Inspector 0.9.2: settings validation, sign-in hardening and other fixes

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,72 @@ Version numbers follow [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html
 
 ---
 
+## [0.9.2] — 2026-10-28
+
+Fixes from a code and security review. None of them change how containers are
+monitored or recovered.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **A bad value saved from Settings can no longer stop Inspector from starting.**
+  The forms now reject invalid times (maintenance start/end), unknown log levels and
+  out-of-range numbers (for example `interval_seconds: 0`, which made the loop spin).
+  If `config.yml` already has such a value, Inspector starts with the default and
+  logs a warning instead of crashing in a restart loop.
+- **The dashboard password can no longer be cleared.** Saving an empty password (or
+  username) is refused, and an empty password never signs anyone in. Before, clearing
+  it left the running dashboard open to anyone.
+- **Passwords with non-ASCII characters (é, ü, £ …) now work.** Before, every login
+  attempt with one crashed.
+- The Events page no longer errors for a moment after a container is removed.
+- The HTTP check hint no longer suggests `302` as an expected status; redirects are
+  followed, so the final page's code is what counts.
+
+### Security
+
+- **Sign-in throttling:** after 5 failed sign-ins (form or Basic Auth) from one address
+  within 5 minutes, that address is refused for the rest of the window.
+- **Changing the dashboard username or password signs out existing sessions.**
+  Expired sessions are cleaned up.
+- Request bodies are limited to 1 MB; an invalid `Content-Length` gets a 400.
+- The Gotify token is sent in the `X-Gotify-Key` header instead of the URL, so it no
+  longer appears in Gotify or reverse-proxy access logs.
+- Portainer token environment variables must be named `PORTAINER_…` (a name already in
+  your `config.yml` keeps working), so Test connection can't be used to send other
+  container secrets to an arbitrary URL.
+- Single quotes are escaped in HTML, and the delete confirmations build their text safely.
+- Two settings saves at the same moment can no longer overwrite each other.
+- `requests` updated to 2.32.5 (CVE-2024-47081).
+
+---
+
+## [0.9.1] — 2026-10-28
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **A dependency on a disabled container no longer blocks recovery forever.** If
+  `depends_on` named a container that is disabled in Inspector, the dependent app was
+  never restarted. Inspector now only waits for dependencies it is watching, and the
+  container page warns when the selected dependency is disabled.
+- **`PORTAINER_API_TOKEN` now reaches the container.** The public `compose.yml` didn't
+  pass it in, so setting it as a Portainer stack variable had no effect. Existing
+  stacks need the line `- PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}` added under
+  `environment:` (Stacks → inspector → Editor).
+- The "depends_on … is disabled or not found" warning was logged on every check
+  (since 0.8.0). It is now logged once, and again only when the container settings
+  change.
+
+### Changed
+
+- Guide: new sections **6. Apps behind a VPN container** (why depends_on matters, how to
+  spot a VPN-routed app, setup, what Inspector does) and **7. Portainer stack redeploy**
+  (why it's needed, what a redeploy does to the whole stack, requirements, where to find
+  every value, adding the token, the other settings, Test connection errors).
+- Clearer form hints: `vpn_routed` only affects logging; `depends_on` works for any
+  dependency; where to find the endpoint ID.
+
+---
+
 ## [0.9.0] — 2026-10-28
 
 ### Added

INSTALL.md

@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ TZ=America/Los_Angeles
 | `INSPECTOR_PORT` | Port on your server for the dashboard. Change it if `8080` is taken. | No (default `8080`) |
 | `INSPECTOR_TAG` | Version to run, e.g. `0.8.0`. See [Updating](#4-updating). | No (default `latest`) |
 | `PUID` / `PGID` | User and group that own Inspector's files. Unraid users often use `99` / `100` so the files match other appdata. | No (default `1000` / `1000`) |
+| `PORTAINER_API_TOKEN` | A Portainer access token. Only needed if you use **Portainer stack redeploy** for VPN-routed apps; see the in-app guide (Help → Portainer). | No |
 
 ## 3. Deploy and sign in
 

README.md

@@ -91,7 +91,8 @@ and that socket is effectively root on your server. So:
 
 - Keep the dashboard on your home network, or put it behind a VPN or a reverse
   proxy with authentication. Don't expose port 8080 to the internet.
-- Use a real dashboard password.
+- Use a real dashboard password. Repeated failed sign-ins from one address are
+  blocked for a few minutes.
 - Inspector itself runs as an unprivileged user; it starts as root only to detect
   the socket's permissions and fix ownership of its own folders.
 

compose.yml

@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
 #   INSPECTOR_TAG       Image version to run (default "latest"; e.g. 0.8.0 to pin).
 #   PUID / PGID         User/group Inspector runs as (default 1000/1000).
 #                       Unraid users often prefer 99 / 100.
+#   PORTAINER_API_TOKEN Portainer access token, only if you use stack redeploy
+#                       (Settings -> Portainer in the dashboard).
 #
 # No config file to create, no docker group ID to look up: Inspector creates
 # its config on first start and detects Docker socket permissions by itself.
@@ -36,3 +38,4 @@ services:
       - INSPECTOR_PASSWORD=${INSPECTOR_PASSWORD:-}
       - PUID=${PUID:-1000}
       - PGID=${PGID:-1000}
+      - PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}

requirements.txt

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 docker==7.1.0
 PyYAML==6.0.2
-requests==2.32.3
+requests==2.32.5
 colorlog==6.9.0
 ruamel.yaml==0.18.6

src/inspector/__init__.py

@@ -1 +1 @@
-__version__ = "0.9.0"
+__version__ = "0.9.2"

src/inspector/assets/guide/guide.html

@@ -78,10 +78,12 @@
   <a href="#status">3. The Status page</a>
   <a href="#notifications">4. Notifications</a>
   <a href="#containers">5. Managing containers</a>
-  <a href="#events">6. Events history</a>
+  <a href="#vpn">6. Apps behind a VPN</a>
-  <a href="#settings">7. Other settings</a>
+  <a href="#portainer">7. Portainer stack redeploy</a>
-  <a href="#restart">8. "Requires restart" fields</a>
+  <a href="#events">8. Events history</a>
-  <a href="#trouble">9. Troubleshooting</a>
+  <a href="#settings">9. Other settings</a>
+  <a href="#restart">10. "Requires restart" fields</a>
+  <a href="#trouble">11. Troubleshooting</a>
 </nav>
 
 <main>
@@ -175,7 +177,7 @@ Each card shows:</p>
       under Apps). <b>Pushover</b>: enter your application API token and your user key.</li>
   <li>Click <b>Send test</b>. You should get a message on your phone within seconds. If it fails,
       the reason appears next to the button.</li>
-  <li>Click <b>Save</b>, then restart Inspector once (see <a href="#restart">section 8</a>),
+  <li>Click <b>Save</b>, then restart Inspector once (see <a href="#restart">section 10</a>),
       because turning a channel on or off is a "requires restart" field.</li>
 </ol>
 <p>You'll get one alert when a container first fails, when Inspector restarts it, and when it
@@ -220,32 +222,159 @@ Inspector to act on it.</p>
 <figure><img src="container-advanced.png" alt="Reachability, Dependencies and Recovery groups">
 <figcaption>Bottom of a container's page: an app behind a VPN container with an HTTP check and stack-redeploy recovery.</figcaption></figure>
 
-<h3>Apps behind a VPN container</h3>
+</section>
-<p>If an app shares a VPN container's network (<code>network_mode: container:vpn</code> or similar), set these on the app's page:</p>
+
+<section id="vpn">
+<h2>6. Apps behind a VPN container</h2>
+<h3>Why these apps need special handling</h3>
+<p>A common setup routes download and indexer apps through a VPN container. Those apps don't get a
+network of their own: their compose file says <code>network_mode: container:&lt;vpn&gt;</code> (or
+<code>service:&lt;vpn&gt;</code>) and all their traffic goes through the VPN container. That causes
+two problems for a watchdog:</p>
+<ul>
+  <li><b>When the VPN breaks, every app behind it breaks at the same time.</b> Restarting the apps
+    does nothing while the tunnel is down. Without help, Inspector would restart each app over and
+    over, use up their hourly restart limits, and flood you with alerts, all for a problem in a
+    different container.</li>
+  <li><b>When the VPN container is recreated</b> (an image update, or someone redeploys its stack),
+    it gets a new container ID. The apps still point at the old one, so a normal restart fails with
+    errors like <i>"No such container"</i> or <i>"joining network namespace"</i>. The only fix is
+    to recreate the apps too, which is what a Portainer stack redeploy does
+    (<a href="#portainer">section 7</a>).</li>
+</ul>
+<h3>How to tell if an app is behind a VPN</h3>
+<ul>
+  <li>In Portainer open <b>Stacks → your stack → Editor</b> and look for
+    <code>network_mode: container:…</code> or <code>network_mode: service:…</code> on the app.</li>
+  <li>Or open <b>Containers → the app</b>: under <b>Network</b> it shows the VPN container instead
+    of a normal network, and it has no ports of its own (they're published on the VPN container).</li>
+</ul>
+<h3>Setting it up</h3>
 <ol class="steps">
-  <li><b>Dependencies → depends_on</b>: pick the VPN container, and turn on <b>vpn_routed</b>.
+  <li><b>Add the VPN container to Inspector and keep it enabled</b> (restart on UNHEALTHY and NOT
-    Inspector checks the VPN first and waits for it to recover before touching the app.</li>
+    RUNNING is a good start). Inspector can only wait for containers it is watching: if the VPN
-  <li><b>Recovery → recovery_action</b>: choose <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b>
+    container is disabled, its apps are recovered normally, as if there were no dependency, and the
-    and enter the <b>stack name</b> exactly as Portainer shows it. When the VPN container gets
+    container page shows a warning.</li>
-    recreated, a plain restart of the app fails; redeploying the stack reconnects it.</li>
+  <li>On each app behind it, set <b>Dependencies → depends_on</b> to the VPN container.</li>
+  <li>Turn on <b>vpn_routed</b>. This only changes the log: Inspector writes down when it holds off
+    on the app because the VPN is down. The waiting itself comes from depends_on.</li>
+  <li>Add an <b>HTTP check</b> (<a href="#containers">section 5</a>) using your server's IP and the
+    port published on the VPN container, and tick <b>UNREACHABLE</b>. Docker often still reports
+    these apps as healthy when the tunnel is down; the HTTP check notices.</li>
+  <li>Under <b>Recovery</b>, choose <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b> and enter the
+    stack name. This needs the Portainer connection from <a href="#portainer">section 7</a>.</li>
 </ol>
-<p>Stack redeploys need the Portainer connection in <b>Settings → Portainer</b>:</p>
+<h3>What Inspector then does</h3>
+<p>Every check, it looks at the VPN container first. While the VPN is anything other than healthy
+(or starting, or running without a health check), the apps that depend on it are not restarted;
+Inspector fixes the VPN first. Once the VPN is healthy again, the apps are handled normally: a
+restart first, and a stack redeploy if the restart fails or doesn't help.</p>
+<p class="note"><b>depends_on isn't only for VPNs.</b> Use it for any "B needs A" pair, such as an
+app and its database: Inspector won't restart the app while its database is down.</p>
+</section>
+
+<section id="portainer">
+<h2>7. Portainer stack redeploy</h2>
+<h3>Why Inspector needs Portainer</h3>
+<p>Inspector talks to Docker directly, so it can restart or start a container. It can't
+<i>recreate</i> one: that needs the container's compose definition, which lives in Portainer. A
+stack redeploy asks Portainer to do exactly what its <b>Update the stack</b> button does. That's
+how VPN-routed apps get reattached to a recreated VPN container. You only need this if you use one
+of the two "redeploy" recovery actions.</p>
+<p class="note warn"><b>A redeploy affects the whole stack.</b> Portainer pulls the latest images
+and recreates <i>every</i> container in that stack, not just the failing app, so all of them blink
+off for a moment. That's why <b>Restart, then redeploy stack if that fails</b> is the recommended
+choice: most problems are fixed by the plain restart, and the redeploy is only used when that
+doesn't work.</p>
+<h3>Requirements</h3>
+<ul>
+  <li>The app must belong to a stack that was <b>created in Portainer</b>. In <b>Stacks</b>, stacks
+    created elsewhere (for example with <code>docker compose</code> on the command line) are marked
+    <b>Limited</b>, and Portainer can't redeploy them.</li>
+  <li>An access token for a Portainer user who can manage that stack. An administrator's token is
+    the simplest.</li>
+</ul>
+
+<h3>Step 1: find the values</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Setting</th><th>Where to find it</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>base_url</td><td>The address you open Portainer at, without anything after the port:
+    usually <code>http://&lt;server-ip&gt;:9000</code> or <code>https://&lt;server-ip&gt;:9443</code>.
+    Use the server's IP, not <code>localhost</code>: Inspector runs in its own container.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>endpoint_id</td><td>On Portainer's <b>Home</b> page, click your environment (often
+    <b>local</b>). The browser address then ends like <code>#!/2/docker/dashboard</code>: the
+    number after <code>#!/</code> is the endpoint ID (here <code>2</code>).</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>stack name</td><td><b>Stacks</b> list, <b>Name</b> column, spelled exactly the same.
+    This goes on each app's container page, not on the Portainer page.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>verify_ssl</td><td>Leave off for <code>http://</code> and for Portainer's built-in
+    self-signed certificate on 9443. Turn on only if Portainer has a real certificate.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>API token</td><td>Click your username (top right) → <b>My account</b> →
+    <b>Access tokens</b> → <b>Add access token</b>. Name it <code>inspector</code> and copy the
+    token straight away: Portainer shows it only once.</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<h3>Step 2: give Inspector the token</h3>
+<p><b>Recommended: an environment variable.</b> The token then never lands in
+<code>config.yml</code> or its backups.</p>
 <ol class="steps">
-  <li>In Portainer, open <b>My account → Access tokens</b> and create a token.</li>
+  <li>In Portainer open <b>Stacks → inspector → Editor</b>.</li>
-  <li>Easiest and safest: add it to the Inspector stack as an environment variable (for example
+  <li>Check that the compose file has this line under <code>environment:</code> (it's in the
-    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>) and redeploy Inspector. Or choose <b>Saved in config.yml</b>
+    compose file from version 0.9.1 on; add it if your stack is older):
-    and paste it in.</li>
+    <code>- PORTAINER_API_TOKEN=${PORTAINER_API_TOKEN:-}</code></li>
-  <li>In <b>Settings → Portainer</b>, add an environment with Portainer's URL and endpoint ID
+  <li>Under <b>Environment variables</b> click <b>Add an environment variable</b>: name
-    (usually 1 or 2; it's the number in the URL when you open the environment in Portainer).
+    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>, value the token.</li>
-    Click <b>Test connection</b>: it should list your stacks.</li>
+  <li>Click <b>Update the stack</b>. Inspector restarts with the token available.</li>
-  <li>Turn Portainer on and save.</li>
+</ol>
+<p><b>Alternative: save it in Inspector.</b> In the next step choose <b>Saved in config.yml</b>
+and paste the token. It is masked in the dashboard, but anyone who can read Inspector's config
+folder (or a backup of it) can read the token.</p>
+
+<h3>Step 3: connect Inspector</h3>
+<ol class="steps">
+  <li>Open <b>Settings → Portainer</b>. Under <b>Add environment</b>, give it a name (your own
+    label, e.g. <code>home</code>) and fill in base_url, endpoint_id and verify_ssl.</li>
+  <li><b>API token stored as</b>: <i>Environment variable</i> with the name
+    <code>PORTAINER_API_TOKEN</code>, or <i>Saved in config.yml</i> with the token.</li>
+  <li>Click <b>Test connection</b>. It should list the stacks on that endpoint; check that your
+    app's stack is there. Then <b>Save new environment</b>.</li>
+  <li>At the top of the page turn <b>enabled</b> on, pick the <b>default_environment</b>, and
+    <b>Save Portainer</b>.</li>
+  <li>On each app's container page, set the recovery action and stack name
+    (<a href="#vpn">section 6</a>). Leave <b>portainer_environment</b> on <i>Default</i> unless
+    you connected more than one Portainer.</li>
 </ol>
 <figure><img src="settings-portainer.png" alt="Portainer settings">
 <figcaption>Settings → Portainer with one environment; the token comes from an environment variable.</figcaption></figure>
+
+<h3>The other settings on the page</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Setting</th><th>What it does</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>default_environment</td><td>Which connection apps use when they don't pick one. With a
+    single environment you can leave it on Automatic.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds</td><td>Minimum time between two redeploys of the same
+    stack (default 300). Several apps often share a stack; this stops them triggering a redeploy
+    each.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>post_redeploy_wait_seconds</td><td>How long Inspector waits after a redeploy for the
+    stack to come up before judging it again (default 90).</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<h3>If Test connection fails</h3>
+<table>
+  <tr><th>Message</th><th>Fix</th></tr>
+  <tr><td>environment variable … is not set</td><td>The compose line from step 2 is missing, or
+    the stack wasn't updated after adding the variable.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>the API token was rejected</td><td>Token copied wrong, deleted, or from a user without
+    access. Create a new one.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>no stacks found on endpoint N</td><td>Wrong endpoint ID; check the number in the
+    Portainer address again.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>request failed …</td><td>Wrong address or port, <code>http</code> vs <code>https</code>
+    mixed up, or <code>localhost</code> used instead of the server IP. With https and a
+    self-signed certificate, turn verify_ssl off.</td></tr>
+</table>
 </section>
 
 <section id="events">
-<h2>6. Events history</h2>
+<h2>8. Events history</h2>
 <p>The <b>Events</b> tab is a day-by-day timeline of failures, restarts, recoveries, mutes, and
 maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
 <figure><img src="events.png" alt="Events timeline">
@@ -253,7 +382,7 @@ maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="settings">
-<h2>7. Other settings</h2>
+<h2>9. Other settings</h2>
 <figure><img src="settings-inspector.png" alt="Inspector loop settings">
 <figcaption>Settings → Inspector loop.</figcaption></figure>
 <table>
@@ -266,14 +395,14 @@ maintenance. Use <b>Prev day</b> / <b>Next day</b> to look back.</p>
   <tr><td>Maintenance</td><td>A daily quiet window (e.g. 02:00–05:00) so nightly backups or updates don't trigger restarts. Turn on <b>maintenance_window</b> on each container that should follow it.</td></tr>
   <tr><td>Notification mute</td><td>Turns the per-container <b>Mute notifications</b> buttons on or off, and sets how long a mute lasts.</td></tr>
   <tr><td>Uptime Kuma</td><td>Connection to your Uptime Kuma status page, used by container reachability checks.</td></tr>
-  <tr><td>Portainer</td><td>Connection to Portainer, used to redeploy stacks. See <a href="#containers">Apps behind a VPN container</a>.</td></tr>
+  <tr><td>Portainer</td><td>Connection to Portainer, used to redeploy stacks. See <a href="#portainer">section 7</a>.</td></tr>
 </table>
 <p>At the bottom of every settings page is a strip showing where the config file lives and
 whether Inspector can write to it.</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="restart">
-<h2>8. "Requires restart" fields</h2>
+<h2>10. "Requires restart" fields</h2>
 <p>Most changes apply on the next check. Fields marked
 <span class="tag t-violet">REQUIRES RESTART</span> (like turning a notification channel or the
 dashboard on or off) only take effect after Inspector restarts:</p>
@@ -285,7 +414,7 @@ dashboard on or off) only take effect after Inspector restarts:</p>
 </section>
 
 <section id="trouble">
-<h2>9. Troubleshooting</h2>
+<h2>11. Troubleshooting</h2>
 <table>
   <tr><th>Problem</th><th>Fix</th></tr>
   <tr><td>Red <b>READ-ONLY</b> badge at the bottom of Settings</td>

src/inspector/config.py

@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import io
+import logging
 import os
 import shutil
 import threading
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from datetime import time
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import yaml
@@ -23,6 +25,30 @@ VALID_STATUSES = {
     "UNREACHABLE",
 }
 
+log = logging.getLogger("inspector.config")
+
+# Names logging.setLevel() accepts; anything else would crash at startup.
+VALID_LOG_LEVELS = {"CRITICAL", "FATAL", "ERROR", "WARN", "WARNING", "INFO", "DEBUG", "NOTSET"}
+
+
+def valid_hhmm(value: str) -> bool:
+    """True if `value` parses the way the maintenance tracker parses it ("HH:MM")."""
+    try:
+        hour, minute = str(value).split(":")
+        time(int(hour), int(minute))
+        return True
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return False
+
+
+def _startup_safe(value, default, ok: bool, key: str):
+    """Return `value`, or `default` with a warning when it would crash Inspector."""
+    if ok:
+        return value
+    log.warning("config: invalid %s %r; using %r instead", key, value, default)
+    return default
+
+
 VALID_RECOVERY_ACTIONS = {
     "restart_container",
     "start_container",
@@ -190,9 +216,11 @@ def build_config_from_raw(raw: dict) -> AppConfig:
     to validate an edited raw dict before writing it back to disk.
     """
     insp_raw = raw.get("inspector", {}) or {}
+    interval = int(insp_raw.get("interval_seconds", 60))
+    log_level = str(insp_raw.get("log_level", "INFO")).upper()
     inspector = InspectorConfig(
-        interval_seconds=int(insp_raw.get("interval_seconds", 60)),
+        interval_seconds=_startup_safe(interval, 1, interval >= 1, "inspector.interval_seconds"),
-        log_level=str(insp_raw.get("log_level", "INFO")).upper(),
+        log_level=_startup_safe(log_level, "INFO", log_level in VALID_LOG_LEVELS, "inspector.log_level"),
         dry_run=bool(insp_raw.get("dry_run", False)),
         log_dir=str(insp_raw.get("log_dir", "/app/logs")),
         log_filename=str(insp_raw.get("log_filename", "inspector.log")),
@@ -237,10 +265,12 @@ def build_config_from_raw(raw: dict) -> AppConfig:
     )
 
     maint_raw = raw.get("maintenance") or {}
+    maint_start = str(maint_raw.get("start", "00:00"))
+    maint_end = str(maint_raw.get("end", "06:00"))
     maintenance = MaintenanceConfig(
         enabled=bool(maint_raw.get("enabled", False)),
-        start=str(maint_raw.get("start", "00:00")),
+        start=_startup_safe(maint_start, "00:00", valid_hhmm(maint_start), "maintenance.start"),
-        end=str(maint_raw.get("end", "06:00")),
+        end=_startup_safe(maint_end, "06:00", valid_hhmm(maint_end), "maintenance.end"),
         dir=str(maint_raw.get("dir", "/app/data/maintenance")),
         max_hours=int(maint_raw.get("max_hours", 8)),
     )

src/inspector/dashboard.py

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import functools
+import hashlib
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -21,9 +23,11 @@ from .config import (
     AppConfig,
     ConfigRef,
     ContainerConfig,
+    VALID_LOG_LEVELS,
     HttpCheckConfig,
     UptimeKumaMonitorConfig,
     build_config_from_raw,
+    valid_hhmm,
     write_config_raw,
 )
 from .formatting import PACIFIC, format_timestamp
@@ -36,6 +40,9 @@ from .state import ContainerState, utcnow
 log = logging.getLogger("inspector.dashboard")
 
 _SESSION_MAX_AGE = 86400  # seconds a login cookie stays valid
+_MAX_BODY_BYTES = 1024 * 1024  # largest request body accepted
+_LOGIN_MAX_FAILURES = 5  # failed logins per client before it is throttled
+_LOGIN_FAILURE_WINDOW = 300  # seconds a failed login counts toward the limit
 _UNCHANGED_SECRET_PLACEHOLDER = "__UNCHANGED__"  # UI sentinel: keep existing secret value
 
 # Config keys that require an Inspector container restart to take effect.
@@ -84,7 +91,13 @@ def _color_map(
     states: dict[str, ContainerState],
     containers: dict[str, ContainerConfig],
 ) -> dict[str, str]:
-    return {name: _resolve_color(containers[name], i) for i, name in enumerate(states)}
+    # list() snapshot + skip: the inspector loop adds/removes states from another
+    # thread, and a container removed in the UI keeps its state until the next check.
+    return {
+        name: _resolve_color(containers[name], i)
+        for i, name in enumerate(list(states))
+        if name in containers
+    }
 
 
 def _compute_phase(
@@ -246,9 +259,31 @@ def _escape(value: object) -> str:
         .replace("<", "&lt;")
         .replace(">", "&gt;")
         .replace('"', "&quot;")
+        .replace("'", "&#x27;")
     )
 
 
+def _js_string_attr(text: str) -> str:
+    """A JS string literal safe to put inside a double-quoted HTML attribute."""
+    return _escape(json.dumps(text))
+
+
+def _creds_match(username: str, password: str, cfg) -> bool:
+    """Constant-time credential check. Never accepts an empty configured
+    password, and works for non-ASCII input (compare_digest on str doesn't)."""
+    if not cfg.password:
+        return False
+    user_ok = secrets.compare_digest(username.encode("utf-8"), cfg.username.encode("utf-8"))
+    pass_ok = secrets.compare_digest(password.encode("utf-8"), cfg.password.encode("utf-8"))
+    return user_ok and pass_ok
+
+
+def _cred_fingerprint(cfg) -> str:
+    """Changes whenever the dashboard username or password changes, which
+    invalidates every session created with the old credentials."""
+    return hashlib.sha256(f"{cfg.username}\0{cfg.password}".encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
+
+
 _STATUS_BADGE_CLASS = {
     HEALTHY: "healthy",
     UNHEALTHY: "unhealthy",
@@ -1146,10 +1181,13 @@ def _render_event_item(ev: dict, container_colors: dict[str, str] | None) -> str
     )
 
 
-def _render_login_page(error: bool = False) -> bytes:
+def _render_login_page(error: bool = False, throttled: bool = False) -> bytes:
-    error_html = (
+    if throttled:
-        '<div class="login-error">Incorrect username or password.</div>\n' if error else ""
+        error_html = '<div class="login-error">Too many failed sign-ins. Try again in a few minutes.</div>\n'
-    )
+    elif error:
+        error_html = '<div class="login-error">Incorrect username or password.</div>\n'
+    else:
+        error_html = ""
     head = (
         "<!DOCTYPE html>\n"
         '<html lang="en">\n<head>\n'
@@ -1243,6 +1281,14 @@ def _form_float(form: dict, key: str, default: float = 0.0) -> float:
         return default
 
 
+def _int_in(form: dict, key: str, default: int, lo: int, hi: int) -> int:
+    """Read an int form field and reject values outside lo..hi."""
+    value = _form_int(form, key, default)
+    if not lo <= value <= hi:
+        raise _SettingsError(f"{key} must be between {lo} and {hi} (got {value})")
+    return value
+
+
 def _set_or_drop(section: dict, key: str, value) -> None:
     """Store value, or remove the key when it is blank/False so config.yml
     doesn't fill up with empty defaults."""
@@ -1270,8 +1316,10 @@ def _apply_container_advanced(raw: dict, name: str, cfg: dict, form: dict) -> No
         hc["enabled"] = hc_enabled
         hc["url"] = hc_url
         timeout = _form_float(form, "http_check_timeout_seconds", 5.0)
+        if not 0.5 <= timeout <= 120:
+            raise _SettingsError(f"HTTP check timeout must be between 0.5 and 120 seconds (got {timeout:g})")
         hc["timeout_seconds"] = int(timeout) if timeout.is_integer() else timeout
-        hc["expected_status"] = _form_int(form, "http_check_expected_status", 200)
+        hc["expected_status"] = _int_in(form, "http_check_expected_status", 200, 100, 599)
         cfg["http_check"] = hc
     else:
         cfg.pop("http_check", None)
@@ -1314,6 +1362,15 @@ def _apply_container_advanced(raw: dict, name: str, cfg: dict, form: dict) -> No
         cfg.pop("portainer_stack_name", None)
 
 
+_PORTAINER_ENV_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^PORTAINER_[A-Z0-9_]+$")
+
+
+def _token_env_allowed(name: str, saved: str = "") -> bool:
+    """Only PORTAINER_* variables (or the name already in config.yml) may be read
+    as a token, so the dashboard can't be used to send other container secrets out."""
+    return bool(_PORTAINER_ENV_NAME_RE.match(name)) or (bool(saved) and name == saved)
+
+
 def _apply_portainer_env(raw: dict, form: dict) -> None:
     """Add, edit, rename or delete one integrations.portainer.environments entry."""
     pt = raw.setdefault("integrations", {}).setdefault("portainer", {})
@@ -1350,7 +1407,7 @@ def _apply_portainer_env(raw: dict, form: dict) -> None:
 
     env = envs.get(original) or {}
     env["base_url"] = base_url
-    env["endpoint_id"] = _form_int(form, "endpoint_id", 1)
+    env["endpoint_id"] = _int_in(form, "endpoint_id", 1, 1, 1_000_000)
     env["verify_ssl"] = _form_bool(form, "verify_ssl")
     if _form_str(form, "token_source", "env") == "inline":
         _apply_secret(form, env, "api_token", "api_token")
@@ -1361,6 +1418,8 @@ def _apply_portainer_env(raw: dict, form: dict) -> None:
         token_env = _form_str(form, "api_token_env", "").strip()
         if not token_env:
             raise _SettingsError("enter the name of the environment variable holding the API token")
+        if not _token_env_allowed(token_env, env.get("api_token_env", "")):
+            raise _SettingsError("the environment variable name must start with PORTAINER_ (e.g. PORTAINER_API_TOKEN)")
         env["api_token_env"] = token_env
         env.pop("api_token", None)
 
@@ -1376,57 +1435,81 @@ def _apply_portainer_env(raw: dict, form: dict) -> None:
     pt["environments"] = envs
 
 
+_SAVE_LOCK = threading.Lock()
+
+
+def _serialized(fn):
+    """Run config read-modify-write functions one at a time, so two saves at
+    the same moment can't overwrite each other's changes."""
+    @functools.wraps(fn)
+    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
+        with _SAVE_LOCK:
+            return fn(*args, **kwargs)
+    return wrapper
+
+
+@_serialized
 def _apply_settings_update(config_ref: ConfigRef, section: str, form: dict) -> None:
     """Validate the form, merge into the raw config, write atomically, swap ref."""
     raw = config_ref.get_raw()
 
     if section == "inspector":
         insp = raw.setdefault("inspector", {})
-        insp["interval_seconds"] = _form_int(form, "interval_seconds", 60)
+        insp["interval_seconds"] = _int_in(form, "interval_seconds", 60, 1, 86400)
-        insp["log_level"] = _form_str(form, "log_level", "INFO").upper()
+        level = _form_str(form, "log_level", "INFO").strip().upper()
+        if level not in VALID_LOG_LEVELS:
+            raise _SettingsError("log_level must be one of DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL")
+        insp["log_level"] = level
         insp["dry_run"] = _form_bool(form, "dry_run")
         insp["heartbeat"] = _form_bool(form, "heartbeat")
-        insp["log_retention_days"] = _form_int(form, "log_retention_days", 30)
+        insp["log_retention_days"] = _int_in(form, "log_retention_days", 30, 1, 3650)
     elif section == "gotify":
         notif = raw.setdefault("notifications", {})
         gotify = notif.setdefault("gotify", {})
         gotify["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
         gotify["url"] = _form_str(form, "url", "")
         _apply_secret(form, gotify, "token", "token")
-        gotify["priority"] = _form_int(form, "priority", 5)
+        gotify["priority"] = _int_in(form, "priority", 5, 0, 10)
     elif section == "pushover":
         notif = raw.setdefault("notifications", {})
         pushover = notif.setdefault("pushover", {})
         pushover["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
         _apply_secret(form, pushover, "token", "token")
         _apply_secret(form, pushover, "user_key", "user_key")
-        pushover["priority"] = _form_int(form, "priority", 5)
+        pushover["priority"] = _int_in(form, "priority", 5, 0, 10)
         pushover["device"] = _form_str(form, "device", "")
         pushover["sound"] = _form_str(form, "sound", "")
     elif section == "dashboard":
         dash = raw.setdefault("dashboard", {})
         dash["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        dash["username"] = _form_str(form, "username", "admin")
+        dash["username"] = _form_str(form, "username", "admin").strip()
+        if not dash["username"]:
+            raise _SettingsError("the dashboard username can't be empty")
         _apply_secret(form, dash, "password", "password")
+        if not dash.get("password"):
+            raise _SettingsError("the dashboard password can't be empty")
     elif section == "database":
         db = raw.setdefault("database", {})
         db["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        db["retention_days"] = _form_int(form, "retention_days", 30)
+        db["retention_days"] = _int_in(form, "retention_days", 30, 1, 3650)
     elif section == "health_summary":
         hs = raw.setdefault("health_summary", {})
         hs["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        hs["interval_hours"] = _form_int(form, "interval_hours", 24)
+        hs["interval_hours"] = _int_in(form, "interval_hours", 24, 1, 8760)
-        hs["priority"] = _form_int(form, "priority", 3)
+        hs["priority"] = _int_in(form, "priority", 3, 0, 10)
     elif section == "maintenance":
         m = raw.setdefault("maintenance", {})
         m["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        m["start"] = _form_str(form, "start", "00:00")
+        for key, default in (("start", "00:00"), ("end", "06:00")):
-        m["end"] = _form_str(form, "end", "06:00")
+            value = _form_str(form, key, default).strip()
-        m["max_hours"] = _form_int(form, "max_hours", 8)
+            if not valid_hhmm(value):
+                raise _SettingsError(f"{key} must be a 24-hour time like 02:30 (got {value!r})")
+            m[key] = value
+        m["max_hours"] = _int_in(form, "max_hours", 8, 1, 720)
     elif section == "notification_mute":
         nm = raw.setdefault("notification_mute", {})
         nm["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        nm["default_hours"] = _form_int(form, "default_hours", 12)
+        nm["default_hours"] = _int_in(form, "default_hours", 12, 1, 720)
     elif section.startswith("container:"):
         name = section.split(":", 1)[1]
         containers = raw.get("containers") or {}
@@ -1434,10 +1517,10 @@ def _apply_settings_update(config_ref: ConfigRef, section: str, form: dict) -> N
             raise _SettingsError(f"unknown container {name!r}")
         cfg = containers[name] or {}
         cfg["enabled"] = _form_bool(form, "enabled")
-        cfg["max_error_count"] = _form_int(form, "max_error_count", 5)
+        cfg["max_error_count"] = _int_in(form, "max_error_count", 5, 1, 1000)
-        cfg["cooldown_seconds"] = _form_int(form, "cooldown_seconds", 300)
+        cfg["cooldown_seconds"] = _int_in(form, "cooldown_seconds", 300, 0, 86400)
-        cfg["grace_period_seconds"] = _form_int(form, "grace_period_seconds", 120)
+        cfg["grace_period_seconds"] = _int_in(form, "grace_period_seconds", 120, 0, 86400)
-        cfg["max_restarts_per_hour"] = _form_int(form, "max_restarts_per_hour", 3)
+        cfg["max_restarts_per_hour"] = _int_in(form, "max_restarts_per_hour", 3, 1, 100)
         _set_or_drop(cfg, "color", _form_str(form, "color", "").strip())
         if form.get("restart_on_present"):  # only our own form carries this field
             _set_or_drop(cfg, "maintenance_window", _form_bool(form, "maintenance_window"))
@@ -1467,8 +1550,8 @@ def _apply_settings_update(config_ref: ConfigRef, section: str, form: dict) -> N
         if default_env and default_env not in (pt.get("environments") or {}):
             raise _SettingsError(f"unknown Portainer environment {default_env!r}")
         _set_or_drop(pt, "default_environment", default_env)
-        pt["stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds"] = _form_int(form, "stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds", 300)
+        pt["stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds"] = _int_in(form, "stack_redeploy_cooldown_seconds", 300, 0, 86400)
-        pt["post_redeploy_wait_seconds"] = _form_int(form, "post_redeploy_wait_seconds", 90)
+        pt["post_redeploy_wait_seconds"] = _int_in(form, "post_redeploy_wait_seconds", 90, 0, 3600)
     elif section == "portainer_env":
         _apply_portainer_env(raw, form)
     else:
@@ -1492,6 +1575,7 @@ def _apply_settings_update(config_ref: ConfigRef, section: str, form: dict) -> N
 _CONTAINER_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_-]{0,62}$")
 
 
+@_serialized
 def _apply_container_create(config_ref: ConfigRef, form: dict) -> str:
     """Insert a new container under raw['containers']. Returns the new name."""
     name = _form_str(form, "name", "").strip()
@@ -1507,10 +1591,10 @@ def _apply_container_create(config_ref: ConfigRef, form: dict) -> str:
 
     cfg = {
         "enabled": _form_bool(form, "enabled"),
-        "max_error_count": _form_int(form, "max_error_count", 5),
+        "max_error_count": _int_in(form, "max_error_count", 5, 1, 1000),
-        "cooldown_seconds": _form_int(form, "cooldown_seconds", 300),
+        "cooldown_seconds": _int_in(form, "cooldown_seconds", 300, 0, 86400),
-        "grace_period_seconds": _form_int(form, "grace_period_seconds", 120),
+        "grace_period_seconds": _int_in(form, "grace_period_seconds", 120, 0, 86400),
-        "max_restarts_per_hour": _form_int(form, "max_restarts_per_hour", 3),
+        "max_restarts_per_hour": _int_in(form, "max_restarts_per_hour", 3, 1, 100),
         "color": _form_str(form, "color", ""),
         "maintenance_window": _form_bool(form, "maintenance_window"),
     }
@@ -1536,6 +1620,7 @@ def _apply_container_create(config_ref: ConfigRef, form: dict) -> str:
     return name
 
 
+@_serialized
 def _apply_container_delete(config_ref: ConfigRef, name: str) -> None:
     raw = config_ref.get_raw()
     containers = raw.get("containers") or {}
@@ -1583,7 +1668,7 @@ def _run_test_notification(channel: str, form: dict, app: AppConfig) -> dict:
         try:
             resp = requests.post(
                 f"{url}/message",
-                params={"token": token},
+                headers={"X-Gotify-Key": token},
                 json={"title": title, "message": message, "priority": priority},
                 timeout=5.0,
             )
@@ -1665,6 +1750,9 @@ def _run_test_integration(kind: str, form: dict, app: AppConfig) -> dict:
                 return {"ok": False, "error": "API token required"}
         else:
             var = _form_str(form, "api_token_env", "").strip()
+            saved = app.integrations.portainer.environments.get(_form_str(form, "env_original", ""))
+            if var and not _token_env_allowed(var, saved.api_token_env if saved else ""):
+                return {"ok": False, "error": "the environment variable name must start with PORTAINER_"}
             token = os.environ.get(var, "") if var else ""
             if not token:
                 return {"ok": False, "error": f"environment variable {var!r} is not set in the Inspector container"}
@@ -2177,7 +2265,7 @@ def _portainer_env_form(env_name: str, env, csrf_token: str, *, suggest_name: st
         + _settings_field("name", "env_name", env_name or suggest_name,
                           hint="Your own label, referenced by containers")
         + _settings_field("endpoint_id", "endpoint_id", str(env.endpoint_id if env else 1), kind="number",
-                          hint="Portainer → Environments; the number in the URL (usually 1 or 2)")
+                          hint="Open the environment from Portainer's Home page; the number after #!/ in the address (often 1 or 2)")
         + "</div>"
         + _settings_field("base_url", "base_url", env.base_url if env else "",
                           hint="e.g. http://192.168.1.10:9000 or https://portainer.example.com")
@@ -2190,7 +2278,7 @@ def _portainer_env_form(env_name: str, env, csrf_token: str, *, suggest_name: st
         + f'<div class="token-src" data-src="env"{" hidden" if inline else ""}>'
         + _settings_field("environment variable name", "api_token_env",
                           (env.api_token_env if env else "") or "PORTAINER_API_TOKEN",
-                          hint="Set this variable on the Inspector container (Portainer → stack → Environment variables), then redeploy Inspector.")
+                          hint="Add it to the Inspector stack's environment variables; the compose file must pass it in. Step by step: Help → Portainer stack redeploy, step 2.")
         + "</div>"
         + f'<div class="token-src" data-src="inline"{"" if inline else " hidden"}>'
         + _settings_secret_field("api_token", "api_token", bool(env and env.api_token))
@@ -2203,7 +2291,7 @@ def _portainer_env_form(env_name: str, env, csrf_token: str, *, suggest_name: st
     if env is not None:
         delete = (
             '<button type="submit" name="delete" value="1" class="btn-danger" '
-            f"onclick=\"return confirm('Delete Portainer environment {_escape(env_name)}?');\">Delete</button>"
+            f'onclick="return confirm({_js_string_attr(f"Delete Portainer environment {env_name}?")});">Delete</button>'
         )
     label = "environment" if env is not None else "new environment"
     return (
@@ -2440,7 +2528,7 @@ def _render_container_advanced(name: str, cfg, app: AppConfig) -> str:
         + '<div class="grid-2">'
         + _settings_field("timeout_seconds", "http_check_timeout_seconds", timeout_str, kind="number")
         + _settings_field("expected_status", "http_check_expected_status", str(hc.expected_status), kind="number",
-                          hint="Exact HTTP code a healthy service returns (often 200; some apps return 401 or 302)")
+                          hint="Exact HTTP code a healthy service returns (often 200; some apps return 401). Redirects are followed, so use the final page's code.")
         + "</div></div>"
         '<div class="form-group"><h4>Uptime Kuma monitor</h4>'
         + _settings_field("enabled", "uptime_kuma_enabled", "on" if ukm.enabled else "", kind="switch")
@@ -2451,18 +2539,25 @@ def _render_container_advanced(name: str, cfg, app: AppConfig) -> str:
     )
 
     others = [c.name for c in app.containers if c.name != name]
+    disabled = {c.name for c in app.containers if not c.enabled}
     dep_value = getattr(cfg, "depends_on", "") or ""
-    dep_options = [("", "— none —")] + [(n, n) for n in others]
+    dep_options = [("", "— none —")] + [(n, n + (" (disabled)" if n in disabled else "")) for n in others]
     if dep_value and dep_value not in others:
         dep_options.append((dep_value, f"{dep_value} (not configured)"))
+    dep_warn = ""
+    if dep_value in disabled:
+        dep_warn = _warn(f"{_escape(dep_value)} is disabled, so Inspector can't see its status and won't wait for it. "
+                         "Enable it to make this dependency count.")
     deps = (
         '<div class="form-group"><h4>Dependencies</h4>'
         '<p class="group-sub">Check this container after the one it relies on, and hold off recovering it '
         "while that one is still failing.</p>"
         + _settings_select("depends_on", "depends_on", dep_value, dep_options,
-                           hint="e.g. the VPN container, for apps that use network_mode: container:<vpn>")
+                           hint="e.g. the VPN container, for apps that use network_mode: container:<vpn>. "
+                                "Also works for any other dependency, like an app and its database.")
+        + dep_warn
         + _settings_field("vpn_routed", "vpn_routed", "on" if getattr(cfg, "vpn_routed", False) else "", kind="switch",
-                          hint="Routes through the container above. Logs why recovery is deferred while it is down.")
+                          hint="Only affects logging: says in the log when recovery waits on the VPN container. The waiting itself comes from depends_on.")
         + "</div>"
     )
 
@@ -2573,7 +2668,7 @@ def _render_container_form(
         delete_btn = (
             f'<form method="post" action="/containers/{_escape(name)}/delete" '
             'style="display:inline;" '
-            f"onsubmit=\"return confirm('Delete container {_escape(name)} from config.yml?');\">"
+            f'onsubmit="return confirm({_js_string_attr(f"Delete container {name} from config.yml?")});">'
             f'<input type="hidden" name="csrf" value="{_escape(csrf_token)}">'
             '<button type="submit" class="btn-danger">Delete container</button>'
             "</form>"
@@ -2677,8 +2772,39 @@ class _DashboardHTTPServer(ThreadingHTTPServer):
         self.states = states
         self.maintenance = maintenance
         self.notification_mute = notification_mute
-        # token -> (expiry_timestamp, csrf_token)
+        # token -> (expiry_timestamp, csrf_token, credential fingerprint)
-        self._sessions: dict[str, tuple[float, str]] = {}
+        self._sessions: dict[str, tuple[float, str, str]] = {}
+        # client address -> timestamps of recent failed logins
+        self._failed_logins: dict[str, list[float]] = {}
+        self._failed_lock = threading.Lock()
+
+    def login_throttled(self, client: str) -> bool:
+        cutoff = time.time() - _LOGIN_FAILURE_WINDOW
+        with self._failed_lock:
+            recent = [t for t in self._failed_logins.get(client, []) if t > cutoff]
+            if recent:
+                self._failed_logins[client] = recent
+            else:
+                self._failed_logins.pop(client, None)
+            return len(recent) >= _LOGIN_MAX_FAILURES
+
+    def note_login_failure(self, client: str) -> None:
+        with self._failed_lock:
+            self._failed_logins.setdefault(client, []).append(time.time())
+
+    def clear_login_failures(self, client: str) -> None:
+        with self._failed_lock:
+            self._failed_logins.pop(client, None)
+
+    def new_session(self) -> str:
+        now = time.time()
+        for tok, entry in list(self._sessions.items()):  # drop expired sessions
+            if entry[0] <= now:
+                self._sessions.pop(tok, None)
+        token = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
+        fp = _cred_fingerprint(self.current_app().dashboard)
+        self._sessions[token] = (now + _SESSION_MAX_AGE, secrets.token_urlsafe(32), fp)
+        return token
 
     def current_app(self) -> AppConfig:
         return self.config_ref.get()
@@ -2703,29 +2829,47 @@ class _Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
     def _is_authenticated(self) -> bool:
         # Session cookie
         now = time.time()
+        cfg = self.server.current_app().dashboard
         token = self._session_token()
         if token:
             entry = self.server._sessions.get(token)
-            if entry and now < entry[0]:
+            if entry and now < entry[0] and entry[2] == _cred_fingerprint(cfg):
                 return True
             self.server._sessions.pop(token, None)
 
         # Basic Auth
         header = self.headers.get("Authorization", "")
         if header.startswith("Basic "):
+            client = self.client_address[0]
+            if self.server.login_throttled(client):
+                return False
             try:
                 decoded = b64decode(header[len("Basic "):]).decode("utf-8")
                 username, _, password = decoded.partition(":")
             except Exception:
                 username, password = "", ""
-            cfg = self.server.current_app().dashboard
+            if _creds_match(username, password, cfg):
-            if secrets.compare_digest(username, cfg.username) and secrets.compare_digest(
+                self.server.clear_login_failures(client)
-                password, cfg.password
-            ):
                 return True
+            self.server.note_login_failure(client)
 
         return False
 
+    def _read_form(self) -> dict | None:
+        """Parse the urlencoded request body, or send 400/413 and return None."""
+        try:
+            length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", 0))
+        except ValueError:
+            length = -1
+        if length < 0:
+            self._send_bytes(HTTPStatus.BAD_REQUEST, "text/plain; charset=utf-8", b"bad Content-Length")
+            return None
+        if length > _MAX_BODY_BYTES:
+            self._send_bytes(HTTPStatus.REQUEST_ENTITY_TOO_LARGE, "text/plain; charset=utf-8", b"request too large")
+            return None
+        raw = self.rfile.read(length) if length > 0 else b""
+        return parse_qs(raw.decode("utf-8", errors="replace"))
+
     def _csrf_token_for_session(self) -> str:
         """Return the CSRF token bound to the current session, or '' if none."""
         token = self._session_token()
@@ -2883,18 +3027,21 @@ class _Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         server = self.server
 
         if path == "/login":
-            length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", 0))
+            data = self._read_form()
-            raw = self.rfile.read(length) if length > 0 else b""
+            if data is None:
-            data = parse_qs(raw.decode("utf-8", errors="replace"))
+                return
+            client = self.client_address[0]
+            if server.login_throttled(client):
+                self._send_bytes(
+                    HTTPStatus.TOO_MANY_REQUESTS, "text/html; charset=utf-8", _render_login_page(throttled=True)
+                )
+                return
             username = data.get("username", [""])[0]
             password = data.get("password", [""])[0]
             cfg = server.current_app().dashboard
-            if secrets.compare_digest(username, cfg.username) and secrets.compare_digest(
+            if _creds_match(username, password, cfg):
-                password, cfg.password
+                server.clear_login_failures(client)
-            ):
+                token = server.new_session()
-                token = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
-                csrf = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
-                server._sessions[token] = (time.time() + _SESSION_MAX_AGE, csrf)
                 self.send_response(HTTPStatus.SEE_OTHER)
                 self.send_header("Location", "/")
                 self.send_header(
@@ -2904,6 +3051,7 @@ class _Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                 self.send_header("Content-Length", "0")
                 self.end_headers()
             else:
+                server.note_login_failure(client)
                 self._send_bytes(
                     HTTPStatus.UNAUTHORIZED, "text/html; charset=utf-8", _render_login_page(error=True)
                 )
@@ -2912,9 +3060,9 @@ class _Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         if not self._check_auth():
             return
 
-        length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", 0))
+        form = self._read_form()
-        raw_body = self.rfile.read(length) if length > 0 else b""
+        if form is None:
-        form = parse_qs(raw_body.decode("utf-8", errors="replace"))
+            return
 
         # Only cookie-authenticated requests need a CSRF token. Basic Auth
         # clients prove identity on every request so they're not subject to

src/inspector/main.py

@@ -293,8 +293,10 @@ def _check_one(
 
         if ok:
             dep = container_config.depends_on
-            if dep:
+            # Only wait on a dependency Inspector is watching. A disabled one has
-                dep_status = states[dep].current_status if dep in states else None
+            # no state, and waiting on it would block recovery forever.
+            if dep and dep in states:
+                dep_status = states[dep].current_status
                 if dep_status not in (HEALTHY, STARTING, NO_HEALTH_CHECK):
                     if container_config.vpn_routed:
                         log.info(
@@ -454,8 +456,10 @@ def run_loop(config_ref: ConfigRef) -> int:
         for gone in states.keys() - current_enabled.keys():
             states.pop(gone, None)
             log.info("Stopped watching container (removed or disabled): %s", gone)
+        if current_enabled != enabled_configs:
+            # Only re-order (and re-log ordering warnings) when the config changed.
+            check_order = _topological_order(current_enabled)
         enabled_configs = current_enabled
-        check_order = _topological_order(enabled_configs)
 
         # Integration clients hold their config; rebuild them when the
         # settings page changes Uptime Kuma / Portainer.

src/inspector/notifier.py

@@ -33,9 +33,10 @@ class GotifyNotifier:
             },
         }
         try:
+            # Header, not ?token=, so the token stays out of access logs.
             resp = requests.post(
                 url,
-                params={"token": self._config.token},
+                headers={"X-Gotify-Key": self._config.token},
                 json=payload,
                 timeout=self._timeout,
             )