Merge development into main: connection/security hardening batch (#85, #94, #103, #104)

- Route index.php and create_ticket_api.php through Database::getConnection() (#103, #104)
- Make TRUSTED_PROXIES' insecure-by-default risk loudly visible (#94)
- Add recovery csrf_token to 12 hand-rolled CSRF rejection responses (#85)

.env.example

@@ -49,19 +49,26 @@ APP_DOMAIN=
 ; Include all domains that can access this application
 ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
 
+; ============================================================================
+; REQUIRED FOR PRODUCTION -- READ BEFORE DEPLOYING -- TRUSTED_PROXIES
+; ============================================================================
 ; Trusted reverse proxy IPs, comma-separated -- e.g. the Authelia/nginx proxy.
 ; Set this to the IP address(es) of your reverse proxy. Authelia forward-auth
 ; headers (Remote-User / Remote-Groups) and forwarded client IPs are only
 ; trusted when REMOTE_ADDR is in this list.
 ;
 ; Leaving this EMPTY disables reverse-proxy verification entirely: the app then
-; trusts Remote-User / Remote-Groups headers from ANY source. That is unsafe if
+; trusts Remote-User / Remote-Groups headers from ANY source. If the PHP
-; the PHP backend is reachable directly (bypassing the proxy), because a client
+; backend is reachable directly -- a misconfigured firewall rule, a container
-; can then spoof those headers and log in as an admin. Only leave it empty when
+; network accidentally exposing the port, SSRF from another internal service
-; network topology guarantees PHP is reachable solely via the trusted proxy.
+; -- ANYONE can set Remote-User: admin themselves and fully impersonate any
+; user, including an admin, with ZERO authentication. Only leave it empty when
+; network topology guarantees PHP is reachable solely via the trusted proxy
+; (e.g. local development), never in a real deployment.
 ;
 ; Exact IP match only (no CIDR). Example (single proxy): TRUSTED_PROXIES=10.10.10.27
 ; Example (multiple):                                     TRUSTED_PROXIES=10.10.10.27,10.10.10.28
+; ============================================================================
 TRUSTED_PROXIES=
 
 ; Timezone (default: America/New_York)

README.md

@@ -447,6 +447,21 @@ APP_DOMAIN=your.domain.example
 TIMEZONE=America/New_York
 ```
 
+**⚠️ REQUIRED FOR PRODUCTION — `TRUSTED_PROXIES`:** This app trusts Authelia
+forward-auth headers (`Remote-User`, `Remote-Groups`, etc.) to identify who's
+logged in. `TRUSTED_PROXIES` restricts that trust to requests that actually
+came through your reverse proxy — **leaving it empty disables that check
+entirely**, and anyone who can reach the PHP backend directly (a
+misconfigured firewall rule, an exposed container port, SSRF from another
+internal service) can set `Remote-User: admin` themselves and fully
+impersonate any user with zero authentication. Set it to your reverse proxy's
+IP address(es) before deploying anywhere reachable beyond your own machine:
+```env
+TRUSTED_PROXIES=10.10.10.27
+```
+`GET /api/health.php` reports a `warning` on the `trusted_proxies` check if
+this is left empty, so it doesn't go unnoticed after deployment.
+
 Matrix notification variables (all optional):
 ```env
 # hookshot generic webhook URL — send events to Matrix room

api/add_comment.php

@@ -177,9 +177,16 @@ try {
         $ticketTitle   = $ticket['title'] ?? "Ticket #{$ticketId}";
         $ticketVisibility = $ticket['visibility'] ?? 'public';
 
-        // @mention notifications — resolve usernames → Matrix IDs via Synapse Admin API
+        // @mention notifications — resolve usernames → Matrix IDs via Synapse Admin API.
-        if (!empty($mentionedUsers)) {
+        // Only notify mentioned users who actually have access to this ticket;
-            $mentionedUsernames = array_column($mentionedUsers, 'username');
+        // otherwise a mention would DM them the ticket's title and comment text
+        // even though canUserAccessTicket() would deny them the ticket itself.
+        $accessibleMentionedUsers = array_filter(
+            $mentionedUsers,
+            fn($u) => $ticketModel->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $u)
+        );
+        if (!empty($accessibleMentionedUsers)) {
+            $mentionedUsernames = array_column($accessibleMentionedUsers, 'username');
             $mentionedMatrixIds = SynapseHelper::resolveUsernames($mentionedUsernames);
             if (!empty($mentionedMatrixIds)) {
                 NotificationHelper::sendMentionNotification($ticketId, $ticketTitle, $commentText, $authorDisplay, $mentionedMatrixIds);

api/assign_ticket.php

@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ if ($assignedTo === null || $assignedTo === '') {
                 $ticket['title'] ?? "Ticket #{$ticketId}",
                 $assigneeName,
                 $assigneeMatrix,
-                $changedByDisplay
+                $changedByDisplay,
+                $ticket['visibility'] ?? 'public'
             );
         }
     }

api/bulk_operation.php

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ if (!in_array($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'], ['GET', 'HEAD'], true)) {
     $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
     if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
         http_response_code(403);
-        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
         exit;
     }
 }

api/clone_ticket.php

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ try {
     $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
     if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
         http_response_code(403);
-        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
         exit;
     }
 

api/custom_fields.php

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ try {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
             exit;
         }
     }

api/delete_attachment.php

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
 // Verify CSRF token
 $csrfToken = $input['csrf_token'] ?? $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
 if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
-    ResponseHelper::forbidden('Invalid CSRF token');
+    ResponseHelper::error('Invalid CSRF token', 403, ['csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
 }
 
 // Get attachment ID

api/delete_comment.php

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ try {
     if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
         http_response_code(403);
         header('Content-Type: application/json');
-        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+        echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
         exit;
     }
 

api/generate_api_key.php

@@ -39,8 +39,15 @@ try {
     if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
+            ob_end_clean();
             http_response_code(403);
-            throw new Exception("Invalid CSRF token");
+            header('Content-Type: application/json');
+            echo json_encode([
+                'success' => false,
+                'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token',
+                'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()
+            ]);
+            exit;
         }
     }
 

api/health.php

@@ -162,6 +162,21 @@ if ($maxExecTime === 0 || $maxExecTime >= $requirements['min_max_execution_time'
     ];
 }
 
+// Check 8: TRUSTED_PROXIES configured. Empty disables enforceTrustedProxy()'s
+// allowlist entirely, meaning anything that can reach this app directly can
+// spoof the Authelia forward-auth Remote-* headers and impersonate any user,
+// including an admin. Not fatal (a fresh/dev install may not sit behind a
+// proxy yet), but should never go unnoticed on a real deployment.
+if (!empty($GLOBALS['config']['TRUSTED_PROXIES'] ?? [])) {
+    $checks['trusted_proxies'] = ['status' => 'ok', 'message' => 'configured'];
+} else {
+    $checks['trusted_proxies'] = [
+        'status' => 'warning',
+        'message' => 'TRUSTED_PROXIES is empty — forward-auth headers are NOT verified; '
+            . 'anything that can reach this app directly can impersonate any user'
+    ];
+}
+
 // Calculate response time
 $responseTime = round((microtime(true) - $startTime) * 1000, 2);
 

api/manage_recurring.php

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ try {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
             exit;
         }
     }

api/manage_templates.php

@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ try {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
             exit;
         }
     }

api/manage_workflows.php

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ try {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
             http_response_code(403);
-            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token']);
+            echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token', 'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
             exit;
         }
     }

api/notifications.php

@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ $statusSql = "SELECT DISTINCT
     COALESCE(u.display_name, u.username, 'System') AS actor_name
   FROM audit_log al
   LEFT JOIN users u ON al.user_id = u.user_id
-  INNER JOIN ticket_watchers tw ON tw.ticket_id = CAST(al.entity_id AS UNSIGNED) AND tw.user_id = ?
+  INNER JOIN ticket_watchers tw ON tw.ticket_id = al.entity_id AND tw.user_id = ?
   WHERE al.action_type = 'update'
     AND al.entity_type = 'ticket'
     AND al.user_id != ?

api/revoke_api_key.php

@@ -39,8 +39,15 @@ try {
     if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
         $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
         if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
+            ob_end_clean();
             http_response_code(403);
-            throw new Exception("Invalid CSRF token");
+            header('Content-Type: application/json');
+            echo json_encode([
+                'success' => false,
+                'error' => 'Invalid CSRF token',
+                'csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()
+            ]);
+            exit;
         }
     }
 

api/ticket_dependencies.php

@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST' || $_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'DEL
     require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/CsrfMiddleware.php';
     $csrfToken = $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
     if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
-        ResponseHelper::forbidden('Invalid CSRF token');
+        ResponseHelper::error('Invalid CSRF token', 403, ['csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
     }
 }
 

api/ticket_status_api.php

@@ -171,7 +171,8 @@ if ($currentStatus !== $newStatus) {
         $currentStatus,
         $newStatus,
         (string)$ticket['title'],
-        $keyName
+        $keyName,
+        $ticket['visibility'] ?? 'public'
     );
     NotificationHelper::notifyWatchers(
         $conn,

api/update_ticket.php

@@ -267,7 +267,8 @@ try {
                     $currentTicket['status'],
                     $updateData['status'],
                     $updateData['title'],
-                    $changedBy
+                    $changedBy,
+                    $currentTicket['visibility'] ?? 'public'
                 );
                 NotificationHelper::notifyWatchers(
                     $this->conn,

api/upload_attachment.php

@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] !== 'POST') {
 // Verify CSRF token
 $csrfToken = $_POST['csrf_token'] ?? $_SERVER['HTTP_X_CSRF_TOKEN'] ?? '';
 if (!CsrfMiddleware::validateToken($csrfToken)) {
-    ResponseHelper::forbidden('Invalid CSRF token');
+    ResponseHelper::error('Invalid CSRF token', 403, ['csrf_token' => CsrfMiddleware::getToken()]);
 }
 
 // Get ticket ID

api/watch_ticket.php

@@ -12,40 +12,43 @@ require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/TicketModel.php';
 
 $data = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true) ?? [];
 
-$ticketId = isset($_GET['ticket_id'])
+$ticketIdRaw = isset($_GET['ticket_id']) ? $_GET['ticket_id'] : ($data['ticket_id'] ?? '');
-    ? (int)$_GET['ticket_id']
-    : (int)($data['ticket_id'] ?? 0);
 
 if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
-    $ticketId = (int)($data['ticket_id'] ?? 0);
+    $ticketIdRaw = $data['ticket_id'] ?? '';
-    $action   = $data['action'] ?? '';
+    $action      = $data['action'] ?? '';
 
-    if ($ticketId <= 0 || !in_array($action, ['watch', 'unwatch'], true)) {
+    if ($ticketIdRaw === '' || !in_array($action, ['watch', 'unwatch'], true)) {
         http_response_code(400);
         echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid parameters']);
         exit;
     }
 
     $ticketModel = new TicketModel($conn);
-    $ticket = $ticketModel->getTicketById($ticketId);
+    $ticket = $ticketModel->getTicketById((string)$ticketIdRaw);
     if (!$ticket || !$ticketModel->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $currentUser)) {
         http_response_code(404);
         echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Ticket not found']);
         exit;
     }
 
+    // Use the canonical ticket_id string from the fetched ticket row, not the
+    // raw request value, so ticket_watchers always stores exactly what's in
+    // tickets.ticket_id.
+    $ticketId = $ticket['ticket_id'];
+
     if ($action === 'watch') {
         $stmt = $conn->prepare(
             "INSERT IGNORE INTO ticket_watchers (ticket_id, user_id) VALUES (?, ?)"
         );
-        $stmt->bind_param("ii", $ticketId, $userId);
+        $stmt->bind_param("si", $ticketId, $userId);
         $stmt->execute();
         $stmt->close();
     } else {
         $stmt = $conn->prepare(
             "DELETE FROM ticket_watchers WHERE ticket_id = ? AND user_id = ?"
         );
-        $stmt->bind_param("ii", $ticketId, $userId);
+        $stmt->bind_param("si", $ticketId, $userId);
         $stmt->execute();
         $stmt->close();
     }
@@ -54,7 +57,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
     $countStmt = $conn->prepare(
         "SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt FROM ticket_watchers WHERE ticket_id = ?"
     );
-    $countStmt->bind_param("i", $ticketId);
+    $countStmt->bind_param("s", $ticketId);
     $countStmt->execute();
     $count = (int)$countStmt->get_result()->fetch_assoc()['cnt'];
     $countStmt->close();
@@ -73,7 +76,7 @@ if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] !== 'GET') {
     exit;
 }
 
-if ($ticketId <= 0) {
+if ($ticketIdRaw === '') {
     http_response_code(400);
     echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'ticket_id required']);
     exit;
@@ -83,17 +86,19 @@ if ($ticketId <= 0) {
 // restricted ticket's watcher list and count aren't disclosed (the POST path
 // already checks this).
 $ticketModel = new TicketModel($conn);
-$ticket = $ticketModel->getTicketById($ticketId);
+$ticket = $ticketModel->getTicketById((string)$ticketIdRaw);
 if (!$ticket || !$ticketModel->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $currentUser)) {
     http_response_code(404);
     echo json_encode(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Ticket not found']);
     exit;
 }
 
+$ticketId = $ticket['ticket_id'];
+
 $watchingStmt = $conn->prepare(
     "SELECT COUNT(*) as cnt FROM ticket_watchers WHERE ticket_id = ? AND user_id = ?"
 );
-$watchingStmt->bind_param("ii", $ticketId, $userId);
+$watchingStmt->bind_param("si", $ticketId, $userId);
 $watchingStmt->execute();
 $watching = (bool)$watchingStmt->get_result()->fetch_assoc()['cnt'];
 $watchingStmt->close();
@@ -107,7 +112,7 @@ $watchersStmt = $conn->prepare(
       ORDER BY tw.created_at ASC
       LIMIT 6"
 );
-$watchersStmt->bind_param("i", $ticketId);
+$watchersStmt->bind_param("s", $ticketId);
 $watchersStmt->execute();
 $watchersResult = $watchersStmt->get_result();
 $watchers = [];
@@ -118,7 +123,7 @@ $watchersStmt->close();
 
 // True watcher count (the list above is capped at 6 for the avatar group)
 $countStmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) AS cnt FROM ticket_watchers WHERE ticket_id = ?");
-$countStmt->bind_param("i", $ticketId);
+$countStmt->bind_param("s", $ticketId);
 $countStmt->execute();
 $count = (int)$countStmt->get_result()->fetch_assoc()['cnt'];
 $countStmt->close();

create_ticket_api.php

@@ -5,9 +5,13 @@ header('Content-Type: application/json');
 error_reporting(E_ALL);
 ini_set('display_errors', 0);
 
-// Load environment variables with error check
+require_once __DIR__ . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
-$envFile = __DIR__ . '/.env';
+RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
-if (!file_exists($envFile)) {
+
+// Early friendly JSON error if .env is missing, before config.php's own
+// (plain-text die()) handling would otherwise run — this is a JSON API
+// endpoint and must always respond with a JSON body.
+if (!file_exists(__DIR__ . '/.env')) {
     echo json_encode([
         'success' => false,
         'error' => 'Configuration file not found'
@@ -15,37 +19,17 @@ if (!file_exists($envFile)) {
     exit;
 }
 
-$envVars = parse_ini_file($envFile, false, INI_SCANNER_TYPED);
+// Load application config so UrlHelper can resolve APP_DOMAIN, and so the
-if (!$envVars) {
+// DB connection below (via Database::getConnection()) gets the same
-    echo json_encode([
+// charset/timezone sync as every other endpoint instead of a hand-rolled
-        'success' => false,
+// second connection.
-        'error' => 'Invalid configuration file'
+require_once __DIR__ . '/config/config.php';
-    ]);
+require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/Database.php';
-    exit;
-}
 
-// Strip quotes from values if present (parse_ini_file may include them)
+try {
-foreach ($envVars as $key => $value) {
+    $conn = Database::getConnection();
-    if (is_string($value)) {
+} catch (\Throwable $e) {
-        if (
+    error_log('create_ticket_api: DB connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
-            (substr($value, 0, 1) === '"' && substr($value, -1) === '"') ||
-            (substr($value, 0, 1) === "'" && substr($value, -1) === "'")
-        ) {
-            $envVars[$key] = substr($value, 1, -1);
-        }
-    }
-}
-
-// Database connection with detailed error handling
-$conn = new mysqli(
-    $envVars['DB_HOST'],
-    $envVars['DB_USER'],
-    $envVars['DB_PASS'],
-    $envVars['DB_NAME']
-);
-
-if ($conn->connect_error) {
-    error_log('create_ticket_api: DB connection failed: ' . $conn->connect_error);
     http_response_code(500);
     echo json_encode([
         'success' => false,
@@ -54,9 +38,6 @@ if ($conn->connect_error) {
     exit;
 }
 
-// Load application config so UrlHelper can resolve APP_DOMAIN
-require_once __DIR__ . '/config/config.php';
-
 // Authenticate via API key
 require_once __DIR__ . '/middleware/ApiKeyAuth.php';
 require_once __DIR__ . '/models/AuditLogModel.php';
@@ -346,7 +327,7 @@ if ($existing) {
             (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
         }
 
-        $conn->close();
+        Database::close();
         echo json_encode([
             'success'            => true,
             'ticket_id'          => $existingId,
@@ -383,7 +364,7 @@ if ($existing) {
     // Ticket reopened (Closed → Open) — refresh dashboard stats.
     (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
 
-    $conn->close();
+    Database::close();
 
     require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
     NotificationHelper::sendTicketNotification($existingId, [
@@ -481,7 +462,7 @@ if ($inserted) {
     // New ticket created — refresh dashboard stats.
     (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
 
-    $conn->close();
+    Database::close();
 
     require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
     NotificationHelper::sendTicketNotification($ticket_id, [

helpers/NotificationHelper.php

@@ -40,20 +40,40 @@ class NotificationHelper
         return array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode(',', $raw))));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Redact a ticket title for the shared Matrix notify list when the
+     * ticket isn't public, matching how sendCommentNotification() and
+     * notifyWatchers() already redact comment/activity previews for the
+     * same list.
+     */
+    private static function redactedTitle(string $title, string $visibility): string
+    {
+        return $visibility === 'public' ? $title : '(restricted ticket — title hidden)';
+    }
+
     // ─── Public event methods ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     /**
      * New ticket created (manual or automated/API).
+     *
+     * $ticketData['visibility'] ('public', 'internal', or 'confidential') is
+     * used to redact the title sent to the shared MATRIX_NOTIFY_USERS list
+     * for non-public tickets, same as sendCommentNotification()'s preview
+     * redaction. Defaults to 'public' for callers (e.g. the hwmonDaemon
+     * Bearer-API paths) that never set a non-default visibility.
      */
     public static function sendTicketNotification($ticketId, array $ticketData, string $trigger = 'manual'): void
     {
-        preg_match('/^\[([^\]]+)\]/', $ticketData['title'] ?? '', $m);
+        $visibility = $ticketData['visibility'] ?? 'public';
+        $title = $ticketData['title'] ?? 'Untitled';
+
+        preg_match('/^\[([^\]]+)\]/', $title, $m);
         $source = $m[1] ?? ($trigger === 'automated' ? 'Automated' : 'Manual');
 
         self::fire([
             'event'        => 'ticket_created',
             'ticket_id'    => $ticketId,
-            'title'        => $ticketData['title']    ?? 'Untitled',
+            'title'        => self::redactedTitle($title, $visibility),
             'priority'     => (int)($ticketData['priority'] ?? 4),
             'category'     => $ticketData['category'] ?? 'General',
             'type'         => $ticketData['type']     ?? 'Issue',
@@ -73,13 +93,16 @@ class NotificationHelper
      * @param string     $newStatus
      * @param string     $ticketTitle
      * @param string|null $changedByDisplay  Display name of the user who changed status
+     * @param string      $visibility        Ticket visibility; non-public titles are
+     *                                        redacted before being sent to the shared
+     *                                        notify list, same as sendTicketNotification().
      */
-    public static function sendStatusChangeNotification($ticketId, string $oldStatus, string $newStatus, string $ticketTitle, ?string $changedByDisplay = null): void
+    public static function sendStatusChangeNotification($ticketId, string $oldStatus, string $newStatus, string $ticketTitle, ?string $changedByDisplay = null, string $visibility = 'public'): void
     {
         self::fire([
             'event'          => 'status_changed',
             'ticket_id'      => $ticketId,
-            'title'          => $ticketTitle,
+            'title'          => self::redactedTitle($ticketTitle, $visibility),
             'old_status'     => $oldStatus,
             'new_status'     => $newStatus,
             'changed_by'     => $changedByDisplay,
@@ -166,11 +189,12 @@ class NotificationHelper
      * @param array       $extraData    Merged into the payload (old_status/new_status, author, etc.)
      * @param int|null    $excludeUserId  Don't notify the actor themselves
      * @param string      $visibility   Ticket visibility: 'public', 'internal', or
-     *                                   'confidential'. notify_users includes the
+     *                                   'confidential'. The shared notify list may
-     *                                   shared list, which may contain users without
+     *                                   contain users without access to non-public
-     *                                   access to non-public tickets, so any comment
+     *                                   tickets, so for those tickets it's excluded
-     *                                   body preview in $extraData is redacted for
+     *                                   entirely (only actual watchers are notified)
-     *                                   non-public tickets.
+     *                                   and both the title and any comment/body
+     *                                   preview in $extraData are redacted.
      */
     public static function notifyWatchers(\mysqli $conn, $ticketId, string $ticketTitle, string $event, array $extraData = [], ?int $excludeUserId = null, string $visibility = 'public'): void
     {
@@ -204,9 +228,9 @@ class NotificationHelper
                 return;
             }
             if ($excludeUserId !== null) {
-                $stmt->bind_param("ii", $ticketId, $excludeUserId);
+                $stmt->bind_param("si", $ticketId, $excludeUserId);
             } else {
-                $stmt->bind_param("i", $ticketId);
+                $stmt->bind_param("s", $ticketId);
             }
             $stmt->execute();
             $result = $stmt->get_result();
@@ -230,13 +254,17 @@ class NotificationHelper
             return;
         }
 
-        // Remove the global notify list duplicates and build payload
+        // The shared notify list may include users without access to
-        $allNotify = array_unique(array_merge($matrixIds, self::notifyUsers()));
+        // non-public tickets, so only mix it in for public tickets — for
+        // internal/confidential tickets, notify actual watchers only.
+        $allNotify = $visibility === 'public'
+            ? array_unique(array_merge($matrixIds, self::notifyUsers()))
+            : $matrixIds;
 
         $payload = array_merge($extraData, [
             'event'        => $event,
             'ticket_id'    => $ticketId,
-            'title'        => $ticketTitle,
+            'title'        => self::redactedTitle($ticketTitle, $visibility),
             'url'          => UrlHelper::ticketUrl($ticketId),
             'notify_users' => array_values($allNotify),
         ]);
@@ -252,8 +280,14 @@ class NotificationHelper
      * @param string|null $assigneeName    Display name of new assignee
      * @param string|null $assigneeMatrix  Matrix user ID of new assignee (to DM)
      * @param string|null $changedByDisplay
+     * @param string      $visibility      Ticket visibility; non-public titles are
+     *                                      redacted before being sent to the shared
+     *                                      notify list, same as sendTicketNotification().
+     *                                      The assignee is DMed directly regardless,
+     *                                      since they now have standing access to the
+     *                                      ticket by virtue of being assigned to it.
      */
-    public static function sendAssignmentNotification($ticketId, string $ticketTitle, ?string $assigneeName, ?string $assigneeMatrix, ?string $changedByDisplay = null): void
+    public static function sendAssignmentNotification($ticketId, string $ticketTitle, ?string $assigneeName, ?string $assigneeMatrix, ?string $changedByDisplay = null, string $visibility = 'public'): void
     {
         $notifyUsers = self::notifyUsers();
         // Also notify the assignee directly if we know their Matrix ID
@@ -267,7 +301,7 @@ class NotificationHelper
         self::fire([
             'event'        => 'assigned',
             'ticket_id'    => $ticketId,
-            'title'        => $ticketTitle,
+            'title'        => self::redactedTitle($ticketTitle, $visibility),
             'assignee'     => $assigneeName,
             'changed_by'   => $changedByDisplay,
             'url'          => UrlHelper::ticketUrl($ticketId),

index.php

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ require_once 'config/config.php';
 require_once 'middleware/SecurityHeadersMiddleware.php';
 require_once 'middleware/AuthMiddleware.php';
 require_once 'models/AuditLogModel.php';
+require_once 'helpers/Database.php';
 
 // Apply security headers early
 SecurityHeadersMiddleware::apply();
@@ -17,15 +18,12 @@ $requestPath = strtok($request, '?');
 
 // Create database connection for non-API routes
 if (!str_starts_with($requestPath, '/api/')) {
-    $conn = new mysqli(
+    try {
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_HOST'],
+        $conn = Database::getConnection();
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_USER'],
+    } catch (\Throwable $e) {
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_PASS'],
+        error_log('index.php: database connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_NAME']
+        http_response_code(500);
-    );
+        die('Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again shortly.');
-
-    if ($conn->connect_error) {
-        die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
     }
 
     // Authenticate user via Authelia forward auth
@@ -444,5 +442,5 @@ switch (true) {
 
 // Close database connection if it was opened
 if (isset($conn)) {
-    $conn->close();
+    Database::close();
 }

migrations/000_baseline.sql

@@ -243,11 +243,12 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `ticket_templates` (
 
 -- ============ ticket_watchers ============
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `ticket_watchers` (
-  `ticket_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
+  `ticket_id` varchar(9) NOT NULL,
   `user_id` int(11) NOT NULL,
   `created_at` timestamp NOT NULL DEFAULT current_timestamp(),
   PRIMARY KEY (`ticket_id`,`user_id`),
-  KEY `idx_watcher_user` (`user_id`)
+  KEY `idx_watcher_user` (`user_id`),
+  CONSTRAINT `fk_watchers_ticket_id` FOREIGN KEY (`ticket_id`) REFERENCES `tickets` (`ticket_id`) ON DELETE CASCADE
 ) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_general_ci;
 
 -- ============ tickets ============

migrations/004_fix_ticket_watchers_type.sql

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+-- Fix ticket_watchers.ticket_id type mismatch and missing FK to tickets
+--
+-- ticket_watchers.ticket_id was int(11), while every other satellite table
+-- (ticket_comments, ticket_attachments, ticket_dependencies,
+-- custom_field_values) stores it as varchar(9)/varchar(10) matching
+-- tickets.ticket_id. There was also no FK constraint at all, unlike every
+-- other satellite table, so orphaned watcher rows could never be caught by
+-- referential integrity. Ticket IDs are always 9-digit numeric strings
+-- (see TicketModel::create's sprintf('%09d', ...)), so the int -> varchar(9)
+-- conversion below is lossless for real data.
+--
+-- Safe to re-run.
+
+-- Remove any watcher rows that no longer point at a real ticket (possible
+-- today precisely because there was no FK to prevent it) before adding the
+-- constraint, since orphans would make the ADD CONSTRAINT below fail.
+DELETE tw FROM `ticket_watchers` tw
+    LEFT JOIN `tickets` t ON tw.`ticket_id` = t.`ticket_id`
+    WHERE t.`ticket_id` IS NULL;
+
+ALTER TABLE `ticket_watchers`
+    MODIFY COLUMN `ticket_id` varchar(9) NOT NULL;
+
+ALTER TABLE `ticket_watchers`
+    DROP FOREIGN KEY IF EXISTS `fk_watchers_ticket_id`;
+
+ALTER TABLE `ticket_watchers`
+    ADD CONSTRAINT `fk_watchers_ticket_id` FOREIGN KEY (`ticket_id`) REFERENCES `tickets` (`ticket_id`) ON DELETE CASCADE;

migrations/migrate.php

@@ -46,6 +46,23 @@ if (!$conn->query($createTable)) {
     exit(1);
 }
 
+// Tracks per-statement progress within a migration file. MySQL DDL statements
+// (ALTER/CREATE TABLE, etc.) cause an implicit commit, so begin_transaction()/
+// rollback() around a whole file can't actually undo DDL already executed
+// earlier in that same file. This table lets a re-run after a partial failure
+// resume from the statement after the last one that succeeded, instead of
+// re-executing already-applied DDL and wedging on "already exists" errors.
+$createProgressTable = "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS migration_progress (
+    filename VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
+    last_statement_index INT NOT NULL,
+    updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+)";
+
+if (!$conn->query($createProgressTable)) {
+    echo "Error: Could not create migration_progress table: " . $conn->error . "\n";
+    exit(1);
+}
+
 // Get list of completed migrations
 $completed = [];
 $result = $conn->query("SELECT filename FROM migrations ORDER BY id");
@@ -114,47 +131,87 @@ foreach ($pending as $file) {
         continue;
     }
 
-    // Execute migration - handle multiple statements
+    // Execute migration statement-by-statement, tracking progress as we go.
-    $conn->begin_transaction();
+    // No begin_transaction()/rollback() here: DDL statements auto-commit in
-
+    // MySQL/MariaDB regardless, so a transaction wrapper around the whole
+    // file would only create the illusion of atomicity while giving no real
+    // protection. Instead, each statement commits immediately (autocommit),
+    // and its index is durably recorded so a later re-run can resume exactly
+    // where a previous run left off rather than re-executing already-applied
+    // DDL.
     try {
         // Split by semicolon but respect statements properly
         // Note: This doesn't handle semicolons in strings, but our migrations are simple
-        $statements = array_filter(
+        $statements = array_values(array_filter(
             array_map('trim', explode(';', $sql)),
             function($stmt) {
                 // Remove comments and check if there's actual SQL
                 $cleaned = preg_replace('/--.*$/m', '', $stmt);
                 return !empty(trim($cleaned));
             }
-        );
+        ));
+
+        $resumeFrom = 0;
+        $progressStmt = $conn->prepare(
+            "SELECT last_statement_index FROM migration_progress WHERE filename = ?"
+        );
+        $progressStmt->bind_param('s', $filename);
+        $progressStmt->execute();
+        $progressRow = $progressStmt->get_result()->fetch_assoc();
+        $progressStmt->close();
+        if ($progressRow) {
+            $resumeFrom = (int)$progressRow['last_statement_index'] + 1;
+            echo "\n  Resuming from statement " . ($resumeFrom + 1) . " of " . count($statements)
+                . " after a previous partial failure... ";
+        }
+
+        foreach ($statements as $index => $statement) {
+            if ($index < $resumeFrom) {
+                continue;
+            }
 
-        foreach ($statements as $statement) {
             if (!$conn->query($statement)) {
                 // Some "errors" are acceptable (like "index already exists")
                 $error = $conn->error;
                 if (strpos($error, 'Duplicate key name') !== false ||
                     strpos($error, 'already exists') !== false) {
                     // Index already exists, that's fine
-                    continue;
+                } else {
+                    throw new Exception($error);
                 }
-                throw new Exception($error);
             }
+
+            // Record progress after every statement so a later run can
+            // resume from here even if a subsequent statement fails.
+            $upsert = $conn->prepare(
+                "INSERT INTO migration_progress (filename, last_statement_index) VALUES (?, ?)
+                 ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE last_statement_index = VALUES(last_statement_index)"
+            );
+            $upsert->bind_param('si', $filename, $index);
+            $upsert->execute();
+            $upsert->close();
         }
 
-        // Record the migration
+        // Record the migration as fully complete and clear its progress marker
         $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO migrations (filename) VALUES (?)");
         $stmt->bind_param('s', $filename);
         if (!$stmt->execute()) {
             throw new Exception("Could not record migration: " . $conn->error);
         }
 
-        $conn->commit();
+        $clearProgress = $conn->prepare("DELETE FROM migration_progress WHERE filename = ?");
+        $clearProgress->bind_param('s', $filename);
+        $clearProgress->execute();
+        $clearProgress->close();
+
         echo "OK\n";
         $success++;
 
     } catch (Exception $e) {
-        $conn->rollback();
+        // Nothing to roll back: every statement up to the failure already
+        // committed (DDL implicitly, everything else via autocommit). The
+        // progress marker recorded above reflects exactly how far this file
+        // got, so the next run will resume right after the last success.
         echo "FAILED (" . $e->getMessage() . ")\n";
         $failed++;
     }

models/CommentModel.php

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ class CommentModel
         }
 
         $placeholders = str_repeat('?,', count($usernames) - 1) . '?';
-        $sql = "SELECT user_id, username, display_name FROM users WHERE username IN ($placeholders)";
+        $sql = "SELECT user_id, username, display_name, is_admin, `groups` FROM users WHERE username IN ($placeholders)";
         $stmt = $this->conn->prepare($sql);
 
         $types = str_repeat('s', count($usernames));

models/TicketModel.php

@@ -726,7 +726,10 @@ class TicketModel
             $groupConditions = [];
             foreach ($userGroups as $group) {
                 $groupConditions[] = "FIND_IN_SET(?, REPLACE(t.visibility_groups, ' ', ''))";
-                $params[] = $group;
+                // Strip spaces from the bound value too, matching the REPLACE()
+                // applied to the column, so a group name like "IT Support" is
+                // normalized the same way on both sides of the comparison.
+                $params[] = str_replace(' ', '', $group);
                 $types .= 's';
             }
             $conditions[] = "(t.visibility = 'internal' AND (" . implode(' OR ', $groupConditions) . "))";