Files
autocoder/start_ui.py
cabana8471 be20c8a3ef feat: add --host argument for WebUI remote access (#81)
Users can now access the WebUI remotely (e.g., via VS Code tunnels,
remote servers) by specifying a host address:

    python start_ui.py --host 0.0.0.0
    python start_ui.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8888

Changes:
- Added --host and --port CLI arguments to start_ui.py
- Security warning displayed when remote access is enabled
- AUTOCODER_ALLOW_REMOTE env var passed to server
- server/main.py conditionally disables localhost middleware
- CORS updated to allow all origins when remote access is enabled
- Browser auto-open disabled for remote hosts

Security considerations documented in warning:
- File system access to project directories
- API can start/stop agents and modify files
- Recommend firewall or VPN for protection

Fixes: leonvanzyl/autocoder#81

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-01-25 12:14:23 +01:00

425 lines
14 KiB
Python

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
AutoCoder UI Launcher
=====================
Automated launcher that handles all setup:
1. Creates/activates Python virtual environment
2. Installs Python dependencies
3. Checks for Node.js
4. Installs npm dependencies
5. Builds React frontend (if needed)
6. Starts FastAPI server
7. Opens browser to the UI
Usage:
python start_ui.py [--dev] [--host HOST] [--port PORT]
Options:
--dev Run in development mode with Vite hot reload
--host HOST Host to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)
Use 0.0.0.0 for remote access (security warning will be shown)
--port PORT Port to bind to (default: 8888)
"""
import argparse
import asyncio
import os
import shutil
import socket
import subprocess
import sys
import time
import webbrowser
from pathlib import Path
# Fix Windows asyncio subprocess support BEFORE anything else runs
if sys.platform == "win32":
asyncio.set_event_loop_policy(asyncio.WindowsProactorEventLoopPolicy())
ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.absolute()
VENV_DIR = ROOT / "venv"
UI_DIR = ROOT / "ui"
def print_step(step: int, total: int, message: str) -> None:
"""Print a formatted step message."""
print(f"\n[{step}/{total}] {message}")
print("-" * 50)
def find_available_port(start: int = 8888, max_attempts: int = 10) -> int:
"""Find an available port starting from the given port."""
for port in range(start, start + max_attempts):
try:
with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as s:
s.bind(("127.0.0.1", port))
return port
except OSError:
continue
raise RuntimeError(f"No available ports found in range {start}-{start + max_attempts}")
def get_venv_python() -> Path:
"""Get the path to the virtual environment Python executable."""
if sys.platform == "win32":
return VENV_DIR / "Scripts" / "python.exe"
return VENV_DIR / "bin" / "python"
def run_command(cmd: list, cwd: Path | None = None, check: bool = True) -> bool:
"""Run a command and return success status."""
try:
subprocess.run(cmd, cwd=str(cwd) if cwd else None, check=check)
return True
except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
return False
except FileNotFoundError:
return False
def setup_python_venv() -> bool:
"""Create Python virtual environment if it doesn't exist."""
if VENV_DIR.exists() and get_venv_python().exists():
print(" Virtual environment already exists")
return True
print(" Creating virtual environment...")
return run_command([sys.executable, "-m", "venv", str(VENV_DIR)])
def install_python_deps() -> bool:
"""Install Python dependencies."""
venv_python = get_venv_python()
requirements = ROOT / "requirements.txt"
if not requirements.exists():
print(" ERROR: requirements.txt not found")
return False
print(" Installing Python dependencies...")
return run_command([
str(venv_python), "-m", "pip", "install",
"-q", "--upgrade", "pip"
]) and run_command([
str(venv_python), "-m", "pip", "install",
"-q", "-r", str(requirements)
])
def check_node() -> bool:
"""Check if Node.js is installed."""
node = shutil.which("node")
npm = shutil.which("npm")
if not node:
print(" ERROR: Node.js not found")
print(" Please install Node.js from https://nodejs.org")
return False
if not npm:
print(" ERROR: npm not found")
print(" Please install Node.js from https://nodejs.org")
return False
# Get version
try:
result = subprocess.run(
["node", "--version"],
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
print(f" Node.js version: {result.stdout.strip()}")
except Exception:
pass
return True
def install_npm_deps() -> bool:
"""Install npm dependencies if node_modules doesn't exist."""
node_modules = UI_DIR / "node_modules"
if node_modules.exists():
print(" npm dependencies already installed")
return True
print(" Installing npm dependencies (this may take a few minutes)...")
npm_cmd = "npm.cmd" if sys.platform == "win32" else "npm"
return run_command([npm_cmd, "install"], cwd=UI_DIR)
def build_frontend() -> bool:
"""Build the React frontend if dist doesn't exist or is stale.
Staleness is determined by comparing modification times of:
- Source files in ui/src/
- Config files (package.json, vite.config.ts, etc.)
Against the newest file in ui/dist/
Includes a 2-second tolerance for FAT32 filesystem compatibility.
"""
dist_dir = UI_DIR / "dist"
src_dir = UI_DIR / "src"
# FAT32 has 2-second timestamp precision, so we add tolerance to avoid
# false negatives when projects are on USB drives or SD cards
TIMESTAMP_TOLERANCE = 2
# Config files that should trigger a rebuild when changed
CONFIG_FILES = [
"package.json",
"package-lock.json",
"vite.config.ts",
"tailwind.config.ts",
"tsconfig.json",
"tsconfig.node.json",
"postcss.config.js",
"index.html",
]
# Check if build is needed
needs_build = False
trigger_file = None
if not dist_dir.exists():
needs_build = True
trigger_file = "dist/ directory missing"
elif src_dir.exists():
# Find the newest file in dist/ directory
newest_dist_mtime = 0
for dist_file in dist_dir.rglob("*"):
try:
if dist_file.is_file():
file_mtime = dist_file.stat().st_mtime
if file_mtime > newest_dist_mtime:
newest_dist_mtime = file_mtime
except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, OSError):
# File was deleted or became inaccessible during iteration
continue
if newest_dist_mtime > 0:
# Check config files first (these always require rebuild)
for config_name in CONFIG_FILES:
config_path = UI_DIR / config_name
try:
if config_path.exists():
if config_path.stat().st_mtime > newest_dist_mtime + TIMESTAMP_TOLERANCE:
needs_build = True
trigger_file = config_name
break
except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, OSError):
continue
# Check source files if no config triggered rebuild
if not needs_build:
for src_file in src_dir.rglob("*"):
try:
if src_file.is_file():
if src_file.stat().st_mtime > newest_dist_mtime + TIMESTAMP_TOLERANCE:
needs_build = True
trigger_file = str(src_file.relative_to(UI_DIR))
break
except (FileNotFoundError, PermissionError, OSError):
# File was deleted or became inaccessible during iteration
continue
else:
# No files found in dist, need to rebuild
needs_build = True
trigger_file = "dist/ directory is empty"
if not needs_build:
print(" Frontend already built (up to date)")
return True
if trigger_file:
print(f" Rebuild triggered by: {trigger_file}")
print(" Building React frontend...")
npm_cmd = "npm.cmd" if sys.platform == "win32" else "npm"
return run_command([npm_cmd, "run", "build"], cwd=UI_DIR)
def start_dev_server(port: int, host: str = "127.0.0.1") -> tuple:
"""Start both Vite and FastAPI in development mode."""
venv_python = get_venv_python()
print("\n Starting development servers...")
print(f" - FastAPI backend: http://{host}:{port}")
print(" - Vite frontend: http://127.0.0.1:5173")
# Set environment for remote access if needed
env = os.environ.copy()
if host != "127.0.0.1":
env["AUTOCODER_ALLOW_REMOTE"] = "1"
# Start FastAPI
backend = subprocess.Popen([
str(venv_python), "-m", "uvicorn",
"server.main:app",
"--host", host,
"--port", str(port),
"--reload"
], cwd=str(ROOT), env=env)
# Start Vite with API port env var for proxy configuration
npm_cmd = "npm.cmd" if sys.platform == "win32" else "npm"
vite_env = env.copy()
vite_env["VITE_API_PORT"] = str(port)
frontend = subprocess.Popen([
npm_cmd, "run", "dev"
], cwd=str(UI_DIR), env=vite_env)
return backend, frontend
def start_production_server(port: int, host: str = "127.0.0.1"):
"""Start FastAPI server in production mode."""
venv_python = get_venv_python()
print(f"\n Starting server at http://{host}:{port}")
env = os.environ.copy()
# Enable remote access in server if not localhost
if host != "127.0.0.1":
env["AUTOCODER_ALLOW_REMOTE"] = "1"
# NOTE: --reload is NOT used because on Windows it breaks asyncio subprocess
# support (uvicorn's reload worker doesn't inherit the ProactorEventLoop policy).
# This affects Claude SDK which uses asyncio.create_subprocess_exec.
# For development with hot reload, use: python start_ui.py --dev
return subprocess.Popen([
str(venv_python), "-m", "uvicorn",
"server.main:app",
"--host", host,
"--port", str(port),
], cwd=str(ROOT), env=env)
def main() -> None:
"""Main entry point."""
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="AutoCoder UI Launcher")
parser.add_argument("--dev", action="store_true", help="Run in development mode with Vite hot reload")
parser.add_argument("--host", default="127.0.0.1", help="Host to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)")
parser.add_argument("--port", type=int, default=None, help="Port to bind to (default: auto-detect from 8888)")
args = parser.parse_args()
dev_mode = args.dev
host = args.host
# Security warning for remote access
if host != "127.0.0.1":
print("\n" + "!" * 50)
print(" SECURITY WARNING")
print("!" * 50)
print(f" Remote access enabled on host: {host}")
print(" The AutoCoder UI will be accessible from other machines.")
print(" Ensure you understand the security implications:")
print(" - The agent has file system access to project directories")
print(" - The API can start/stop agents and modify files")
print(" - Consider using a firewall or VPN for protection")
print("!" * 50 + "\n")
print("=" * 50)
print(" AutoCoder UI Setup")
print("=" * 50)
total_steps = 6 if not dev_mode else 5
# Step 1: Python venv
print_step(1, total_steps, "Setting up Python environment")
if not setup_python_venv():
print("ERROR: Failed to create virtual environment")
sys.exit(1)
# Step 2: Python dependencies
print_step(2, total_steps, "Installing Python dependencies")
if not install_python_deps():
print("ERROR: Failed to install Python dependencies")
sys.exit(1)
# Load environment variables now that dotenv is installed
try:
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv(ROOT / ".env")
except ImportError:
pass # dotenv is optional for basic functionality
# Step 3: Check Node.js
print_step(3, total_steps, "Checking Node.js")
if not check_node():
sys.exit(1)
# Step 4: npm dependencies
print_step(4, total_steps, "Installing npm dependencies")
if not install_npm_deps():
print("ERROR: Failed to install npm dependencies")
sys.exit(1)
# Step 5: Build frontend (production only)
if not dev_mode:
print_step(5, total_steps, "Building frontend")
if not build_frontend():
print("ERROR: Failed to build frontend")
sys.exit(1)
# Step 6: Start server
step = 5 if dev_mode else 6
print_step(step, total_steps, "Starting server")
port = args.port if args.port else find_available_port()
try:
if dev_mode:
backend, frontend = start_dev_server(port, host)
# Open browser to Vite dev server (always localhost for Vite)
time.sleep(3)
webbrowser.open("http://127.0.0.1:5173")
print("\n" + "=" * 50)
print(" Development mode active")
if host != "127.0.0.1":
print(f" Backend accessible at: http://{host}:{port}")
print(" Press Ctrl+C to stop")
print("=" * 50)
try:
# Wait for either process to exit
while backend.poll() is None and frontend.poll() is None:
time.sleep(1)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("\n\nShutting down...")
finally:
backend.terminate()
frontend.terminate()
backend.wait()
frontend.wait()
else:
server = start_production_server(port, host)
# Open browser (only if localhost)
time.sleep(2)
if host == "127.0.0.1":
webbrowser.open(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}")
print("\n" + "=" * 50)
print(f" Server running at http://{host}:{port}")
print(" Press Ctrl+C to stop")
print("=" * 50)
try:
server.wait()
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("\n\nShutting down...")
server.terminate()
server.wait()
except Exception as e:
print(f"\nERROR: {e}")
sys.exit(1)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main()