[client] Make netbird up wait for the daemon to become ready

The CLI up path only tolerated a not-yet-ready daemon via a 10s blocking dial, so "netbird service start" immediately followed by "netbird up" (e.g. a container entrypoint) failed with a generic "daemon not running" error. The container entrypoint worked around this with a shell poll loop (status --check live) before running up. Move the readiness wait into the CLI, mirroring how the GUI already dials: - DialClientGRPCServer now uses grpc.NewClient with a tuned reconnect backoff and waits for the connection to reach READY (retrying on TRANSIENT_FAILURE) up to a 30s deadline, instead of grpc.DialContext + WithBlock with a hard 10s timeout. - up now polls Status via waitForDaemonStatus, retrying while the RPC is Unavailable (socket up but service not yet registered). Add an explicit daemon-ready signal so clients can wait deterministically instead of heuristically: - New optional StatusResponse.daemonReady field (field 5, wire-compatible with older GUIs/daemons which leave it unset). Regenerated with the pinned protoc v33.1 toolchain so no version churn leaks into the diff. - The server sets ready once Start succeeds and the DaemonService is registered (SetReady, called from the service controller). - waitForDaemonStatus waits for daemonReady=true (or an already-Connected status), with a bounded grace window so older daemons that never set the field are not blocked. Simplify the container entrypoint accordingly: drop the readiness poll loop (up now waits) and the now-dead NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT env, keeping only the daemon+up process glue and SIGTERM forwarding for clean shutdown.
2026-07-18 04:29:54 +00:00 · 2026-07-17 10:28:58 +02:00
parent d15830a2d0
commit ccb271b5bb
11 changed files with 374 additions and 83 deletions
--- a/client/Dockerfile
+++ b/client/Dockerfile
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ ENV \
    NETBIRD_BIN="/usr/local/bin/netbird" \
    NB_LOG_FILE="console,/var/log/netbird/client.log" \
    NB_DAEMON_ADDR="unix:///var/run/netbird.sock" \
-    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false" \
-    NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT="30"
+    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false"

 ENTRYPOINT [ "/usr/local/bin/netbird-entrypoint.sh" ]
 ARG TARGETPLATFORM
--- a/client/Dockerfile-rootless
+++ b/client/Dockerfile-rootless
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ ENV \
    NB_DAEMON_ADDR="unix:///var/lib/netbird/netbird.sock" \
    NB_LOG_FILE="console,/var/lib/netbird/client.log" \
    NB_DISABLE_DNS="true" \
-    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false" \
-    NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT="30"
+    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false"

 ENTRYPOINT [ "/usr/local/bin/netbird-entrypoint.sh" ]
 ARG TARGETPLATFORM
--- a/client/cmd/dial_test.go
+++ b/client/cmd/dial_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/connectivity"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
+)
+
+// startUnixGRPCServer starts a bare gRPC server listening on a unix socket at path
+// and returns a stop function. No services are registered; the connectivity-state
+// wait only cares about the transport becoming READY.
+func startUnixGRPCServer(t *testing.T, path string) func() {
+	t.Helper()
+	lis, err := net.Listen("unix", path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("listen unix %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	srv := grpc.NewServer()
+	go func() { _ = srv.Serve(lis) }()
+	return srv.Stop
+}
+
+func TestDialClientGRPCServer_ConnectsWhenServing(t *testing.T) {
+	sock := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nb.sock")
+	stop := startUnixGRPCServer(t, sock)
+	defer stop()
+
+	conn, err := dialClientGRPCServer(context.Background(), "unix://"+sock, 5*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected connection, got error: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	if state := conn.GetState(); state != connectivity.Ready {
+		t.Fatalf("expected READY, got %s", state)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDialClientGRPCServer_WaitsForLateServer is the core regression test: the
+// daemon socket appears only after the dial has already started, mirroring
+// "netbird service start" immediately followed by "netbird up".
+func TestDialClientGRPCServer_WaitsForLateServer(t *testing.T) {
+	sock := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nb.sock")
+
+	var stop func()
+	timer := time.AfterFunc(1*time.Second, func() {
+		stop = startUnixGRPCServer(t, sock)
+	})
+	defer timer.Stop()
+	defer func() {
+		if stop != nil {
+			stop()
+		}
+	}()
+
+	start := time.Now()
+	conn, err := dialClientGRPCServer(context.Background(), "unix://"+sock, 10*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected connection after late server start, got error: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	if elapsed := time.Since(start); elapsed < 500*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("connected too fast (%s); server should not have been up yet", elapsed)
+	}
+	if state := conn.GetState(); state != connectivity.Ready {
+		t.Fatalf("expected READY, got %s", state)
+	}
+}
+
+// fakeStatusServer serves the Status RPC with a programmable response so we can
+// exercise waitForDaemonStatus without spinning up a real engine.
+type fakeStatusServer struct {
+	proto.UnimplementedDaemonServiceServer
+	resp func() *proto.StatusResponse
+}
+
+func (f *fakeStatusServer) Status(context.Context, *proto.StatusRequest) (*proto.StatusResponse, error) {
+	return f.resp(), nil
+}
+
+func startFakeStatusServer(t *testing.T, sock string, resp func() *proto.StatusResponse) func() {
+	t.Helper()
+	lis, err := net.Listen("unix", sock)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("listen unix %s: %v", sock, err)
+	}
+	srv := grpc.NewServer()
+	proto.RegisterDaemonServiceServer(srv, &fakeStatusServer{resp: resp})
+	go func() { _ = srv.Serve(lis) }()
+	return srv.Stop
+}
+
+func dialFake(t *testing.T, sock string) proto.DaemonServiceClient {
+	t.Helper()
+	conn, err := dialClientGRPCServer(context.Background(), "unix://"+sock, 5*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("dial fake daemon: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { conn.Close() })
+	return proto.NewDaemonServiceClient(conn)
+}
+
+// New daemon that flips DaemonReady=true after a couple of polls: waitForDaemonStatus
+// must block until the flag is set, then return.
+func TestWaitForDaemonStatus_WaitsForDaemonReady(t *testing.T) {
+	sock := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nb.sock")
+	var polls int32
+	stop := startFakeStatusServer(t, sock, func() *proto.StatusResponse {
+		n := atomic.AddInt32(&polls, 1)
+		return &proto.StatusResponse{
+			Status:      string(internal.StatusConnecting),
+			DaemonReady: n >= 3, // ready only from the 3rd poll on
+		}
+	})
+	defer stop()
+
+	client := dialFake(t, sock)
+	status, err := waitForDaemonStatus(context.Background(), client)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !status.GetDaemonReady() {
+		t.Fatalf("expected DaemonReady=true, got false")
+	}
+	if got := atomic.LoadInt32(&polls); got < 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected at least 3 polls before ready, got %d", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// Older daemon that never sets DaemonReady but reports a healthy (Connected)
+// status: waitForDaemonStatus must return promptly via the readiness fallback,
+// not block for the whole grace window.
+func TestWaitForDaemonStatus_OlderDaemonHealthyStatus(t *testing.T) {
+	sock := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nb.sock")
+	stop := startFakeStatusServer(t, sock, func() *proto.StatusResponse {
+		return &proto.StatusResponse{Status: string(internal.StatusConnected)} // DaemonReady unset
+	})
+	defer stop()
+
+	client := dialFake(t, sock)
+	start := time.Now()
+	status, err := waitForDaemonStatus(context.Background(), client)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if status.GetDaemonReady() {
+		t.Fatalf("expected DaemonReady=false from older daemon")
+	}
+	if elapsed := time.Since(start); elapsed > 2*time.Second {
+		t.Fatalf("returned too slowly (%s); healthy status should short-circuit the grace", elapsed)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDialClientGRPCServer_TimesOutWhenAbsent(t *testing.T) {
+	sock := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "never.sock")
+
+	start := time.Now()
+	conn, err := dialClientGRPCServer(context.Background(), "unix://"+sock, 1*time.Second)
+	if err == nil {
+		conn.Close()
+		t.Fatal("expected timeout error, got nil")
+	}
+	if elapsed := time.Since(start); elapsed < 900*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Fatalf("returned too early (%s); should have waited ~timeout", elapsed)
+	}
+}
--- a/client/cmd/root.go
+++ b/client/cmd/root.go
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
+	gbackoff "google.golang.org/grpc/backoff"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/connectivity"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials/insecure"

 	daddr "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/daemonaddr"
@@ -264,17 +266,70 @@ func FlagNameToEnvVar(cmdFlag string, prefix string) string {
 	return prefix + upper
 }

-// DialClientGRPCServer returns client connection to the daemon server.
-func DialClientGRPCServer(ctx context.Context, addr string) (*grpc.ClientConn, error) {
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, time.Second*10)
-	defer cancel()
+// defaultDaemonDialTimeout is how long DialClientGRPCServer waits for the daemon
+// to become reachable. It is intentionally generous so that invoking the CLI
+// right after "netbird service start" (e.g. from a container entrypoint) tolerates
+// the window where the daemon has created its socket but is not yet serving.
+const defaultDaemonDialTimeout = 30 * time.Second

-	return grpc.DialContext(
-		ctx,
+// DialClientGRPCServer returns a client connection to the daemon server. It waits
+// for the daemon to become reachable, retrying with backoff until the connection
+// reports READY or defaultDaemonDialTimeout elapses. This handles the startup race
+// where the daemon socket exists (or is about to) before the gRPC server is serving.
+func DialClientGRPCServer(ctx context.Context, addr string) (*grpc.ClientConn, error) {
+	return dialClientGRPCServer(ctx, addr, defaultDaemonDialTimeout)
+}
+
+func dialClientGRPCServer(ctx context.Context, addr string, timeout time.Duration) (*grpc.ClientConn, error) {
+	conn, err := grpc.NewClient(
 		strings.TrimPrefix(addr, "tcp://"),
 		grpc.WithTransportCredentials(insecure.NewCredentials()),
-		grpc.WithBlock(),
+		// Cap reconnect backoff at 5s; gRPC's default 120s MaxDelay would leave the
+		// CLI waiting far too long to notice a freshly-started daemon. Mirrors the GUI.
+		grpc.WithConnectParams(grpc.ConnectParams{
+			Backoff: gbackoff.Config{
+				BaseDelay:  1 * time.Second,
+				Multiplier: 1.6,
+				Jitter:     0.2,
+				MaxDelay:   5 * time.Second,
+			},
+		}),
 	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("create daemon gRPC client: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// grpc.NewClient is lazy: it does not connect until the first RPC or until we
+	// nudge it. Trigger connection attempts and wait until the channel reaches READY.
+	if err := waitForConnReady(ctx, conn, timeout); err != nil {
+		_ = conn.Close()
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return conn, nil
+}
+
+// waitForConnReady drives the gRPC channel out of IDLE and blocks until it becomes
+// READY, or until timeout/ctx expires. TRANSIENT_FAILURE (daemon not yet serving)
+// is treated as retryable so the caller keeps waiting within the deadline.
+func waitForConnReady(ctx context.Context, conn *grpc.ClientConn, timeout time.Duration) error {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, timeout)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	for {
+		state := conn.GetState()
+		switch state {
+		case connectivity.Ready:
+			return nil
+		case connectivity.Idle:
+			// Kick the lazy channel into connecting.
+			conn.Connect()
+		}
+
+		if !conn.WaitForStateChange(ctx, state) {
+			// ctx expired while in `state`.
+			return fmt.Errorf("timed out after %s waiting for daemon to become ready (last state: %s)", timeout, state)
+		}
+	}
 }

 // WithBackOff execute function in backoff cycle.
--- a/client/cmd/service_controller.go
+++ b/client/cmd/service_controller.go
@@ -78,6 +78,10 @@ func (p *program) Start(svc service.Service) error {
 			log.Fatalf("failed to start daemon: %v", err)
 		}
 		proto.RegisterDaemonServiceServer(p.serv, serverInstance)
+		// The engine is started and the service is registered: from here on the
+		// daemon serves RPCs backed by a running engine. Report readiness so
+		// clients (e.g. netbird up) can wait deterministically.
+		serverInstance.SetReady()

 		p.serverInstanceMu.Lock()
 		p.serverInstance = serverInstance
--- a/client/cmd/up.go
+++ b/client/cmd/up.go
@@ -295,9 +295,7 @@ func runInDaemonMode(ctx context.Context, cmd *cobra.Command, pm *profilemanager

 	client := proto.NewDaemonServiceClient(conn)

-	status, err := client.Status(ctx, &proto.StatusRequest{
-		WaitForReady: func() *bool { b := true; return &b }(),
-	})
+	status, err := waitForDaemonStatus(ctx, client)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to get daemon status: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -336,6 +334,79 @@ func runInDaemonMode(ctx context.Context, cmd *cobra.Command, pm *profilemanager
 	return nil
 }

+// daemonStatusPollTimeout bounds how long we poll the Status RPC waiting for the
+// daemon to answer coherently. The transport is already READY at this point (see
+// DialClientGRPCServer), so this only covers the brief window where the gRPC server
+// is serving but the daemon engine is still starting up and the Status RPC races
+// against server.Start().
+const daemonStatusPollTimeout = 15 * time.Second
+
+// daemonReadyGrace bounds how long we keep polling once the daemon answers but
+// still reports DaemonReady=false. A freshly-started daemon flips it to true
+// within this window; an older daemon that never sets the field simply falls
+// through after the grace elapses, preserving backward compatibility.
+const daemonReadyGrace = 10 * time.Second
+
+// waitForDaemonStatus fetches the daemon status, waiting for the daemon to become
+// ready. It handles two startup races:
+//
+//  1. The gRPC server is not yet serving: Status fails with Unavailable — retry.
+//  2. The server serves but the engine is still starting: a DaemonReady-aware
+//     daemon reports DaemonReady=false until Start finishes; poll until it flips
+//     true (bounded by daemonReadyGrace). Older daemons never set DaemonReady, so
+//     we stop waiting on it after the grace and use the status as-is.
+//
+// It gives up after daemonStatusPollTimeout.
+func waitForDaemonStatus(ctx context.Context, client proto.DaemonServiceClient) (*proto.StatusResponse, error) {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, daemonStatusPollTimeout)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	waitForReady := true
+	req := &proto.StatusRequest{WaitForReady: &waitForReady}
+
+	var lastErr error
+	var firstAnswer time.Time
+	for {
+		status, err := client.Status(ctx, req)
+		if err != nil {
+			lastErr = err
+			// Only retry while the daemon is not yet answering; surface real errors.
+			if s, ok := gstatus.FromError(err); !ok || s.Code() != codes.Unavailable {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+		} else {
+			// Daemon answered. Explicitly ready (DaemonReady-aware daemon), or
+			// already fully connected — either way, done. Connected is the only
+			// status unambiguous enough to short-circuit on: a DaemonReady-aware
+			// daemon sets the flag at startup, so trusting Connected here can only
+			// help an older daemon that never sets the flag, without overriding a
+			// new daemon that legitimately reports DaemonReady=false while starting.
+			if status.GetDaemonReady() || internal.StatusType(status.GetStatus()) == internal.StatusConnected {
+				return status, nil
+			}
+			// Answered but neither ready-flagged nor connected yet: give a
+			// DaemonReady-aware daemon a bounded window to finish starting, then
+			// fall through so an older daemon that never sets the flag isn't
+			// blocked here.
+			if firstAnswer.IsZero() {
+				firstAnswer = time.Now()
+			} else if time.Since(firstAnswer) >= daemonReadyGrace {
+				return status, nil
+			}
+			lastErr = nil
+		}
+
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			if lastErr != nil {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("daemon did not become ready: %w", lastErr)
+			}
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("daemon did not become ready within %s", daemonStatusPollTimeout)
+		case <-time.After(500 * time.Millisecond):
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func doDaemonUp(ctx context.Context, cmd *cobra.Command, client proto.DaemonServiceClient, pm *profilemanager.ProfileManager, activeProf *profilemanager.Profile, customDNSAddressConverted []byte, username string) error {

 	providedSetupKey, err := getSetupKey()
--- a/client/netbird-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/client/netbird-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,71 +1,27 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Runs the NetBird daemon and brings the connection up in one container process.
+#
+# A thin wrapper is needed (rather than a one-line ENTRYPOINT) for two reasons:
+#   1. Two processes must run: the daemon (`service run`, long-lived) and a
+#      one-shot `up` that brings the connection up.
+#   2. Signal handling: as PID 1 the wrapper must forward SIGTERM/SIGINT to the
+#      daemon so it tears down WireGuard and deregisters ephemeral peers on
+#      `docker stop`. Without this the daemon would be killed uncleanly.
+#
+# `netbird up` waits for the daemon to become ready on its own, so no readiness
+# poll is needed here.
 set -eEuo pipefail

-: ${NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT:="30"}
 NETBIRD_BIN="${NETBIRD_BIN:-"netbird"}"
 export NB_LOG_FILE="${NB_LOG_FILE:-"console,/var/log/netbird/client.log"}"
-service_pids=()

-_log() {
-  # mimic Go logger's output for easier parsing
-  # 2025-04-15T21:32:00+08:00 INFO client/internal/config.go:495: setting notifications to disabled by default
-  printf "$(date -Isec) ${1} ${BASH_SOURCE[1]}:${BASH_LINENO[1]}: ${2}\n" "${@:3}" >&2
-}
+daemon=""
+cleanup() { [[ -n "${daemon}" ]] && kill -TERM "${daemon}" 2>/dev/null || true; }
+trap cleanup SIGTERM SIGINT EXIT

-info() {
-  _log INFO "$@"
-}
+"${NETBIRD_BIN}" service run &
+daemon=$!

-warn() {
-  _log WARN "$@"
-}
+"${NETBIRD_BIN}" up

-on_exit() {
-  info "Shutting down NetBird daemon..."
-  if test "${#service_pids[@]}" -gt 0; then
-    info "terminating service process IDs: ${service_pids[@]@Q}"
-    kill -TERM "${service_pids[@]}" 2>/dev/null || true
-    wait "${service_pids[@]}" 2>/dev/null || true
-  else
-    info "there are no service processes to terminate"
-  fi
-}
-
-wait_for_daemon_startup() {
-  local timeout="${1}"
-  if [[ "${timeout}" -eq 0 ]]; then
-    info "not waiting for daemon startup due to zero timeout."
-    return
-  fi
-
-  local deadline=$((SECONDS + timeout))
-  while [[ "${SECONDS}" -lt "${deadline}" ]]; do
-    if "${NETBIRD_BIN}" status --check live 2>/dev/null; then
-      return
-    fi
-    sleep 1
-  done
-
-  warn "daemon did not become responsive after ${timeout} seconds, exiting..."
-  exit 1
-}
-
-connect() {
-  info "running 'netbird up'..."
-  "${NETBIRD_BIN}" up
-  return $?
-}
-
-main() {
-  trap 'on_exit' SIGTERM SIGINT EXIT
-  "${NETBIRD_BIN}" service run &
-  service_pids+=("$!")
-  info "registered new service process 'netbird service run', currently running: ${service_pids[@]@Q}"
-
-  wait_for_daemon_startup "${NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT}"
-  connect
-
-  wait "${service_pids[@]}"
-}
-
-main "$@"
+wait "${daemon}"
--- a/client/proto/daemon.pb.go
+++ b/client/proto/daemon.pb.go
@@ -995,8 +995,13 @@ type StatusResponse struct {
 	// Unset when the peer is not SSO-registered or login expiration is disabled.
 	// The UI derives "warning active" from this value and its own clock.
 	SessionExpiresAt *timestamppb.Timestamp `protobuf:"bytes,4,opt,name=sessionExpiresAt,proto3" json:"sessionExpiresAt,omitempty"`
-	unknownFields    protoimpl.UnknownFields
-	sizeCache        protoimpl.SizeCache
+	// daemonReady reports whether the daemon has finished starting up and is
+	// serving RPCs backed by a running engine. Older daemons never set this
+	// (it defaults to false); clients must treat an unset value as "unknown"
+	// and fall back to their previous readiness heuristics for compatibility.
+	DaemonReady   bool `protobuf:"varint,5,opt,name=daemonReady,proto3" json:"daemonReady,omitempty"`
+	unknownFields protoimpl.UnknownFields
+	sizeCache     protoimpl.SizeCache
 }

 func (x *StatusResponse) Reset() {
@@ -1057,6 +1062,13 @@ func (x *StatusResponse) GetSessionExpiresAt() *timestamppb.Timestamp {
 	return nil
 }

+func (x *StatusResponse) GetDaemonReady() bool {
+	if x != nil {
+		return x.DaemonReady
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 type DownRequest struct {
 	state         protoimpl.MessageState `protogen:"open.v1"`
 	unknownFields protoimpl.UnknownFields
@@ -7083,14 +7095,15 @@ const file_daemon_proto_rawDesc = "" +
 	"\x11getFullPeerStatus\x18\x01 \x01(\bR\x11getFullPeerStatus\x12(\n" +
 	"\x0fshouldRunProbes\x18\x02 \x01(\bR\x0fshouldRunProbes\x12'\n" +
 	"\fwaitForReady\x18\x03 \x01(\bH\x00R\fwaitForReady\x88\x01\x01B\x0f\n" +
-	"\r_waitForReady\"\xca\x01\n" +
+	"\r_waitForReady\"\xec\x01\n" +
 	"\x0eStatusResponse\x12\x16\n" +
 	"\x06status\x18\x01 \x01(\tR\x06status\x122\n" +
 	"\n" +
 	"fullStatus\x18\x02 \x01(\v2\x12.daemon.FullStatusR\n" +
 	"fullStatus\x12$\n" +
 	"\rdaemonVersion\x18\x03 \x01(\tR\rdaemonVersion\x12F\n" +
-	"\x10sessionExpiresAt\x18\x04 \x01(\v2\x1a.google.protobuf.TimestampR\x10sessionExpiresAt\"\r\n" +
+	"\x10sessionExpiresAt\x18\x04 \x01(\v2\x1a.google.protobuf.TimestampR\x10sessionExpiresAt\x12 \n" +
+	"\vdaemonReady\x18\x05 \x01(\bR\vdaemonReady\"\r\n" +
 	"\vDownRequest\"\x0e\n" +
 	"\fDownResponse\"P\n" +
 	"\x10GetConfigRequest\x12 \n" +
--- a/client/proto/daemon.proto
+++ b/client/proto/daemon.proto
@@ -291,6 +291,11 @@ message StatusResponse{
  // Unset when the peer is not SSO-registered or login expiration is disabled.
  // The UI derives "warning active" from this value and its own clock.
  google.protobuf.Timestamp sessionExpiresAt = 4;
+  // daemonReady reports whether the daemon has finished starting up and is
+  // serving RPCs backed by a running engine. Older daemons never set this
+  // (it defaults to false); clients must treat an unset value as "unknown"
+  // and fall back to their previous readiness heuristics for compatibility.
+  bool daemonReady = 5;
 }

 message DownRequest {}
--- a/client/server/server.go
+++ b/client/server/server.go
@@ -104,6 +104,12 @@ type Server struct {
 	persistSyncResponse bool
 	isSessionActive     atomic.Bool

+	// ready is set once the daemon has finished startup and is serving RPCs
+	// backed by a running engine (see SetReady, called after Start succeeds and
+	// the service is registered). Reported via StatusResponse.DaemonReady so
+	// clients can wait deterministically instead of polling heuristically.
+	ready atomic.Bool
+
 	cpuProfileBuf *bytes.Buffer
 	cpuProfiling  bool

@@ -158,6 +164,14 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, logFile string, configFile string, profilesDisable
 	return s
 }

+// SetReady marks the daemon as fully started and serving RPCs. It is called by
+// the service controller once Start has succeeded and the DaemonService is
+// registered, so a subsequent Status RPC reports DaemonReady=true. Safe for
+// concurrent use.
+func (s *Server) SetReady() {
+	s.ready.Store(true)
+}
+
 func (s *Server) Start() error {
 	s.mutex.Lock()
 	defer s.mutex.Unlock()
@@ -1422,7 +1436,7 @@ func (s *Server) buildStatusResponse(ctx context.Context, msg *proto.StatusReque
 		s.isSessionActive.Store(false)
 	}

-	statusResponse := proto.StatusResponse{Status: string(status), DaemonVersion: version.NetbirdVersion()}
+	statusResponse := proto.StatusResponse{Status: string(status), DaemonVersion: version.NetbirdVersion(), DaemonReady: s.ready.Load()}

 	if deadline := s.statusRecorder.GetSessionExpiresAt(); !deadline.IsZero() {
 		statusResponse.SessionExpiresAt = timestamppb.New(deadline)
--- a/e2e/harness/Dockerfile.client
+++ b/e2e/harness/Dockerfile.client
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ RUN apk add --no-cache bash ca-certificates ip6tables iproute2 iptables
 ENV NETBIRD_BIN="/usr/local/bin/netbird" \
    NB_LOG_FILE="console,/var/log/netbird/client.log" \
    NB_DAEMON_ADDR="unix:///var/run/netbird.sock" \
-    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false" \
-    NB_ENTRYPOINT_SERVICE_TIMEOUT="30"
+    NB_ENABLE_CAPTURE="false"
 ENTRYPOINT [ "/usr/local/bin/netbird-entrypoint.sh" ]
 COPY client/netbird-entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/netbird-entrypoint.sh
 COPY --from=builder /out/netbird /usr/local/bin/netbird