boma/docs/superpowers/plans/2026-06-06-logging-log-integrity.md

# Logging & Log Integrity Implementation Plan

> **For agentic workers:** REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use superpowers:subagent-driven-development (recommended) or superpowers:executing-plans to implement this plan task-by-task. Steps use checkbox (`- [ ]`) syntax for tracking.

**Goal:** Record the logging architecture (all logs → on-cluster Loki; a security subset also write-only off-site to `askari`) by authoring ADR-018 and reconciling every doc that touches logging/observability.

**Architecture:** Documentation-only. The runtime pieces — Alloy in the `base` role, the `loki`/`grafana` service roles, OPNsense syslog forwarding — wait on the `base` + service-role machinery STATUS.md lists as not-yet-built. This plan settles the decision and the doc reconciliation.

**Tech Stack:** Markdown. Verification is the repo's pre-commit hooks + a final cross-reference sweep. No markdown linter, so "tests" are hook-pass + grep checks.

---

## Pre-flight (read once)

- **`rbw` must be unlocked before every commit** (pre-commit ansible-lint decrypts `vault.yml`). `rbw unlocked`; if non-zero, stop and ask the user to `rbw unlock`.
- **Commit style:** one commit per task, imperative subject ≤72 chars.
- **Order:** Task 1 (ADR-018) first — later tasks link to it.
- **Spec:** `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-05-logging-log-integrity-design.md`.
- **Branch:** controller creates `chore/logging-log-integrity-docs` off `main` before Task 1; do not implement on `main`.

---

## File map

| File | Action | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| `docs/decisions/018-logging.md` | Create | Home of record for the logging architecture |
| `docs/decisions/002-security.md` | Modify | Make the "logs to central" + "active alerting" bullets concrete (→ ADR-018) |
| `docs/security/accepted-risks.md` | Modify | Add R4 — no cryptographic WORM for logs |
| `docs/CAPABILITIES.md` | Modify | Loki row → decided; add Alloy agent row; note security alerting |
| `docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md` | Modify | Log-storage allocation + SSD-wearout tracked metric |
| `STATUS.md` | Modify | Rows: logging pipeline (designed, not built) |
| `docs/TODO.md` | Modify | Mark 3.1 decided; reconcile 3.6's "on askari" phrasing |
| `CLAUDE.md` | Modify | ADR-018 in Further reading |

**Deferred (not in this plan):** the Alloy task in `base`, the `loki`/`grafana` service roles, OPNsense Suricata syslog forwarding, the push-only `vault.loki.*` credential, and the live pipeline — all recorded in ADR-018/STATUS, built when the stack exists.

---

### Task 1: Author ADR-018 (the home of record)

**Files:**
- Create: `docs/decisions/018-logging.md`

- [ ] **Step 1: Create the ADR**

Create `docs/decisions/018-logging.md` with exactly this content (preserve em-dashes —, backticks, table pipes, `≠`, `~`):

```markdown
# ADR-018 — Logging and log integrity

## Context

boma wants all logs in one queryable store for troubleshooting, spotting issues over
time, and detecting intrusions / malicious activity. ADR-002 commits in principle
("logs shipped to a central location"; "active alerting wires AIDE/`auditd`/`fail2ban`/
Suricata… ties to the Loki/Grafana effort"); CAPABILITIES lists Loki and `askari` (the
off-site watchdog). Undecided: the architecture and the **integrity** question — an
attacker who roots a host will try to clear logs to cover their tracks.

The framing insight: the biggest anti-tampering win is that logs **leave the host in
near-real-time** — once a line is in a store the attacker doesn't control, wiping the
local copy is futile. How far to harden the central store is set by the threat model.

## Decision

1. **Threat model — opportunistic + blast-radius** (ADR-002 / accepted-risk R1). Not
   forensic-grade.
2. **All logs → an on-cluster Loki** — the single monitoring DB for troubleshooting +
   trends. Near-real-time shipping already defeats per-host track-covering.
3. **A security-relevant subset ALSO ships off-site to `askari`, write-only** —
   tamper-resistant against full-cluster compromise, at bounded volume.
4. **Skip WORM/object-lock** — accepted-risk R4; append-only push + off-site is the
   proportionate control.
5. **Disk-wear is a managed parameter** — media choice + bounded verbosity + tuned
   retention + wearout monitoring.

## Architecture

- **Agent:** Grafana Alloy on every host, installed by the `base` role — reads journald
  + container logs + security sources (`auditd`, `authpriv`, `fail2ban`, AIDE).
- **Loki (cluster):** a `loki` service role on a docker_host; all logs; monolithic
  single-binary mode; NVMe; bounded retention.
- **Loki (`askari`):** the same role parameterised, in `offsite_hosts`; security subset
  only, write-only, long retention, tiny volume.
- **Grafana (cluster):** both Lokis as datasources (one pane queries both); dashboards
  + the alerting ADR-002 calls for.

## Data flow & the security subset

Alloy writes everything to the cluster Loki and a filtered copy (a relabel/match stage
tags security sources `security="true"`) to the `askari` Loki. Subset: `auditd`,
`authpriv` (SSH/`sudo`), `fail2ban`, AIDE, **Suricata** (OPNsense isn't a `base` host —
it syslog-forwards its alerts to the ingest point), and key container security events.

**Write-only / append-only:** the `askari` push endpoint (`/loki/api/v1/push`) is
mesh-only with a **push-only credential**; query/admin/delete APIs are not exposed to
hosts. The push API has no edit/delete verb, so a compromised host can append but not
read/edit/delete. The cluster Loki uses the same push-only credential. Alloy buffers
(WAL) + retries across a brief outage.

## Security, integrity & residual risks

Defeats opportunistic track-covering (logs already off-host) and host-pivot-to-store
(append-only, off-cluster). The security trail survives full-cluster compromise.
Conscious residuals: append-only ≠ cryptographic WORM (root-on-`askari` could edit
chunks — R4); a few-seconds un-shipped window; agent compromise can stop *future*
shipping but not alter shipped history; **a host going silent is itself an alert**; a
stolen push credential appends noise but can't delete; an `askari` outage buffers +
flushes on reconnect.

## Retention & disk-wear

Estimates are intent-based until measured (like `/capacity-review`). Cluster Loki:
bounded hot retention (~30–90 days). `askari` subset: long (~1 year+, ~5–25 GB/yr).
Disk-wear rules: (1) log storage on NVMe/SSD or HDD, **never SD/USB flash**; (2) bounded
verbosity at source (sane levels, selective access logging, a targeted `auditd`
ruleset); (3) tuned Loki retention/compaction; (4) SSD **wearout/TBW** is a monitored
metric (Proxmox wearout %, `node_exporter` smartmon) with an alert. Log storage is a
tracked allocation in `docs/hardware/reference.md` (ADR-012).

## Status

Designed. **Authorable now:** this ADR + the ADR-002/CAPABILITIES/ADR-012/
accepted-risks/STATUS/TODO reconciliations. **Deferred on the stack:** Alloy-in-`base`,
the `loki`/`grafana` service roles, OPNsense syslog config, the push-only credential,
and the live pipeline.

## Dependencies

`base` role + service-role machinery (unbuilt, STATUS.md); the running cluster +
`askari` (`offsite_hosts`, ADR-016); OPNsense automation for Suricata syslog (ADR-007);
the metrics stack (Prometheus / `node_exporter`) for SSD-wearout + log-silence alerting
(sibling effort, TODO 3.6).

## What was ruled out

| Option | Reason |
|---|---|
| Everything off-site on `askari` (no on-cluster Loki) | The firehose is disk-hungry on a small VPS; keep volume where storage is cheap and send only the bounded security subset off-site. |
| WORM / object-lock for all logs | Forensic-grade cost for an opportunistic threat model — YAGNI (R4). |
| On-cluster-only (no off-site copy) | Doesn't survive compromise of the cluster Loki host; the security trail must be off-cluster + append-only. |
| Volatile (RAM-only) journald to cut writes | Risks losing logs on crash before shipping; persistent-with-caps + real-time shipping is safer. |
| Promtail / legacy agents | Alloy is the current unified Grafana collector and the V4-aligned choice (one agent for logs, later metrics). |

See also: ADR-002 (security baseline — realised here), ADR-016 (mesh / `askari`),
ADR-007 (OPNsense / `askari`), ADR-012 (hardware/capacity), ADR-004 (service-role
standard), ADR-011 (health checks — distinct from this).
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/decisions/018-logging.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/decisions/018-logging.md
git commit -m "Add ADR-018 (logging and log integrity)"
```

---

### Task 2: Make ADR-002's logging bullets concrete

**Files:**
- Modify: `docs/decisions/002-security.md`

Read the file first, then two exact edits.

- [ ] **Step 1: The audit-trail bullet**

Find:
```
- `auditd` installed and running with a baseline ruleset
- Logs shipped to a central location if a log aggregation service is available
```
Replace with:
```
- `auditd` installed and running with a baseline ruleset
- Logs shipped to a central location in near-real-time — all logs to an on-cluster
  Loki, plus a security-relevant subset write-only off-site to `askari` so the audit
  trail survives host (and full-cluster) compromise (ADR-018)
```

- [ ] **Step 2: The active-alerting bullet**

Find:
```
- **Active alerting** wires AIDE, `auditd`, `fail2ban`, and Suricata into the
  monitoring/alerting stack (planned; ties to the Loki/Grafana effort)
```
Replace with:
```
- **Active alerting** wires AIDE, `auditd`, `fail2ban`, and Suricata — plus
  log-source-silence (a host that stops shipping) — into Grafana alerting on the
  Loki/Grafana stack (ADR-018; planned)
```

- [ ] **Step 3: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/decisions/002-security.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/decisions/002-security.md
git commit -m "ADR-002: make central-logging + alerting controls concrete (ADR-018)"
```

---

### Task 3: Add accepted-risk R4 (no WORM for logs)

**Files:**
- Modify: `docs/security/accepted-risks.md`

Read the file first, then one exact edit (add R4 after R3).

- [ ] **Step 1: Add the R4 row**

Find this exact line (the R3 row):
```
| R3 | **Self-hosted mesh control plane is a public target on `askari`** — the NetBird coordinator (ADR-016) exposes a management API + dashboard (TCP 80/443) and Coturn (UDP 3478) on `askari`'s public IP; the management API controls the whole mesh | Self-hosting means **no third-party trust** and an off-site control plane that survives a homelab outage (boma's sovereignty ethos). Residual surface is on `askari` (already a public VPS) and is mitigated: TLS + embedded-IdP login, source-IP restriction where practical, `base` hardening, version-pinned NetBird (ADR-011) patched on boma's cadence | A coordinator compromise or unpatched NetBird CVE; the management plane is reachable without auth/IP-limits; the operational burden makes a hosted coordinator worth reconsidering |
```
Add immediately **after** it:
```
| R4 | **No cryptographic WORM for logs** — shipped logs are append-only via Loki's push API and copied off-site to `askari` (ADR-018), but the stored chunks are not object-locked/immutable; a root-on-`askari` attacker could edit history | Append-only push + off-site copy already defeats the realistic threat (a host attacker covering tracks survives even full-cluster compromise). True WORM (object-lock) is forensic-grade cost for boma's opportunistic threat model (R1) | Threat model shifts toward targeted/forensic; a regulatory/evidentiary need appears; `askari` itself is assessed as a likely target |
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Bump the "Last reviewed" date**

Find:
```
_Last reviewed: 2026-06-05. The prior gaps
```
Replace with:
```
_Last reviewed: 2026-06-06. The prior gaps
```

- [ ] **Step 3: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/security/accepted-risks.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/security/accepted-risks.md
git commit -m "accepted-risks: add R4 (no cryptographic WORM for logs)"
```

---

### Task 4: Update CAPABILITIES §3 (Observability)

**Files:**
- Modify: `docs/CAPABILITIES.md`

Read the file first, then three exact edits.

- [ ] **Step 1: Loki row → decided, note the off-site sink**

Find:
```
| Logs | Loki | P | planned | Log aggregation | TODO 3.6 |
```
Replace with:
```
| Logs | Loki (cluster all-logs + off-site security subset on `askari`) | P | core | Central log aggregation; a security subset ships write-only off-site (append-only) | **Decided (ADR-018)** |
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Add the Alloy agent row** (right after the Loki row just edited)

Find:
```
| Dashboards | Grafana | P | planned | Visualisation + alerting | TODO 3.6 |
```
Replace with:
```
| Log shipping agent | Grafana Alloy (in `base`) | P | core | Collects journald + container + security logs on every host; ships to Loki (ADR-018) | **Decided (ADR-018)** |
| Dashboards | Grafana | P | planned | Visualisation + alerting (incl. AIDE/`auditd`/`fail2ban`/Suricata + log-silence — ADR-018) | TODO 3.6 |
```

- [ ] **Step 3: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/CAPABILITIES.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/CAPABILITIES.md
git commit -m "CAPABILITIES: Loki decided + Alloy agent + security alerting (ADR-018)"
```

---

### Task 5: ADR-012 — log-storage allocation + wearout metric

**Files:**
- Modify: `docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md`

Read the file first, then one exact edit (add a Consequences bullet).

- [ ] **Step 1: Add a Consequences bullet**

Find this exact block:
```
## Consequences

- Right-sizing advice is intent-based until usage data exists; reports say so.
- `reference.md` table headers are a parser contract — changing them needs a
  matching `capacity-scan.py` change.
```
Replace with:
```
## Consequences

- Right-sizing advice is intent-based until usage data exists; reports say so.
- `reference.md` table headers are a parser contract — changing them needs a
  matching `capacity-scan.py` change.
- Log storage (ADR-018) is a tracked allocation: the cluster Loki host's retention
  budget and `askari`'s security-subset volume belong in `reference.md`, and SSD
  **wearout/TBW** is a monitored metric — logging is write-heavy, so wear is watched,
  not assumed.
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md
git commit -m "ADR-012: track log-storage allocation + SSD wearout (ADR-018)"
```

---

### Task 6: Add logging rows to STATUS.md

**Files:**
- Modify: `STATUS.md`

Read the file first, then one exact edit (add two rows after the Level 4 row).

- [ ] **Step 1: Add the rows**

Find this exact line:
```
| Service-UI verification (Level 4) | ADR-017 / ADR-008 | **Design RESOLVED** (ADR-017 + spec + plan); resolves ADR-015 deferred #2. `/verify-service` skill + `VERIFY.md` template + standards are authorable and present. **Build pending:** running needs ubongo + `playwright` plugin + Authentik + a staging deploy. |
```
Replace with that SAME line followed by the two new rows:
```
| Service-UI verification (Level 4) | ADR-017 / ADR-008 | **Design RESOLVED** (ADR-017 + spec + plan); resolves ADR-015 deferred #2. `/verify-service` skill + `VERIFY.md` template + standards are authorable and present. **Build pending:** running needs ubongo + `playwright` plugin + Authentik + a staging deploy. |
| Logging pipeline (Loki + Alloy + off-site subset) | ADR-018 | **Design RESOLVED** (ADR-018 + spec). All logs → on-cluster Loki; security subset write-only off-site to askari. **Build pending:** Alloy in `base`, `loki`/`grafana` service roles, OPNsense syslog — none built. |
| Security alerting (AIDE/auditd/fail2ban/Suricata + log-silence) | ADR-002 / ADR-018 | Wired into Grafana on the Loki stack. Designed; depends on the logging pipeline + metrics stack (TODO 3.6). |
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files STATUS.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add STATUS.md
git commit -m "STATUS: record logging pipeline + security alerting (ADR-018)"
```

---

### Task 7: Reconcile TODO 3.1 and 3.6

**Files:**
- Modify: `docs/TODO.md`

Read the file first, then two exact edits. (Preserve the `~~strikethrough~~` markers.)

- [ ] **Step 1: Mark 3.1 decided**

Find:
```
3. **Building services**
   1. Decide how to manage logs.
```
Replace with:
```
3. **Building services**
   1. ~~Decide how to manage logs.~~ DECIDED (ADR-018): all logs → on-cluster Loki via
      Grafana Alloy (in `base`); a security subset also ships write-only off-site to
      `askari` (append-only); Grafana queries both. WORM skipped (accepted-risk R4).
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Reconcile 3.6's "on askari" phrasing**

Find:
```
   6. Wire up Loki, Prometheus, Grafana dashboards, Grafana alerts, and Uptime
      Kuma alerts on askari.
```
Replace with:
```
   6. Wire up the monitoring stack. Logging topology DECIDED (ADR-018): cluster Loki
      (all logs) + off-site security subset on `askari` + Grafana on-cluster (not the
      whole stack on `askari`). Still to design/build: Prometheus + metric exporters,
      Uptime Kuma, and exactly which alerts live where.
```

- [ ] **Step 3: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files docs/TODO.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add docs/TODO.md
git commit -m "TODO: mark log management decided (ADR-018); reconcile 3.6"
```

---

### Task 8: Link ADR-018 from CLAUDE.md

**Files:**
- Modify: `CLAUDE.md`

Read the file first, then one exact edit.

- [ ] **Step 1: Add the Further-reading row after Hardware & capacity**

Find:
```
| Hardware & capacity    | `docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md` |
```
Replace with that SAME line followed by the new row:
```
| Hardware & capacity    | `docs/decisions/012-hardware-capacity.md` |
| Logging & log integrity | `docs/decisions/018-logging.md` |
```

- [ ] **Step 2: Verify and commit**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --files CLAUDE.md`
Expected: Passed/Skipped.
```bash
git add CLAUDE.md
git commit -m "CLAUDE.md: link ADR-018 (logging)"
```

---

### Task 9: Final consistency sweep

**Files:** none modified (verification only)

- [ ] **Step 1: ADR-018 present + cross-linked (canonical docs only)**

Run:
```bash
test -f docs/decisions/018-logging.md && echo "ADR-018 present"
grep -rl "ADR-018\|018-logging" docs/ CLAUDE.md STATUS.md | grep -vE "superpowers/(plans|specs)/"
```
Expected: the file exists and the referencing docs appear — ADR-002, accepted-risks, CAPABILITIES, ADR-012, STATUS, TODO, CLAUDE.md.

- [ ] **Step 2: No stale "logging undecided / if available" language**

Run:
```bash
grep -rniE "log aggregation service is available|Logs \| Loki \| P \| planned|Decide how to manage logs\.($|[^~])" docs/ CLAUDE.md STATUS.md | grep -vE "superpowers/(plans|specs)/"
```
Expected: no hits — the ADR-002 conditional, the "planned" Loki row, and the open "Decide how to manage logs" TODO are all now updated.

- [ ] **Step 3: Full hook run**

Run: `rbw unlocked && pre-commit run --all-files`
Expected: all hooks Passed/Skipped. Fix anything that fails (likely trailing whitespace / end-of-file) and amend the owning commit.

- [ ] **Step 4: Push (only if the user asks)**

```bash
git push origin <branch-or-main-after-merge>
```

---

## Self-review notes (author)

- **Spec coverage:** decision/architecture/data-flow/security/retention → Task 1 (ADR-018); the spec's "Documentation & implementation changes" table → Tasks 2–8 (ADR-002, accepted-risks R4, CAPABILITIES, ADR-012, STATUS, TODO, CLAUDE.md). The role/pipeline rows in that table are deferred (recorded in ADR-018/STATUS), not implemented here. ✓
- **Deferred, intentional:** Alloy-in-`base`, the `loki`/`grafana` service roles, OPNsense syslog forwarding, the `vault.loki.*` credential, the metrics-stack dependency — all need the unbuilt machinery; named in ADR-018/STATUS. ✓
- **No placeholders:** every create/edit shows exact text. ✓
- **Name consistency:** `ADR-018` / `018-logging.md`, "security subset", `offsite_hosts`, Grafana Alloy, push-only credential, R4 used identically across tasks. ✓
```