Merge development into main: bulk-op notification/audit fixes + workflow-validated auto-reopen (#67, #68, #74)

- Fire notifications and fix audit_log shape for bulk status changes (#67, #74)
- Route hwmonDaemon's auto-reopen through Workflow Designer validation (#68)

.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
-; the PHP backend is reachable directly (bypassing the proxy), because a client
-; can then spoof those headers and log in as an admin. Only leave it empty when
-; network topology guarantees PHP is reachable solely via the trusted proxy.
+; trusts Remote-User / Remote-Groups headers from ANY source. If the PHP
+; backend is reachable directly -- a misconfigured firewall rule, a container
+; network accidentally exposing the port, SSRF from another internal service
+; -- 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

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
 // Disable error display in the output
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';

api/bootstrap.php

@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@
  *   // $conn, $currentUser, $userId, $isAdmin are now available
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Rate limiting (also starts session)
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';

api/bulk_operation.php

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
+
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
@@ -25,7 +28,7 @@ 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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * Creates a copy of an existing ticket with the same properties
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 
@@ -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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * CRUD operations for custom field definitions
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
@@ -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

@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
  */
 
 // Capture errors for debugging
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting (also starts session)
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  */
 
 // Disable error display in the output
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.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/download_attachment.php

@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@
  * Serves file downloads for ticket attachments
  */
 
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
+
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
 

api/export_tickets.php

@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
  */
 
 // Disable error display in the output
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';

api/generate_api_key.php

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
 // API endpoint for generating API keys (Admin only)
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.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

@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@
  * - 503 Service Unavailable: System has issues
  */
 
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
+
 // Don't apply rate limiting to health checks - they should always respond
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 header('Cache-Control: no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate');
@@ -162,6 +165,21 @@ 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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * CRUD operations for recurring_tickets table
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
@@ -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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * CRUD operations for ticket_templates table
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
@@ -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

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  * CRUD operations for status_transitions table
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/WorkflowModel.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/revoke_api_key.php

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
 // API endpoint for revoking API keys (Admin only)
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.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_comment_api.php

@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
 
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');

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

@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@
 
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');

api/tickets_api.php

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@
 
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Rate limiting (same pattern as the other Bearer API endpoints)
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';

api/update_comment.php

@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
  */
 
 // Disable error display in the output
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';

api/update_ticket.php

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
 // Enable error reporting for debugging
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0); // Don't display errors in the response
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
@@ -276,7 +276,8 @@ try {
                     $updateData['title'],
                     'status_changed',
                     ['old_status' => $currentTicket['status'], 'new_status' => $updateData['status'], 'changed_by' => $changedBy],
-                    (int)$this->userId
+                    (int)$this->userId,
+                    $currentTicket['visibility'] ?? 'public'
                 );
             }
 

api/upload_attachment.php

@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@
  */
 
 // Capture errors for debugging
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 // Apply rate limiting (also starts session)
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.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/user_avatar.php

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
  *   Returns 404 if the user has no avatar set in lldap.
  */
 
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');

config/config.php

@@ -106,6 +106,11 @@ $GLOBALS['config'] = [
     'SESSION_TIMEOUT' => 18000, // 5 hours in seconds
     'SESSION_REGENERATE_INTERVAL' => 300, // Regenerate session ID every 5 minutes
 
+    // How often an already-logged-in session re-validates Remote-User/
+    // Remote-Groups against current Authelia/LLDAP state (AuthMiddleware).
+    // Without this, a revoked admin keeps full access for up to SESSION_TIMEOUT.
+    'PRIVILEGE_RESYNC_INTERVAL' => 300, // 5 minutes
+
     // CSRF settings
     'CSRF_LIFETIME' => 3600, // 1 hour in seconds
 

create_ticket_api.php

@@ -2,15 +2,16 @@
 
 header('Content-Type: application/json');
 
-error_reporting(E_ALL);
-ini_set('display_errors', 0);
+require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init();
 
 require_once __DIR__ . '/middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php';
 RateLimitMiddleware::apply('api');
 
-// Load environment variables with error check
-$envFile = __DIR__ . '/.env';
-if (!file_exists($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'
@@ -18,37 +19,17 @@ if (!file_exists($envFile)) {
     exit;
 }
 
-$envVars = parse_ini_file($envFile, false, INI_SCANNER_TYPED);
-if (!$envVars) {
-    echo json_encode([
-        'success' => false,
-        'error' => 'Invalid configuration file'
-    ]);
-    exit;
-}
+// Load application config so UrlHelper can resolve APP_DOMAIN, and so the
+// DB connection below (via Database::getConnection()) gets the same
+// charset/timezone sync as every other endpoint instead of a hand-rolled
+// second connection.
+require_once __DIR__ . '/config/config.php';
+require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/Database.php';
 
-// Strip quotes from values if present (parse_ini_file may include them)
-foreach ($envVars as $key => $value) {
-    if (is_string($value)) {
-        if (
-            (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);
+try {
+    $conn = Database::getConnection();
+} catch (\Throwable $e) {
+    error_log('create_ticket_api: DB connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
     http_response_code(500);
     echo json_encode([
         'success' => false,
@@ -57,13 +38,12 @@ if ($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';
 require_once __DIR__ . '/models/StatsModel.php';
+require_once __DIR__ . '/models/TicketModel.php';
+require_once __DIR__ . '/models/WorkflowModel.php';
 require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/UrlHelper.php';
 
 $apiKeyAuth = new ApiKeyAuth($conn);
@@ -349,7 +329,7 @@ if ($existing) {
             (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
         }
 
-        $conn->close();
+        Database::close();
         echo json_encode([
             'success'            => true,
             'ticket_id'          => $existingId,
@@ -360,17 +340,52 @@ if ($existing) {
         exit;
     }
 
-    // Ticket was closed — reopen it and add a recurrence comment
-    $reopenStmt = $conn->prepare(
-        "UPDATE tickets SET status = 'Open', closed_at = NULL, updated_at = NOW(), updated_by = ? WHERE ticket_id = ?"
-    );
-    $reopenStmt->bind_param("is", $userId, $existingId);
-    $reopenStmt->execute();
-    $reopenStmt->close();
+    // Ticket was closed — reopen it and add a recurrence comment. Route
+    // through the Workflow Designer like every other status-write path in
+    // the app, rather than forcing status='Open' via raw SQL regardless of
+    // configured transition rules.
+    $workflowModel = new WorkflowModel($conn);
+    $reopenStatus = 'Open';
+    if (!$workflowModel->isTransitionAllowed('Closed', 'Open', false)) {
+        // Direct Closed->Open isn't configured — fall back to any transition
+        // the Workflow Designer does allow from Closed that this unattended,
+        // non-admin automation can actually satisfy (no comment prompt, no
+        // admin elevation). If even that doesn't exist, leave the ticket
+        // Closed rather than force an unconfigured state.
+        $reopenStatus = null;
+        foreach ($workflowModel->getAllowedTransitions('Closed') as $transition) {
+            if (!$transition['requires_comment'] && !$transition['requires_admin']) {
+                $reopenStatus = $transition['to_status'];
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($reopenStatus !== null) {
+        $ticketModel = new TicketModel($conn);
+        $ticketModel->updateTicket([
+            'ticket_id'   => $existingId,
+            'title'       => $title,
+            'description' => $description,
+            'category'    => $category,
+            'type'        => $type,
+            'status'      => $reopenStatus,
+            'priority'    => $priority,
+        ], $userId);
+    } else {
+        error_log("create_ticket_api: hwmonDaemon recurrence for ticket $existingId — "
+            . "no admin-free, comment-free transition from Closed is configured; leaving ticket Closed");
+    }
 
     $commentText = "**Issue recurred — ticket reopened automatically.**\n\n" .
                    "hwmonDaemon detected this condition again. The ticket description reflects the "
                    . "original report; see this comment's timestamp for when the issue recurred.";
+    if ($reopenStatus === null) {
+        $commentText = "**Issue recurred, but the ticket could not be reopened automatically.**\n\n"
+            . "hwmonDaemon detected this condition again. No Workflow Designer transition from "
+            . "Closed is configured that this automation can perform unattended (no comment/admin "
+            . "requirement); the ticket remains Closed. Please review and reopen manually if appropriate.";
+    }
     $commentStmt = $conn->prepare(
         "INSERT INTO ticket_comments (ticket_id, user_id, user_name, comment_text, markdown_enabled) VALUES (?, ?, 'hwmonDaemon', ?, 1)"
     );
@@ -378,30 +393,40 @@ if ($existing) {
     $commentStmt->execute();
     $commentStmt->close();
 
-    $auditLog->log($userId, 'update', 'ticket', $existingId, [
-        'status' => ['from' => 'Closed', 'to' => 'Open'],
-        'reason' => 'auto-reopened by hwmonDaemon (issue recurred)',
-    ]);
+    if ($reopenStatus !== null) {
+        $auditLog->log($userId, 'update', 'ticket', $existingId, [
+            'status' => ['from' => 'Closed', 'to' => $reopenStatus],
+            'reason' => 'auto-reopened by hwmonDaemon (issue recurred)',
+        ]);
 
-    // Ticket reopened (Closed → Open) — refresh dashboard stats.
-    (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
+        // Ticket reopened — refresh dashboard stats.
+        (new StatsModel($conn))->invalidateCache();
+    } else {
+        $auditLog->log($userId, 'update', 'ticket', $existingId, [
+            'reason' => 'hwmonDaemon recurrence detected but no valid reopen transition configured; ticket left Closed',
+        ]);
+    }
 
-    $conn->close();
+    Database::close();
 
-    require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
-    NotificationHelper::sendTicketNotification($existingId, [
-        'title'    => $title,
-        'priority' => $priority,
-        'category' => $category,
-        'type'     => $type,
-        'status'   => 'Open',
-    ], 'automated');
+    if ($reopenStatus !== null) {
+        require_once __DIR__ . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
+        NotificationHelper::sendTicketNotification($existingId, [
+            'title'    => $title,
+            'priority' => $priority,
+            'category' => $category,
+            'type'     => $type,
+            'status'   => $reopenStatus,
+        ], 'automated');
+    }
 
     echo json_encode([
         'success'   => true,
         'ticket_id' => $existingId,
-        'message'   => 'Existing closed ticket reopened',
-        'action'    => 'reopened',
+        'message'   => $reopenStatus !== null
+            ? 'Existing closed ticket reopened'
+            : 'Recurrence noted; ticket left Closed (no valid workflow transition configured)',
+        'action'    => $reopenStatus !== null ? 'reopened' : 'recurrence_noted',
     ]);
     exit;
 }
@@ -484,7 +509,7 @@ if ($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/ErrorHandler.php

@@ -10,26 +10,36 @@ class ErrorHandler
 {
     private static ?string $logFile = null;
     private static bool $initialized = false;
+    private static string $responseMode = 'json';
 
     /**
      * Initialize error handling
      *
-     * @param bool $displayErrors Whether to display errors (false in production)
+     * @param bool   $displayErrors Whether to display errors (false in production)
+     * @param string $responseMode 'json' (API endpoints) or 'html' (page views —
+     *                              renders views/error_500.php instead of a JSON body)
      */
-    public static function init(bool $displayErrors = false): void
+    public static function init(bool $displayErrors = false, string $responseMode = 'json'): void
     {
         if (self::$initialized) {
             return;
         }
 
+        self::$responseMode = $responseMode;
+
         // Set error reporting
         error_reporting(E_ALL);
         ini_set('display_errors', $displayErrors ? '1' : '0');
         ini_set('log_errors', '1');
 
-        // Set up log file
-        self::$logFile = sys_get_temp_dir() . '/tinker_tickets_errors.log';
-        ini_set('error_log', self::$logFile);
+        // Deliberately does NOT override the 'error_log' ini setting: doing so
+        // used to redirect every error_log() call in the request to a fixed
+        // /tmp file, silently diverting logs away from wherever the server is
+        // actually configured to send them (php-fpm's error_log, stdout in a
+        // container, etc.) the moment this got wired into more than one
+        // endpoint. self::$logFile / getRecentErrors() are unused (no callers
+        // app-wide) and exist only as an opt-in helper if something later
+        // wants a dedicated log file.
 
         // Register handlers
         set_error_handler([self::class, 'handleError']);
@@ -151,6 +161,17 @@ class ErrorHandler
     {
         http_response_code($httpCode);
 
+        if (self::$responseMode === 'html') {
+            if (!headers_sent()) {
+                header('Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8');
+            }
+            // Deliberately not passed $message/$exception — see error_500.php's
+            // docblock on why the fatal-error page must render with zero
+            // dependency on request-specific state.
+            include dirname(__DIR__) . '/views/error_500.php';
+            exit;
+        }
+
         if (!headers_sent()) {
             header('Content-Type: application/json');
         }

index.php

@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
 <?php
 
 // Main entry point for the application
+
+// Registered first, before anything else, so a genuine fatal anywhere below
+// (including during config.php's own env parsing) renders the styled 500
+// page instead of falling through to PHP's raw default error handling.
+require_once 'helpers/ErrorHandler.php';
+ErrorHandler::init(false, 'html');
+
 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 +25,12 @@ $requestPath = strtok($request, '?');
 
 // Create database connection for non-API routes
 if (!str_starts_with($requestPath, '/api/')) {
-    $conn = new mysqli(
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_HOST'],
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_USER'],
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_PASS'],
-        $GLOBALS['config']['DB_NAME']
-    );
-
-    if ($conn->connect_error) {
-        die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
+    try {
+        $conn = Database::getConnection();
+    } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+        error_log('index.php: database connection failed: ' . $e->getMessage());
+        http_response_code(500);
+        die('Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again shortly.');
     }
 
     // Authenticate user via Authelia forward auth
@@ -444,5 +449,5 @@ switch (true) {
 
 // Close database connection if it was opened
 if (isset($conn)) {
-    $conn->close();
+    Database::close();
 }

middleware/AuthMiddleware.php

@@ -92,6 +92,19 @@ class AuthMiddleware
             } else {
                 // Update last activity time
                 $_SESSION['last_activity'] = time();
+
+                // Periodically re-validate Remote-User/Remote-Groups against
+                // current Authelia/LLDAP state, so a revoked admin (or anyone
+                // dropped from the required groups) loses access promptly
+                // instead of keeping it for up to SESSION_TIMEOUT. Only the
+                // idle timer was checked above; nothing previously re-read
+                // these headers once a session already existed.
+                $resyncInterval = $GLOBALS['config']['PRIVILEGE_RESYNC_INTERVAL'] ?? 300;
+                $lastSync = $_SESSION['last_privilege_sync'] ?? 0;
+                if (time() - $lastSync > $resyncInterval) {
+                    $this->resyncPrivileges();
+                }
+
                 return $_SESSION['user'];
             }
         }
@@ -134,6 +147,7 @@ class AuthMiddleware
         // Store user in session
         $_SESSION['user'] = $user;
         $_SESSION['last_activity'] = time();
+        $_SESSION['last_privilege_sync'] = time();
 
         // Generate new CSRF token on login
         require_once __DIR__ . '/CsrfMiddleware.php';
@@ -142,6 +156,64 @@ class AuthMiddleware
         return $user;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Re-validate the current session's Remote-User/Remote-Groups against
+     * this request's forward-auth headers, and re-sync or revoke access on
+     * mismatch. Called periodically (PRIVILEGE_RESYNC_INTERVAL) from an
+     * already-authenticated session — see authenticate().
+     *
+     * Best-effort: if this particular request doesn't carry forward-auth
+     * headers at all (e.g. a proxy hiccup), the session is left as-is rather
+     * than force-logging the user out, and the check is simply retried on
+     * the next request past the interval.
+     */
+    private function resyncPrivileges(): void
+    {
+        $username = $this->getHeader('HTTP_REMOTE_USER');
+        $groups = $this->getHeader('HTTP_REMOTE_GROUPS');
+
+        if (empty($username)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $this->enforceTrustedProxy();
+
+        // A different Remote-User than the session's own means Authelia is
+        // now asserting a different identity entirely for this proxy path;
+        // don't silently relabel the session as that other user.
+        if ($username !== ($_SESSION['user']['username'] ?? null)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        if (!$this->checkGroupAccess($groups)) {
+            $this->logSecurityEvent('privilege_resync_revoked', [
+                'username' => $username,
+                'groups' => $groups ?: 'none',
+            ]);
+            session_unset();
+            session_destroy();
+            $this->redirectToAuth();
+            exit;
+        }
+
+        $displayName = $this->getHeader('HTTP_REMOTE_NAME');
+        $email = $this->getHeader('HTTP_REMOTE_EMAIL');
+
+        // Bypass UserModel's 5-minute in-process cache — that cache key isn't
+        // group-aware, so a stale cached hit here would silently keep serving
+        // the pre-revocation is_admin value for the rest of the cache's TTL.
+        UserModel::invalidateCache(null, $username);
+        $user = $this->userModel->syncUserFromAuthelia($username, $displayName, $email, $groups);
+
+        $wasAdmin = !empty($_SESSION['user']['is_admin']);
+        if ($wasAdmin && empty($user['is_admin'])) {
+            $this->logSecurityEvent('privilege_resync_admin_revoked', ['username' => $username]);
+        }
+
+        $_SESSION['user'] = $user;
+        $_SESSION['last_privilege_sync'] = time();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Reject forward-auth headers that did not arrive via a trusted proxy.
      *

models/BulkOperationsModel.php

@@ -125,13 +125,23 @@ class BulkOperationsModel
         $processed = 0;
         $failed = 0;
         $errors = [];
+        // Status-change notifications collected during the loop below and
+        // sent only after a successful commit, matching how the single-ticket
+        // and Bearer API paths never notify for a change that didn't durably
+        // land (and how an atomic-mode rollback must not fire any at all).
+        $notificationQueue = [];
 
         // Load required models
         require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/TicketModel.php';
         require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/AuditLogModel.php';
+        require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/UserModel.php';
+        require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
 
         $ticketModel = new TicketModel($this->conn);
         $auditLogModel = new AuditLogModel($this->conn);
+        $userModel = new UserModel($this->conn);
+        $actor = $operation['performed_by'] ? $userModel->getUserById((int)$operation['performed_by']) : null;
+        $changedByDisplay = $actor['display_name'] ?? $actor['username'] ?? null;
 
         // Batch load all tickets in one query to eliminate N+1 problem
         $ticketsById = $ticketModel->getTicketsByIds($ticketIds);
@@ -221,8 +231,18 @@ class BulkOperationsModel
                                         'update',
                                         'ticket',
                                         $ticketId,
-                                        ['status' => 'Closed', 'bulk_operation_id' => $operationId]
+                                        [
+                                            'status' => ['from' => $currentTicket['status'], 'to' => 'Closed'],
+                                            'bulk_operation_id' => $operationId,
+                                        ]
                                     );
+                                    $notificationQueue[] = [
+                                        'ticketId' => $ticketId,
+                                        'title' => $currentTicket['title'],
+                                        'visibility' => $currentTicket['visibility'] ?? 'public',
+                                        'oldStatus' => $currentTicket['status'],
+                                        'newStatus' => 'Closed',
+                                    ];
                                 }
                             }
                             break;
@@ -291,8 +311,18 @@ class BulkOperationsModel
                                             'update',
                                             'ticket',
                                             $ticketId,
-                                            ['status' => $parameters['status'], 'bulk_operation_id' => $operationId]
+                                            [
+                                                'status' => ['from' => $currentTicket['status'], 'to' => $parameters['status']],
+                                                'bulk_operation_id' => $operationId,
+                                            ]
                                         );
+                                        $notificationQueue[] = [
+                                            'ticketId' => $ticketId,
+                                            'title' => $currentTicket['title'],
+                                            'visibility' => $currentTicket['visibility'] ?? 'public',
+                                            'oldStatus' => $currentTicket['status'],
+                                            'newStatus' => $parameters['status'],
+                                        ];
                                     }
                                 }
                             }
@@ -364,6 +394,35 @@ class BulkOperationsModel
                     @unlink($path);
                 }
             }
+
+            // Fire the same Matrix/watcher notifications the single-ticket and
+            // Bearer API status-change paths send, now that every change in
+            // this batch is durably committed. Best-effort: a notification
+            // failure must never turn an otherwise-successful bulk operation
+            // into an error.
+            foreach ($notificationQueue as $n) {
+                try {
+                    NotificationHelper::sendStatusChangeNotification(
+                        $n['ticketId'],
+                        $n['oldStatus'],
+                        $n['newStatus'],
+                        $n['title'],
+                        $changedByDisplay,
+                        $n['visibility']
+                    );
+                    NotificationHelper::notifyWatchers(
+                        $this->conn,
+                        $n['ticketId'],
+                        $n['title'],
+                        'status_changed',
+                        ['old_status' => $n['oldStatus'], 'new_status' => $n['newStatus'], 'changed_by' => $changedByDisplay],
+                        (int)$operation['performed_by'],
+                        $n['visibility']
+                    );
+                } catch (Throwable $e) {
+                    error_log("Bulk operation $operationId: notification failed for ticket {$n['ticketId']}: " . $e->getMessage());
+                }
+            }
         } catch (Exception $e) {
             // Rollback on any unexpected error
             $this->conn->rollback();

views/error_500.php

@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Standalone 500/fatal-error page, rendered by ErrorHandler for page-view
+ * (non-API) requests.
+ *
+ * Deliberately self-contained: a genuine fatal can happen before config.php
+ * finishes loading, mid-session-start, or mid-DB-query, so this view must
+ * not depend on $GLOBALS['config'], $GLOBALS['currentUser'], a session, or a
+ * DB connection being available/working. It links the static base.css
+ * stylesheet (served directly by the webserver, independent of PHP) to
+ * match the app's look without going through layout_header.php's app-state
+ * dependent setup.
+ */
+
+?>
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html lang="en" data-theme="dark">
+<head>
+  <meta charset="UTF-8">
+  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
+  <title>500 &mdash; Something Went Wrong</title>
+  <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
+  <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/css/base.css">
+</head>
+<body>
+  <div class="lt-frame" style="max-width:32rem;margin:4rem auto">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header lt-text-danger">[ 500 ] SOMETHING WENT WRONG</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body lt-text-center">
+      <p class="lt-text-muted lt-mb-md">
+        An unexpected error occurred. It's been logged; please try again shortly.
+      </p>
+      <a href="/" class="lt-btn lt-btn-primary">&larr; Dashboard</a>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</body>
+</html>