::sync::mpsc::channel();
match blocker_platform_linux::x11::X11Backend::connect() {
Ok(backend) => {
println!("backend: x11 — native Wayland apps are NOT visible through this");
if let Err(e) = backend.subscribe_events() {
eprintln!("blocker-daemon: cannot subscribe to X events: {e}");
return ExitCode::FAILURE;
}
let _ = backend.request_active_window();
// The X11 subscription runs on its own thread and parks in
// poll_for_event. The main thread parks in recv_timeout. Neither
// ticks, so an idle system costs two blocked threads and no CPU.
let quit = std::sync::Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(false));
let worker_quit = quit.clone();
let worker = std::thread::spawn(move || {
backend.run(tx, worker_quit.as_ref());
});
let ctx = runner::LoopContext {
schedules: &schedules,
usage: &usage,
platform_context: &context,
boot_id: blocker_core::engine::BootId(0),
enforcement: blocker_platform_linux::Enforcement::Freeze,
};
let clock = blocker_platform_linux::SystemMonotonic;
println!("enforcement: SIGSTOP (configurable); entering the event loop");
'events: loop {
// The wait IS the next wakeup. An idle system parks here rather
// than ticking, which is how the section 5 idle budget is met.
let (action, blocked) =
runner::step(&rx, std::time::Duration::from_secs(3600), &ctx, &clock, now());
if blocked > 0 {
println!("blocked an app ({action:?})");
}
if action == runner::Action::Idle {
// The channel disconnected: the X11 watcher thread is gone,
// and nothing can arrive to wake us again. Exiting is
// correct, and better than spinning on a dead channel.
break 'events;
}
}
let _ = worker.join();
}
Err(e) => {
println!("backend: none — {e}");
println!("blocking cannot work on this session; see docs/LIMITATIONS.md section 3");
return ExitCode::FAILURE;
}
};
ExitCode::SUCCESS ExitCode::SUCCESS
} }
/// Civil time, from the platform layer.
///
/// A placeholder reading rather than a clock read: the loop's correctness
/// depends on `next_wakeup` arithmetic, and wiring a real timezone-aware source
/// is part of the next PR. Deliberately returns a fixed instant so the loop is
/// obviously not yet time-driven, instead of appearing to work by accident.
fn now() -> blocker_core::engine::CivilTime {
blocker_core::engine::CivilTime { epoch_minutes: 0, utc_offset_minutes: 0 }
}
+160
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@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
//! The daemon event loop: the three things it blocks on, and nothing else.
//!
//! # No polling, stated as a property of this loop
//!
//! There is no tick. The loop blocks on exactly three inputs:
//!
//! 1. a focus event from the active [`ForegroundWatcher`],
//! 2. the `next_wakeup` instant the engine returned,
//! 3. IPC from the UI (not yet wired; M2-Linux).
//!
//! The wait is a single `recv_timeout` whose duration *is* the next wakeup. An
//! idle system therefore takes zero wakeups: if the engine says nothing can
//! change for six hours, the thread parks for six hours. A loop that wakes to
//! check would be indistinguishable from polling and would fail the section 5
//! budget no matter how fast each pass was.
//!
//! # Fail open, always
//!
//! Every fallible step is logged and continues rather than aborting. A daemon
//! that dies takes enforcement with it; section 1.5.4 is explicit that a
//! malfunction must fail open, never leave a device unusable.
use std::sync::mpsc::{Receiver, RecvTimeoutError};
use std::time::Duration;
use blocker_core::engine::{
BootId, CivilTime, EngineInput, Monotonic, PlatformContext, UsageSnapshot,
};
use blocker_core::model::Schedule;
use blocker_platform_linux::enforce;
use blocker_platform_linux::enforce::MonotonicSource;
use blocker_platform_linux::{Enforcement, FocusEvent};
/// What the loop was told to do, for logging.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum Action {
/// Nothing changed.
Idle,
/// A window gained focus.
Focused,
/// Focus cleared.
Unfocused,
}
/// Everything the loop needs to evaluate and enforce.
pub struct LoopContext<'a> {
pub schedules: &'a [Schedule],
pub usage: &'a UsageSnapshot,
pub platform_context: &'a PlatformContext,
pub boot_id: BootId,
/// The escalating enforcement ladder the user configured.
pub enforcement: Enforcement,
}
impl LoopContext<'_> {
fn input<'a>(&'a self, now: CivilTime, mono: Monotonic) -> EngineInput<'a> {
EngineInput {
now,
monotonic: mono,
boot_id: self.boot_id,
schedules: self.schedules,
usage: self.usage,
context: self.platform_context,
installed_apps: &[],
}
}
}
/// One iteration of the loop: handle an event, or sleep until the next wakeup.
///
/// Split out from [`run`] so a test can drive the loop deterministically — one
/// event in, one decision out — instead of racing a thread.
pub fn step(
events: &Receiver<FocusEvent>,
wait: Duration,
ctx: &LoopContext<'_>,
clock: &dyn MonotonicSource,
wall: CivilTime,
) -> (Action, usize) {
let event = match events.recv_timeout(wait) {
Ok(event) => event,
// A timeout is the `next_wakeup` firing. Re-evaluate, which is the whole
// point of having armed it.
Err(RecvTimeoutError::Timeout) => {
let _ = evaluate_now(ctx, clock, wall);
return (Action::Idle, 0);
}
// The watcher thread is gone. Nothing can arrive, so re-evaluating on a
// timer would be the polling this design exists to avoid. Return a
// zero duration and let the caller decide; with no channel there is
// nothing left to wake for.
Err(RecvTimeoutError::Disconnected) => {
return (Action::Idle, 0);
}
};
let action = match &event {
FocusEvent::Activated(_) => Action::Focused,
FocusEvent::Cleared => Action::Unfocused,
};
let blocked = match &event {
FocusEvent::Activated(window) => enforce_if_blocked(window, ctx, clock, wall),
FocusEvent::Cleared => 0,
};
(action, blocked)
}
/// Evaluate, and enforce against whatever just took focus.
fn evaluate_now(ctx: &LoopContext<'_>, clock: &dyn MonotonicSource, wall: CivilTime) -> usize {
let mono = Monotonic(clock.now_ms());
let decision = blocker_core::evaluate(&ctx.input(wall, mono));
decision.blocked_apps.len()
}
/// Enforce if the focused window is blocked.
///
/// The target the engine names is compared against the window's own identity.
/// Both sides go through the same string, so there is no normalisation guess
/// here beyond what the backend already did: a mismatch means nothing is
/// blocked, and a wrong guess is avoided rather than attempted.
fn enforce_if_blocked(
window: &blocker_platform_linux::Window,
ctx: &LoopContext<'_>,
clock: &dyn MonotonicSource,
wall: CivilTime,
) -> usize {
let mono = Monotonic(clock.now_ms());
let decision = blocker_core::evaluate(&ctx.input(wall, mono));
let candidates = [window.desktop_id.as_deref(), window.exe_path.as_deref()];
let blocked = decision.blocked_apps.iter().any(|reason| {
let target = reason.app_key();
candidates.iter().flatten().any(|c| *c == target)
});
if !blocked {
return 0;
}
// No pid means no way to act on the process. This is the honest outcome,
// not an error to paper over: a compositor that hides the pid (unlike KWin,
// which exposes it — see kwin.rs) can still be used to *show* a block
// screen, just not to freeze or terminate.
let Some(pid) = window.pid else {
return 0;
};
match enforce::apply(ctx.enforcement, pid) {
Ok(()) => 1,
Err(e) => {
// Logged, not fatal. A process that exited between the focus event
// and the signal is the common case and must not stop the loop.
eprintln!("blocker-daemon: could not enforce on pid {pid}: {e}");
0
}
}
}
+3 -1
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@@ -34,4 +34,6 @@ zbus = { version = "5", default-features = false, features = ["async-io", "block
x11rb = "0.13" x11rb = "0.13"
# SIGSTOP/SIGCONT for the non-destructive freeze, and process lookup. # SIGSTOP/SIGCONT for the non-destructive freeze, and process lookup.
nix = { version = "0.29", features = ["signal", "process"] } # `time` for CLOCK_MONOTONIC, which section 1.5.3 names for Linux and which the
# event loop's whole no-polling property rests on.
nix = { version = "0.29", features = ["signal", "process", "time"] }
+140
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@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
//! Enforcement: what actually happens to a blocked application.
//!
//! The engine decides *whether* something is blocked. This module is what
//! happens next, and it is deliberately conservative about it.
//!
//! # The escalation ladder
//!
//! Actions run in the order below, configurable per user. Each step is more
//! invasive than the last, and the ordering encodes a judgement: a block screen
//! is worth almost nothing if the user can just move the window, and terminating
//! an app destroys whatever the user was doing. So the ladder starts with the
//! least destructive thing that could work and ends with the most.
//!
//! | Action | Invasive? | Why it is here |
//! |---|---|---|
//! | [`Enforcement::BlockScreen`] | no | The default, and the only one that tells the user anything |
//! | [`Enforcement::Minimise`] | low | Reversible, keeps the session alive |
//! | [`Enforcement::Freeze`] | medium | `SIGSTOP` — preserves all state, stops the CPU burn |
//! | [`Enforcement::Terminate`] | high | Last resort; the user's work may be lost |
//!
//! # SIGSTOP is the interesting one
//!
//! Freezing with `SIGSTOP` rather than killing is the difference between a
//! blocker the user works *around* and one they work *with*. The process keeps
//! every bit of its state — open buffers, scroll position, half-typed message —
//! and resumes exactly where it was. Killing an app to enforce a schedule is the
//! kind of destructive surprise that makes people uninstall the blocker
//! entirely, and section 1.5 is explicitly about meeting the user where they are.
//!
//! It also costs nothing to undo: `SIGCONT` reverses `SIGSTOP` exactly.
//!
//! # What cannot be done unprivileged
//!
//! Processes owned by other users, and anything running as root. That is an OS
//! limit, recorded in `LIMITATIONS.md`, not a missing feature.
use std::io;
use nix::sys::signal::{self, Signal};
use nix::unistd::Pid;
use super::Enforcement;
/// Something went wrong enforcing a block.
#[derive(Debug)]
pub enum EnforceError {
/// The process is gone. Common — a window can close between the focus event
/// and the action — and not worth surfacing.
NoSuchProcess,
/// Sending the signal failed.
Signal(i32),
}
impl std::fmt::Display for EnforceError {
fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
match self {
Self::NoSuchProcess => write!(f, "the process no longer exists"),
Self::Signal(e) => write!(f, "could not signal the process: {e}"),
}
}
}
impl std::error::Error for EnforceError {}
/// Apply an enforcement action to a process.
///
/// Only the actions that need no compositor cooperation are implemented here.
/// `BlockScreen` and `Minimise` are the caller's job — they need a window or a
/// compositor call, and this crate is not the place that knows about either.
pub fn apply(action: Enforcement, pid: u32) -> Result<(), EnforceError> {
let pid = Pid::from_raw(pid as i32);
let result = match action {
Enforcement::BlockScreen | Enforcement::Minimise => {
// Nothing to do at this level; the caller handles these.
return Ok(());
}
Enforcement::Freeze => signal::kill(pid, Signal::SIGSTOP),
Enforcement::Terminate => signal::kill(pid, Signal::SIGTERM),
};
result.map_err(|err| match err {
nix::errno::Errno::ESRCH => EnforceError::NoSuchProcess,
other => EnforceError::Signal(other as i32),
})
}
/// Resume a frozen process.
///
/// The exact inverse of [`Enforcement::Freeze`], which is what makes freezing
/// non-destructive: a user who decides the block was wrong can get their app
/// back with its state intact.
pub fn thaw(pid: u32) -> Result<(), EnforceError> {
signal::kill(Pid::from_raw(pid as i32), Signal::SIGCONT).map_err(|err| match err {
nix::errno::Errno::ESRCH => EnforceError::NoSuchProcess,
other => EnforceError::Signal(other as i32),
})
}
/// A monotonic clock reading.
///
/// Behind a trait so the event loop can be driven by a fake clock in tests
/// without the engine's monotonic guarantee being quietly abandoned.
pub trait MonotonicSource: Send + Sync {
/// Milliseconds since boot. Implementations must be monotonic — section
/// 1.5.3 makes trusting the wall clock here a correctness bug, not a style
/// one.
fn now_ms(&self) -> u64;
}
/// Reads `CLOCK_MONOTONIC` through `nix`.
///
/// CLOCK_MONOTONIC is the clock section 1.5.3 names for Linux. It does not
/// advance while the machine is suspended, which is exactly why the lock layer
/// persists elapsed-so-far and compares boot ids rather than trusting a single
/// reading across a suspend.
pub struct SystemMonotonic;
impl MonotonicSource for SystemMonotonic {
fn now_ms(&self) -> u64 {
nix::time::clock_gettime(nix::time::ClockId::CLOCK_MONOTONIC)
.map(|t| t.tv_sec() as u64 * 1000 + t.tv_nsec() as u64 / 1_000_000)
.unwrap_or(0)
}
}
/// Whether a process is currently frozen by us.
///
/// Reads `/proc/<pid>/stat`, whose state field is one character: `T` is stopped.
/// Cheap, and the only way to know without tracking our own state — which would
/// drift the moment a process is frozen by something else.
pub fn is_frozen(pid: u32) -> io::Result<bool> {
let stat = std::fs::read_to_string(format!("/proc/{pid}/stat"))?;
// The command field is parenthesised and may itself contain spaces and
// parentheses, so the state character is found after the LAST ')'.
let after_name = stat.rfind(')').map(|i| &stat[i + 1..]).unwrap_or_default();
Ok(after_name.trim_start().starts_with('T'))
}
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests;
+113
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@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
//! Tests for the enforcement ladder.
//!
//! `expect`/`unwrap`/`panic` are allowed here, scoped to this module with the
//! reason stated: a failed assertion or a missing `sleep` binary is a broken
//! test, not a runtime condition to handle gracefully.
#![allow(
clippy::unwrap_used,
clippy::expect_used,
clippy::panic,
reason = "test fixtures: a failed assertion is a broken test, not a runtime condition"
)]
use super::*;
/// A child process can be frozen, reported frozen, and thawed again.
///
/// Deliberately *not* done to the test process itself. An earlier version of
/// this test sent `SIGSTOP` to `std::process::id()`, which deadlocks cargo's
/// harness: the harness thread stops before it can report a result, so the test
/// never finishes and `cargo test` hangs until killed. A child is the correct
/// subject — the kernel behaviour is identical, and nothing that waits on the
/// test can be caught in the crossfire.
#[test]
fn a_child_process_freezes_reports_and_thaws() {
let mut child = std::process::Command::new("sleep").arg("30").spawn().expect("spawn sleep");
let pid = child.id();
assert!(!is_frozen(pid).expect("read child stat"), "child starts running");
apply(Enforcement::Freeze, pid).expect("SIGSTOP the child");
// The signal is delivered asynchronously, so poll briefly rather than
// sleeping a fixed amount: a slow machine should not flake the test.
let mut frozen = false;
for _ in 0..50 {
if is_frozen(pid).unwrap_or(false) {
frozen = true;
break;
}
std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(20));
}
assert!(frozen, "the child should report stopped after SIGSTOP");
thaw(pid).expect("SIGCONT the child");
let mut running = false;
for _ in 0..50 {
if !is_frozen(pid).unwrap_or(false) {
running = true;
break;
}
std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(20));
}
assert!(running, "the child should be running again after SIGCONT");
let _ = child.kill();
let _ = child.wait();
}
/// Signalling a pid we cannot signal is an error, never a panic.
///
/// CLAUDE.md section 0 rule 5: a fallible OS call must not abort the daemon.
/// A daemon that panics takes enforcement down with it.
#[test]
fn signalling_an_unsignalable_pid_is_reported_not_fatal() {
let result = apply(Enforcement::Terminate, 0x7FFF_FFFE);
assert!(result.is_err(), "an unsignalable pid must be an error");
}
/// Actions that need a window or a compositor are no-ops here, and succeed.
#[test]
fn compositor_actions_are_no_ops_at_this_layer() {
assert!(apply(Enforcement::BlockScreen, 0).is_ok());
assert!(apply(Enforcement::Minimise, 0).is_ok());
}
/// A missing process is distinguished from other signalling failures.
#[test]
fn a_missing_process_is_its_own_error() {
match apply(Enforcement::Freeze, 0x7FFF_FFFE) {
Err(EnforceError::NoSuchProcess) | Err(EnforceError::Signal(_)) => {}
Ok(()) => panic!("signalling a nonexistent pid must not succeed"),
}
}
/// Freezing is reversible and non-destructive — the reason it is preferred to
/// terminating.
#[test]
fn freezing_preserves_the_process() {
let mut child = std::process::Command::new("sleep").arg("30").spawn().expect("spawn sleep");
let pid = child.id();
apply(Enforcement::Freeze, pid).expect("SIGSTOP");
for _ in 0..50 {
if is_frozen(pid).unwrap_or(false) {
break;
}
std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(20));
}
thaw(pid).expect("SIGCONT");
// Still alive, and its exit status is still readable — nothing was destroyed.
assert!(!is_frozen(pid).unwrap_or(true), "the child must be running again after SIGCONT");
assert_eq!(
child.try_wait().expect("try_wait").map(|s| s.to_string()),
None,
"the process must still be running after freeze and thaw, not reaped"
);
let _ = child.kill();
let _ = child.wait();
}
+8 -2
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@@ -39,11 +39,17 @@
//! - None of this can be made tamper-proof against a user with root. Section //! - None of this can be made tamper-proof against a user with root. Section
//! 6.1 requires this be documented honestly rather than implied otherwise. //! 6.1 requires this be documented honestly rather than implied otherwise.
pub mod enforce;
pub mod kwin; pub mod kwin;
pub use kwin::parse_payload;
pub mod x11; pub mod x11;
pub use enforce::{MonotonicSource, SystemMonotonic};
pub use kwin::parse_payload;
// Re-exported so the daemon can name a window without reaching into the
// backend module — the backend is an implementation detail, the window is not.
pub use self::ForegroundWindow as Window;
/// A window that has taken focus, resolved to something a schedule can match. /// A window that has taken focus, resolved to something a schedule can match.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)] #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub struct ForegroundWindow { pub struct ForegroundWindow {