|
| 1 | +# DNS TXT Name Scoping - Testing Guide |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +This guide provides step-by-step instructions for testing the new DNS TXT name scoping feature that allows fine-grained permission control through the optional `n=<pattern>` parameter. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +## Prerequisites |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +- Go 1.24.x installed |
| 8 | +- Access to DNS management for a test domain (or use mock testing) |
| 9 | +- Ed25519 key pair for signing |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## 1. Unit Testing |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +### Run the DNS auth handler tests |
| 14 | +```bash |
| 15 | +# Run only DNS authentication tests |
| 16 | +go test ./internal/api/handlers/v0/auth -v -run TestDNSAuthHandler |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +# Run the new name pattern scoping tests specifically |
| 19 | +go test ./internal/api/handlers/v0/auth -v -run TestDNSAuthHandler_NamePatternScoping |
| 20 | +``` |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +### Expected output |
| 23 | +All tests should pass, including: |
| 24 | +- Backward compatibility tests (records without `n=` parameter) |
| 25 | +- Specific name pattern tests |
| 26 | +- Multiple keys with different patterns |
| 27 | +- Edge cases (spaces, complex paths, etc.) |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +## 2. Integration Testing with Local Server |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +### Step 1: Start the local development environment |
| 32 | +```bash |
| 33 | +# Start the full stack with Docker |
| 34 | +make dev-compose |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +# Or run locally without Docker |
| 37 | +make build |
| 38 | +make dev-local |
| 39 | +``` |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +### Step 2: Generate test Ed25519 key pairs |
| 42 | +```bash |
| 43 | +# Generate a key pair using OpenSSL |
| 44 | +openssl genpkey -algorithm ed25519 -out private1.pem |
| 45 | +openssl pkey -in private1.pem -pubout -out public1.pem |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +# Extract the base64-encoded public key |
| 48 | +openssl pkey -in private1.pem -pubout -outform DER | tail -c +13 | base64 |
| 49 | +``` |
| 50 | + |
| 51 | +### Step 3: Create test DNS TXT records |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +For testing, you can either: |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +#### Option A: Use actual DNS (if you have a domain) |
| 56 | +Add these TXT records to your domain: |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +```bash |
| 59 | +# Traditional wildcard (backward compatible) |
| 60 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_BASE64" |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +# Scoped to specific pattern |
| 63 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY_BASE64; n=com.yourdomain/team-alpha-*" |
| 64 | + |
| 65 | +# Another scoped pattern |
| 66 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=ANOTHER_PUBLIC_KEY_BASE64; n=com.yourdomain/team-beta-*" |
| 67 | +``` |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +#### Option B: Use mock testing (recommended for development) |
| 70 | +The test suite includes a mock DNS resolver that simulates DNS responses. |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +## 3. API Testing |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +### Step 1: Create a test script for authentication |
| 75 | +Create a file `test_dns_auth.go`: |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +```go |
| 78 | +package main |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +import ( |
| 81 | + "crypto/ed25519" |
| 82 | + "encoding/base64" |
| 83 | + "encoding/hex" |
| 84 | + "encoding/json" |
| 85 | + "fmt" |
| 86 | + "net/http" |
| 87 | + "strings" |
| 88 | + "time" |
| 89 | +) |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +func main() { |
| 92 | + // Your test configuration |
| 93 | + domain := "example.com" |
| 94 | + registryURL := "http://localhost:8080" |
| 95 | + |
| 96 | + // Generate timestamp |
| 97 | + timestamp := time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339) |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | + // Sign the timestamp with your private key |
| 100 | + privateKeyBytes, _ := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString("YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY_BASE64") |
| 101 | + privateKey := ed25519.PrivateKey(privateKeyBytes) |
| 102 | + signature := ed25519.Sign(privateKey, []byte(timestamp)) |
| 103 | + signedTimestamp := hex.EncodeToString(signature) |
| 104 | + |
| 105 | + // Create the request |
| 106 | + payload := map[string]string{ |
| 107 | + "domain": domain, |
| 108 | + "timestamp": timestamp, |
| 109 | + "signed_timestamp": signedTimestamp, |
| 110 | + } |
| 111 | + |
| 112 | + jsonData, _ := json.Marshal(payload) |
| 113 | + |
| 114 | + // Send request to registry |
| 115 | + resp, err := http.Post( |
| 116 | + registryURL+"/v0/auth/dns", |
| 117 | + "application/json", |
| 118 | + strings.NewReader(string(jsonData)), |
| 119 | + ) |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | + if err != nil { |
| 122 | + panic(err) |
| 123 | + } |
| 124 | + defer resp.Body.Close() |
| 125 | + |
| 126 | + // Parse response |
| 127 | + var result map[string]interface{} |
| 128 | + json.NewDecoder(resp.Body).Decode(&result) |
| 129 | + |
| 130 | + fmt.Printf("Response: %+v\n", result) |
| 131 | + |
| 132 | + // The JWT token will contain the scoped permissions |
| 133 | + if token, ok := result["registry_token"].(string); ok { |
| 134 | + // Decode and inspect the JWT claims to verify permissions |
| 135 | + fmt.Printf("Token received: %s...\n", token[:50]) |
| 136 | + } |
| 137 | +} |
| 138 | +``` |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +### Step 2: Test different scenarios |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +#### Test 1: Backward compatibility (no n= parameter) |
| 143 | +```bash |
| 144 | +# DNS TXT record: |
| 145 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=YOUR_KEY" |
| 146 | + |
| 147 | +# Expected permissions in JWT: |
| 148 | +# - com.example/* |
| 149 | +# - com.example.* |
| 150 | +``` |
| 151 | + |
| 152 | +#### Test 2: Specific team scope |
| 153 | +```bash |
| 154 | +# DNS TXT record: |
| 155 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=YOUR_KEY; n=com.example/team-foo-*" |
| 156 | + |
| 157 | +# Expected permissions in JWT: |
| 158 | +# - com.example/team-foo-* |
| 159 | +``` |
| 160 | + |
| 161 | +#### Test 3: Multiple keys with different scopes |
| 162 | +```bash |
| 163 | +# DNS TXT records: |
| 164 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=KEY1; n=com.example/app1-*" |
| 165 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=KEY2; n=com.example/app2-*" |
| 166 | + |
| 167 | +# Sign with KEY1, expect permission: com.example/app1-* |
| 168 | +# Sign with KEY2, expect permission: com.example/app2-* |
| 169 | +``` |
| 170 | + |
| 171 | +## 4. Testing with the Publisher CLI |
| 172 | + |
| 173 | +### Step 1: Build the publisher tool |
| 174 | +```bash |
| 175 | +make publisher |
| 176 | +``` |
| 177 | + |
| 178 | +### Step 2: Create a test server.json |
| 179 | +```json |
| 180 | +{ |
| 181 | + "name": "com.example/team-foo-server", |
| 182 | + "description": "Test server with scoped permissions", |
| 183 | + "version": "1.0.0" |
| 184 | +} |
| 185 | +``` |
| 186 | + |
| 187 | +### Step 3: Attempt to publish with different scopes |
| 188 | + |
| 189 | +#### With matching scope (should succeed): |
| 190 | +```bash |
| 191 | +# DNS TXT: n=com.example/team-foo-* |
| 192 | +./bin/mcp-publisher publish server.json |
| 193 | +# Should succeed as the pattern matches |
| 194 | +``` |
| 195 | + |
| 196 | +#### With non-matching scope (should fail): |
| 197 | +```bash |
| 198 | +# DNS TXT: n=com.example/team-bar-* |
| 199 | +# Trying to publish: com.example/team-foo-server |
| 200 | +./bin/mcp-publisher publish server.json |
| 201 | +# Should fail with permission denied |
| 202 | +``` |
| 203 | + |
| 204 | +## 5. Verification Checklist |
| 205 | + |
| 206 | +- [ ] **Backward Compatibility**: Records without `n=` grant wildcard permissions |
| 207 | +- [ ] **Exact Scoping**: Records with `n=com.example/foo-*` only allow matching patterns |
| 208 | +- [ ] **Multiple Keys**: Different keys can have different scopes |
| 209 | +- [ ] **Pattern Matching**: Wildcards in patterns work correctly |
| 210 | +- [ ] **Edge Cases**: |
| 211 | + - [ ] Spaces in `n=` value are trimmed |
| 212 | + - [ ] Empty `n=` defaults to wildcard |
| 213 | + - [ ] Complex paths like `com.example/services/auth/*` work |
| 214 | + - [ ] Explicit `n=*` behaves like no `n=` parameter |
| 215 | + |
| 216 | +## 6. JWT Token Inspection |
| 217 | + |
| 218 | +To verify the permissions in the JWT token: |
| 219 | + |
| 220 | +```bash |
| 221 | +# Use jwt.io or a JWT decoder library to inspect the token |
| 222 | +# Look for the "permissions" claim: |
| 223 | +{ |
| 224 | + "permissions": [ |
| 225 | + { |
| 226 | + "action": "publish", |
| 227 | + "resource": "com.example/team-foo-*" |
| 228 | + } |
| 229 | + ] |
| 230 | +} |
| 231 | +``` |
| 232 | + |
| 233 | +## 7. Common Test Scenarios |
| 234 | + |
| 235 | +### Scenario A: Enterprise Team Isolation |
| 236 | +```bash |
| 237 | +# Team Alpha's TXT record |
| 238 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=ALPHA_KEY; n=com.microsoft/team-alpha-*" |
| 239 | + |
| 240 | +# Team Beta's TXT record |
| 241 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=BETA_KEY; n=com.microsoft/team-beta-*" |
| 242 | + |
| 243 | +# Result: Each team can only publish to their namespace |
| 244 | +``` |
| 245 | + |
| 246 | +### Scenario B: Gradual Migration |
| 247 | +```bash |
| 248 | +# Start with wildcard |
| 249 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=OLD_KEY" |
| 250 | + |
| 251 | +# Add scoped key alongside |
| 252 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=OLD_KEY" |
| 253 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=NEW_KEY; n=com.example/prod-*" |
| 254 | + |
| 255 | +# Both keys work, with different permission levels |
| 256 | +``` |
| 257 | + |
| 258 | +### Scenario C: Subdomain Scoping |
| 259 | +```bash |
| 260 | +# Scope to specific subdomain path |
| 261 | +"v=MCPv1; k=ed25519; p=KEY; n=com.example.api/*" |
| 262 | + |
| 263 | +# Only allows: com.example.api/service1, com.example.api/service2, etc. |
| 264 | +``` |
| 265 | + |
| 266 | +## Troubleshooting |
| 267 | + |
| 268 | +### Issue: "no valid MCP public keys found" |
| 269 | +- Verify TXT record format exactly matches the pattern |
| 270 | +- Check base64 encoding of public key |
| 271 | +- Ensure no extra spaces in the record |
| 272 | + |
| 273 | +### Issue: "signature verification failed" |
| 274 | +- Confirm timestamp is within ±15 seconds |
| 275 | +- Verify private key matches public key in TXT record |
| 276 | +- Check signature is hex-encoded |
| 277 | + |
| 278 | +### Issue: Permission denied despite correct pattern |
| 279 | +- Inspect JWT token to see actual permissions |
| 280 | +- Verify the pattern in `n=` matches exactly |
| 281 | +- Check for typos in the resource pattern |
| 282 | + |
| 283 | +## Security Considerations |
| 284 | + |
| 285 | +1. **Key Rotation**: The system supports multiple TXT records for zero-downtime rotation |
| 286 | +2. **Timestamp Window**: 15-second window prevents replay attacks |
| 287 | +3. **Pattern Validation**: Patterns are used as-is, ensure they're correctly formatted |
| 288 | +4. **DNS Propagation**: Allow time for DNS changes to propagate (usually 5-60 minutes) |
| 289 | + |
| 290 | +## Additional Resources |
| 291 | + |
| 292 | +- [Original Issue #481](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/issues/481) |
| 293 | +- [Pull Request #490](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/pull/490) |
| 294 | +- [DNS Authentication Documentation](../docs/guides/publishing/auth-dns.md) |
0 commit comments