From 45a3b595cecee6b31dbcfb93d0098ba537d85710 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Local Dev <dev@localhost>
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:38:52 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Hermes: optional bind to password vault (skip the second
 mnemonic prompt)
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- password-vault: createVault takes { messengerRootHex } opt; unlockVault
  surfaces messengerRoot (null on legacy vaults, so nothing regresses);
  saveVault persists it; bindMessengerRoot mutates an unlocked state for a
  later attach-mnemonic-to-existing-vault flow.
- main.js password-setup: when the user provides a mnemonic, ALSO compute
  seedToPurposeRoot(seed, "messenger/0") and store it. Random-seed vaults
  stay as-is (no mnemonic = no messenger root to store).
- main.js hermes-init: two modes now — { mnemonic } (unchanged) or
  { useVault: true } (uses vaultState.messengerRoot directly, no mnemonic).
  Response includes source: "vault" | "mnemonic" for the panel to badge.
- main.js hermes-can-use-vault: cheap availability probe used by the panel
  to decide whether to show the vault sign-in shortcut.
- hermes.js: nostrKeyFromRoot(root) accepts 32-byte Uint8Array or 64-char
  hex; produces the same {sk, pkHex, npub} as nostrKeyFromMnemonic for the
  same seed (unit-verified: derivation paths converge on f2c92519...67f4).
- Messages panel: "Sign in with password vault" button appears above the
  mnemonic entry iff the vault is unlocked AND was set up from a mnemonic.
  The mnemonic path stays as the always-available fallback — bind is
  genuinely optional, not required.
---
 src/lib/password-vault.js | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
 1 file changed, 28 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/lib/password-vault.js b/src/lib/password-vault.js
index bc48998..54b050f 100644
--- a/src/lib/password-vault.js
+++ b/src/lib/password-vault.js
@@ -123,15 +123,25 @@ function writeVaultFile(path, { salt, iv, ct, iters }) {
   renameSync(path + ".tmp", path);
 }
 
-export async function createVault(path, masterPw, purposeRootHex) {
+// Extra plaintext fields are additive: legacy vaults omit `messengerRoot` and
+// keep working; new vaults created from a mnemonic pre-compute it so Hermes
+// can pick it up without re-entering the mnemonic. Never persist the seed
+// itself — only the per-purpose HKDF root, so a leak of one purpose (e.g. a
+// stolen password derivation) never yields another (e.g. the messaging key).
+export async function createVault(path, masterPw, purposeRootHex, opts = {}) {
   const salt = wc.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(16));
   const iv = wc.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(12));
   const key = await deriveVaultKey(masterPw, salt, PBKDF2_ITERS);
   const plaintext = { purposeRoot: purposeRootHex, entries: [] };
+  if (opts.messengerRootHex) plaintext.messengerRoot = opts.messengerRootHex;
   const ct = new Uint8Array(await wc.subtle.encrypt(
     { name: "AES-GCM", iv }, key, enc.encode(JSON.stringify(plaintext))));
   writeVaultFile(path, { salt, iv, ct, iters: PBKDF2_ITERS });
-  return { key, purposeRoot: purposeRootHex, entries: [], _salt: salt, _iters: PBKDF2_ITERS };
+  return {
+    key, purposeRoot: purposeRootHex,
+    messengerRoot: opts.messengerRootHex || null,
+    entries: [], _salt: salt, _iters: PBKDF2_ITERS,
+  };
 }
 
 export async function unlockVault(path, masterPw) {
@@ -145,17 +155,32 @@ export async function unlockVault(path, masterPw) {
   try { pt = new Uint8Array(await wc.subtle.decrypt({ name: "AES-GCM", iv }, key, ct)); }
   catch { throw new Error("bad master password"); }
   const plaintext = JSON.parse(dec.decode(pt));
-  return { key, purposeRoot: plaintext.purposeRoot, entries: plaintext.entries || [], _salt: salt, _iters: raw.kdf.iters };
+  return {
+    key, purposeRoot: plaintext.purposeRoot,
+    messengerRoot: plaintext.messengerRoot || null,
+    entries: plaintext.entries || [],
+    _salt: salt, _iters: raw.kdf.iters,
+  };
 }
 
 export async function saveVault(path, state) {
   const iv = wc.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(12));
   const plaintext = { purposeRoot: state.purposeRoot, entries: state.entries };
+  if (state.messengerRoot) plaintext.messengerRoot = state.messengerRoot;
   const ct = new Uint8Array(await wc.subtle.encrypt(
     { name: "AES-GCM", iv }, state.key, enc.encode(JSON.stringify(plaintext))));
   writeVaultFile(path, { salt: state._salt, iv, ct, iters: state._iters });
 }
 
+// Retroactively bind an existing (unlocked) vault to a mnemonic by adding the
+// messenger root. Useful for users who set up the vault before Hermes existed.
+// Callers must have vetted the mnemonic (typically by re-deriving the vault's
+// existing purposeRoot from it and comparing) so we don't silently accept a
+// mismatched seed. Returns the new state; caller saves.
+export async function bindMessengerRoot(state, messengerRootHex) {
+  return { ...state, messengerRoot: String(messengerRootHex) };
+}
+
 // -- entry mutations (operate on an unlocked state object) --------------------
 export function newEntry({ domain, username = "", literal, generated } = {}) {
   if (!domain) throw new Error("entry: domain required");