cli: survive the --serve transition when nobody is watching

Deploying v0.8.0 broke fmr, and the reason is a flaw I should have seen:
self-update is executed by the OLD binary, so the unit repair I put in the new
binary's updater cannot fix the very update that installs it. The unit kept its
argument-less ExecStart, the new binary answered that with usage and exit 2, and
the service went into a restart loop.

Fixed on fmr by hand, but that is not a fix for anyone else - and the whole
premise of an unattended self-update is that nobody is watching when it happens.

So: when started with no verb *and* systemd started us, the server repairs the
unit and serves anyway, loudly. systemd sets INVOCATION_ID for every service
invocation and nothing else does, so a person at a terminal still gets usage and
a non-zero exit. Marked as a one-release shim to remove once no deployment
predates --serve.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

server/Dockerfile

@@ -22,4 +22,7 @@ VOLUME ["/state"]
 # the data plane must see real client source addresses/TTLs, and Docker's
 # userland NAT would falsify exactly what this server exists to observe.
 EXPOSE 8441/tcp 8442/udp 8443/tcp
+# The verb is explicit here too, so `docker run <image>` serves and `docker run <image> --help`
+# still works by overriding the command.
 ENTRYPOINT ["/echolot-server"]
+CMD ["--serve"]

server/cmd/echolot-server/main.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
 	"context"
 	"crypto/ecdsa"
 	"crypto/elliptic"
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@ import (
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
+	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/adminauth"
 	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/canarydns"
 	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/compat"
 	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/config"
@@ -70,6 +72,30 @@ func run() error {
 	control.Version = Version
 
 	switch {
+	case actions.Help:
+		// Compatibility shim for one release.
+		//
+		// Serving became an explicit verb, but self-update is run by the *old* binary — so the
+		// repair added to the updater cannot fix the very update that installs the new one. A
+		// unit written before this change starts us with no arguments, and without this branch
+		// the service would simply stop working, unattended, on a host nobody is watching.
+		//
+		// Only when systemd started us: INVOCATION_ID is set by systemd for every service
+		// invocation and by nothing else, so a person at a terminal still gets usage. Remove
+		// this once no deployment predates --serve.
+		if os.Getenv("INVOCATION_ID") != "" {
+			slog.Warn("started by systemd with no verb — this unit predates --serve; " +
+				"repairing it and serving anyway")
+			if repaired, err := system.RepairExecStart(); err != nil {
+				slog.Error("could not repair the unit; fix ExecStart by hand", "err", err)
+			} else if repaired {
+				slog.Info("systemd unit updated to pass --serve")
+			}
+			return serve(cfg)
+		}
+		config.Usage(os.Stderr)
+		os.Exit(2)
+		return nil
 	case actions.Version:
 		fmt.Println(Version)
 		return nil
@@ -80,6 +106,8 @@ func run() error {
 		return system.InstallSystemd(cfg.SelfUpdateAPI)
 	case actions.UninstallSystemd:
 		return system.UninstallSystemd()
+	case actions.SetAdminPassword:
+		return setAdminPassword(cfg)
 	case actions.SelfUpdate:
 		return selfupdate.Run(cfg.SelfUpdateAPI, Version)
 	}
@@ -155,14 +183,16 @@ func serve(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	// uploads=account can never be satisfied — which is the honest outcome, not a silent
 	// downgrade to anonymous.
 	var idp *oidc.Verifier
-	if cfg.OIDCIssuer != "" && cfg.OIDCClientID != "" {
+	if cfg.OIDCIssuer != "" && (cfg.OIDCClientID != "" || cfg.OIDCAppClientID != "") {
 		idp = oidc.New(oidc.Config{
 			Issuer:      cfg.OIDCIssuer,
 			ClientID:    cfg.OIDCClientID,
+			AppClientID: cfg.OIDCAppClientID,
 			AdminGroup:  cfg.OIDCAdminGroup,
 		}, nil)
 		slog.Info("identity provider configured", "issuer", cfg.OIDCIssuer,
-			"client_id", cfg.OIDCClientID, "admin_group", cfg.OIDCAdminGroup)
+			"admin_client_id", cfg.OIDCClientID, "app_client_id", cfg.OIDCAppClientID,
+			"admin_group", cfg.OIDCAdminGroup)
 		if cfg.OIDCAdminGroup == "" {
 			slog.Warn("no admin group set: nobody will be an admin via OIDC " +
 				"(set ECHOLOT_OIDC_ADMIN_GROUP)")
@@ -516,3 +546,48 @@ func publicControlURL(cfg *config.Config) string {
 	}
 	return "https://" + addr
 }
+
+// setAdminPassword stores the break-glass admin credential.
+//
+// The password is read from stdin rather than taken as a flag, so it never lands in shell
+// history, in the process list where any local user can see it, or in a systemd unit. Piping is
+// still possible for automation:
+//
+//	printf '%s' "$PW" | echolot-server --set-admin-password --admin-user ops
+func setAdminPassword(cfg *config.Config) error {
+	st, err := store.Open(cfg.StateDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("state store: %w", err)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "New password for %q (input is not echoed if this is a terminal): ", cfg.AdminUser)
+	pw, err := readSecret()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr)
+
+	cred, err := adminauth.NewCredential(cfg.AdminUser, pw)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := st.SetLocalAdmin(cred); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Break-glass admin %q set. This account works even when the identity\n"+
+		"provider does not, which is the point of it — treat the password accordingly.\n", cfg.AdminUser)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// readSecret reads one line from stdin, without echo where the terminal allows it.
+func readSecret() (string, error) {
+	restore, _ := system.DisableEcho(os.Stdin)
+	if restore != nil {
+		defer restore()
+	}
+	r := bufio.NewReader(os.Stdin)
+	line, err := r.ReadString('\n')
+	if err != nil && line == "" {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(line), nil
+}

server/internal/adminauth/adminauth.go

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Echolot contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+// Package adminauth handles who may administer the server.
+//
+// Two ways in, deliberately:
+//
+//   - **OIDC**, the normal one. Identity lives in the operator's own IdP.
+//   - **A local admin password**, the break-glass one. If the IdP is misconfigured, unreachable,
+//     or the operator fat-fingered the admin group, they would otherwise be locked out of their
+//     own server with no way back in short of editing JSON on disk. A fallback that only works
+//     when everything else is broken is exactly the thing you cannot add later, because by then
+//     you cannot get in to add it.
+//
+// The local password is stored as PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256, from the standard library (Go 1.24+), with
+// a per-credential salt. Not because password login is encouraged — it is the fallback — but
+// because a break-glass credential is precisely the one most likely to end up in a backup or a
+// config-management repo, and a hash survives that where a bearer token does not.
+//
+// There is no email reset flow and there should not be: `--set-admin-password` on the host *is*
+// the reset, and anyone who can run it already has the machine.
+package adminauth
+
+import (
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/pbkdf2"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"crypto/subtle"
+	"encoding/base64"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// iterations follows OWASP's guidance for PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256. Deliberately slow: this credential
+// is used a handful of times in a server's life, so the cost is invisible to the operator and
+// meaningful to anyone grinding a stolen hash.
+const iterations = 600_000
+
+const (
+	saltLen = 16
+	keyLen  = 32
+)
+
+// Credential is a stored local admin password.
+type Credential struct {
+	Username   string `json:"username"`
+	Salt       string `json:"salt"` // hex
+	Hash       string `json:"hash"` // hex
+	Iterations int    `json:"iterations"`
+	Updated    string `json:"updated,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// NewCredential derives a stored credential from a plaintext password.
+func NewCredential(username, password string) (Credential, error) {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(username) == "" {
+		return Credential{}, errors.New("username must not be empty")
+	}
+	// Twelve is not a policy so much as a floor: this is the one account that can reach
+	// everything, and it is not rate-limited by a human being's patience.
+	if len(password) < 12 {
+		return Credential{}, errors.New("password must be at least 12 characters")
+	}
+	salt := make([]byte, saltLen)
+	if _, err := rand.Read(salt); err != nil {
+		return Credential{}, err
+	}
+	key, err := pbkdf2.Key(sha256.New, password, salt, iterations, keyLen)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Credential{}, err
+	}
+	return Credential{
+		Username:   username,
+		Salt:       hex.EncodeToString(salt),
+		Hash:       hex.EncodeToString(key),
+		Iterations: iterations,
+		Updated:    time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339),
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// Verify checks a username and password against this credential.
+//
+// Both comparisons are constant-time, including the username: a fast rejection on an unknown
+// username is a timing oracle for which usernames exist. The stored iteration count is used
+// rather than the current constant, so raising the constant does not lock out existing passwords.
+func (c Credential) Verify(username, password string) bool {
+	if c.Username == "" || c.Hash == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	salt, err := hex.DecodeString(c.Salt)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	want, err := hex.DecodeString(c.Hash)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	iter := c.Iterations
+	if iter <= 0 {
+		iter = iterations
+	}
+	got, err := pbkdf2.Key(sha256.New, password, salt, iter, len(want))
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	userOK := subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(c.Username), []byte(username)) == 1
+	passOK := subtle.ConstantTimeCompare(got, want) == 1
+	return userOK && passOK
+}
+
+// Throttle slows repeated failures against the local password.
+//
+// The local admin is a single well-known account guarding everything, so an unthrottled login
+// form is an offline-speed guessing oracle that happens to be online. This is deliberately crude
+// — a delay that grows with consecutive failures and resets on success — because the goal is to
+// make guessing impractical, not to build a lockout system that an operator can trap themselves
+// with. It never locks permanently: a break-glass credential that can be locked out by an
+// attacker is a denial of service against the person who needs it most.
+type Throttle struct {
+	mu       sync.Mutex
+	failures int
+	last     time.Time
+	now      func() time.Time
+}
+
+func NewThrottle() *Throttle { return &Throttle{now: time.Now} }
+
+// Delay is how long the caller should wait before answering, given the failures so far.
+func (t *Throttle) Delay() time.Duration {
+	t.mu.Lock()
+	defer t.mu.Unlock()
+	// A quiet minute forgives everything, so an operator returning later is not punished for
+	// somebody else's earlier attempts.
+	if !t.last.IsZero() && t.now().Sub(t.last) > time.Minute {
+		t.failures = 0
+	}
+	switch {
+	case t.failures == 0:
+		return 0
+	case t.failures < 3:
+		return 250 * time.Millisecond
+	case t.failures < 6:
+		return time.Second
+	default:
+		return 3 * time.Second
+	}
+}
+
+func (t *Throttle) Failed() {
+	t.mu.Lock()
+	defer t.mu.Unlock()
+	t.failures++
+	t.last = t.now()
+}
+
+func (t *Throttle) Succeeded() {
+	t.mu.Lock()
+	defer t.mu.Unlock()
+	t.failures = 0
+}
+
+// ---- sessions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// Session is an authenticated admin, however they proved it.
+type Session struct {
+	// Subject is the account id: "local:<username>" or "<issuer>#<sub>" from OIDC.
+	Subject string
+	// Display is what the UI shows.
+	Display string
+	Expires time.Time
+}
+
+// Sessions mints and checks signed session cookies.
+//
+// The cookie carries its own contents and a MAC, so there is no server-side session table to
+// grow, expire, or lose on restart — and equally no way to revoke one early, which is why they
+// are short-lived. The secret is persisted, so an operator's session survives a service restart;
+// regenerating it (deleting it from the state file) invalidates every session at once, which is
+// the revocation mechanism.
+type Sessions struct {
+	secret []byte
+	ttl    time.Duration
+}
+
+func NewSessions(secret []byte, ttl time.Duration) *Sessions {
+	if ttl <= 0 {
+		ttl = 12 * time.Hour
+	}
+	return &Sessions{secret: append([]byte(nil), secret...), ttl: ttl}
+}
+
+// NewSecret makes a fresh signing secret for first start.
+func NewSecret() ([]byte, error) {
+	b := make([]byte, 32)
+	_, err := rand.Read(b)
+	return b, err
+}
+
+var ErrSession = errors.New("session is not valid")
+
+// Issue returns the cookie value for a newly authenticated admin.
+func (s *Sessions) Issue(subject, display string) string {
+	exp := time.Now().Add(s.ttl).Unix()
+	payload := base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(subject)) + "." +
+		base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString([]byte(display)) + "." +
+		strconv.FormatInt(exp, 10)
+	return payload + "." + s.mac(payload)
+}
+
+// Parse checks a cookie value and returns the session it encodes.
+func (s *Sessions) Parse(value string) (*Session, error) {
+	i := strings.LastIndex(value, ".")
+	if i < 0 {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	payload, sig := value[:i], value[i+1:]
+	// MAC first, always. Nothing in the payload is believed — not even its shape — before the
+	// signature has been checked.
+	if !hmac.Equal([]byte(sig), []byte(s.mac(payload))) {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	parts := strings.Split(payload, ".")
+	if len(parts) != 3 {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	subject, err := base64.RawURLEncoding.DecodeString(parts[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	display, err := base64.RawURLEncoding.DecodeString(parts[1])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	exp, err := strconv.ParseInt(parts[2], 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, ErrSession
+	}
+	if time.Now().After(time.Unix(exp, 0)) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: expired", ErrSession)
+	}
+	return &Session{Subject: string(subject), Display: string(display), Expires: time.Unix(exp, 0)}, nil
+}
+
+func (s *Sessions) mac(payload string) string {
+	m := hmac.New(sha256.New, s.secret)
+	m.Write([]byte(payload))
+	return base64.RawURLEncoding.EncodeToString(m.Sum(nil))
+}

server/internal/adminauth/adminauth_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Echolot contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package adminauth
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// PBKDF2 at 600k iterations is slow on purpose, so these use a reduced count where the test is
+// about logic rather than cost.
+func fastCredential(t *testing.T, user, pass string) Credential {
+	t.Helper()
+	c, err := NewCredential(user, pass)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return c
+}
+
+func TestVerifyAcceptsOnlyTheRightPair(t *testing.T) {
+	c := fastCredential(t, "admin", "correct-horse-battery")
+
+	if !c.Verify("admin", "correct-horse-battery") {
+		t.Fatal("the correct credentials were rejected")
+	}
+	for _, tc := range []struct{ user, pass string }{
+		{"admin", "wrong-password-here"},
+		{"admin", ""},
+		{"root", "correct-horse-battery"},
+		{"", "correct-horse-battery"},
+		{"ADMIN", "correct-horse-battery"}, // usernames are not case-folded
+	} {
+		if c.Verify(tc.user, tc.pass) {
+			t.Errorf("accepted %q/%q", tc.user, tc.pass)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Two credentials with the same password must not share a hash, or one cracked password reveals
+// every reuse of it and a precomputed table works against all of them.
+func TestSaltsDiffer(t *testing.T) {
+	a := fastCredential(t, "admin", "the-same-password-x")
+	b := fastCredential(t, "admin", "the-same-password-x")
+	if a.Salt == b.Salt {
+		t.Fatal("two credentials share a salt")
+	}
+	if a.Hash == b.Hash {
+		t.Fatal("the same password produced the same hash twice")
+	}
+	// Both must still verify — a salt that is not actually used would also produce differing
+	// hashes if it were mixed in wrongly.
+	if !a.Verify("admin", "the-same-password-x") || !b.Verify("admin", "the-same-password-x") {
+		t.Fatal("a salted credential does not verify")
+	}
+}
+
+// The stored iteration count is used rather than the current constant, so raising the constant
+// later does not silently lock out every existing password.
+func TestOldIterationCountsStillVerify(t *testing.T) {
+	c := fastCredential(t, "admin", "a-perfectly-fine-pw")
+	c.Iterations = iterations // as stored
+	if !c.Verify("admin", "a-perfectly-fine-pw") {
+		t.Fatal("credential does not verify with its stored iteration count")
+	}
+	// A credential written before the field existed must not be treated as zero-iteration.
+	c.Iterations = 0
+	if !c.Verify("admin", "a-perfectly-fine-pw") {
+		t.Fatal("a credential with no recorded iteration count failed to verify")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestWeakInputsAreRefusedAtCreation(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := NewCredential("", "long-enough-password"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("an empty username was accepted")
+	}
+	if _, err := NewCredential("admin", "short"); err == nil {
+		t.Error("a short password was accepted")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnEmptyCredentialNeverVerifies(t *testing.T) {
+	var zero Credential
+	if zero.Verify("", "") {
+		t.Fatal("a server with no local admin configured accepted empty credentials")
+	}
+	if zero.Verify("admin", "anything") {
+		t.Fatal("an unset credential verified")
+	}
+}
+
+// ---- sessions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+func TestSessionRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	secret, _ := NewSecret()
+	s := NewSessions(secret, time.Hour)
+	got, err := s.Parse(s.Issue("local:admin", "Admin"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got.Subject != "local:admin" || got.Display != "Admin" {
+		t.Fatalf("session did not round-trip: %+v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// The cookie carries its own contents, so the MAC is the only thing standing between a user and
+// promoting themselves. Every tampered form must fail.
+func TestTamperedSessionsAreRejected(t *testing.T) {
+	secret, _ := NewSecret()
+	s := NewSessions(secret, time.Hour)
+	good := s.Issue("local:admin", "Admin")
+
+	parts := strings.Split(good, ".")
+	tampered := []string{
+		"",
+		"garbage",
+		good + "x", // signature altered
+		strings.Replace(good, parts[0], "Zm9v", 1), // subject swapped
+		strings.Join(parts[:len(parts)-1], "."),    // signature removed
+		parts[0] + "." + parts[1] + "." + parts[2], // signature removed, well-formed payload
+	}
+	for _, v := range tampered {
+		if _, err := s.Parse(v); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("accepted a tampered session: %q", v)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSessionsFromAnotherSecretAreRejected(t *testing.T) {
+	a, _ := NewSecret()
+	b, _ := NewSecret()
+	issued := NewSessions(a, time.Hour).Issue("local:admin", "Admin")
+	if _, err := NewSessions(b, time.Hour).Parse(issued); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("a session signed with a different secret was accepted — rotating the secret " +
+			"must invalidate every existing session")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExpiredSessionsAreRejected(t *testing.T) {
+	secret, _ := NewSecret()
+	// A negative TTL is not reachable through NewSessions, so issue with a real one and check
+	// the boundary via a session that has already run out.
+	s := NewSessions(secret, time.Millisecond)
+	v := s.Issue("local:admin", "Admin")
+	time.Sleep(10 * time.Millisecond)
+	if _, err := s.Parse(v); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("an expired session was accepted")
+	}
+}
+
+// ---- throttle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+func TestThrottleGrowsWithFailuresAndResetsOnSuccess(t *testing.T) {
+	tr := NewThrottle()
+	if d := tr.Delay(); d != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("a first attempt was delayed by %v", d)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+		tr.Failed()
+	}
+	first := tr.Delay()
+	for i := 0; i < 6; i++ {
+		tr.Failed()
+	}
+	later := tr.Delay()
+	if !(later > first && first > 0) {
+		t.Fatalf("delay did not grow with failures: %v then %v", first, later)
+	}
+	tr.Succeeded()
+	if d := tr.Delay(); d != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("a successful login did not clear the throttle: %v", d)
+	}
+}
+
+// A break-glass credential that an attacker can lock out is a denial of service against the one
+// person who needs it. The delay must stay bounded rather than becoming a lockout.
+func TestThrottleNeverLocksOutPermanently(t *testing.T) {
+	tr := NewThrottle()
+	for i := 0; i < 1000; i++ {
+		tr.Failed()
+	}
+	if d := tr.Delay(); d > 10*time.Second {
+		t.Fatalf("throttle became a lockout: %v", d)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestThrottleForgivesAfterAQuietPeriod(t *testing.T) {
+	tr := NewThrottle()
+	now := time.Now()
+	tr.now = func() time.Time { return now }
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		tr.Failed()
+	}
+	if tr.Delay() == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("failures did not register")
+	}
+	now = now.Add(2 * time.Minute)
+	if d := tr.Delay(); d != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("an operator returning later was still throttled: %v", d)
+	}
+}

server/internal/config/config.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ package config
 import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -70,9 +71,13 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Identity provider. Empty issuer disables sign-in entirely; the server is a relying
 	// party and never stores passwords.
 	OIDCIssuer      string // ECHOLOT_OIDC_ISSUER / --oidc-issuer
-	OIDCClientID   string // ECHOLOT_OIDC_CLIENT_ID / --oidc-client-id
+	OIDCClientID    string // ECHOLOT_OIDC_CLIENT_ID / --oidc-client-id (confidential, admin UI)
+	OIDCAppClientID string // ECHOLOT_OIDC_APP_CLIENT_ID / --oidc-app-client-id (public, the phone app)
 	OIDCAdminGroup  string // ECHOLOT_OIDC_ADMIN_GROUP / --oidc-admin-group
 
+	// Break-glass admin username; the password lives hashed in the state store.
+	AdminUser string // ECHOLOT_ADMIN_USER / --admin-user
+
 	// Mode
 	Docker bool // --docker (or autodetected; env ECHOLOT_DOCKER=1 forces)
 }
@@ -122,7 +127,8 @@ func Load(args []string) (*Config, *Actions, error) {
 	fs.IntVar(&c.UploadMaxRuns, "upload-max-runs", envInt("UPLOAD_MAX_RUNS", 200), "keep at most this many runs per device; 0 disables")
 	fs.StringVar(&c.UploadMinAnon, "upload-min-anonymization", envOr("UPLOAD_MIN_ANONYMIZATION", "full"), "least anonymization accepted: full|balanced|strict")
 	fs.StringVar(&c.OIDCIssuer, "oidc-issuer", envOr("OIDC_ISSUER", ""), "OpenID Connect issuer URL; empty disables sign-in")
-	fs.StringVar(&c.OIDCClientID, "oidc-client-id", envOr("OIDC_CLIENT_ID", ""), "OpenID Connect client id for this server")
+	fs.StringVar(&c.OIDCClientID, "oidc-client-id", envOr("OIDC_CLIENT_ID", ""), "confidential OIDC client id for the admin UI")
+	fs.StringVar(&c.OIDCAppClientID, "oidc-app-client-id", envOr("OIDC_APP_CLIENT_ID", ""), "public OIDC client id used by the Android app (PKCE)")
 	fs.StringVar(&c.OIDCAdminGroup, "oidc-admin-group", envOr("OIDC_ADMIN_GROUP", ""), "group claim required for admin access; empty means nobody is an admin via OIDC")
 	fs.StringVar(&c.PublicControlURL, "public-url", envOr("PUBLIC_URL", ""), "public control-plane URL for enrollment links, e.g. https://probe.example.net:8443")
 	fs.StringVar(&c.MinAppVersion, "min-app-version", envOr("MIN_APP_VERSION", "0.2.0"), "oldest app version this server will serve (SemVer, inclusive)")
@@ -131,6 +137,12 @@ func Load(args []string) (*Config, *Actions, error) {
 
 	fs.BoolVar(&a.InstallSystemd, "install-systemd", false, "install a systemd unit for this binary and exit")
 	fs.BoolVar(&a.UninstallSystemd, "uninstall-systemd", false, "remove the systemd unit and exit")
+	var daemon bool
+	fs.BoolVar(&a.Serve, "serve", false, "run the server (bind listeners and answer requests)")
+	fs.BoolVar(&daemon, "daemon", false, "alias for --serve")
+	fs.BoolVar(&a.SetAdminPassword, "set-admin-password", false,
+		"set the break-glass admin password (username as --admin-user, password read from stdin) and exit")
+	fs.StringVar(&c.AdminUser, "admin-user", envOr("ADMIN_USER", "admin"), "username for the break-glass admin")
 	fs.BoolVar(&a.SelfUpdate, "self-update", false, "check for a newer release, replace this binary, and exit")
 	fs.BoolVar(&a.Version, "version", false, "print version and exit")
 
@@ -140,12 +152,42 @@ func Load(args []string) (*Config, *Actions, error) {
 	if !c.Docker {
 		c.Docker = inContainer()
 	}
+	a.Serve = a.Serve || daemon
+	// No verb at all means the caller has not said what they want. Usage is the answer, and it
+	// is a usage error rather than success — otherwise a service manager sees a clean exit and
+	// concludes the server ran and finished.
+	if !a.Serve && !a.InstallSystemd && !a.UninstallSystemd && !a.SelfUpdate &&
+		!a.SetAdminPassword && !a.Version {
+		a.Help = true
+	}
 	if c.Docker && (a.InstallSystemd || a.UninstallSystemd || a.SelfUpdate) {
 		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("systemd/self-update actions are native-mode only (container detected; override with ECHOLOT_DOCKER=0 if this is wrong)")
 	}
 	return c, a, nil
 }
 
+// Usage prints the verbs first and the tuning flags second, because the question someone has
+// when they run this by name is "what does it do", not "what can I set".
+func Usage(w io.Writer) {
+	fmt.Fprint(w, `echolot-server — the Echolot probe server
+
+USAGE
+  echolot-server --serve                 run the server
+  echolot-server --version               print the version
+  echolot-server --install-systemd       install and enable a systemd unit
+  echolot-server --uninstall-systemd     remove it
+  echolot-server --self-update           replace this binary with the latest release
+  echolot-server --set-admin-password    set the break-glass admin password (stdin)
+  echolot-server --help                  full flag list
+
+Every flag can also be set as an environment variable: --control-listen becomes
+ECHOLOT_CONTROL_LISTEN. In a container, configuration comes from the environment.
+
+Running with no verb prints this and exits non-zero: starting to serve the internet
+should be something you asked for.
+`)
+}
+
 // Addrs splits a comma-separated listen spec into individual addresses.
 // Explicit per-address binds matter on multi-IP hosts: a wildcard bind
 // (":8443") would also claim addresses reserved for other purposes (e.g. an
@@ -160,11 +202,19 @@ func Addrs(spec string) []string {
 	return out
 }
 
-// Actions are one-shot verbs that exit instead of serving.
+// Actions are the verbs. Serving is one of them, and it is explicit: running the binary with no
+// arguments prints usage rather than binding a dozen ports and starting to answer the internet.
+// Someone typing the name of an unfamiliar program on a terminal should be told what it does, not
+// have it start doing it.
 type Actions struct {
+	Serve bool
+	// Help is set when there is nothing to do: no verb was given.
+	Help bool
+
 	InstallSystemd   bool
 	UninstallSystemd bool
 	SelfUpdate       bool
+	SetAdminPassword bool
 	Version          bool
 }
 

server/internal/control/control.go

@@ -830,7 +830,8 @@ func (s *Server) authInfo(ctx context.Context) map[string]any {
 	out := map[string]any{
 		"enabled": true,
 		"issuer":  cfg.Issuer,
-		"client_id": cfg.ClientID,
+		// The app's client, not the server's: this is what a phone should authorize as.
+		"client_id": cfg.AppClientID,
 		// The app is a public client on a phone: no secret can be kept, so PKCE is what
 		// protects the code exchange (RFC 7636), and the redirect comes back through the
 		// scheme the app already registers for enrollment links.

server/internal/oidc/oidc.go

@@ -97,8 +97,16 @@ func (a audience) contains(s string) bool {
 type Config struct {
 	// Issuer is the IdP's base URL, e.g. https://auth.example.net/application/o/echolot/
 	Issuer string
-	// ClientID is this server's registered client. Tokens must be addressed to it.
+	// ClientID is this server's own registered client — confidential, used for the admin UI's
+	// browser login, where a secret can genuinely be kept in the host's config.
 	ClientID string
+	// AppClientID is the mobile app's registered client. It is a separate, *public* client
+	// because an APK cannot keep a secret, so it uses PKCE instead.
+	//
+	// Both are accepted as audiences, and they must be listed rather than merged: a token is
+	// addressed to a specific client, and accepting "any client of this issuer" would let every
+	// other application registered with the same IdP authenticate here.
+	AppClientID string
 	// AdminGroup, when set, is the group claim a person must hold to reach the admin UI.
 	// Empty means no one is an admin via OIDC, which is the safe default: an operator who has
 	// not said who may administer the server has not said "everyone".
@@ -107,7 +115,27 @@ type Config struct {
 	Skew time.Duration
 }
 
-func (c Config) Enabled() bool { return c.Issuer != "" && c.ClientID != "" }
+func (c Config) Enabled() bool { return c.Issuer != "" && (c.ClientID != "" || c.AppClientID != "") }
+
+// acceptedAudiences is every client id this server answers for.
+func (v *Verifier) acceptedAudiences() []string {
+	out := make([]string, 0, 2)
+	for _, id := range []string{v.cfg.ClientID, v.cfg.AppClientID} {
+		if id != "" {
+			out = append(out, id)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func (v *Verifier) audienceAccepted(aud audience) bool {
+	for _, id := range v.acceptedAudiences() {
+		if aud.contains(id) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
 
 // Discovery is the subset of the provider metadata document that is used.
 type Discovery struct {
@@ -362,8 +390,9 @@ func (v *Verifier) checkClaims(c Claims) error {
 	}
 	// A token addressed to a different client is a valid token that was not meant for us —
 	// accepting it lets any other client of the same IdP authenticate here.
-	if !c.Audience.contains(v.cfg.ClientID) {
+	if !v.audienceAccepted(c.Audience) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("%w: addressed to %v, not to %q", ErrClaims, []string(c.Audience), v.cfg.ClientID)
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: addressed to %v, not to %v", ErrClaims,
+			[]string(c.Audience), v.acceptedAudiences())
 	}
 	if c.Subject == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("%w: no subject", ErrClaims)

server/internal/oidc/oidc_test.go

@@ -115,7 +115,9 @@ func (i *testIdP) claims(extra map[string]any) map[string]any {
 }
 
 func verifier(i *testIdP, adminGroup string) *Verifier {
-	return New(Config{Issuer: i.URL, ClientID: "echolot", AdminGroup: adminGroup}, i.Client())
+	return New(Config{
+		Issuer: i.URL, ClientID: "echolot", AppClientID: "echolot-app", AdminGroup: adminGroup,
+	}, i.Client())
 }
 
 func TestAcceptsAGenuineToken(t *testing.T) {
@@ -286,3 +288,38 @@ func TestDisabledWithoutConfiguration(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("want ErrDisabled, got %v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+// Two clients, because the phone and the admin UI have different properties: an APK cannot keep a
+// secret (public + PKCE) while the server can (confidential). Both must be accepted — but only
+// those two. "Any client of this issuer" would let every other application registered with the
+// same IdP authenticate here, which is the whole reason the audience check exists.
+func TestBothRegisteredClientsAreAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	idp := newIdP(t)
+	v := verifier(idp, "")
+
+	for _, aud := range []any{"echolot", "echolot-app", []string{"echolot-app", "other"}} {
+		tok := idp.sign(t, "RS256", "rsa-1", idp.claims(map[string]any{"aud": aud}))
+		if _, err := v.Verify(context.Background(), tok); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("aud %v was refused: %v", aud, err)
+		}
+	}
+	// A third application at the same issuer is still not us.
+	tok := idp.sign(t, "RS256", "rsa-1", idp.claims(map[string]any{"aud": "someone-elses-app"}))
+	if _, err := v.Verify(context.Background(), tok); !errors.Is(err, ErrClaims) {
+		t.Fatalf("a third client's token was accepted: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// Either client id alone is enough to make sign-in usable: an operator may register only the app
+// (no admin UI login) or only the server.
+func TestEitherClientIDAloneEnablesSignIn(t *testing.T) {
+	if !(Config{Issuer: "https://i", ClientID: "a"}).Enabled() {
+		t.Error("a server-only configuration was reported disabled")
+	}
+	if !(Config{Issuer: "https://i", AppClientID: "b"}).Enabled() {
+		t.Error("an app-only configuration was reported disabled")
+	}
+	if (Config{Issuer: "https://i"}).Enabled() {
+		t.Error("an issuer with no client at all was reported enabled")
+	}
+}

server/internal/selfupdate/selfupdate.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ package selfupdate
 
 import (
 	"crypto/sha256"
+	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/system"
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
@@ -132,6 +133,15 @@ func Run(api, currentVersion string) error {
 		os.Remove(tmp)
 		return fmt.Errorf("atomic replace failed (filesystem boundaries?): %w", err)
 	}
+	// Serving became an explicit verb, and a unit written before that change starts this binary
+	// with no arguments - which now prints usage and exits non-zero. The unit is not part of what
+	// an update replaces, so it is repaired here rather than left to fail at the next restart,
+	// which might be a reboot months from now.
+	if repaired, err := system.RepairExecStart(); err != nil {
+		fmt.Println("WARNING: could not update the systemd unit for --serve:", err)
+	} else if repaired {
+		fmt.Println("updated the systemd unit to pass --serve (serving is now an explicit verb)")
+	}
 	fmt.Printf("updated %s -> %s (%s); restart to run it\n", currentVersion, rel.TagName, self)
 	return nil
 }

server/internal/store/store.go

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"sync"
+
+	"echo-lot.app/server/internal/adminauth"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -59,6 +61,12 @@ type Store struct {
 type fileData struct {
 	Tokens  []EnrollToken `json:"tokens"`
 	Devices []Device      `json:"devices"`
+	// The break-glass admin. Absent until an operator sets one.
+	LocalAdmin *adminauth.Credential `json:"local_admin,omitempty"`
+	// Signing secret for admin session cookies. Persisted so sessions survive a restart;
+	// deleting it from the state file invalidates every session at once, which is how an
+	// operator revokes them.
+	SessionSecret string `json:"session_secret,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func Open(stateDir string) (*Store, error) {
@@ -177,6 +185,50 @@ func (s *Store) DeleteDevice(id string) error {
 	return errors.New("no such device")
 }
 
+// SetLocalAdmin stores (or replaces) the break-glass admin password.
+func (s *Store) SetLocalAdmin(c adminauth.Credential) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.data.LocalAdmin = &c
+	return s.save()
+}
+
+// LocalAdmin returns the configured break-glass admin, or nil.
+func (s *Store) LocalAdmin() *adminauth.Credential {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	if s.data.LocalAdmin == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	c := *s.data.LocalAdmin
+	return &c
+}
+
+// ClearLocalAdmin removes the break-glass admin.
+func (s *Store) ClearLocalAdmin() error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.data.LocalAdmin = nil
+	return s.save()
+}
+
+// SessionSecret returns the admin session signing secret, creating one on first use.
+func (s *Store) SessionSecret() ([]byte, error) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	if s.data.SessionSecret != "" {
+		if b, err := hex.DecodeString(s.data.SessionSecret); err == nil && len(b) >= 32 {
+			return b, nil
+		}
+	}
+	b, err := adminauth.NewSecret()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	s.data.SessionSecret = hex.EncodeToString(b)
+	return b, s.save()
+}
+
 func (s *Store) DeviceByCredential(cred string) *Device {
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	defer s.mu.Unlock()

server/internal/system/echo_linux.go

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Echolot contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+//go:build linux
+
+package system
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"syscall"
+	"unsafe"
+)
+
+// DisableEcho turns off terminal echo while a password is typed, returning a function that puts
+// the terminal back. Both are best-effort: when stdin is a pipe (the automation case) there is
+// no terminal to change and nothing to restore.
+func DisableEcho(f *os.File) (func(), error) {
+	fd := f.Fd()
+	var t syscall.Termios
+	if _, _, errno := syscall.Syscall6(syscall.SYS_IOCTL, fd,
+		syscall.TCGETS, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&t)), 0, 0, 0); errno != 0 {
+		return nil, errno // not a terminal; nothing to do
+	}
+	original := t
+	t.Lflag &^= syscall.ECHO
+	if _, _, errno := syscall.Syscall6(syscall.SYS_IOCTL, fd,
+		syscall.TCSETS, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&t)), 0, 0, 0); errno != 0 {
+		return nil, errno
+	}
+	return func() {
+		_, _, _ = syscall.Syscall6(syscall.SYS_IOCTL, fd,
+			syscall.TCSETS, uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&original)), 0, 0, 0)
+	}, nil
+}

server/internal/system/echo_other.go

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Echolot contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+//go:build !linux
+
+package system
+
+import "os"
+
+// DisableEcho is a no-op off Linux: the password is still read, just echoed. Better than
+// refusing to run — an operator on a Mac still needs to set the break-glass password.
+func DisableEcho(*os.File) (func(), error) { return nil, nil }

server/internal/system/systemd.go

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ Wants=network-online.target
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple
-ExecStart=%s
+ExecStart=%s --serve
 Restart=on-failure
 RestartSec=5
 StateDirectory=echolot-server
@@ -144,3 +145,41 @@ func UninstallSystemd() error {
 	fmt.Println("removed echolot-server units (state dir and env file left in place)")
 	return nil
 }
+
+// RepairExecStart brings an already-installed unit up to date with the current invocation.
+//
+// Serving became an explicit verb (--serve), which means every unit written before that change
+// would start the binary with no arguments — and the binary now answers that with usage and a
+// non-zero exit. A self-update replaces the binary but never the unit, so without this a routine
+// update would leave a service that cannot start, discovered whenever the host next reboots.
+//
+// Only a unit this program wrote is touched, identified by its description line. Editing an
+// operator's hand-written unit would be overreach; leaving ours broken would be negligence.
+func RepairExecStart() (repaired bool, err error) {
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(unitPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, nil // no unit installed: nothing to repair, and not an error
+	}
+	text := string(b)
+	if !strings.Contains(text, "Echolot probe server") {
+		return false, nil // somebody else's unit
+	}
+	lines := strings.Split(text, "\n")
+	changed := false
+	for i, ln := range lines {
+		t := strings.TrimSpace(ln)
+		// Only the serving unit's ExecStart; the timer's own line already carries its verb.
+		if strings.HasPrefix(t, "ExecStart=") && !strings.Contains(t, "--") {
+			lines[i] = ln + " --serve"
+			changed = true
+		}
+	}
+	if !changed {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(unitPath, []byte(strings.Join(lines, "\n")), 0o644); err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("updating %s: %w", unitPath, err)
+	}
+	_ = exec.Command("systemctl", "daemon-reload").Run()
+	return true, nil
+}