Desktop: assign each profile a runtime origin - #403
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listen(0) hands back a port from the ephemeral range, which is exactly where the kernel draws from for outbound sockets. That is right for a port that lives seconds and wrong for one we save across launches, since local servers and proxies churn through that range constantly. 9403-9498 is never handed out spontaneously, so only software that binds there explicitly can take a saved port. Port 0 stays as the last resort. Also fixes the collision note in the docs. Blocks with embedded media keep the previous origin in their markup, so those images do need re-inserting.
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What
Cortext Desktop now gives each profile its own loopback port instead of assuming 9402. It takes the first free port in a fixed band, reuses it across launches, moves when that port is occupied, and rejects requests whose
Hostor suppliedOrigindoes not match. Starting Cortext again focuses the existing window instead of opening a second runtime against the same SQLite database.Why
Changing the port on every launch would discard origin-scoped preferences and strand the local Notion key. A saved port per profile avoids fixed-port collisions without resetting that state on normal restarts. The band exists for the same reason. A port assigned by the operating system comes from the range the kernel recycles for outbound sockets, which is a poor place to park a port we intend to keep.
How
127.0.0.1and retrying once if the selected port is claimed during startup.A collision that forces a new origin leaves browser-only preferences and the local Notion key under the old one. WordPress settings and uploads are unaffected, but blocks with embedded media keep the previous origin in their markup, so those images need re-inserting. Content stores absolute URLs today, which is also a problem for syncing documents with a remote site. This PR does not change that.
Testing Instructions
--user-data-dir. Confirm that the window opens on a port between 9403 and 9498.settings.json, change a browser-backed preference, quit, and relaunch the same profile. Confirm that the URL keeps the same port and the preference remains.curl -i <runtime-origin>/wp-includes/images/blank.gifwithout a token and confirm that it returns403 Forbidden.I used Claude to help implement these changes. I guided the work, then tested and reviewed the result.