Debounce the live markdown preview (#108)

updatePreview() was bound directly to the comment textarea's 'input'
event with no debounce, re-running the full markdown parser (regex
passes for headings, tables, links, footnotes, etc.) on every single
keystroke.

Wrapped it with the existing lt.debounce() helper (150ms) — the
initial preview render on enabling the toggle still happens
immediately; only the per-keystroke live updates are debounced.
Verified via jsdom with real timers: 10 rapid keystrokes within the
debounce window produce exactly one parse call instead of ten.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Lhz7pGMaoTfL5sdYS5XiKv

.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)
@@ -77,3 +84,9 @@ LDAP_BASE_DN="dc=example,dc=com"
 LDAP_USER_BASE="ou=people,dc=example,dc=com"
 ; How long to cache avatar images locally (seconds, default 3600)
 AVATAR_CACHE_TTL=3600
+
+; Session-based rate limits (requests per 60s window). These govern
+; browser/session traffic on general and API endpoints respectively;
+; Bearer-key API traffic is rate-limited separately, per API key.
+RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT=100
+RATE_LIMIT_API=60

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;
         }
     }
@@ -97,13 +97,39 @@ try {
                 exit;
             }
 
+            $wf_active  = (int)($data['is_active'] ?? 1);
+
+            // status_transitions already has a DB-level UNIQUE KEY on
+            // (from_status, to_status) (regardless of is_active), so a
+            // duplicate pair can't actually be inserted — but hitting that
+            // constraint raw surfaces as an opaque "internal error occurred"
+            // to the admin instead of a clear message. Check first so the
+            // common case (an admin re-adding a pair that already exists)
+            // gets a friendly, specific error.
+            $dupCheck = $conn->prepare(
+                "SELECT transition_id FROM status_transitions WHERE from_status = ? AND to_status = ?"
+            );
+            $dupCheck->bind_param('ss', $data['from_status'], $data['to_status']);
+            $dupCheck->execute();
+            if ($dupCheck->get_result()->fetch_assoc()) {
+                $dupCheck->close();
+                http_response_code(409);
+                echo json_encode([
+                    'success' => false,
+                    'error' => 'A transition already exists for '
+                        . $data['from_status'] . ' → ' . $data['to_status']
+                        . ' — edit that row instead of creating a duplicate.',
+                ]);
+                exit;
+            }
+            $dupCheck->close();
+
             $stmt = $conn->prepare("INSERT INTO status_transitions (from_status, to_status, requires_comment, requires_admin, is_active)
                                     VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");
             $wf_from    = $data['from_status'];
             $wf_to      = $data['to_status'];
             $wf_comment = (int)($data['requires_comment'] ?? 0);
             $wf_admin   = (int)($data['requires_admin'] ?? 0);
-            $wf_active  = (int)($data['is_active'] ?? 1);
             $stmt->bind_param('ssiii', $wf_from, $wf_to, $wf_comment, $wf_admin, $wf_active);
 
             if ($stmt->execute()) {
@@ -149,6 +175,28 @@ try {
                 exit;
             }
 
+            $wf_active  = (int)($data['is_active'] ?? 1);
+
+            // Same duplicate-pair guard as create, excluding this row itself.
+            $dupCheck = $conn->prepare(
+                "SELECT transition_id FROM status_transitions
+                 WHERE from_status = ? AND to_status = ? AND transition_id != ?"
+            );
+            $dupCheck->bind_param('ssi', $data['from_status'], $data['to_status'], $id);
+            $dupCheck->execute();
+            if ($dupCheck->get_result()->fetch_assoc()) {
+                $dupCheck->close();
+                http_response_code(409);
+                echo json_encode([
+                    'success' => false,
+                    'error' => 'A transition already exists for '
+                        . $data['from_status'] . ' → ' . $data['to_status']
+                        . ' — edit that row instead of creating a duplicate.',
+                ]);
+                exit;
+            }
+            $dupCheck->close();
+
             $stmt = $conn->prepare("UPDATE status_transitions SET
                                     from_status = ?, to_status = ?, requires_comment = ?, requires_admin = ?, is_active = ?
                                     WHERE transition_id = ?");
@@ -156,7 +204,6 @@ try {
             $wf_to      = $data['to_status'];
             $wf_comment = (int)($data['requires_comment'] ?? 0);
             $wf_admin   = (int)($data['requires_admin'] ?? 0);
-            $wf_active  = (int)($data['is_active'] ?? 1);
             $stmt->bind_param('ssiiii', $wf_from, $wf_to, $wf_comment, $wf_admin, $wf_active, $id);
 
             $success = $stmt->execute();

api/notifications.php

@@ -15,8 +15,10 @@
 
 require_once __DIR__ . '/bootstrap.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/UserPreferencesModel.php';
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/TicketModel.php';
 
 $prefsModel = new UserPreferencesModel($conn);
+$ticketModel = new TicketModel($conn);
 
 // ── POST: mark all read (update last_seen timestamp) ──────────────
 if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
@@ -204,7 +206,44 @@ foreach (array_merge($assignRows, $commentRows, $statusRows, $mentionRows) as $r
     $all[] = $row;
 }
 usort($all, fn($a, $b) => strcmp($b['created_at'], $a['created_at']));
-$all = array_slice($all, 0, 30);
+
+// Re-check current ticket visibility before surfacing anything: a
+// notification's audit_log entry reflects historical activity, but the
+// ticket's visibility (or the user's group/watcher standing) may have
+// tightened since. Without this, a notification still discloses the
+// ticket's title and that activity occurred to someone who currently
+// shouldn't see it, even though the ticket view's own access check would
+// correctly reject them from opening it.
+$candidateTicketIds = [];
+foreach ($all as $row) {
+    $details = json_decode($row['details'] ?? '{}', true) ?? [];
+    $actionType = ($row['action_type'] === 'create' && $row['entity_type'] === 'comment')
+        ? 'comment'
+        : $row['action_type'];
+    $tid = ($actionType === 'comment' || $actionType === 'mention')
+        ? ($details['ticket_id'] ?? 0)
+        : $row['entity_id'];
+    if ($tid) {
+        $candidateTicketIds[(string)$tid] = true;
+    }
+}
+$ticketsById = !empty($candidateTicketIds)
+    ? $ticketModel->getTicketsByIds(array_keys($candidateTicketIds))
+    : [];
+
+$all = array_filter($all, function ($row) use ($ticketsById, $currentUser, $ticketModel) {
+    $details = json_decode($row['details'] ?? '{}', true) ?? [];
+    $actionType = ($row['action_type'] === 'create' && $row['entity_type'] === 'comment')
+        ? 'comment'
+        : $row['action_type'];
+    $tid = (string)(($actionType === 'comment' || $actionType === 'mention')
+        ? ($details['ticket_id'] ?? 0)
+        : $row['entity_id']);
+    $ticket = $ticketsById[$tid] ?? null;
+    return $ticket && $ticketModel->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $currentUser);
+});
+
+$all = array_slice(array_values($all), 0, 30);
 
 // Format for response
 $notifications = [];

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_custom_fields.php

@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Save custom field values for a ticket.
+ *
+ * POST { ticket_id, values: { [field_id]: value, ... } }
+ *
+ * Only fields applicable to the ticket's current category (or category-less
+ * fields) are considered; anything else in `values` is ignored rather than
+ * persisted, so a value typed for a field that no longer applies (e.g. the
+ * category changed) can't linger as orphaned/misleading data.
+ */
+
+require_once __DIR__ . '/bootstrap.php';
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/TicketModel.php';
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/CustomFieldModel.php';
+
+if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] !== 'POST') {
+    http_response_code(405);
+    apiRespond(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Method not allowed']);
+}
+
+$data = json_decode(file_get_contents('php://input'), true);
+$ticketId = isset($data['ticket_id']) ? trim((string)$data['ticket_id']) : '';
+$values = is_array($data['values'] ?? null) ? $data['values'] : [];
+
+if ($ticketId === '') {
+    http_response_code(400);
+    apiRespond(['success' => false, 'error' => 'ticket_id required']);
+}
+
+$ticketModel = new TicketModel($conn);
+$ticket = $ticketModel->getTicketById($ticketId);
+if (!$ticket || !$ticketModel->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $currentUser)) {
+    http_response_code(404);
+    apiRespond(['success' => false, 'error' => 'Ticket not found']);
+}
+
+$fieldModel = new CustomFieldModel($conn);
+$definitions = $fieldModel->getAllDefinitions($ticket['category'], true);
+
+$errors = [];
+$toSave = [];
+foreach ($definitions as $def) {
+    $fieldId = (int)$def['field_id'];
+    $raw = $values[$fieldId] ?? ($values[(string)$fieldId] ?? null);
+
+    if ($def['field_type'] === 'checkbox') {
+        $normalized = !empty($raw) ? '1' : '0';
+    } else {
+        $normalized = is_scalar($raw) ? trim((string)$raw) : '';
+    }
+
+    if (!empty($def['is_required']) && $def['field_type'] !== 'checkbox' && $normalized === '') {
+        $errors[] = $def['field_label'] . ' is required';
+        continue;
+    }
+
+    if ($def['field_type'] === 'select' && $normalized !== '') {
+        $allowedOptions = $def['field_options']['options'] ?? [];
+        if (!in_array($normalized, $allowedOptions, true)) {
+            $errors[] = $def['field_label'] . ' has an invalid selection';
+            continue;
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($def['field_type'] === 'number' && $normalized !== '' && !is_numeric($normalized)) {
+        $errors[] = $def['field_label'] . ' must be a number';
+        continue;
+    }
+
+    $toSave[$fieldId] = $normalized;
+}
+
+if (!empty($errors)) {
+    http_response_code(422);
+    apiRespond(['success' => false, 'error' => implode('; ', $errors)]);
+}
+
+$fieldModel->setValues($ticketId, $toSave);
+
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/AuditLogModel.php';
+(new AuditLogModel($conn))->log($userId, 'update', 'ticket', $ticketId, [
+    'reason' => 'custom fields updated',
+]);
+
+apiRespond(['success' => true]);

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';
@@ -104,7 +104,10 @@ try {
             'update',
             'comment',
             (string)$commentId,
-            ['comment_text_preview' => substr($commentText, 0, 100)]
+            [
+                'ticket_id' => $comment['ticket_id'] ?? null,
+                'comment_text_preview' => substr($commentText, 0, 100),
+            ]
         );
     }
 

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');

assets/js/advanced-search.js

@@ -61,25 +61,46 @@ function populateCurrentFilters() {
     const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
 
     // Search text
-    if (urlParams.has('search')) {
-        document.getElementById('adv-search-text').value = urlParams.get('search');
-    }
+    document.getElementById('adv-search-text').value = urlParams.get('search') || '';
 
     // Status
-    if (urlParams.has('status')) {
-        const statuses = urlParams.get('status').split(',');
-        const statusSelect = document.getElementById('adv-status');
-        Array.from(statusSelect.options).forEach(option => {
-            option.selected = statuses.includes(option.value);
-        });
-    }
+    const statuses = urlParams.has('status') ? urlParams.get('status').split(',') : [];
+    const statusSelect = document.getElementById('adv-status');
+    Array.from(statusSelect.options).forEach(option => {
+        option.selected = statuses.includes(option.value);
+    });
+
+    // Date ranges
+    document.getElementById('adv-created-from').value = urlParams.get('created_from') || '';
+    document.getElementById('adv-created-to').value = urlParams.get('created_to') || '';
+    document.getElementById('adv-updated-from').value = urlParams.get('updated_from') || '';
+    document.getElementById('adv-updated-to').value = urlParams.get('updated_to') || '';
+
+    // Priority range
+    document.getElementById('adv-priority-min').value = urlParams.get('priority_min') || '';
+    document.getElementById('adv-priority-max').value = urlParams.get('priority_max') || '';
+
+    // Users
+    document.getElementById('adv-created-by').value = urlParams.get('created_by') || '';
+    document.getElementById('adv-assigned-to').value = urlParams.get('assigned_to') || '';
 }
 
 // Perform advanced search
 function performAdvancedSearch(event) {
     event.preventDefault();
 
-    const params = new URLSearchParams();
+    // Start from the CURRENT URL's params, not a fresh set, so a filter this
+    // form doesn't represent (e.g. a category/type filter applied via a
+    // dashboard quick-filter pill or stats-widget click) isn't silently
+    // dropped on submit. Only the params this form actually controls are
+    // set/cleared below; everything else passes through untouched.
+    const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
+    const advParams = [
+        'search', 'created_from', 'created_to', 'updated_from', 'updated_to',
+        'status', 'priority_min', 'priority_max', 'created_by', 'assigned_to',
+    ];
+    advParams.forEach(key => params.delete(key));
+    params.delete('page'); // filters changed — reset to page 1
 
     // Search text
     const searchText = document.getElementById('adv-search-text').value.trim();

assets/js/base.js

@@ -2801,7 +2801,7 @@
   };
 
   // Patch lt.api — auth-aware wrapper (renamed to avoid strict-mode duplicate declaration)
-  async function _apiFetchAuth(method, url, body) {
+  async function _apiFetchAuth(method, url, body, retried) {
     if (_authAccess && auth.isExpiringSoon()) await auth.refresh();
     const opts = { method, headers: Object.assign({ 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, csrfHeaders()) };
     if (_authAccess) opts.headers['Authorization'] = 'Bearer ' + _authAccess;
@@ -2821,6 +2821,15 @@
     // Resync CSRF token from any response body that carries a fresh one
     // (bootstrap rotates on success and returns the current token on rejection).
     if (data && data.csrf_token) global.CSRF_TOKEN = data.csrf_token;
+    // Auto-retry once on a stale-CSRF-token 403: the token lifetime (1h) is
+    // shorter than the session idle timeout (5h), so this is a routine,
+    // recoverable case (an hour of inactivity, or a write in another tab
+    // rotating the shared token) rather than a real rejection — resyncing
+    // above already has the fresh token, so silently resending once succeeds
+    // transparently instead of surfacing a confusing error on the first try.
+    if (resp.status === 403 && !retried && data && data.csrf_token) {
+      return _apiFetchAuth(method, url, body, true);
+    }
     if (!resp.ok) {
       const err = new Error(data.error || data.message || 'HTTP ' + resp.status);
       err.data = data;

assets/js/ticket.js

@@ -357,12 +357,17 @@ function togglePreview() {
 
     if (isPreviewEnabled) {
         preview.innerHTML = parseMarkdown(textarea.value);
-        textarea.addEventListener('input', updatePreview);
+        textarea.addEventListener('input', debouncedUpdatePreview);
     } else {
-        textarea.removeEventListener('input', updatePreview);
+        textarea.removeEventListener('input', debouncedUpdatePreview);
     }
 }
 
+// Re-running the full markdown parser on every single keystroke is wasted
+// work while the user is still mid-word; 150ms debounce keeps the preview
+// feeling live without re-parsing on every keystroke.
+const debouncedUpdatePreview = window.lt ? lt.debounce(updatePreview, 150) : updatePreview;
+
 function updatePreview() {
     const textarea = document.getElementById('newComment');
     const previewDiv = document.getElementById('markdownPreview');

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
 
@@ -136,9 +141,9 @@ $GLOBALS['config'] = [
     ],
     'UPLOAD_DIR' => __DIR__ . '/../uploads',
 
-    // Rate limiting
-    'RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT' => 100, // Requests per minute for general
-    'RATE_LIMIT_API' => 60, // Requests per minute for API
+    // Rate limiting (requests per minute; read by RateLimitMiddleware)
+    'RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT' => (int)($envVars['RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT'] ?? 100), // Session-based, general endpoints
+    'RATE_LIMIT_API' => (int)($envVars['RATE_LIMIT_API'] ?? 60),          // Session-based, API endpoints
 
     // Audit log settings
     'AUDIT_LOG_RETENTION_DAYS' => 90,

controllers/TicketController.php

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/AuditLogModel.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/UserModel.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/WorkflowModel.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/TemplateModel.php';
+require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/CustomFieldModel.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/UrlHelper.php';
 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/helpers/NotificationHelper.php';
 
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ class TicketController
     private $userModel;
     private $workflowModel;
     private $templateModel;
+    private $customFieldModel;
     private $conn;
 
     public function __construct($conn)
@@ -29,6 +31,7 @@ class TicketController
         $this->userModel = new UserModel($conn);
         $this->workflowModel = new WorkflowModel($conn);
         $this->templateModel = new TemplateModel($conn);
+        $this->customFieldModel = new CustomFieldModel($conn);
     }
 
     public function view($id)
@@ -60,6 +63,11 @@ class TicketController
         // Get allowed status transitions for this ticket
         $allowedTransitions = $this->workflowModel->getAllowedTransitions($ticket['status']);
 
+        // Custom fields applicable to this ticket's category, with any
+        // already-saved values for it
+        $customFieldDefs = $this->customFieldModel->getAllDefinitions($ticket['category'], true);
+        $customFieldValues = $this->customFieldModel->getValuesForTicket($id);
+
         // Make $conn available to view for visibility groups
         $conn = $this->conn;
 
@@ -73,6 +81,12 @@ class TicketController
         $currentUser = $GLOBALS['currentUser'] ?? null;
         $userId = $currentUser['user_id'] ?? null;
 
+        // All active custom field definitions (every category, plus
+        // category-less ones) — the create form renders them all and toggles
+        // visibility client-side as the Category select changes, since the
+        // ticket doesn't exist yet to scope the query to one category.
+        $allCustomFieldDefs = $this->customFieldModel->getAllDefinitions(null, true);
+
         // Check if form was submitted
         if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
             // Validate CSRF token
@@ -131,6 +145,38 @@ class TicketController
                 return;
             }
 
+            // Custom fields applicable to the submitted category — validate
+            // is_required server-side (the form is novalidate, and a field
+            // hidden by the client-side category toggle must not silently
+            // bypass a requirement that applies to the category actually
+            // submitted).
+            $submittedCustomFields = is_array($_POST['custom_fields'] ?? null) ? $_POST['custom_fields'] : [];
+            $applicableFieldDefs = array_filter(
+                $allCustomFieldDefs,
+                fn($def) => $def['category'] === null || $def['category'] === $ticketData['category']
+            );
+            $customFieldsToSave = [];
+            foreach ($applicableFieldDefs as $def) {
+                $fieldId = (int)$def['field_id'];
+                $raw = $submittedCustomFields[$fieldId] ?? null;
+                $normalized = $def['field_type'] === 'checkbox'
+                    ? (!empty($raw) ? '1' : '0')
+                    : (is_scalar($raw) ? trim((string)$raw) : '');
+
+                if (!empty($def['is_required']) && $def['field_type'] !== 'checkbox' && $normalized === '') {
+                    $error = $def['field_label'] . ' is required';
+                    $templates = $this->templateModel->getAllTemplates();
+                    $allUsers = $this->userModel->getAllUsers();
+                    $conn = $this->conn;
+                    include dirname(__DIR__) . '/views/CreateTicketView.php';
+                    return;
+                }
+
+                if ($normalized !== '') {
+                    $customFieldsToSave[$fieldId] = $normalized;
+                }
+            }
+
             // Create ticket with user tracking
             $result = $this->ticketModel->createTicket($ticketData, $userId);
 
@@ -144,6 +190,12 @@ class TicketController
                 require_once dirname(__DIR__) . '/models/StatsModel.php';
                 (new StatsModel($this->conn))->invalidateCache();
 
+                // Persist custom field values for the fields applicable to
+                // this ticket's category
+                if (!empty($customFieldsToSave)) {
+                    $this->customFieldModel->setValues($result['ticket_id'], $customFieldsToSave);
+                }
+
                 // Auto-link as duplicate if requested from create form
                 $linkDupOfRaw = trim($_POST['link_duplicate_of'] ?? '');
                 if ($linkDupOfRaw !== '' && ctype_digit($linkDupOfRaw)) {

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, [

cron/create_recurring_tickets.php

@@ -29,6 +29,38 @@ function logMessage($message)
     echo "[" . date('Y-m-d H:i:s') . "] " . $message . "\n";
 }
 
+/**
+ * Record a recurring-ticket occurrence that was claimed (next_run_at already
+ * advanced to the next future run) but then failed to actually produce a
+ * ticket. That claim-then-fail ordering is deliberate — it stops a failing
+ * creation from re-firing and flooding duplicates on every subsequent cron
+ * tick — but means this specific occurrence has no other record anywhere an
+ * admin would normally look: no audit_log entry (nothing was created), no
+ * Matrix "ticket created" alert, no failure table. Without this, it's simply
+ * gone, silently, forever.
+ */
+function recordMissedOccurrence($auditLog, $recurring, $reason)
+{
+    $auditLog->log(
+        $recurring['created_by'],
+        'error',
+        'recurring_ticket',
+        (string)$recurring['recurring_id'],
+        [
+            'reason' => $reason,
+            'title_template' => $recurring['title_template'],
+            'schedule_type' => $recurring['schedule_type'],
+        ]
+    );
+
+    NotificationHelper::sendSystemAlert(
+        "Recurring ticket occurrence lost: schedule #{$recurring['recurring_id']} "
+            . "(\"{$recurring['title_template']}\") was claimed for this run but ticket "
+            . "creation failed, so this occurrence will not be created or retried.",
+        ['reason' => $reason, 'recurring_id' => $recurring['recurring_id']]
+    );
+}
+
 logMessage("Starting recurring tickets cron job");
 
 try {
@@ -100,11 +132,17 @@ try {
 
                 $created++;
             } else {
-                logMessage("ERROR: Failed to create ticket - " . ($result['error'] ?? 'Unknown error'));
+                $reason = $result['error'] ?? 'Unknown error';
+                logMessage("ERROR: Failed to create ticket - " . $reason);
+                recordMissedOccurrence($auditLog, $recurring, $reason);
                 $errors++;
             }
         } catch (Exception $e) {
             logMessage("ERROR: Exception processing recurring ticket - " . $e->getMessage());
+            // claimForRun() already advanced next_run_at before this point, so
+            // this occurrence is permanently gone unless recorded somewhere an
+            // admin would actually look — a cron log line alone doesn't count.
+            recordMissedOccurrence($auditLog, $recurring, $e->getMessage());
             $errors++;
         }
     }

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');
         }

helpers/NotificationHelper.php

@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@ class NotificationHelper
         curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, json_encode($payload));
         curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
         curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10);
+        // A slow-but-not-fully-hung hookshot endpoint could otherwise add up
+        // to the full CURLOPT_TIMEOUT per fire() call, and a single request
+        // can call fire() (via notifyWatchers/sendCommentNotification/etc.)
+        // more than once sequentially — capping just the connect phase keeps
+        // that from stacking into tens of seconds of added latency.
+        curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 3);
 
         $response  = curl_exec($ch);
         $httpCode  = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
@@ -53,6 +59,23 @@ class NotificationHelper
 
     // ─── Public event methods ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+    /**
+     * Generic operational alert with no associated ticket (e.g. a recurring
+     * schedule whose ticket creation failed after its next_run_at was
+     * already advanced, so the missed occurrence has no other record an
+     * admin would normally see). Always sent to the shared
+     * MATRIX_NOTIFY_USERS list, regardless of any per-event notify toggle.
+     */
+    public static function sendSystemAlert(string $message, array $context = []): void
+    {
+        self::fire(array_merge([
+            'event'   => 'system_alert',
+            'message' => $message,
+        ], $context, [
+            'notify_users' => self::notifyUsers(),
+        ]));
+    }
+
     /**
      * New ticket created (manual or automated/API).
      *

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.
      *

middleware/RateLimitMiddleware.php

@@ -3,21 +3,34 @@
 /**
  * Rate Limiting Middleware
  *
- * Implements both session-based and IP-based rate limiting to prevent abuse.
- * IP-based limiting prevents attackers from bypassing limits by creating new sessions.
+ * Implements session-based, IP-based, and (for Bearer-authenticated
+ * requests) API-key-based rate limiting to prevent abuse.
+ * IP-based limiting prevents attackers from bypassing limits by creating new
+ * sessions; API-key-based limiting keeps distinct Bearer clients from
+ * starving each other's shared IP bucket.
  */
 class RateLimitMiddleware
 {
-    // Default limits
+    // Fallback limits, used only if $GLOBALS['config'] isn't populated
+    // (e.g. very early in bootstrap, or a test harness). Normal requests read
+    // RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT/RATE_LIMIT_API from config (backed by .env).
     public const DEFAULT_LIMIT = 100;      // requests per window (session)
     public const API_LIMIT = 60;           // API requests per window (session)
     public const IP_LIMIT = 300;           // IP-based requests per window (more generous)
     public const IP_API_LIMIT = 120;       // IP-based API requests per window
+    public const API_KEY_LIMIT = 120;      // Per-Bearer-token requests per window
     public const WINDOW_SECONDS = 60;      // 1 minute window
 
     // Directory for IP rate limit storage
     private static ?string $rateLimitDir = null;
 
+    private static function sessionLimit(string $type): int
+    {
+        $configKey = $type === 'api' ? 'RATE_LIMIT_API' : 'RATE_LIMIT_DEFAULT';
+        $fallback = $type === 'api' ? self::API_LIMIT : self::DEFAULT_LIMIT;
+        return (int)($GLOBALS['config'][$configKey] ?? $fallback);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Get the rate limit storage directory
      *
@@ -69,24 +82,47 @@ class RateLimitMiddleware
     }
 
     /**
-     * Check IP-based rate limit
+     * Extract the raw Bearer token from the Authorization header, if present.
+     * Deliberately independent of ApiKeyAuth: rate limiting must be cheap and
+     * must not require a DB round-trip to validate the key before counting
+     * the request, and needs to run whether or not the token turns out to be
+     * valid. The raw token string (not the validated api_key_id) is hashed as
+     * the bucket identifier — good enough to isolate distinct keys/clients
+     * from each other without needing to authenticate first.
      *
-     * @param string $type 'default' or 'api'
-     * @return bool True if request is allowed, false if rate limited
+     * @return string|null
      */
-    private static function checkIpRateLimit(string $type = 'default'): bool
+    private static function getBearerToken(): ?string
     {
-        $ip = self::getClientIp();
-        $limit = $type === 'api' ? self::IP_API_LIMIT : self::IP_LIMIT;
-        $now = time();
+        $header = $_SERVER['HTTP_AUTHORIZATION']
+            ?? $_SERVER['REDIRECT_HTTP_AUTHORIZATION']
+            ?? null;
+        if ($header === null && function_exists('getallheaders')) {
+            $headers = getallheaders();
+            $header = $headers['Authorization'] ?? null;
+        }
+        if ($header && preg_match('/^Bearer\s+(.+)$/i', $header, $m)) {
+            return $m[1];
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
 
-        // Create a hash of the IP for the filename (security + filesystem safety)
-        $ipHash = hash('sha256', $ip . '_' . $type);
-        $filePath = self::getRateLimitDir() . '/' . $ipHash . '.json';
+    /**
+     * Generic file-based sliding-window counter, shared by the IP-based and
+     * API-key-based buckets below.
+     *
+     * @param string $bucketKey Stable identifier for this bucket (already hashed)
+     * @param int    $limit     Max requests allowed per window
+     * @return bool True if this request is within the limit
+     */
+    private static function checkCounter(string $bucketKey, int $limit): bool
+    {
+        $now = time();
+        $filePath = self::getRateLimitDir() . '/' . $bucketKey . '.json';
 
         // Hold an exclusive lock across the whole read-modify-write so concurrent
-        // requests from the same IP can't both read the same count and each write
-        // count+1 (which would undercount and let the limit be exceeded).
+        // requests from the same bucket can't both read the same count and each
+        // write count+1 (which would undercount and let the limit be exceeded).
         $fh = @fopen($filePath, 'c+');
         if ($fh === false) {
             // Can't open the counter file — fail open (don't block legitimate traffic).
@@ -122,10 +158,60 @@ class RateLimitMiddleware
         flock($fh, LOCK_UN);
         fclose($fh);
 
-        // Check if over limit
         return $rateData['count'] <= $limit;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Read (without incrementing) the current state of a counter bucket, for
+     * status/header reporting.
+     */
+    private static function peekCounter(string $bucketKey, int $limit): array
+    {
+        $now = time();
+        $filePath = self::getRateLimitDir() . '/' . $bucketKey . '.json';
+
+        $rateData = null;
+        $content = @file_get_contents($filePath);
+        if ($content !== false && $content !== '') {
+            $decoded = json_decode($content, true);
+            if (is_array($decoded)) {
+                $rateData = $decoded;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if ($rateData === null || $now - ($rateData['window_start'] ?? $now) >= self::WINDOW_SECONDS) {
+            return ['limit' => $limit, 'remaining' => $limit, 'reset' => $now + self::WINDOW_SECONDS];
+        }
+
+        return [
+            'limit' => $limit,
+            'remaining' => max(0, $limit - $rateData['count']),
+            'reset' => $rateData['window_start'] + self::WINDOW_SECONDS,
+        ];
+    }
+
+    private static function ipBucketKey(string $type): string
+    {
+        return hash('sha256', self::getClientIp() . '_' . $type);
+    }
+
+    private static function apiKeyBucketKey(string $token): string
+    {
+        return hash('sha256', 'apikey_' . $token);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Check IP-based rate limit
+     *
+     * @param string $type 'default' or 'api'
+     * @return bool True if request is allowed, false if rate limited
+     */
+    private static function checkIpRateLimit(string $type = 'default'): bool
+    {
+        $limit = $type === 'api' ? self::IP_API_LIMIT : self::IP_LIMIT;
+        return self::checkCounter(self::ipBucketKey($type), $limit);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Clean up old rate limit files (call periodically)
      *
@@ -185,7 +271,14 @@ class RateLimitMiddleware
     }
 
     /**
-     * Check rate limit for current request (both session and IP)
+     * Check rate limit for current request.
+     *
+     * Bearer-authenticated requests (Authorization: Bearer ...) are limited
+     * by a per-token bucket instead of a session — a stateless API client
+     * never sends a session cookie back, so the session-based counter never
+     * accumulates and starting a session for it is pure overhead. The
+     * IP-based bucket still applies underneath as defense-in-depth against
+     * volumetric abuse from one network path.
      *
      * @param string $type 'default' or 'api'
      * @return bool True if request is allowed, false if rate limited
@@ -197,12 +290,17 @@ class RateLimitMiddleware
             return false;
         }
 
+        $token = self::getBearerToken();
+        if ($token !== null) {
+            return self::checkCounter(self::apiKeyBucketKey($token), self::API_KEY_LIMIT);
+        }
+
         // Then check session-based rate limit
         if (session_status() === PHP_SESSION_NONE) {
             session_start();
         }
 
-        $limit = $type === 'api' ? self::API_LIMIT : self::DEFAULT_LIMIT;
+        $limit = self::sessionLimit($type);
         $key = 'rate_limit_' . $type;
         $now = time();
 
@@ -270,18 +368,28 @@ class RateLimitMiddleware
     }
 
     /**
-     * Get current rate limit status
+     * Get current rate limit status.
+     *
+     * For a Bearer-authenticated request, reports the per-API-key bucket
+     * (the one that actually governs it) rather than the session-based
+     * counter, which is meaningless for a client that never sends a session
+     * cookie back.
      *
      * @param string $type 'default' or 'api'
      * @return array Rate limit status
      */
     public static function getStatus(string $type = 'default'): array
     {
+        $token = self::getBearerToken();
+        if ($token !== null) {
+            return self::peekCounter(self::apiKeyBucketKey($token), self::API_KEY_LIMIT);
+        }
+
         if (session_status() === PHP_SESSION_NONE) {
             session_start();
         }
 
-        $limit = $type === 'api' ? self::API_LIMIT : self::DEFAULT_LIMIT;
+        $limit = self::sessionLimit($type);
         $key = 'rate_limit_' . $type;
         $now = time();
 

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();

models/CustomFieldModel.php

@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ class CustomFieldModel
 {
     private $conn;
 
+    // Must match custom_field_definitions.field_type's enum() in the schema.
+    private const ALLOWED_FIELD_TYPES = ['text', 'textarea', 'select', 'checkbox', 'date', 'number'];
+
     public function __construct($conn)
     {
         $this->conn = $conn;
@@ -87,6 +90,10 @@ class CustomFieldModel
      */
     public function createDefinition($data)
     {
+        if (!in_array($data['field_type'] ?? '', self::ALLOWED_FIELD_TYPES, true)) {
+            return ['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid field_type'];
+        }
+
         $options = null;
         if (isset($data['field_options']) && !empty($data['field_options'])) {
             $options = json_encode($data['field_options']);
@@ -129,6 +136,10 @@ class CustomFieldModel
      */
     public function updateDefinition($fieldId, $data)
     {
+        if (!in_array($data['field_type'] ?? '', self::ALLOWED_FIELD_TYPES, true)) {
+            return ['success' => false, 'error' => 'Invalid field_type'];
+        }
+
         $options = null;
         if (isset($data['field_options']) && !empty($data['field_options'])) {
             $options = json_encode($data['field_options']);

models/TicketModel.php

@@ -773,9 +773,68 @@ class TicketModel
         $stmt->bind_param("ssis", $visibility, $visibilityGroups, $updatedBy, $ticketId);
         $result = $stmt->execute();
         $stmt->close();
+
+        if ($result) {
+            $this->pruneWatchersForVisibility($ticketId, $visibility, $visibilityGroups);
+        }
+
         return $result;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Remove any watchers who no longer qualify for a ticket's access rules
+     * after its visibility was tightened. Without this, a user watching a
+     * ticket that's later made confidential/internal (and who isn't
+     * creator/assignee/admin/in the new visibility_groups) keeps receiving
+     * Matrix notifications about a ticket canUserAccessTicket() would now
+     * reject them from opening directly.
+     */
+    private function pruneWatchersForVisibility(string $ticketId, string $visibility, ?string $visibilityGroups): void
+    {
+        $ticket = $this->getTicketById($ticketId);
+        if (!$ticket) {
+            return;
+        }
+        // getTicketById() reflects the just-committed UPDATE, but set these
+        // explicitly so pruning is correct even if a caller reorders things.
+        $ticket['visibility'] = $visibility;
+        $ticket['visibility_groups'] = $visibilityGroups;
+
+        $sql = "SELECT tw.user_id, u.is_admin, u.`groups`
+                FROM ticket_watchers tw
+                JOIN users u ON tw.user_id = u.user_id
+                WHERE tw.ticket_id = ?";
+        $stmt = $this->conn->prepare($sql);
+        $stmt->bind_param('s', $ticketId);
+        $stmt->execute();
+        $watchers = $stmt->get_result()->fetch_all(MYSQLI_ASSOC);
+        $stmt->close();
+
+        $toRemove = [];
+        foreach ($watchers as $watcher) {
+            $watcherUser = [
+                'user_id' => $watcher['user_id'],
+                'is_admin' => $watcher['is_admin'],
+                'groups' => $watcher['groups'],
+            ];
+            if (!$this->canUserAccessTicket($ticket, $watcherUser)) {
+                $toRemove[] = $watcher['user_id'];
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (empty($toRemove)) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $placeholders = implode(',', array_fill(0, count($toRemove), '?'));
+        $delSql = "DELETE FROM ticket_watchers WHERE ticket_id = ? AND user_id IN ($placeholders)";
+        $delStmt = $this->conn->prepare($delSql);
+        $types = 's' . str_repeat('i', count($toRemove));
+        $delStmt->bind_param($types, $ticketId, ...$toRemove);
+        $delStmt->execute();
+        $delStmt->close();
+    }
+
     /**
      * Delete a ticket and all its associated records.
      * Admin-only operation. Removes comments, attachments, watchers, dependencies.

models/WorkflowModel.php

@@ -31,9 +31,15 @@ class WorkflowModel
             return $cached;
         }
 
+        // ORDER BY makes which row wins deterministic (most recently created,
+        // by transition_id) in the pathological case where two active rows
+        // exist for the same (from_status, to_status) pair — manage_workflows.php
+        // now rejects creating that duplicate going forward, but this is a
+        // defense-in-depth backstop against any duplicate already in the DB.
         $sql = "SELECT from_status, to_status, requires_comment, requires_admin
                 FROM status_transitions
-                WHERE is_active = TRUE";
+                WHERE is_active = TRUE
+                ORDER BY transition_id ASC";
         $result = $this->conn->query($sql);
 
         if (!$result) {

views/CreateTicketView.php

@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
 
         <div class="lt-form-group">
           <label class="lt-label" for="category">Category</label>
-          <select id="category" name="category" class="lt-select">
+          <select id="category" name="category" class="lt-select" data-action="toggle-custom-fields">
             <option value="Hardware">Hardware</option>
             <option value="Software">Software</option>
             <option value="Network">Network</option>
@@ -211,6 +211,55 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
     </div>
   </div>
 
+  <?php if (!empty($allCustomFieldDefs)) : ?>
+  <!-- ── SECTION 5b: Custom Fields ─────────────────────────── -->
+  <div class="lt-frame lt-mb-md">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header">Additional Fields</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body">
+        <?php foreach ($allCustomFieldDefs as $cfDef) : ?>
+        <div class="lt-form-group custom-field-group"
+             data-custom-field-category="<?= htmlspecialchars($cfDef['category'] ?? '', ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
+            <?php
+            $cfName = 'custom_fields[' . (int)$cfDef['field_id'] . ']';
+            $cfId   = 'custom_field_' . (int)$cfDef['field_id'];
+            ?>
+          <label class="lt-label" for="<?= $cfId ?>">
+            <?= htmlspecialchars($cfDef['field_label'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?><?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? ' *' : '' ?>
+          </label>
+            <?php if ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'textarea') : ?>
+            <textarea id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input lt-textarea" rows="3"
+                      <?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? 'data-custom-field-required="1"' : '' ?>></textarea>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'select') : ?>
+            <select id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-select"
+                    <?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? 'data-custom-field-required="1"' : '' ?>>
+              <option value="">— Select —</option>
+                <?php foreach (($cfDef['field_options']['options'] ?? []) as $opt) : ?>
+                <option value="<?= htmlspecialchars($opt, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>"><?= htmlspecialchars($opt, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?></option>
+                <?php endforeach ?>
+            </select>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'checkbox') : ?>
+            <label class="lt-filter-option">
+              <input type="checkbox" class="lt-checkbox" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" value="1">
+                <?= htmlspecialchars($cfDef['field_label'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>
+            </label>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'date') : ?>
+            <input type="date" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   <?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? 'data-custom-field-required="1"' : '' ?>>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'number') : ?>
+            <input type="number" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   <?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? 'data-custom-field-required="1"' : '' ?>>
+            <?php else : ?>
+            <input type="text" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   <?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? 'data-custom-field-required="1"' : '' ?>>
+            <?php endif ?>
+        </div>
+        <?php endforeach ?>
+      <p class="lt-form-hint">Fields shown depend on the selected Category.</p>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+  <?php endif ?>
+
   <!-- ── SECTION 6: Description ───────────────────────────── -->
   <div class="lt-frame lt-mb-md">
     <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
@@ -316,6 +365,15 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
             .catch(function () { /* silent — duplicate check is non-critical */ });
     }
 
+    // ── Custom fields: show only the selected category's fields ──
+    function toggleCustomFields() {
+        var category = document.getElementById('category').value;
+        document.querySelectorAll('.custom-field-group').forEach(function (group) {
+            var fieldCategory = group.getAttribute('data-custom-field-category');
+            group.classList.toggle('is-hidden', fieldCategory !== '' && fieldCategory !== category);
+        });
+    }
+
     // ── Visibility groups toggle ──────────────────────────────
     var visibilityHints = {
         'public':       'Everyone who is logged in can view this ticket.',
@@ -387,9 +445,11 @@ include __DIR__ . '/layout_header.php';
         switch (target.getAttribute('data-action')) {
             case 'load-template':             loadTemplate();             break;
             case 'toggle-visibility-groups':  toggleVisibilityGroups();   break;
+            case 'toggle-custom-fields':      toggleCustomFields();       break;
         }
     });
 
+    toggleCustomFields();
     if (window.lt) lt.keys.initDefaults();
 }());
 </script>

views/TicketView.php

@@ -397,6 +397,12 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
           role="tab" data-tab="dependencies-panel" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="dependencies-panel">
     Dependencies
   </button>
+  <?php if (!empty($customFieldDefs)) : ?>
+  <button type="button" class="lt-tab" id="custom-fields-tab-btn"
+          role="tab" data-tab="custom-fields-panel" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="custom-fields-panel">
+    Custom Fields
+  </button>
+  <?php endif ?>
   <button type="button" class="lt-tab" id="activity-tab-btn"
           role="tab" data-tab="activity-panel" aria-selected="false" aria-controls="activity-panel">
     Activity
@@ -682,6 +688,60 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
   </div>
 </div>
 
+<?php if (!empty($customFieldDefs)) : ?>
+<!-- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+     TAB PANEL: CUSTOM FIELDS
+     ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ -->
+<div id="custom-fields-panel" class="lt-tab-panel" role="tabpanel" aria-labelledby="custom-fields-tab-btn">
+  <div class="lt-frame">
+    <span class="lt-frame-bl">╚</span><span class="lt-frame-br">╝</span>
+    <div class="lt-section-header">Custom Fields</div>
+    <div class="lt-section-body">
+      <div id="customFieldsMsg" class="lt-msg is-hidden lt-mb-md" role="alert" aria-live="polite"></div>
+      <?php foreach ($customFieldDefs as $cfDef) :
+            $cfValue = $customFieldValues[$cfDef['field_name']]['field_value'] ?? '';
+            $cfName  = 'custom_fields[' . (int)$cfDef['field_id'] . ']';
+            $cfId    = 'ticket_custom_field_' . (int)$cfDef['field_id'];
+            ?>
+        <div class="lt-form-group">
+          <label class="lt-label" for="<?= $cfId ?>">
+            <?= htmlspecialchars($cfDef['field_label'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?><?= $cfDef['is_required'] ? ' *' : '' ?>
+          </label>
+            <?php if ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'textarea') : ?>
+            <textarea id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input lt-textarea" rows="3"
+                      ><?= htmlspecialchars($cfValue, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?></textarea>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'select') : ?>
+            <select id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-select">
+              <option value="">— Select —</option>
+                <?php foreach (($cfDef['field_options']['options'] ?? []) as $opt) : ?>
+                <option value="<?= htmlspecialchars($opt, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>"
+                        <?= $opt === $cfValue ? 'selected' : '' ?>><?= htmlspecialchars($opt, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?></option>
+                <?php endforeach ?>
+            </select>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'checkbox') : ?>
+            <label class="lt-filter-option">
+              <input type="checkbox" class="lt-checkbox" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" value="1"
+                     <?= $cfValue === '1' ? 'checked' : '' ?>>
+                <?= htmlspecialchars($cfDef['field_label'], ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>
+            </label>
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'date') : ?>
+            <input type="date" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   value="<?= htmlspecialchars($cfValue, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
+            <?php elseif ($cfDef['field_type'] === 'number') : ?>
+            <input type="number" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   value="<?= htmlspecialchars($cfValue, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
+            <?php else : ?>
+            <input type="text" id="<?= $cfId ?>" name="<?= $cfName ?>" class="lt-input"
+                   value="<?= htmlspecialchars($cfValue, ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
+            <?php endif ?>
+        </div>
+      <?php endforeach ?>
+      <button type="button" id="saveCustomFieldsBtn" class="lt-btn lt-btn-primary lt-btn-sm">SAVE CUSTOM FIELDS</button>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+<?php endif ?>
+
 <!-- ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
      TAB PANEL: ACTIVITY
      ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ -->
@@ -1013,6 +1073,46 @@ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
         });
     }
 
+    // Save custom fields button
+    var saveCustomFieldsBtn = document.getElementById('saveCustomFieldsBtn');
+    if (saveCustomFieldsBtn) {
+        saveCustomFieldsBtn.addEventListener('click', function () {
+            var panel = document.getElementById('custom-fields-panel');
+            var msg = document.getElementById('customFieldsMsg');
+            var values = {};
+            panel.querySelectorAll('[name^="custom_fields["]').forEach(function (el) {
+                var m = el.name.match(/custom_fields\[(\d+)\]/);
+                if (!m) return;
+                var fieldId = m[1];
+                if (el.type === 'checkbox') {
+                    values[fieldId] = el.checked ? '1' : '0';
+                } else {
+                    values[fieldId] = el.value;
+                }
+            });
+
+            saveCustomFieldsBtn.disabled = true;
+            msg.classList.add('is-hidden');
+
+            lt.api.post('/api/ticket_custom_fields.php', {
+                ticket_id: window.ticketData.id,
+                values: values
+            }).then(function (data) {
+                saveCustomFieldsBtn.disabled = false;
+                if (data.success) {
+                    lt.toast.success('Custom fields saved', 3000);
+                } else {
+                    msg.textContent = data.error || 'Failed to save custom fields';
+                    msg.className = 'lt-msg lt-msg-danger lt-mb-md';
+                }
+            }).catch(function (error) {
+                saveCustomFieldsBtn.disabled = false;
+                msg.textContent = 'Failed to save custom fields: ' + error.message;
+                msg.className = 'lt-msg lt-msg-danger lt-mb-md';
+            });
+        });
+    }
+
     // Settings save/cancel
     // Load user preference toggles on settings modal open
     (function() {

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>

views/layout_footer.php

@@ -235,8 +235,7 @@
       }
 
       function loadNotifications() {
-        return fetch('/api/notifications.php', { credentials: 'same-origin' })
-          .then(function(r) { return r.json(); })
+        return lt.api.get('/api/notifications.php')
           .then(function(data) { renderNotifications(data); return true; })
           .catch(function() {
             list.innerHTML = '<div style="padding:0.75rem;font-size:0.75rem;color:var(--text-muted);text-align:center">Could not load</div>';
@@ -251,11 +250,7 @@
 
       if (clearBtn) {
         clearBtn.addEventListener('click', function() {
-          fetch('/api/notifications.php', {
-            method: 'POST', credentials: 'same-origin',
-            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'X-CSRF-Token': window.CSRF_TOKEN || '' },
-            body: JSON.stringify({ action: 'mark_read' })
-          }).then(loadNotifications);
+          lt.api.post('/api/notifications.php', { action: 'mark_read' }).then(loadNotifications);
         });
       }