Stamp modifiers on injected macOS key events so shifted input works

# Conflicts:
#	client/internal/engine.go

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -475,132 +475,6 @@ jobs:
           path: dist/
           retention-days: 3
 
-  release_ui_gtk3:
-    # Legacy GTK3/WebKit2GTK 4.1 UI build for distros without WebKitGTK 6.0
-    # (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, RHEL 9, Fedora <=39). Runs on ubuntu-22.04 so
-    # the binary links against the oldest supported glibc.
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    outputs:
-      release_ui_gtk3_artifact_url: ${{ steps.upload_release_ui_gtk3.outputs.artifact-url }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0 # It is required for GoReleaser to work properly
-          persist-credentials: false
-
-      - name: Parse semver string
-        id: semver_parser
-        uses: netbirdio/shared-actions/actions/parse-semver@be5df6047383da2236e02243cceb857d8567c27e # v0.0.2
-
-      - name: Set snapshot flag
-        if: ${{ !startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
-        run: |
-          echo "flags=--snapshot" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: Set build vars
-        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
-        run: |
-          if [[ "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}" == "x-" && "x-${{ github.repository }}" == "x-netbirdio/netbird" ]]; then
-            echo "x-${{ github.repository }}"
-            echo "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}"
-            echo "SKIP_PUBLISH=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          else
-            echo "x-${{ github.repository }}"
-            echo "x-${{ steps.semver_parser.outputs.prerelease }}"
-          fi
-
-      - name: Set up Go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@924ae3a1cded613372ab5595356fb5720e22ba16 # v6.5.0
-        with:
-          go-version-file: "go.mod"
-          cache: false
-      - name: Cache Go modules
-        # Restore-only from the release_ui cache written by trusted runs; the
-        # module cache is identical (same go.sum) and stale build-cache
-        # entries just miss.
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@2c8a9bd7457de244a408f35966fab2fb45fda9c8 # v6.0.0
-        with:
-          path: |
-            ~/go/pkg/mod
-            ~/.cache/go-build
-          key: ${{ runner.os }}-ui-go-releaser-${{ hashFiles('**/go.sum') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            ${{ runner.os }}-ui-go-releaser-
-
-      - name: Install modules
-        run: go mod tidy
-
-      - name: check git status
-        run: git --no-pager diff --exit-code
-
-      - name: Set up Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4
-        with:
-          node-version: '22'
-
-      - name: Set up pnpm
-        uses: pnpm/action-setup@a3252b78c470c02df07e9d59298aecedc3ccdd6d # v3.0.0
-        with:
-          version: 11
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y -q libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev
-
-      - name: Decode GPG signing key
-        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' || github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
-        env:
-          GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-        run: |
-          echo "$GPG_RPM_PRIVATE_KEY" | base64 -d > /tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc
-          echo "GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE=/tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: Install wails3 CLI
-        # Version derived from go.mod so the binding generator always matches
-        # the wails runtime the binary links against.
-        # -tags gtk3: the CLI links the wails runtime's cgo packages, and the
-        # default tags request gtk4/webkitgtk-6.0 pkg-config entries that do
-        # not exist on ubuntu-22.04.
-        run: |
-          WAILS_VERSION=$(go list -m -f '{{.Version}}' github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3)
-          go install -tags gtk3 github.com/wailsapp/wails/v3/cmd/wails3@$WAILS_VERSION
-
-      - name: Run GoReleaser
-        uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@5daf1e915a5f0af01ddbcd89a43b8061ff4f1a89 # v7.2.2
-        with:
-          version: ${{ env.GORELEASER_VER }}
-          args: release --config .goreleaser_ui_gtk3.yaml --clean ${{ env.flags }}
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET: ${{ secrets.PKG_UPLOAD_SECRET }}
-          UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET: ${{ secrets.PKG_UPLOAD_SECRET }}
-          GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE: ${{ env.GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE }}
-          NFPM_NETBIRD_UI_RPM_GTK3_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.GPG_RPM_PASSPHRASE }}
-          SKIP_PUBLISH: ${{ env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}
-      - name: Verify RPM signatures
-        run: |
-          docker run --rm -v $(pwd)/dist:/dist fedora:41 bash -c '
-            dnf install -y -q rpm-sign curl >/dev/null 2>&1
-            curl -sSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/yum/repodata/repomd.xml.key -o /tmp/rpm-pub.key
-            rpm --import /tmp/rpm-pub.key
-            echo "=== Verifying RPM signatures ==="
-            for rpm_file in /dist/*.rpm; do
-              [ -f "$rpm_file" ] || continue
-              echo "--- $(basename $rpm_file) ---"
-              rpm -K "$rpm_file"
-            done
-          '
-      - name: Clean up GPG key
-        if: always()
-        run: rm -f /tmp/gpg-rpm-signing-key.asc
-      - name: upload non tags for debug purposes
-        id: upload_release_ui_gtk3
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a #v7.0.1
-        with:
-          name: release-ui-gtk3
-          path: dist/
-          retention-days: 3
-
   release_ui_darwin:
     runs-on: macos-latest
     outputs:
@@ -814,7 +688,7 @@ jobs:
   comment_release_artifacts:
     name: Comment release artifacts
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_gtk3, release_ui_darwin]
+    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_darwin]
     if: ${{ always() && github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository }}
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -826,14 +700,12 @@ jobs:
         env:
           RELEASE_RESULT: ${{ needs.release.result }}
           RELEASE_UI_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui.result }}
-          RELEASE_UI_GTK3_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui_gtk3.result }}
           RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_RESULT: ${{ needs.release_ui_darwin.result }}
           RELEASE_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.release_artifact_url }}
           LINUX_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.linux_packages_artifact_url }}
           WINDOWS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.windows_packages_artifact_url }}
           MACOS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release.outputs.macos_packages_artifact_url }}
           RELEASE_UI_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui.outputs.release_ui_artifact_url }}
-          RELEASE_UI_GTK3_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui_gtk3.outputs.release_ui_gtk3_artifact_url }}
           RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_ARTIFACT_URL: ${{ needs.release_ui_darwin.outputs.release_ui_darwin_artifact_url }}
           GHCR_IMAGES_MARKDOWN: ${{ needs.release.outputs.ghcr_images }}
         with:
@@ -856,7 +728,6 @@ jobs:
               ['Windows packages', process.env.WINDOWS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_RESULT],
               ['macOS packages', process.env.MACOS_PACKAGES_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_RESULT],
               ['UI artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_RESULT],
-              ['UI GTK3 artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_GTK3_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_GTK3_RESULT],
               ['UI macOS artifacts', process.env.RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_ARTIFACT_URL, process.env.RELEASE_UI_DARWIN_RESULT],
             ];
 
@@ -913,7 +784,7 @@ jobs:
 
   trigger_signer:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_gtk3, release_ui_darwin, test_windows_installer]
+    needs: [release, release_ui, release_ui_darwin, test_windows_installer]
     if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
     steps:
       - name: Trigger binaries sign pipelines

.github/workflows/test-infrastructure-files.yml

@@ -257,15 +257,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
-      - name: Verify fresh-install session cookie key hardening
-        run: |
-          grep -Fxq '  SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
-          grep -Fxq '    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "$SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY"' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
-          grep -Fxq '  install -m 600 /dev/null config.yaml' infrastructure_files/getting-started.sh
-          grep -Fxq '  openssl rand -base64 32' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
-          grep -Fxq '  NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(rand_b64_key)' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
-          grep -Fxq '    sessionCookieEncryptionKey: "${NETBIRD_SESSION_COOKIE_ENCRYPTION_KEY}"' infrastructure_files/getting-started-enterprise.sh
-
       - name: Verify Dex retirement notice
         run: |
           if infrastructure_files/getting-started-with-dex.sh >stdout.txt 2>stderr.txt; then

.goreleaser_ui.yaml

@@ -96,7 +96,6 @@ nfpms:
       - netbird (>= 0.75.0)
       - libgtk-4-1 (>= 4.14)
       - libwebkitgtk-6.0-4
-      - xdg-utils
 
   - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
     description: Netbird client UI.
@@ -120,7 +119,6 @@ nfpms:
       - netbird >= 0.75.0
       - (gtk4 >= 4.14 or libgtk-4-1 >= 4.14)
       - (webkitgtk6.0 or libwebkitgtk-6_0-4)
-      - xdg-utils
 
     rpm:
       signature:

.goreleaser_ui_gtk3.yaml

@@ -1,142 +0,0 @@
-version: 2
-env:
-  - SKIP_PUBLISH={{ if index .Env "SKIP_PUBLISH" }}{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}{{ else }}true{{ end }}
-project_name: netbird-ui
-
-before:
-  hooks:
-    # Bindings are gitignored; regenerate before the frontend build so
-    # the @wailsio/runtime Vite plugin can resolve them (vite refuses to
-    # build without them).
-    # -f '-tags gtk3': the generator type-checks client/ui, whose cgo imports
-    # would otherwise resolve gtk4/webkitgtk-6.0 pkg-config entries that do
-    # not exist on ubuntu-22.04.
-    - sh -c 'cd client/ui && wails3 generate bindings -clean=true -ts -f "-tags gtk3"'
-    - sh -c 'cd client/ui/frontend && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile && pnpm build'
-
-builds:
-  # Legacy GTK3 / WebKit2GTK 4.1 build for distros without WebKitGTK 6.0
-  # (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, RHEL 9, Fedora <=39). The gtk3 tag flips the
-  # Wails Linux backend to the GTK3 stack and swaps our GTK4-only XEmbed
-  # tray host for the pure-Go stub (client/ui/xembed_host_gtk3_linux.go).
-  # Must be built on the oldest supported glibc (ubuntu-22.04 runner).
-  - id: netbird-ui-gtk3
-    dir: client/ui
-    binary: netbird-ui
-    env:
-      - CGO_ENABLED=1
-    goos:
-      - linux
-    goarch:
-      - amd64
-    ldflags:
-      - -s -w -X github.com/netbirdio/netbird/version.version={{.Version}} -X main.commit={{.Commit}} -X main.date={{.CommitDate}} -X main.builtBy=goreleaser
-    mod_timestamp: "{{ .CommitTimestamp }}"
-    tags:
-      - production
-      - gtk3
-
-archives:
-  - id: linux-gtk3-arch
-    name_template: "{{ .ProjectName }}-linux-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
-    builds:
-      - netbird-ui-gtk3
-
-nfpms:
-  # Same package_name as the GTK4 packages -- the two are mutually-exclusive
-  # alternatives served from separate repo paths (see uploads below); a given
-  # distro points at exactly one of them. The file names must still differ:
-  # the Debian pool is shared storage keyed by file name, so a default-named
-  # gtk3 .deb would overwrite the stable one.
-  - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
-    description: Netbird client UI.
-    homepage: https://netbird.io/
-    license: BSD-3-Clause
-    vendor: NetBird
-    id: netbird_ui_deb_gtk3
-    package_name: netbird-ui
-    file_name_template: "{{ .PackageName }}-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
-    builds:
-      - netbird-ui-gtk3
-    formats:
-      - deb
-    scripts:
-      postinstall: "release_files/ui-post-install.sh"
-    contents:
-      - src: client/ui/build/linux/netbird.desktop
-        dst: /usr/share/applications/org.wails.netbird.desktop
-      - src: client/ui/build/appicon.png
-        dst: /usr/share/pixmaps/netbird.png
-    dependencies:
-      - netbird (>= 0.75.0)
-      - libgtk-3-0
-      - libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0
-      - xdg-utils
-
-  - maintainer: Netbird <dev@netbird.io>
-    description: Netbird client UI.
-    homepage: https://netbird.io/
-    license: BSD-3-Clause
-    vendor: NetBird
-    id: netbird_ui_rpm_gtk3
-    package_name: netbird-ui
-    file_name_template: "{{ .PackageName }}-gtk3_{{ .Version }}_{{ .Os }}_{{ .Arch }}"
-    builds:
-      - netbird-ui-gtk3
-    formats:
-      - rpm
-    scripts:
-      postinstall: "release_files/ui-post-install.sh"
-    contents:
-      - src: client/ui/build/linux/netbird.desktop
-        dst: /usr/share/applications/org.wails.netbird.desktop
-      - src: client/ui/build/appicon.png
-        dst: /usr/share/pixmaps/netbird.png
-    dependencies:
-      - netbird >= 0.75.0
-      - (gtk3 or libgtk-3-0)
-      - (webkit2gtk4.1 or libwebkit2gtk-4_1-0)
-      - xdg-utils
-
-    rpm:
-      signature:
-        key_file: '{{ if index .Env "GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE" }}{{ .Env.GPG_RPM_KEY_FILE }}{{ end }}'
-
-# The GTK4 UI job shares project_name, so the default checksum file name would
-# collide with it on the shared GitHub release.
-checksum:
-  name_template: "{{ .ProjectName }}_gtk3_checksums.txt"
-
-changelog:
-  disable: true
-
-uploads:
-  # The gtk3 packages reuse the netbird-ui package name, so they live in
-  # dedicated repo paths (deb distribution `gtk3`, yum path `yum-gtk3`) that
-  # legacy distros point their repo config at.
-  #
-  # GoReleaser derives the credential env var from the upload name, so these
-  # would look for UPLOAD_DEBIAN-GTK3_SECRET / UPLOAD_YUM-GTK3_SECRET. The
-  # release workflow only exports UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET / UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET, and
-  # a missing secret is a silent skip rather than a failure -- the packages
-  # reached the GitHub release but never the package repositories. Point
-  # `password` at the exported vars so both uploads authenticate.
-  - name: debian-gtk3
-    skip: "{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}"
-    ids:
-      - netbird_ui_deb_gtk3
-    mode: archive
-    target: https://pkgs.wiretrustee.com/debian/pool/{{ .ArtifactName }};deb.distribution=gtk3;deb.component=main;deb.architecture={{ if .Arm }}armhf{{ else }}{{ .Arch }}{{ end }};deb.package=
-    username: dev@wiretrustee.com
-    password: "{{ .Env.UPLOAD_DEBIAN_SECRET }}"
-    method: PUT
-
-  - name: yum-gtk3
-    skip: "{{ .Env.SKIP_PUBLISH }}"
-    ids:
-      - netbird_ui_rpm_gtk3
-    mode: archive
-    target: https://pkgs.wiretrustee.com/yum-gtk3/{{ .Arch }}{{ if .Arm }}{{ .Arm }}{{ end }}
-    username: dev@wiretrustee.com
-    password: "{{ .Env.UPLOAD_YUM_SECRET }}"
-    method: PUT

AGENTS.md

@@ -14,22 +14,20 @@ in this file, not duplicated there.
 
 ## Contents
 
-- [STOP and ask the user before](#stop-and-ask-the-user-before)
-- [Quick reference](#quick-reference)
-- [Structure](#structure)
-- [Where to look](#where-to-look)
-- [Security](#security)
-- [Agent conventions](#agent-conventions)
-- [Repo-wide principles](#repo-wide-principles)
-- [Type safety](#type-safety)
-- [Concurrency and lifecycle](#concurrency-and-lifecycle)
-- [Error handling](#error-handling)
-- [Comments](#comments)
-- [Testing](#testing)
-- [Pitfalls](#pitfalls)
-- [Commits, PRs, releases](#commits-prs-releases)
-- [After you push: CI and review bots](#after-you-push-ci-and-review-bots)
-- [Discussion and support](#discussion-and-support)
+- [NetBird Agent Guidelines](#netbird-agent-guidelines)
+  - [Contents](#contents)
+  - [STOP and ask the user before](#stop-and-ask-the-user-before)
+  - [Quick reference](#quick-reference)
+  - [Structure](#structure)
+  - [Where to look](#where-to-look)
+  - [Repo-wide principles](#repo-wide-principles)
+  - [Error handling](#error-handling)
+  - [Comments](#comments)
+  - [Testing](#testing)
+  - [Pitfalls](#pitfalls)
+  - [Commits, PRs, releases](#commits-prs-releases)
+  - [After you push: CI and review bots](#after-you-push-ci-and-review-bots)
+  - [Discussion and support](#discussion-and-support)
 
 ## STOP and ask the user before
 
@@ -159,125 +157,11 @@ netbird/
 | LLM routing / Agent Network | `proxy/internal/llm/`, `agent-network/`                      |
 | End-to-end tests            | `e2e/`                                                       |
 
-## Security
-
-### Never fail open
-
-When a security check — access control, an IP restriction, an auth decision —
-hits an error such as an unparseable value, an unavailable lookup, or a state it
-does not recognize, it must **deny**. Never skip the check or allow the request
-through because the check itself failed, and make the `default` and unknown cases
-of a security-related `switch` deny rather than fall through.
-
-### Daemon RPC input is untrusted
-
-The agent runs as root (LocalSystem on Windows), so a daemon RPC crosses a
-privilege boundary: treat every field as untrusted input rather than as something
-the UI or CLI validated on the way in.
-
-When you add or change an RPC, ask what the handler does with caller input while
-running as root. If the answer touches a filesystem path, a URL or host, or a
-privileged state change, it needs a gate **in the handler** — a check in the client
-that normally calls it is not a check at all.
-
-- **A caller-supplied path the daemon opens.** Never `os.Open` it as root.
-  Constrain it, then open it *as the caller* with `ipcauth.OpenOwnedFile`, which
-  opens `O_NOFOLLOW`, requires a regular file, and refuses a file the caller does
-  not own — so a symlink or hardlink aimed at a root-only file is rejected.
-- **A caller-supplied URL or host the daemon fetches.** Restrict the scheme and
-  allow only known hosts for unprivileged callers. Prefer a lexical host
-  allowlist plus TLS verification over "resolve the host, then reject private
-  IPs": the resolve-then-trust pattern has a DNS-rebinding race (public IP at
-  check time, attacker IP at connect time), while a name allowlist has no IP
-  check to race. Never accept `http://` where `https://` is expected.
-- **A privileged state change** (SSH root login, management URL, deregistration)
-  gates on the caller identity from `ipcauth.CallerIdentity(ctx)`.
-
-Caller identity comes from the kernel — `SO_PEERCRED`, `LOCAL_PEERCRED`, or the
-named-pipe client token — and never from an RPC field. When
-`ipcauth.CallerIdentity` reports that it could not determine an identity, **deny**;
-do not fall back to treating the caller as the transport peer.
-
-## Agent conventions
-
-### Three networking modes
-
-Where packets actually flow depends on the mode the agent is running in. The
-three are not interchangeable, so establish which one a change applies to — and
-what it should do in the other two — before you write it.
-
-- **kernel mode** (Linux only): in-kernel WireGuard®. The kernel handles both
-  peer-to-peer and routed traffic, and ACLs are iptables or nftables rules. The
-  client programs kernel facilities but never sees the traffic itself.
-- **userspace mode** (wireguard-go with a TUN): wireguard-go runs in-process. The
-  kernel handles peer-to-peer traffic once it leaves the TUN, while routed traffic
-  — exit nodes and network routes — goes through the userspace forwarder, which
-  terminates the connection and re-establishes it over OS sockets. Used on
-  platforms without kernel WireGuard® or when the user opts out.
-- **netstack mode**: wireguard-go in-process with no TUN and no kernel
-  networking. The forwarder does all routing by stitching userspace sockets, and
-  listeners such as the embedded SSH and DNS servers bind on a gVisor netstack.
-  Used where the process cannot create a TUN device, such as the embedded client
-  (`client/embed/`) and the WASM build.
-
-### The overlay interface is not "WireGuard"
-
-Do not put "WireGuard" in identifiers or comments unless the code is genuinely
-coupled to WireGuard® specifically — a wireguard-go call, a handshake field, a
-kernel WireGuard® netlink attribute. For the interface, the host, peers, or
-traffic in general, say "the NetBird interface", "the interface", or "the overlay".
-Most firewall, routing, and DNS code is transport-agnostic, so a WireGuard®
-reference there is simply inaccurate and rots as the transports change.
-
-### IPv6 is a soft feature
-
-The IPv6 overlay is opt-in dual-stack, and capability can change at runtime. Treat
-it as soft rather than a requirement:
-
-- Gate local v6 paths on the interface accessor (`wgIface.Address().HasIPv6()`),
-  not on raw state fields, and skip the v6 path when the host has no v6 rather
-  than returning an error.
-- Treat an empty or unparseable peer v6 address as "no v6 for that peer" and skip
-  it, keeping the v4 path working.
-- Never let a missing v6 break v4. Fail-closed is for security checks; a
-  capability mismatch skips the v6 work and carries on.
-
-### Environment variables
-
-Name the variable in a constant and parse booleans with `strconv.ParseBool` rather
-than comparing strings inline, so an unexpected value is logged instead of
-silently meaning false:
-
-```go
-const EnvDisableFeature = "NB_DISABLE_FEATURE"
-
-func isDisabledByEnv() bool {
-    val := os.Getenv(EnvDisableFeature)
-    if val == "" {
-        return false
-    }
-    disabled, err := strconv.ParseBool(val)
-    if err != nil {
-        log.Warnf("failed to parse %s: %v", EnvDisableFeature, err)
-        return false
-    }
-    return disabled
-}
-```
-
-### Validating against protocol specs
-
-When a change depends on what a protocol actually mandates, read the specification
-text from the [IETF datatracker](https://datatracker.ietf.org/) rather than a
-summary, and check that you have the current RFC — the widely cited one for a
-protocol is often superseded. Cite the section, not just the document, so a
-reviewer can jump straight to the rule.
-
 ## Repo-wide principles
 
 1. **Run `go fmt` on every modified Go file.** Formatting is not optional.
-2. **Zero unaddressed linter warnings.** Fix what `golangci-lint` reports on code
-   you touch, and delete imports, helpers, and parameters your refactor orphaned.
+2. **Zero unaddressed diagnostics.** Fix IDE and linter warnings on code you
+   touch, and delete imports, helpers, and parameters your refactor orphaned.
    Exception: unused parameters in shared code may be consumed by builds outside
    this repository — do not remove them, ask instead.
 3. **Function comments are mandatory for exported functions**, written as full
@@ -291,12 +175,9 @@ reviewer can jump straight to the rule.
 7. **Avoid LLM-slop tells:** em dashes, hedging narration, restating the diff in
    prose, trailing summaries. Defaults, not absolute bans. Applies to code,
    comments, commit messages, and PR descriptions alike.
-8. **Concurrency: do a two-pass race analysis after every change** that touches
-   shared state, including reads of existing maps and slices. Guard them with a
-   mutex (or an atomic or channel where that fits better), keep critical
-   sections short, and run `go test -race` on the touched packages. See
-   [Concurrency and lifecycle](#concurrency-and-lifecycle) for the failure modes
-   to check for.
+8. **Concurrency: do a two-pass race analysis after every change** that adds
+   shared state. Guard maps and slices with a mutex, keep critical sections
+   short, and run `go test -race` on the touched packages.
 9. **Cross-platform builds must keep working.** The agent targets Linux, macOS,
    Windows, FreeBSD, Android, and iOS. When you add a platform-specific file,
    add the counterpart or a build-tagged fallback for the others.
@@ -304,93 +185,6 @@ reviewer can jump straight to the rule.
 11. **Never log secrets** — private keys, setup keys, tokens, PAT values — and
     keep peer IPs and hostnames out of logs above debug level.
 
-## Type safety
-
-**No bare primitives for domain concepts.** A `string` parameter for an account
-ID next to a `string` parameter for a peer ID is two bugs waiting to happen,
-because the compiler cannot catch the swap. Declare the type once and use it
-throughout, converting only at the boundaries where data enters or leaves —
-protobuf, gRPC, HTTP, an external library.
-
-```go
-type ServiceID string
-type AccountID string
-
-// Internal: typed all the way through
-func (r *Router) RemoveRoute(host SNIHost, svcID ServiceID) { ... }
-
-// Proto boundary: convert once, on the way in and on the way out
-svcID := ServiceID(mapping.GetId())
-req.ServiceId = string(svcID)
-```
-
-- **IP addresses are `netip.Addr`**, not `string` and not `net.IP`. Parse at the
-  boundary and pass the typed value inward.
-- **Always `Unmap()`** after parsing an address, after converting from `net.IP`,
-  and after extracting one from `RemoteAddr()`. This normalizes a v4-mapped v6
-  address (`::ffff:10.1.2.3`) to plain v4 so IPv4 rules match it. A stored or
-  compared mapped address silently fails to match those rules.
-- **Ports are `uint16`** internally; use `int` only where a library forces it and
-  convert immediately.
-- **Enums are a typed string with constants**, so the valid set is discoverable
-  and a typo fails to compile.
-- **Map keys follow the same rule**, and must be a real type (`type ServiceID
-  string`) rather than an alias (`type serviceID = string`) — an alias silently
-  accepts bare strings.
-
-## Concurrency and lifecycle
-
-Beyond the mutex hygiene in the principles above, check for these failure
-modes.
-
-- **Never read a struct field inside a goroutine** when another goroutine may nil
-  or reassign it. Pass the value as a parameter, or capture it into a local before
-  launching. This matters most when `Stop()` nils a field without waiting for the
-  goroutine to finish.
-
-  ```go
-  go func(ifaceName string) {   // good: passed in, cannot be nilled underneath
-      m.Start(ctx, ifaceName)
-  }(iface.Name())
-  ```
-
-- **Never wait on a channel while holding a lock the sender needs.** Copy what you
-  need out from under the lock, release it, then wait.
-
-  ```go
-  func (m *Manager) Stop() {
-      m.mu.Lock()
-      cancel, done := m.cancel, m.done
-      m.mu.Unlock()
-      if cancel != nil {
-          cancel()
-          <-done
-      }
-  }
-  ```
-
-- **`Stop`/`Close` must be idempotent** — guard on an already-stopped flag or a
-  nil cancel — and must release the state they guarded. Clear maps and caches;
-  a cancelled goroutine holding a live map still pins that memory. Note that a
-  nil map only panics on writes; reads and iteration behave like an empty map,
-  so where post-close use must be rejected, check the stopped flag explicitly.
-- **Publish coupled state only after every fallible step succeeds.** When several
-  fields form an invariant, build them into locals and assign them to the receiver
-  at the end. Assigning as you go leaves the object half-initialized when a later
-  step fails, so a readiness predicate reports ready while a coupled field is nil.
-  If an earlier step already had an external side effect — a created chain, an
-  opened handle, an inserted rule — roll it back before returning the error.
-- **Clean up what you own on constructor error paths.** Once a constructor has
-  started something, every later error path must undo it: cancel a goroutine and
-  wait for it to exit, stop a ticker, close a watcher. The object is never
-  returned, so its `Close` will never run.
-- **A failed `Start` must undo everything it started.** When a component brings up
-  several subsystems in sequence — connection manager, watchers, routing, DNS,
-  flow, persisted state — a failure partway through has to tear down the ones
-  already running, not just close the handle the error came from. Put the
-  already-started guard *before* that teardown path, so a rejected second `Start`
-  cannot dismantle the one that is running.
-
 ## Error handling
 
 Use single-assignment form when the error is only needed inside the `if`:
@@ -454,45 +248,6 @@ Log the errors you choose not to act on:
 - Close errors may be ignored for read-only operations; log them at debug for
   writes.
 
-**Do not log and return the same error.** It gets reported twice, from two places,
-and the second reader cannot tell whether it happened once or twice. Return it and
-let the caller decide. The exception is an API handler that has already written a
-response. Internal helpers return errors rather than logging and swallowing them.
-
-**Never return a typed nil as an error.** A nil `*MyError` stored in an `error`
-interface is not nil, so `err != nil` is true and callers take the failure path on
-success. Return the error only where it is actually set:
-
-```go
-if _, err := conn.Write(buf); err != nil {   // good
-    return err
-}
-return nil
-```
-
-**Accumulate with `multierror` when an operation should continue past individual
-failures** — teardown, cleanup, or setup where partial success is acceptable.
-`client/errors.FormatErrorOrNil` returns nil for an empty accumulator, so callers
-still see a plain nil on full success:
-
-```go
-func (m *Manager) Cleanup() error {
-    var merr *multierror.Error
-    for _, r := range m.resources {
-        if err := r.Close(); err != nil {
-            merr = multierror.Append(merr, fmt.Errorf("close %s: %w", r.Name, err))
-        }
-    }
-    return nberrors.FormatErrorOrNil(merr)
-}
-```
-
-| Scenario              | Approach              | Why                                       |
-| --------------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
-| Cleanup / teardown    | Accumulate            | Clean up as much as possible              |
-| Setup with rollback   | Abort on first error  | Partial state is invalid; undo what stuck |
-| Setup with partial OK | Accumulate            | Degraded operation is still useful        |
-
 ## Comments
 
 Comment the **why**, never the **what**. Default to no comment, and add one only
@@ -514,14 +269,10 @@ checksum = updateChecksum(checksum, oldPort, newPort)
 
 ### Length budget
 
-Neither of these is linter-enforced, so they are conventions the surrounding code
-mostly follows rather than hard limits:
-
-- **Around 90 characters per line.** Wrap the comment rather than running well past
-  it.
-- **Roughly 250 characters per comment**, about three wrapped lines. Doc comments
-  on exported identifiers may exceed it when the API genuinely needs the
-  explanation; inline comments inside a function body rarely should.
+- **90 characters per line.** Wrap the comment, do not run past it.
+- **250 characters per comment**, roughly three wrapped lines. Doc comments on
+  exported identifiers may exceed it when the API genuinely needs the
+  explanation; inline comments inside a function body may not.
 
 The budget is a smell detector, not a rule to game. Do not compress a needed
 explanation into cryptic shorthand to fit — if a block of code needs more than
@@ -578,19 +329,6 @@ up, and the 250-character budget does not apply to them.
   otherwise.
 - **Message guidance:** optional for `NoError`/`Error`; always give context for
   comparison, boolean, and collection assertions.
-- **Reproduce a bug before fixing it.** Write the test, watch it fail *for the
-  reason you expect* — a test that fails for an unrelated reason proves nothing —
-  then apply the fix and confirm it passes. Add the thin surrounding cases while
-  you are there.
-- **Use `t.Setenv`** rather than `os.Setenv` so the previous value is restored on
-  cleanup. To test the unset case, call `t.Setenv` first to register the restore,
-  then `os.Unsetenv`.
-- **Prefer `t.Cleanup` over `defer`** in any test with parallel subtests: the
-  parent function returns, running its `defer`s, while parallel subtests are
-  still suspended. Sequential subtests finish inside `t.Run`, so `defer` is safe
-  there, but `t.Cleanup` works in both cases.
-- **Explanatory comments in tests are welcome.** Describe the scenario being set
-  up; the comment budget below does not apply to them.
 
 ```go
 server, err := StartTestServer()
@@ -642,8 +380,7 @@ assert.Equal(t, expectedResult, result, "Result should match expected")
   than replacing it with your own summary: describe the change, link the issue,
   tick the checklist honestly (including "ran locally" and "single purpose"),
   and complete the documentation section. Do not tick a box you have not
-  verified, and do not delete rows that do not apply — the docs gate in CI reads
-  that section and fails when it is missing.
+  verified, and do not delete rows that do not apply.
 
 - **Keep the PR description short.** Under 1000 words on top of the template's
   own text, and usually far less — a few paragraphs. Reviewers read the diff;
@@ -702,12 +439,6 @@ assert.Equal(t, expectedResult, result, "Result should match expected")
   on their own. Propose that split to the user rather than opening one large PR
   and hoping.
 
-  Prefer GitHub's stacked pull requests for such a sequence, rather than
-  hand-managing base branches: open each PR against the branch below it instead of
-  `main`, so every PR's diff shows only its own change. Merging a layer retargets
-  the PRs above it, and branch protections and required checks on the base branch
-  still apply to each one.
-
 - **User-facing changes need a docs PR** in
   [netbirdio/docs](https://github.com/netbirdio/docs), linked from the PR
   description.

client/android/client.go

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import (
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
-	nbAnonymize "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/device"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
@@ -33,13 +32,6 @@ import (
 	types "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/upload-server/types"
 )
 
-// AnonymizeLevelDefault and AnonymizeLevelStrict are the accepted
-// anonymizeLevel values for DebugBundle.
-const (
-	AnonymizeLevelDefault = nbAnonymize.LevelDefaultString
-	AnonymizeLevelStrict  = nbAnonymize.LevelStrictString
-)
-
 // ConnectionListener export internal Listener for mobile
 type ConnectionListener interface {
 	peer.Listener
@@ -286,10 +278,8 @@ func (c *Client) GetTunSettings() (*TunSettings, error) {
 }
 
 // DebugBundle generates a debug bundle, uploads it, and returns the upload key.
-// It works both with and without a running engine. anonymizeLevel is "default"
-// or "strict"; strict also anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
-// WireGuard public keys, and implies anonymize.
-func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool, anonymizeLevel string) (string, error) {
+// It works both with and without a running engine.
+func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool) (string, error) {
 	cfg, cacheDir, cc := c.stateSnapshot()
 
 	// If the engine hasn't been started, load config from disk
@@ -308,7 +298,6 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool, anonym
 		InternalConfig: cfg,
 		StatusRecorder: c.recorder,
 		TempDir:        cacheDir,
-		StatePath:      platformFiles.StateFilePath(),
 	}
 
 	if cc != nil {
@@ -332,7 +321,6 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(platformFiles PlatformFiles, anonymize bool, anonym
 		deps,
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         anonymize,
-			AnonymizeLevel:    nbAnonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevel),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		},
 	)

client/anonymize/anonymize.go

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package anonymize
 
 import (
 	"crypto/rand"
-	"encoding/base64"
 	"fmt"
 	"math/big"
 	"net"
@@ -16,88 +15,13 @@ import (
 
 const anonTLD = ".domain"
 
-// Level selects how much the anonymizer redacts. Levels are ordered: a higher
-// level redacts strictly more. On the wire (protos, flags) levels travel as
-// their string form.
-type Level int
-
-const (
-	// LevelDefault anonymizes public IP addresses, IPv6 ULA, domains, and MAC
-	// addresses. Internal IPv4 ranges (RFC 1918, CGNAT, link-local) are
-	// preserved so support can reason about the real topology.
-	LevelDefault Level = iota
-	// LevelStrict additionally anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
-	// WireGuard public keys.
-	LevelStrict
-)
-
-// LevelDefaultString and LevelStrictString are the wire forms of the levels,
-// for boundaries that pass levels as strings (flags, protos, mobile bindings).
-const (
-	LevelDefaultString = "default"
-	LevelStrictString  = "strict"
-)
-
-// ParseLevel maps s to a Level. Empty means LevelDefault; anything
-// unrecognized maps to LevelStrict so an unknown request never yields less
-// anonymization than intended.
-func ParseLevel(s string) Level {
-	switch strings.ToLower(s) {
-	case "", LevelDefaultString:
-		return LevelDefault
-	default:
-		return LevelStrict
-	}
-}
-
-// String returns the wire form of the level: "default" or "strict".
-func (l Level) String() string {
-	if l >= LevelStrict {
-		return LevelStrictString
-	}
-	return LevelDefaultString
-}
-
-// protectedDomains are NetBird-operated suffixes that stay recognizable in an
-// anonymized bundle. At LevelStrict the labels in front of them (the peer
-// name) are still replaced, except under netbird.io, which only hosts
-// NetBird infrastructure (api, signal, flow), never peer names.
-var protectedDomains = []string{"netbird.io", "netbird.selfhosted", "netbird.cloud", "netbird.stage"}
-
-const infraDomain = "netbird.io"
-
-var (
-	macColonRegex = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[0-9a-fA-F]{2}(?::[0-9a-fA-F]{2}){5}\b`)
-	macDashRegex  = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[0-9a-fA-F]{2}(?:-[0-9a-fA-F]{2}){5}\b`)
-	wgKeyRegex    = regexp.MustCompile(`\b[A-Za-z0-9+/]{43}=`)
-)
-
 type Anonymizer struct {
 	ipAnonymizer     map[netip.Addr]netip.Addr
 	domainAnonymizer map[string]string
-	// domainOrder caches the keys of domainAnonymizer sorted longest-first
-	// for AnonymizeString; it is rebuilt when the map gains entries.
-	domainOrder     []string
-	labelAnonymizer map[string]string
-	labelAnonymized map[string]struct{}
-	labelCounter    uint32
-	macAnonymizer   map[string]string
-	macCounter      uint32
-	wgKeyAnonymizer map[string]string
-	wgKeyAnonymized map[string]struct{}
-	currentAnonIPv4 netip.Addr
-	currentAnonIPv6 netip.Addr
-	startAnonIPv4   netip.Addr
-	startAnonIPv6   netip.Addr
-
-	// LevelStrict also anonymizes internal ranges (RFC 1918, CGNAT,
-	// link-local), replacing them from the dedicated internal pools below so
-	// a reader can still tell an internal address from a public one.
-	level                   Level
-	currentAnonInternalIPv4 netip.Addr
-	currentAnonInternalIPv6 netip.Addr
-	startAnonInternalIPv4   netip.Addr
-	startAnonInternalIPv6   netip.Addr
+	currentAnonIPv4  netip.Addr
+	currentAnonIPv6  netip.Addr
+	startAnonIPv4    netip.Addr
+	startAnonIPv6    netip.Addr
 
 	domainKeyRegex *regexp.Regexp
 }
@@ -108,50 +32,25 @@ func DefaultAddresses() (netip.Addr, netip.Addr) {
 	return netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{198, 51, 100, 0}), netip.MustParseAddr("2001:db8:ffff::")
 }
 
-// InternalAddresses returns the pool starts used in strict mode for internal
-// ranges. Both are reserved ranges that cannot collide with real addressing:
-// 198.18.0.0 (RFC 2544 benchmarking), 2001:db8:1:: (RFC 3849 documentation).
-func InternalAddresses() (netip.Addr, netip.Addr) {
-	return netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{198, 18, 0, 0}), netip.MustParseAddr("2001:db8:1::")
-}
-
 func NewAnonymizer(startIPv4, startIPv6 netip.Addr) *Anonymizer {
-	internalIPv4, internalIPv6 := InternalAddresses()
 	return &Anonymizer{
 		ipAnonymizer:     map[netip.Addr]netip.Addr{},
 		domainAnonymizer: map[string]string{},
-		labelAnonymizer:  map[string]string{},
-		labelAnonymized:  map[string]struct{}{},
-		macAnonymizer:    map[string]string{},
-		wgKeyAnonymizer:  map[string]string{},
-		wgKeyAnonymized:  map[string]struct{}{},
 		currentAnonIPv4:  startIPv4,
 		currentAnonIPv6:  startIPv6,
 		startAnonIPv4:    startIPv4,
 		startAnonIPv6:    startIPv6,
 
-		level:                   LevelDefault,
-		currentAnonInternalIPv4: internalIPv4,
-		currentAnonInternalIPv6: internalIPv6,
-		startAnonInternalIPv4:   internalIPv4,
-		startAnonInternalIPv6:   internalIPv6,
-
 		domainKeyRegex: regexp.MustCompile(`\bdomain=([^\s,:"]+)`),
 	}
 }
 
-// SetLevel selects the anonymization level. The zero value of a new
-// Anonymizer is LevelDefault.
-func (a *Anonymizer) SetLevel(level Level) {
-	a.level = level
-}
-
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
-	// Normalize 4-in-6 addresses so ::ffff:192.168.1.1 classifies and maps
-	// like 192.168.1.1.
-	ip = ip.Unmap()
-
 	if ip.IsLoopback() ||
+		ip.IsLinkLocalUnicast() ||
+		ip.IsLinkLocalMulticast() ||
+		ip.IsInterfaceLocalMulticast() ||
+		(ip.Is4() && ip.IsPrivate()) ||
 		ip.IsUnspecified() ||
 		ip.IsMulticast() ||
 		isWellKnown(ip) ||
@@ -160,100 +59,18 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
 		return ip
 	}
 
-	if isInternal(ip) && a.level < LevelStrict {
-		return ip
-	}
-
 	if _, ok := a.ipAnonymizer[ip]; !ok {
-		a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.nextAnonIP(ip)
+		if ip.Is4() {
+			a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.currentAnonIPv4
+			a.currentAnonIPv4 = a.currentAnonIPv4.Next()
+		} else {
+			a.ipAnonymizer[ip] = a.currentAnonIPv6
+			a.currentAnonIPv6 = a.currentAnonIPv6.Next()
+		}
 	}
 	return a.ipAnonymizer[ip]
 }
 
-func (a *Anonymizer) nextAnonIP(ip netip.Addr) netip.Addr {
-	// At the strict level, internal addresses (including IPv6 ULA, matched
-	// by IsPrivate) come from the internal pools so they remain recognizable
-	// as internal without disclosing the real values.
-	if a.level >= LevelStrict && (isInternal(ip) || ip.IsPrivate()) {
-		if ip.Is4() {
-			anon := a.currentAnonInternalIPv4
-			a.currentAnonInternalIPv4 = a.currentAnonInternalIPv4.Next()
-			return anon
-		}
-		anon := a.currentAnonInternalIPv6
-		a.currentAnonInternalIPv6 = a.currentAnonInternalIPv6.Next()
-		return anon
-	}
-
-	if ip.Is4() {
-		anon := a.currentAnonIPv4
-		a.currentAnonIPv4 = a.currentAnonIPv4.Next()
-		return anon
-	}
-	anon := a.currentAnonIPv6
-	a.currentAnonIPv6 = a.currentAnonIPv6.Next()
-	return anon
-}
-
-// AnonymizeMAC replaces a MAC address with a consistent placeholder from the
-// locally administered range starting at 02:00:00:00:00:01, at every
-// anonymization level. Broadcast, multicast, all-zero, and already assigned
-// placeholder addresses are preserved. The colon and dash spellings of the
-// same address share one placeholder; the output keeps the input's separator.
-func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeMAC(mac string) string {
-	hw, err := net.ParseMAC(mac)
-	if err != nil || len(hw) != 6 {
-		return mac
-	}
-
-	if isWellKnownMAC(hw) || a.isAnonymizedMAC(hw) {
-		return mac
-	}
-
-	key := hw.String()
-	anon, ok := a.macAnonymizer[key]
-	if !ok {
-		a.macCounter++
-		anon = fmt.Sprintf("02:00:00:%02x:%02x:%02x", byte(a.macCounter>>16), byte(a.macCounter>>8), byte(a.macCounter))
-		a.macAnonymizer[key] = anon
-	}
-
-	if strings.Contains(mac, "-") {
-		anon = strings.ReplaceAll(anon, ":", "-")
-	}
-	return anon
-}
-
-// isAnonymizedMAC reports whether hw is a placeholder this anonymizer already
-// handed out, so a second pass over anonymized output leaves it unchanged.
-func (a *Anonymizer) isAnonymizedMAC(hw net.HardwareAddr) bool {
-	if hw[0] != 0x02 || hw[1] != 0 || hw[2] != 0 {
-		return false
-	}
-	value := uint32(hw[3])<<16 | uint32(hw[4])<<8 | uint32(hw[5])
-	return value <= a.macCounter
-}
-
-// AnonymizeWGKey replaces a WireGuard public key with a consistent random
-// placeholder of the same shape. Keys are only anonymized at LevelStrict;
-// placeholders already handed out pass through unchanged.
-func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeWGKey(key string) string {
-	if a.level < LevelStrict || !looksLikeWGKey(key) {
-		return key
-	}
-	if _, ok := a.wgKeyAnonymized[key]; ok {
-		return key
-	}
-
-	anon, ok := a.wgKeyAnonymizer[key]
-	if !ok {
-		anon = generateAnonymousKey()
-		a.wgKeyAnonymizer[key] = anon
-		a.wgKeyAnonymized[anon] = struct{}{}
-	}
-	return anon
-}
-
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeUDPAddr(addr net.UDPAddr) net.UDPAddr {
 	// Convert IP to netip.Addr
 	ip, ok := netip.AddrFromSlice(addr.IP)
@@ -272,12 +89,12 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeUDPAddr(addr net.UDPAddr) net.UDPAddr {
 
 // isInAnonymizedRange checks if an IP is within the range of already assigned anonymized IPs
 func (a *Anonymizer) isInAnonymizedRange(ip netip.Addr) bool {
-	if ip.Is4() {
-		return inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonIPv4, a.currentAnonIPv4) ||
-			inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonInternalIPv4, a.currentAnonInternalIPv4)
+	if ip.Is4() && ip.Compare(a.startAnonIPv4) >= 0 && ip.Compare(a.currentAnonIPv4) <= 0 {
+		return true
+	} else if !ip.Is4() && ip.Compare(a.startAnonIPv6) >= 0 && ip.Compare(a.currentAnonIPv6) <= 0 {
+		return true
 	}
-	return inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonIPv6, a.currentAnonIPv6) ||
-		inPoolRange(ip, a.startAnonInternalIPv6, a.currentAnonInternalIPv6)
+	return false
 }
 
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeIPString(ip string) string {
@@ -301,17 +118,14 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeDomain(domain string) string {
 		baseDomain = domain[:len(domain)-1]
 	}
 
-	if strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, anonTLD) {
+	if strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.io") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.selfhosted") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.cloud") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "netbird.stage") ||
+		strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, anonTLD) {
 		return domain
 	}
 
-	if suffix := protectedSuffix(baseDomain); suffix != "" {
-		if a.level < LevelStrict || baseDomain == suffix || suffix == infraDomain {
-			return domain
-		}
-		return withTrailingDot(a.anonymizePeerName(baseDomain, suffix), hasDot)
-	}
-
 	parts := strings.Split(baseDomain, ".")
 	if len(parts) < 2 {
 		return domain
@@ -327,53 +141,12 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeDomain(domain string) string {
 	}
 
 	result := strings.Replace(baseDomain, baseForLookup, anonymized, 1)
-	if a.level >= LevelStrict && len(parts) > 2 {
-		prefix := strings.TrimSuffix(baseDomain, "."+baseForLookup)
-		result = a.anonymizeLabels(prefix, "host") + "." + anonymized
-		// The full mapping feeds AnonymizeString so seeded FQDNs are caught
-		// in log lines as a whole, labels included.
-		a.domainAnonymizer[baseDomain] = result
-	}
-	return withTrailingDot(result, hasDot)
-}
-
-// anonymizePeerName replaces the labels in front of a protected suffix with
-// numbered peer placeholders, keeping the suffix, and records the full
-// mapping for string replacement in logs. The numbering keeps a peer
-// recognizable across the whole bundle without disclosing its name.
-func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizePeerName(baseDomain, suffix string) string {
-	prefix := strings.TrimSuffix(baseDomain, "."+suffix)
-	result := a.anonymizeLabels(prefix, "peer") + "." + suffix
-	if result != baseDomain {
-		a.domainAnonymizer[baseDomain] = result
+	if hasDot {
+		result += "."
 	}
 	return result
 }
 
-// anonymizeLabels replaces each dot-separated label with a consistent
-// numbered placeholder ("<placeholder>-<n>"). Wildcard labels and
-// placeholders already handed out pass through unchanged.
-func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizeLabels(prefix, placeholder string) string {
-	labels := strings.Split(prefix, ".")
-	for i, label := range labels {
-		if label == "*" {
-			continue
-		}
-		if _, ok := a.labelAnonymized[label]; ok {
-			continue
-		}
-		anon, ok := a.labelAnonymizer[label]
-		if !ok {
-			a.labelCounter++
-			anon = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", placeholder, a.labelCounter)
-			a.labelAnonymizer[label] = anon
-			a.labelAnonymized[anon] = struct{}{}
-		}
-		labels[i] = anon
-	}
-	return strings.Join(labels, ".")
-}
-
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeURI(uri string) string {
 	u, err := url.Parse(uri)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -408,70 +181,16 @@ func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeString(str string) string {
 	str = ipv4Regex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeIPString)
 	str = ipv6Regex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeIPString)
 
-	for _, domain := range a.sortedDomains() {
-		str = strings.ReplaceAll(str, domain, a.domainAnonymizer[domain])
+	for domain, anonDomain := range a.domainAnonymizer {
+		str = strings.ReplaceAll(str, domain, anonDomain)
 	}
 
 	str = a.AnonymizeSchemeURI(str)
 	str = a.AnonymizeDNSLogLine(str)
 
-	// MAC handling runs after the IP passes so preserved IPv6 addresses are
-	// already out of the way; the separator guard skips matches embedded in a
-	// longer colon- or dash-separated sequence (such as an IPv6 tail).
-	str = a.anonymizeMACsInString(str, macColonRegex, ':')
-	str = a.anonymizeMACsInString(str, macDashRegex, '-')
-
-	if a.level >= LevelStrict {
-		str = wgKeyRegex.ReplaceAllStringFunc(str, a.AnonymizeWGKey)
-	}
-
 	return str
 }
 
-// sortedDomains returns the domain mappings longest-first, so a full-FQDN
-// mapping (strict level) is applied before the base-domain mapping it
-// contains. The order is rebuilt only when domainAnonymizer has grown.
-func (a *Anonymizer) sortedDomains() []string {
-	if len(a.domainOrder) == len(a.domainAnonymizer) {
-		return a.domainOrder
-	}
-
-	a.domainOrder = a.domainOrder[:0]
-	for domain := range a.domainAnonymizer {
-		a.domainOrder = append(a.domainOrder, domain)
-	}
-	slices.SortFunc(a.domainOrder, func(x, y string) int {
-		if d := len(y) - len(x); d != 0 {
-			return d
-		}
-		return strings.Compare(x, y)
-	})
-	return a.domainOrder
-}
-
-// anonymizeMACsInString replaces MAC addresses matched by re, skipping
-// matches that directly adjoin another sep so a six-group run inside a longer
-// separated sequence is left alone.
-func (a *Anonymizer) anonymizeMACsInString(str string, re *regexp.Regexp, sep byte) string {
-	matches := re.FindAllStringIndex(str, -1)
-	if len(matches) == 0 {
-		return str
-	}
-
-	var b strings.Builder
-	last := 0
-	for _, m := range matches {
-		if (m[0] > 0 && str[m[0]-1] == sep) || (m[1] < len(str) && str[m[1]] == sep) {
-			continue
-		}
-		b.WriteString(str[last:m[0]])
-		b.WriteString(a.AnonymizeMAC(str[m[0]:m[1]]))
-		last = m[1]
-	}
-	b.WriteString(str[last:])
-	return b.String()
-}
-
 // AnonymizeSchemeURI finds and anonymizes URIs with ws, wss, rel, rels, stun, stuns, turn, and turns schemes.
 func (a *Anonymizer) AnonymizeSchemeURI(text string) string {
 	re := regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)\b(wss?://|rels?://|stuns?:|turns?:|https?://)\S+\b`)
@@ -520,79 +239,10 @@ func isWellKnown(addr netip.Addr) bool {
 		"128.0.0.0", "8000::", // 2nd split subnet for default routes
 	}
 
-	return slices.Contains(wellKnown, addr.String())
-}
-
-// isInternal reports whether ip identifies a host only within the local
-// network: IPv4 private (RFC 1918), CGNAT (RFC 6598), and link-local (v4 and
-// v6). These are preserved at the default level so support can reason about
-// the real topology, and replaced from the internal pools at the strict
-// level. IPv6 ULA is deliberately not internal: its random global ID uniquely
-// fingerprints the network, so it is anonymized at every level.
-func isInternal(ip netip.Addr) bool {
-	return (ip.Is4() && ip.IsPrivate()) ||
-		ip.IsLinkLocalUnicast() ||
-		isCGNAT(ip)
-}
-
-func inPoolRange(ip, start, current netip.Addr) bool {
-	return ip.Compare(start) >= 0 && ip.Compare(current) <= 0
-}
-
-// isWellKnownMAC reports whether hw carries no stable host identity: all-zero
-// or a group address (broadcast and multicast).
-func isWellKnownMAC(hw net.HardwareAddr) bool {
-	if hw[0]&1 == 1 {
+	if slices.Contains(wellKnown, addr.String()) {
 		return true
 	}
-	for _, b := range hw {
-		if b != 0 {
-			return false
-		}
-	}
-	return true
-}
 
-// looksLikeWGKey reports whether s has the shape of a WireGuard key:
-// 44 base64 characters decoding to 32 bytes.
-func looksLikeWGKey(s string) bool {
-	if len(s) != 44 || s[43] != '=' {
-		return false
-	}
-	decoded, err := base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(s)
-	return err == nil && len(decoded) == 32
-}
-
-func generateAnonymousKey() string {
-	buf := make([]byte, 32)
-	if _, err := rand.Read(buf); err != nil {
-		return strings.Repeat("A", 43) + "="
-	}
-	return base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(buf)
-}
-
-// protectedSuffix returns the protected NetBird suffix baseDomain ends with,
-// or empty. The match is label-anchored so an unrelated domain that merely
-// ends in the same characters is not preserved.
-func protectedSuffix(baseDomain string) string {
-	for _, d := range protectedDomains {
-		if baseDomain == d || strings.HasSuffix(baseDomain, "."+d) {
-			return d
-		}
-	}
-	return ""
-}
-
-func withTrailingDot(domain string, hasDot bool) string {
-	if hasDot {
-		return domain + "."
-	}
-	return domain
-}
-
-// isCGNAT reports whether addr is in 100.64.0.0/10 (RFC 6598), the range
-// NetBird assigns overlay peer addresses from.
-func isCGNAT(addr netip.Addr) bool {
 	cgnatRangeStart := netip.AddrFrom4([4]byte{100, 64, 0, 0})
 	cgnatRange := netip.PrefixFrom(cgnatRangeStart, 10)
 

client/anonymize/anonymize_test.go

@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 package anonymize_test
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
-	"encoding/base64"
 	"net/netip"
 	"regexp"
-	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -47,301 +44,6 @@ func TestAnonymizeIP(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestParseLevel(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		input  string
-		expect anonymize.Level
-	}{
-		{"", anonymize.LevelDefault},
-		{"default", anonymize.LevelDefault},
-		{"DEFAULT", anonymize.LevelDefault},
-		{"strict", anonymize.LevelStrict},
-		{"STRICT", anonymize.LevelStrict},
-		// Unknown values must never yield less anonymization than requested.
-		{"garbage", anonymize.LevelStrict},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run("input="+tc.input, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, anonymize.ParseLevel(tc.input), "parsed level should match")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeIP_DefaultLevelInternalRanges(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		name   string
-		ip     string
-		expect string
-	}{
-		{"RFC1918 10/8", "10.1.2.3", "10.1.2.3"},
-		{"RFC1918 172.16/12", "172.16.5.5", "172.16.5.5"},
-		{"RFC1918 192.168/16", "192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.1"},
-		{"CGNAT", "100.64.0.5", "100.64.0.5"},
-		{"IPv4 link-local", "169.254.1.1", "169.254.1.1"},
-		{"IPv6 link-local", "fe80::1", "fe80::1"},
-		// ULA is anonymized even at the default level: its random global ID
-		// uniquely fingerprints the network, unlike shared RFC 1918 space.
-		{"IPv6 ULA", "fd12:3456:789a::1", "2001:db8:ffff::"},
-		// 4-in-6 addresses classify like their unmapped IPv4 form.
-		{"4-in-6 RFC1918", "::ffff:192.168.1.1", "192.168.1.1"},
-		{"4-in-6 CGNAT", "::ffff:100.64.0.5", "100.64.0.5"},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeIP(netip.MustParseAddr(tc.ip))
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result.String(), "default level should preserve internal ranges except ULA")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeIP_StrictLevel(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-	// Order matters: internal pool addresses are assigned sequentially.
-	tests := []struct {
-		name   string
-		ip     string
-		expect string
-	}{
-		{"RFC1918 192.168/16", "192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
-		{"Second RFC1918", "192.168.1.2", "198.18.0.1"},
-		{"Repeated RFC1918", "192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
-		{"RFC1918 10/8", "10.1.2.3", "198.18.0.2"},
-		{"RFC1918 172.16/12", "172.16.5.5", "198.18.0.3"},
-		{"CGNAT", "100.64.0.5", "198.18.0.4"},
-		{"IPv4 link-local", "169.254.1.1", "198.18.0.5"},
-		{"Public IPv4 uses public pool", "1.2.3.4", "198.51.100.0"},
-		{"IPv6 link-local", "fe80::1", "2001:db8:1::"},
-		{"IPv6 ULA", "fd12:3456:789a::1", "2001:db8:1::1"},
-		{"Public IPv6 uses public pool", "2607:f8b0:4005:805::200e", "2001:db8:ffff::"},
-		{"Loopback IPv4", "127.0.0.1", "127.0.0.1"},
-		{"Loopback IPv6", "::1", "::1"},
-		{"Unspecified", "0.0.0.0", "0.0.0.0"},
-		{"Multicast", "224.0.0.251", "224.0.0.251"},
-		{"Well known resolver", "8.8.8.8", "8.8.8.8"},
-		{"Well known split marker", "128.0.0.0", "128.0.0.0"},
-		{"In internal pool range", "198.18.0.3", "198.18.0.3"},
-		{"In public pool range", "198.51.100.0", "198.51.100.0"},
-		{"4-in-6 repeated RFC1918", "::ffff:192.168.1.1", "198.18.0.0"},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeIP(netip.MustParseAddr(tc.ip))
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result.String(), "strict level should replace internal ranges from the internal pools")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeString_StrictInternalIPs(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-	input := "route 10.20.30.0/24 via 192.168.1.1 dev eth0 src 100.64.0.7"
-	firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input)
-	secondPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass)
-
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "10.20.30.0", "private network address should be anonymized")
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "192.168.1.1", "private gateway should be anonymized")
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "100.64.0.7", "CGNAT address should be anonymized")
-	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, "/24", "prefix length should be preserved")
-	assert.Equal(t, firstPass, secondPass, "second pass should not further anonymize the string")
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeMAC(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-
-	first := anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:0f")
-	assert.Equal(t, "02:00:00:00:00:01", first, "first MAC should get the first placeholder")
-	assert.Equal(t, first, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:0f"), "repeated MAC should map to the same placeholder")
-	assert.Equal(t, first, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:0F"), "case should not affect the mapping")
-	assert.Equal(t, "02-00-00-00-00-01", anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-0F"), "dash form should keep its separator but share the mapping")
-
-	second := anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC("10:22:33:44:55:66")
-	assert.Equal(t, "02:00:00:00:00:02", second, "second distinct MAC should get the next placeholder")
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		name string
-		mac  string
-	}{
-		{"Broadcast", "ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff"},
-		{"IPv4 multicast", "01:00:5e:00:00:fb"},
-		{"IPv6 multicast", "33:33:00:00:00:01"},
-		{"All zero", "00:00:00:00:00:00"},
-		{"Assigned placeholder", "02:00:00:00:00:01"},
-		{"Invalid", "not-a-mac"},
-	}
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.mac, anonymizer.AnonymizeMAC(tc.mac), "should be preserved")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeString_MACAddresses(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		name   string
-		input  string
-		expect string
-	}{
-		{
-			name:   "nftables ether rule",
-			input:  "ether saddr aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff drop",
-			expect: "ether saddr 02:00:00:00:00:01 drop",
-		},
-		{
-			name:   "Windows dash form",
-			input:  "Physical Address : AA-BB-CC-DD-EE-FF",
-			expect: "Physical Address : 02-00-00-00-00-01",
-		},
-		{
-			name:   "IPv6 address tail is not treated as MAC",
-			input:  "addr fe80:0:11:22:33:44:55:66 scope link",
-			expect: "addr fe80:0:11:22:33:44:55:66 scope link",
-		},
-		{
-			name:   "broadcast MAC preserved",
-			input:  "dst ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff type ARP",
-			expect: "dst ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff type ARP",
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			result := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(tc.input)
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expect, result, "MAC addresses should be anonymized at every level")
-			assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(result), "second pass should not change the result")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeWGKey(t *testing.T) {
-	key := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x42}, 32))
-
-	t.Run("default level preserves keys", func(t *testing.T) {
-		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-		assert.Equal(t, key, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), "default level should not touch WireGuard keys")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("strict level replaces keys", func(t *testing.T) {
-		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-		anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-		anon := anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key)
-		assert.NotEqual(t, key, anon, "strict level should replace the key")
-		assert.Regexp(t, `^[A-Za-z0-9+/]{43}=$`, anon, "placeholder should keep the WireGuard key shape")
-		assert.Equal(t, anon, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), "repeated key should map to the same placeholder")
-		assert.Equal(t, anon, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(anon), "an assigned placeholder should pass through unchanged")
-
-		assert.Equal(t, "not-a-key", anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey("not-a-key"), "non-key values should be preserved")
-	})
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeString_WGKeys(t *testing.T) {
-	key := base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(bytes.Repeat([]byte{0x42}, 32))
-	input := "peer " + key + " handshake completed"
-
-	t.Run("default level preserves keys", func(t *testing.T) {
-		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-		assert.Equal(t, input, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input), "default level should not touch WireGuard keys in strings")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("strict level replaces keys", func(t *testing.T) {
-		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-		anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-		firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(input)
-		assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, key, "the key should not survive strict anonymization")
-		assert.Equal(t, anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key), extractKey(t, firstPass), "string replacement should be consistent with AnonymizeWGKey")
-		assert.Equal(t, firstPass, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass), "second pass should not change the result")
-	})
-}
-
-func extractKey(t *testing.T, logLine string) string {
-	t.Helper()
-	fields := strings.Fields(logLine)
-	require.Len(t, fields, 4, "log line should keep its structure")
-	return fields[1]
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeDomain_StrictLevel(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-	t.Run("netbird peer name", func(t *testing.T) {
-		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud")
-		assert.Regexp(t, `^peer-\d+\.netbird\.cloud$`, result, "peer name should be anonymized, suffix kept")
-		assert.NotContains(t, result, "my-laptop", "the peer name should not survive")
-		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud"), "repeated domain should map consistently")
-		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain(result), "an anonymized domain should pass through unchanged")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("bare netbird domain", func(t *testing.T) {
-		assert.Equal(t, "netbird.cloud", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("netbird.cloud"), "the bare protected suffix should be preserved")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("netbird infrastructure preserved", func(t *testing.T) {
-		assert.Equal(t, "api.netbird.io", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("api.netbird.io"),
-			"netbird.io hosts infrastructure, not peer names, and should stay readable")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("leading labels of other domains", func(t *testing.T) {
-		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.corp.example.com")
-		assert.Regexp(t, `^host-\d+\.host-\d+\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, result, "every label should be anonymized")
-		for _, label := range []string{"host1", "corp", "example"} {
-			assert.NotContains(t, result, label, "no original label should survive")
-		}
-		assert.Equal(t, result, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.corp.example.com"), "repeated domain should map consistently")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("same label maps consistently across domains", func(t *testing.T) {
-		first := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("shared.one.com")
-		second := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("shared.two.com")
-		assert.Equal(t, strings.Split(first, ".")[0], strings.Split(second, ".")[0], "the shared host label should get one placeholder")
-	})
-
-	t.Run("wildcard label preserved", func(t *testing.T) {
-		result := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("*.example.com")
-		assert.Regexp(t, `^\*\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, result, "the wildcard label should stay a wildcard")
-	})
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeDomain_DefaultLevelKeepsPeerNames(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-
-	assert.Equal(t, "my-laptop.netbird.cloud", anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("my-laptop.netbird.cloud"),
-		"default level should preserve netbird FQDNs including the peer name")
-	assert.Regexp(t, `^sub\.anon-[a-zA-Z0-9]+\.domain$`, anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("sub.example.com"),
-		"default level should keep subdomain labels")
-}
-
-func TestAnonymizeString_StrictPeerNames(t *testing.T) {
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-	anonymizer.SetLevel(anonymize.LevelStrict)
-
-	// Seed like the bundle generator does from the status: base first, then
-	// the full FQDN, so replacement must prefer the longer mapping.
-	anonBase := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("example.com")
-	anonPeer := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("peer1.netbird.cloud")
-	anonHost := anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain("host1.example.com")
-
-	logLine := "connected to peer1.netbird.cloud via host1.example.com endpoint"
-	firstPass := anonymizer.AnonymizeString(logLine)
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "peer1", "the peer name should not survive in logs")
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "host1", "the host label should not survive in logs")
-	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, anonPeer, "the seeded peer mapping should be applied")
-	assert.Contains(t, firstPass, anonHost, "the seeded host mapping should be applied, not just the base mapping")
-	assert.NotContains(t, firstPass, "host1."+anonBase, "the base mapping must not preempt the longer FQDN mapping")
-	assert.Equal(t, firstPass, anonymizer.AnonymizeString(firstPass), "second pass should not change the result")
-}
-
 func TestAnonymizeDNSLogLine(t *testing.T) {
 	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(netip.Addr{}, netip.Addr{})
 	tests := []struct {

client/cmd/debug.go

@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ import (
 const errCloseConnection = "Failed to close connection: %v"
 
 var (
-	logFileCount             uint32
-	systemInfoFlag           bool
+	logFileCount        uint32
+	systemInfoFlag      bool
 	uploadBundleFlag         bool
 	uploadBundleURLFlag      string
 	uploadBundleInsecureFlag bool
@@ -156,11 +156,6 @@ func debugConfigDump(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 // request. Returns an error if the RPC fails or if the daemon reports
 // an upload failure reason.
 func debugBundle(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
-	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	conn, err := getClient(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -173,11 +168,10 @@ func debugBundle(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 
 	client := proto.NewDaemonServiceClient(conn)
 	request := &proto.DebugBundleRequest{
-		Anonymize:      anonymizeEnabled,
-		AnonymizeLevel: anonymizeLevel.String(),
-		SystemInfo:     systemInfoFlag,
-		LogFileCount:   logFileCount,
-		CliVersion:     version.NetbirdVersion(),
+		Anonymize:    anonymizeFlag,
+		SystemInfo:   systemInfoFlag,
+		LogFileCount: logFileCount,
+		CliVersion:   version.NetbirdVersion(),
 	}
 	if uploadBundleFlag {
 		request.UploadURL = uploadBundleURLFlag
@@ -235,11 +229,6 @@ func runForDuration(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("invalid duration format: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	conn, err := getClient(cmd)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -379,11 +368,10 @@ func runForDuration(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	cmd.Println("Creating debug bundle...")
 
 	request := &proto.DebugBundleRequest{
-		Anonymize:      anonymizeEnabled,
-		AnonymizeLevel: anonymizeLevel.String(),
-		SystemInfo:     systemInfoFlag,
-		LogFileCount:   logFileCount,
-		CliVersion:     version.NetbirdVersion(),
+		Anonymize:    anonymizeFlag,
+		SystemInfo:   systemInfoFlag,
+		LogFileCount: logFileCount,
+		CliVersion:   version.NetbirdVersion(),
 	}
 	if uploadBundleFlag {
 		request.UploadURL = uploadBundleURLFlag

client/cmd/root.go

@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	daddr "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/daemonaddr"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/profilemanager"
 )
@@ -70,7 +69,6 @@ var (
 	autoConnectDisabled     bool
 	extraIFaceBlackList     []string
 	anonymizeFlag           bool
-	anonymizeLevelFlag      string
 	dnsRouteInterval        time.Duration
 	// lazyConnEnabled is the parse target for the deprecated --enable-lazy-connection
 	// flag. The flag is inert; the value is no longer read (use NB_LAZY_CONN instead).
@@ -158,8 +156,7 @@ func init() {
 	rootCmd.MarkFlagsMutuallyExclusive("setup-key", "setup-key-file")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&preSharedKey, preSharedKeyFlag, "", "Sets WireGuard PreSharedKey property. If set, then only peers that have the same key can communicate.")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&hostName, "hostname", "n", "", "Sets a custom hostname for the device")
-	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&anonymizeFlag, "anonymize", "A", false, "anonymize public IP addresses, MAC addresses, and non-netbird.io domains in logs and status output; private, CGNAT, and link-local IP ranges are kept (see --anonymize-level strict)")
-	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVar(&anonymizeLevelFlag, "anonymize-level", "", "anonymization level: \"default\" or \"strict\"; strict also anonymizes private, CGNAT, and link-local IP ranges, peer names, and WireGuard public keys. Setting this flag implies --anonymize")
+	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVarP(&anonymizeFlag, "anonymize", "A", false, "anonymize IP addresses and non-netbird.io domains in logs and status output")
 	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().StringVarP(&configPath, "config", "c", profilemanager.DefaultConfigPath, "Overrides the default profile file location")
 
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(upCmd)
@@ -296,19 +293,6 @@ var CLIBackOffSettings = &backoff.ExponentialBackOff{
 	Clock:               backoff.SystemClock,
 }
 
-// effectiveAnonymize resolves the --anonymize and --anonymize-level flags:
-// setting a level implies anonymization, and an invalid level is rejected.
-func effectiveAnonymize() (bool, anonymize.Level, error) {
-	if anonymizeLevelFlag == "" {
-		return anonymizeFlag, anonymize.LevelDefault, nil
-	}
-	level := anonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevelFlag)
-	if !strings.EqualFold(anonymizeLevelFlag, level.String()) {
-		return false, anonymize.LevelDefault, fmt.Errorf("invalid anonymize level %q: use %q or %q", anonymizeLevelFlag, anonymize.LevelDefault.String(), anonymize.LevelStrict.String())
-	}
-	return true, level, nil
-}
-
 func getSetupKey() (string, error) {
 	if setupKeyPath != "" && setupKey == "" {
 		return getSetupKeyFromFile(setupKeyPath)

client/cmd/status.go

@@ -121,14 +121,8 @@ func statusFunc(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		sessionExpiresAt = ts.AsTime().UTC()
 	}
 
-	anonymizeEnabled, anonymizeLevel, err := effectiveAnonymize()
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	var outputInformationHolder = nbstatus.ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(resp.GetFullStatus(), nbstatus.ConvertOptions{
-		Anonymize:            anonymizeEnabled,
-		AnonymizeLevel:       anonymizeLevel,
+		Anonymize:            anonymizeFlag,
 		DaemonVersion:        resp.GetDaemonVersion(),
 		DaemonStatus:         nbstatus.ParseDaemonStatus(status),
 		StatusFilter:         statusFilter,

client/cmd/up.go

@@ -421,6 +421,12 @@ func setupSetConfigReq(customDNSAddressConverted []byte, cmd *cobra.Command, pro
 	if cmd.Flag(serverSSHAllowedFlag).Changed {
 		req.ServerSSHAllowed = &serverSSHAllowed
 	}
+	if cmd.Flag(serverVNCAllowedFlag).Changed {
+		req.ServerVNCAllowed = &serverVNCAllowed
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(disableVNCApprovalFlag).Changed {
+		req.DisableVNCApproval = &disableVNCApproval
+	}
 	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRootFlag).Changed {
 		req.EnableSSHRoot = &enableSSHRoot
 	}
@@ -523,30 +529,14 @@ func setupConfig(customDNSAddressConverted []byte, cmd *cobra.Command, configFil
 	if cmd.Flag(serverSSHAllowedFlag).Changed {
 		ic.ServerSSHAllowed = &serverSSHAllowed
 	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRootFlag).Changed {
-		ic.EnableSSHRoot = &enableSSHRoot
+	if cmd.Flag(serverVNCAllowedFlag).Changed {
+		ic.ServerVNCAllowed = &serverVNCAllowed
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(disableVNCApprovalFlag).Changed {
+		ic.DisableVNCApproval = &disableVNCApproval
 	}
 
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHSFTPFlag).Changed {
-		ic.EnableSSHSFTP = &enableSSHSFTP
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHLocalPortForwardFlag).Changed {
-		ic.EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding = &enableSSHLocalPortForward
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRemotePortForwardFlag).Changed {
-		ic.EnableSSHRemotePortForwarding = &enableSSHRemotePortForward
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(disableSSHAuthFlag).Changed {
-		ic.DisableSSHAuth = &disableSSHAuth
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(sshJWTCacheTTLFlag).Changed {
-		ic.SSHJWTCacheTTL = &sshJWTCacheTTL
-	}
+	applySSHFlagsToConfig(cmd, &ic)
 
 	if cmd.Flag(interfaceNameFlag).Changed {
 		if err := parseInterfaceName(interfaceName); err != nil {
@@ -619,6 +609,49 @@ func setupConfig(customDNSAddressConverted []byte, cmd *cobra.Command, configFil
 	return &ic, nil
 }
 
+func applySSHFlagsToConfig(cmd *cobra.Command, ic *profilemanager.ConfigInput) {
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRootFlag).Changed {
+		ic.EnableSSHRoot = &enableSSHRoot
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHSFTPFlag).Changed {
+		ic.EnableSSHSFTP = &enableSSHSFTP
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHLocalPortForwardFlag).Changed {
+		ic.EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding = &enableSSHLocalPortForward
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRemotePortForwardFlag).Changed {
+		ic.EnableSSHRemotePortForwarding = &enableSSHRemotePortForward
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(disableSSHAuthFlag).Changed {
+		ic.DisableSSHAuth = &disableSSHAuth
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(sshJWTCacheTTLFlag).Changed {
+		ic.SSHJWTCacheTTL = &sshJWTCacheTTL
+	}
+}
+
+func applySSHFlagsToLogin(cmd *cobra.Command, req *proto.LoginRequest) {
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRootFlag).Changed {
+		req.EnableSSHRoot = &enableSSHRoot
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHSFTPFlag).Changed {
+		req.EnableSSHSFTP = &enableSSHSFTP
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHLocalPortForwardFlag).Changed {
+		req.EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding = &enableSSHLocalPortForward
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRemotePortForwardFlag).Changed {
+		req.EnableSSHRemotePortForwarding = &enableSSHRemotePortForward
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(disableSSHAuthFlag).Changed {
+		req.DisableSSHAuth = &disableSSHAuth
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(sshJWTCacheTTLFlag).Changed {
+		ttl := int32(sshJWTCacheTTL)
+		req.SshJWTCacheTTL = &ttl
+	}
+}
+
 func setupLoginRequest(providedSetupKey string, customDNSAddressConverted []byte, cmd *cobra.Command) (*proto.LoginRequest, error) {
 	loginRequest := proto.LoginRequest{
 		SetupKey:            providedSetupKey,
@@ -648,31 +681,14 @@ func setupLoginRequest(providedSetupKey string, customDNSAddressConverted []byte
 	if cmd.Flag(serverSSHAllowedFlag).Changed {
 		loginRequest.ServerSSHAllowed = &serverSSHAllowed
 	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRootFlag).Changed {
-		loginRequest.EnableSSHRoot = &enableSSHRoot
+	if cmd.Flag(serverVNCAllowedFlag).Changed {
+		loginRequest.ServerVNCAllowed = &serverVNCAllowed
+	}
+	if cmd.Flag(disableVNCApprovalFlag).Changed {
+		loginRequest.DisableVNCApproval = &disableVNCApproval
 	}
 
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHSFTPFlag).Changed {
-		loginRequest.EnableSSHSFTP = &enableSSHSFTP
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHLocalPortForwardFlag).Changed {
-		loginRequest.EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding = &enableSSHLocalPortForward
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(enableSSHRemotePortForwardFlag).Changed {
-		loginRequest.EnableSSHRemotePortForwarding = &enableSSHRemotePortForward
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(disableSSHAuthFlag).Changed {
-		loginRequest.DisableSSHAuth = &disableSSHAuth
-	}
-
-	if cmd.Flag(sshJWTCacheTTLFlag).Changed {
-		sshJWTCacheTTL32 := int32(sshJWTCacheTTL)
-		loginRequest.SshJWTCacheTTL = &sshJWTCacheTTL32
-	}
+	applySSHFlagsToLogin(cmd, &loginRequest)
 
 	if cmd.Flag(disableAutoConnectFlag).Changed {
 		loginRequest.DisableAutoConnect = &autoConnectDisabled

client/cmd/vnc_agent.go

@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+//go:build windows || (darwin && !ios)
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"net/netip"
+	"os"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+var (
+	vncAgentSocket    string
+	vncAgentTargetUID uint32
+)
+
+func init() {
+	vncAgentCmd.Flags().StringVar(&vncAgentSocket, "socket", "", "Unix-domain socket path the agent listens on (required)")
+	vncAgentCmd.Flags().Uint32Var(&vncAgentTargetUID, "target-uid", 0, "uid the agent should drop privileges to before listening (darwin only; 0 = stay as current uid)")
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(vncAgentCmd)
+}
+
+// vncAgentCmd runs a VNC server inside the user's interactive session,
+// listening on a Unix-domain socket. The NetBird service spawns it: on
+// Windows via CreateProcessAsUser into the console session, on macOS via
+// launchctl asuser into the Aqua session.
+var vncAgentCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:    "vnc-agent",
+	Short:  "Run VNC capture agent (internal, spawned by service)",
+	Hidden: true,
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		log.SetReportCaller(true)
+		log.SetFormatter(&log.JSONFormatter{})
+		log.SetOutput(os.Stderr)
+
+		if vncAgentSocket == "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("--socket is required")
+		}
+
+		token := os.Getenv("NB_VNC_AGENT_TOKEN")
+		if token == "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("NB_VNC_AGENT_TOKEN not set; agent requires a token from the service")
+		}
+		// Purge the token from env so it doesn't leak via /proc/<pid>/environ.
+		if err := os.Unsetenv("NB_VNC_AGENT_TOKEN"); err != nil {
+			log.Debugf("unset NB_VNC_AGENT_TOKEN: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		// Drop root privileges to the target console user BEFORE creating
+		// the listening socket: keeps a post-auth bug in the encoder /
+		// input / capture paths confined to the user's own privileges
+		// rather than escalating to host root, and makes the daemon's
+		// LOCAL_PEERCRED check see the right uid. No-op on Windows
+		// (both processes run as SYSTEM) and when --target-uid is 0.
+		if vncAgentTargetUID != 0 {
+			if err := dropAgentPrivileges(vncAgentTargetUID); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("drop privileges to uid %d: %w", vncAgentTargetUID, err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		if err := os.Remove(vncAgentSocket); err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			log.Debugf("remove stale socket %s: %v", vncAgentSocket, err)
+		}
+		ln, err := net.Listen("unix", vncAgentSocket)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("listen on %s: %w", vncAgentSocket, err)
+		}
+		if err := os.Chmod(vncAgentSocket, 0o600); err != nil {
+			log.Debugf("chmod %s: %v", vncAgentSocket, err)
+		}
+
+		ctx := cmd.Context()
+
+		capturer, injector, err := newAgentResources()
+		if err != nil {
+			_ = ln.Close()
+			return err
+		}
+		srv := vncserver.New(vncserver.Config{
+			Capturer:      capturer,
+			Injector:      injector,
+			DisableAuth:   true,
+			AgentTokenHex: token,
+			Listener:      ln,
+		})
+
+		if err := srv.Start(ctx, netip.AddrPort{}, netip.Prefix{}); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("start vnc server: %w", err)
+		}
+		log.Infof("vnc-agent listening on %s, ready", vncAgentSocket)
+
+		<-ctx.Done()
+		log.Info("vnc-agent context cancelled, shutting down")
+		return srv.Stop()
+	},
+	SilenceUsage: true,
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_darwin.go

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+//go:build darwin && !ios
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+func newAgentResources() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, error) {
+	// Ask for Screen Recording here and nowhere else. This process runs as the
+	// console user, which TCC requires for a user-scope service, and it is fresh
+	// per connection, which is what makes the dialog appear at all: TCC shows it
+	// once per process. The request blocks until the user answers, so it also
+	// keeps the Accessibility ask that follows the first input out of its way.
+	vncserver.RequestScreenRecording()
+
+	capturer := vncserver.NewMacPoller()
+	injector, err := vncserver.NewMacInputInjector()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("macOS input injector: %w", err)
+	}
+	return capturer, injector, nil
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_dropprivs_darwin.go

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+//go:build darwin && !ios
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/user"
+	"strconv"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// dropAgentPrivileges drops the vnc-agent process from root (its
+// launchctl-asuser-inherited starting uid) to the target console user
+// before any other initialisation runs. Without this the agent runs as
+// root for the lifetime of the session; any post-auth memory-safety
+// issue in the capture/input/encode paths would then be a root-level
+// RCE on the host instead of a user-level one. Also makes the daemon's
+// LOCAL_PEERCRED check correctly identify the agent as the console user,
+// not as root.
+//
+// Returns an error when the agent is running as a non-root uid that
+// differs from targetUID: non-root can only setuid to itself, so a
+// mismatch here means the spawn went to the wrong session.
+func dropAgentPrivileges(targetUID uint32) error {
+	if targetUID == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("refusing to keep agent running as root (target uid 0)")
+	}
+	cur := uint32(os.Getuid())
+	if cur == targetUID {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if cur != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("agent uid %d does not match expected %d and we lack root to fix it", cur, targetUID)
+	}
+	// Resolve the target user's real primary group rather than reusing
+	// targetUID as the gid: a user's primary group on macOS is typically
+	// staff(20), not gid==uid. Fail closed if the lookup fails.
+	targetGID, err := primaryGroupID(targetUID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	// Drop supplementary groups first: setgid alone doesn't touch the
+	// auxiliary group list, leaving root's groups attached would let the
+	// dropped process write to root-only group-writable files.
+	if err := syscall.Setgroups([]int{}); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("setgroups([]): %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := syscall.Setgid(targetGID); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("setgid(%d): %w", targetGID, err)
+	}
+	if os.Getgid() != targetGID || os.Getegid() != targetGID {
+		return fmt.Errorf("setgid verification: gid=%d egid=%d, expected %d", os.Getgid(), os.Getegid(), targetGID)
+	}
+	if err := syscall.Setuid(int(targetUID)); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("setuid(%d): %w", targetUID, err)
+	}
+	if uint32(os.Getuid()) != targetUID || uint32(os.Geteuid()) != targetUID {
+		return fmt.Errorf("setuid verification: uid=%d euid=%d, expected %d", os.Getuid(), os.Geteuid(), targetUID)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// primaryGroupID resolves the real primary group id of the user with the
+// given uid. Fails closed: a lookup or parse error returns an error so the
+// caller never falls back to using uid as the gid.
+func primaryGroupID(targetUID uint32) (int, error) {
+	u, err := user.LookupId(strconv.Itoa(int(targetUID)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("look up uid %d: %w", targetUID, err)
+	}
+	gid, err := strconv.Atoi(u.Gid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("parse gid %q for uid %d: %w", u.Gid, targetUID, err)
+	}
+	return gid, nil
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_dropprivs_darwin_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+//go:build darwin && !ios
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestDropAgentPrivileges_RefusesRootTarget locks in the contract that
+// dropAgentPrivileges must never be a no-op when asked to keep the
+// agent as root (target uid 0). A future caller that passes 0 by
+// mistake would otherwise leave the post-auth attack surface running
+// with full root privileges.
+func TestDropAgentPrivileges_RefusesRootTarget(t *testing.T) {
+	err := dropAgentPrivileges(0)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected refusal for target uid 0, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "root") {
+		t.Fatalf("error should mention root, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDropAgentPrivileges_NoOpWhenAlreadyTarget covers the dev path
+// where the agent is launched by hand as the target user (no root
+// available, no setuid needed). The helper must succeed silently
+// instead of trying (and failing) a setuid to its current uid.
+func TestDropAgentPrivileges_NoOpWhenAlreadyTarget(t *testing.T) {
+	// Skip when running as root: the early-return path we want to
+	// cover only fires when current uid == target uid.
+	uid := currentUIDForTest()
+	if uid == 0 {
+		t.Skip("test must not run as root; cannot exercise the no-op early-return")
+	}
+	if err := dropAgentPrivileges(uid); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no-op when current uid == target, got: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestDropAgentPrivileges_RefusesMismatchedNonRoot guards the "non-root
+// caller tries to setuid to a different uid" path: setuid would fail
+// with EPERM anyway, but the helper should surface a clear error
+// before issuing the syscall so a misconfigured spawn (wrong --target-uid
+// flag) is debuggable.
+func TestDropAgentPrivileges_RefusesMismatchedNonRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	uid := currentUIDForTest()
+	if uid == 0 {
+		t.Skip("test must not run as root; covered case requires non-root caller")
+	}
+	err := dropAgentPrivileges(uid + 1)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected refusal when non-root caller asks to setuid elsewhere")
+	}
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_dropprivs_testhelpers_darwin.go

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//go:build darwin && !ios
+
+package cmd
+
+import "os"
+
+// currentUIDForTest exposes os.Getuid for the darwin dropprivs tests
+// without leaking an os import into the test file itself.
+func currentUIDForTest() uint32 {
+	return uint32(os.Getuid())
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_dropprivs_windows.go

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package cmd
+
+// dropAgentPrivileges is a no-op on Windows: the agent and the daemon
+// both run as SYSTEM (the daemon spawns the agent into the interactive
+// session via CreateProcessAsUser with an impersonation token, but the
+// resulting process still runs under SYSTEM, not under the user's
+// account). The Windows path relies on the DACL-restricted socket
+// directory, the unpredictable per-spawn socket name, the listen-readiness
+// gate, and the per-spawn token for integrity instead.
+func dropAgentPrivileges(_ uint32) error {
+	return nil
+}

client/cmd/vnc_agent_windows.go

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package cmd
+
+import (
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+func newAgentResources() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, error) {
+	sessionID := vncserver.GetCurrentSessionID()
+	log.Infof("VNC agent running in Windows session %d", sessionID)
+	return vncserver.NewDesktopCapturer(), vncserver.NewWindowsInputInjector(), nil
+}

client/cmd/vnc_flags.go

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package cmd
+
+const (
+	serverVNCAllowedFlag   = "allow-server-vnc"
+	disableVNCApprovalFlag = "disable-vnc-approval"
+)
+
+var (
+	serverVNCAllowed   bool
+	disableVNCApproval bool
+)
+
+func init() {
+	upCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&serverVNCAllowed, serverVNCAllowedFlag, false, "Allow embedded VNC server on peer")
+	upCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&disableVNCApproval, disableVNCApprovalFlag, false, "Disable per-connection user approval prompts for the embedded VNC server")
+}

client/configs/configs.go

@@ -11,19 +11,30 @@ import (
 // bundle collector all share one definition.
 const UILogFile = "gui-client.log"
 
-var StateDir string
+var (
+	// StateDir holds persistent state (config, profiles, install metadata).
+	StateDir string
+	// RuntimeDir holds ephemeral artifacts that should not survive reboot,
+	// such as Unix sockets for daemon and per-session IPC. Empty on
+	// platforms without a conventional /var/run-style location.
+	RuntimeDir string
+)
 
 func init() {
-	StateDir = os.Getenv("NB_STATE_DIR")
-	if StateDir != "" {
-		return
-	}
 	switch runtime.GOOS {
 	case "windows":
 		StateDir = filepath.Join(os.Getenv("PROGRAMDATA"), "Netbird")
 	case "darwin", "linux":
 		StateDir = "/var/lib/netbird"
+		RuntimeDir = "/var/run/netbird"
 	case "freebsd", "openbsd", "netbsd", "dragonfly":
 		StateDir = "/var/db/netbird"
+		RuntimeDir = "/var/run/netbird"
+	}
+	if v := os.Getenv("NB_STATE_DIR"); v != "" {
+		StateDir = v
+	}
+	if v := os.Getenv("NB_RUNTIME_DIR"); v != "" {
+		RuntimeDir = v
 	}
 }

client/firewall/firewalld/firewalld.go

@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 // its wg interface into firewalld's "trusted" zone. This is required because
 // firewalld's nftables chains are created with NFT_CHAIN_OWNER on recent
 // versions, which returns EPERM to any other process that tries to insert
-// rules into them. Trusting the interface makes firewalld itself add the
-// accept rules to its own chains instead.
+// rules into them. The workaround mirrors what Tailscale does: let firewalld
+// itself add the accept rules to its own chains by trusting the interface.
 package firewalld
 
 // TrustedZone is the firewalld zone name used for interfaces whose traffic

client/iface/bind/ice_bind.go

@@ -22,16 +22,6 @@ import (
 	nbnet "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/net"
 )
 
-const (
-	// wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation is the lowest WireGuard message type.
-	wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation uint32 = 1
-	// wgMsgTypeTransport is the highest WireGuard message type.
-	wgMsgTypeTransport uint32 = 4
-	// wgMinMsgSize is the smallest WireGuard message: transport data with an empty
-	// payload, which is what a keepalive is.
-	wgMinMsgSize = 32
-)
-
 type receiverCreator struct {
 	iceBind *ICEBind
 }
@@ -226,15 +216,8 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createReceiverFn(pc wgConn.BatchReader, conn *net.UDPConn, rxO
 		for i := 0; i < numMsgs; i++ {
 			msg := &(*msgs)[i]
 
-			if ok, err := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
-				if err != nil {
-					log.Debugf("failed to handle STUN packet from %s: %v", msg.Addr, err)
-				}
-				// WireGuard reuses sizes and eps across reads and only skips a slot
-				// whose size is below the minimum message size. Leaving a consumed
-				// slot untouched makes it process this buffer again under the
-				// previous packet's length and endpoint.
-				sizes[i] = 0
+			// todo: handle err
+			if ok, _ := s.filterOutStunMessages(msg.Buffers, msg.N, msg.Addr); ok {
 				continue
 			}
 			sizes[i] = msg.N
@@ -288,16 +271,11 @@ func (s *ICEBind) createOrUpdateMux() {
 
 func (s *ICEBind) filterOutStunMessages(buffers [][]byte, n int, addr net.Addr) (bool, error) {
 	for i := range buffers {
-		if n > len(buffers[i]) {
-			continue
-		}
-		pkt := buffers[i][:n]
-
-		if isWireGuardMsg(pkt) || !stun.IsMessage(pkt) {
+		if !stun.IsMessage(buffers[i]) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(pkt)
+		msg, err := s.parseSTUNMessage(buffers[i][:n])
 		if err != nil {
 			buffers[i] = []byte{}
 			return true, err
@@ -369,34 +347,18 @@ func putMessages(msgs *[]ipv6.Message, msgsPool *sync.Pool) {
 	msgsPool.Put(msgs)
 }
 
-// isWireGuardMsg reports whether the packet carries a WireGuard message header: a
-// little-endian uint32 message type in the range 1..4, which leaves the three bytes
-// after the type byte zero, in a packet long enough to hold any WireGuard message.
-//
-// A well formed STUN message cannot take that shape. Its length field sits in the two
-// bytes the type must leave zero, and for a message of at least wgMinMsgSize bytes that
-// field holds at least 12, so the two framings do not overlap. The test has to be this
-// tight because stun.IsMessage only looks at the magic cookie, which in a WireGuard
-// message overlaps the receiver index: a session whose index happens to equal the cookie
-// would otherwise have all of its inbound data misrouted to the STUN handler until the
-// next rekey.
-func isWireGuardMsg(pkt []byte) bool {
-	if len(pkt) < wgMinMsgSize {
-		return false
-	}
-
-	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(pkt[:4])
-	return msgType >= wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation && msgType <= wgMsgTypeTransport
-}
-
-// isTransportPkg reports whether the packet is WireGuard transport data carrying a
-// payload, which is what counts as peer activity. A keepalive holds no payload and is
-// exactly wgMinMsgSize bytes.
 func isTransportPkg(buffers [][]byte, n int) bool {
-	if n < 4 || n > len(buffers[0]) {
-		return false
+	// The first buffer should contain at least 4 bytes for type
+	if len(buffers[0]) < 4 {
+		return true
 	}
 
-	msgType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
-	return msgType == wgMsgTypeTransport && n > wgMinMsgSize
+	// WireGuard packet type is a little-endian uint32 at start
+	packetType := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(buffers[0][:4])
+
+	// Check if packetType matches known WireGuard message types
+	if packetType == 4 && n > 32 {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
 }

client/iface/bind/stun_filter_test.go

@@ -1,215 +0,0 @@
-//go:build !js
-
-package bind
-
-import (
-	"encoding/binary"
-	"net"
-	"testing"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/pion/stun/v3"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
-	"golang.org/x/net/ipv4"
-	wgConn "golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/conn"
-)
-
-// magicCookieBytes is the STUN magic cookie as it appears on the wire. In a
-// WireGuard message the same offset holds the receiver (or sender) index, which is
-// a random uint32, so a session can draw exactly this value.
-var magicCookieBytes = []byte{0x21, 0x12, 0xA4, 0x42}
-
-const testBufSize = 1500
-
-// wgMsg builds a WireGuard message of the given type and size, with the index field
-// at bytes 4:8 set to index.
-func wgMsg(msgType uint32, size int, index []byte) []byte {
-	pkt := make([]byte, size)
-	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint32(pkt[:4], msgType)
-	copy(pkt[4:8], index)
-	return pkt
-}
-
-// intoBuffer copies pkt into a full-size receive buffer, the way the kernel read
-// does, so tests see the same buffer/length split as the hot path.
-func intoBuffer(pkt []byte) [][]byte {
-	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
-	copy(buf, pkt)
-	return [][]byte{buf}
-}
-
-func TestFilterOutStunMessages_PassesWireGuardWithCookieShapedIndex(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name    string
-		msgType uint32
-		size    int
-	}{
-		{"transport data", wgMsgTypeTransport, 128},
-		{"keepalive", wgMsgTypeTransport, wgMinMsgSize},
-		{"handshake initiation", wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148},
-		{"handshake response", 2, 92},
-		{"cookie reply", 3, 64},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			pkt := wgMsg(tc.msgType, tc.size, magicCookieBytes)
-			require.True(t, stun.IsMessage(pkt), "precondition: pion sees this as STUN")
-
-			buffers := intoBuffer(pkt)
-			bind := &ICEBind{}
-
-			filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, tc.size, &net.UDPAddr{})
-			assert.NoError(t, err)
-			assert.False(t, filtered, "WireGuard message must be handed to WireGuard, not the STUN handler")
-			assert.Len(t, buffers[0], testBufSize, "buffer must be left intact for WireGuard")
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestFilterOutStunMessages_FiltersRealSTUNMessage(t *testing.T) {
-	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.BindingRequest, stun.TransactionID, stun.Fingerprint)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
-	buffers := intoBuffer(msg.Raw)
-	bind := &ICEBind{}
-
-	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, len(msg.Raw), &net.UDPAddr{})
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.True(t, filtered, "STUN message must be consumed by the STUN handler")
-	assert.Empty(t, buffers[0], "consumed buffer must be emptied so WireGuard does not see it")
-}
-
-// TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN locks the invariant the filter relies on: a
-// well formed STUN message long enough to be a WireGuard message always has a
-// non-zero length field, so it cannot be mistaken for a WireGuard header.
-func TestIsWireGuardMsg_DisjointFromSTUN(t *testing.T) {
-	types := []stun.MessageType{
-		stun.BindingRequest,
-		stun.BindingSuccess,
-		stun.BindingError,
-		{Method: stun.MethodBinding, Class: stun.ClassIndication},
-	}
-
-	for _, msgType := range types {
-		// Long enough that the length guard is not what makes this pass.
-		msg, err := stun.Build(msgType, stun.TransactionID,
-			stun.NewUsername("remoteUfrag:localUfrag"), stun.Fingerprint)
-		require.NoError(t, err)
-		require.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(msg.Raw), wgMinMsgSize, "precondition: %s", msgType)
-		assert.False(t, isWireGuardMsg(msg.Raw),
-			"%s must not look like a WireGuard message", msgType)
-	}
-}
-
-func TestIsWireGuardMsg(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name string
-		pkt  []byte
-		want bool
-	}{
-		{"transport data", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), true},
-		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), true},
-		{"unknown type 5", wgMsg(5, 128, nil), false},
-		{"type 0", wgMsg(0, 128, nil), false},
-		{"non-zero reserved byte", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00}, false},
-		{"too short", []byte{0x04, 0x00, 0x00}, false},
-		{"empty", nil, false},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isWireGuardMsg(tc.pkt), "wrong classification for %s", tc.name)
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket guards against classifying on
-// buffer contents left over from an earlier, longer packet.
-func TestFilterOutStunMessages_IgnoresBytesBeyondPacket(t *testing.T) {
-	buf := make([]byte, testBufSize)
-	copy(buf[4:8], magicCookieBytes)
-	buffers := [][]byte{buf}
-	bind := &ICEBind{}
-
-	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, 2, &net.UDPAddr{})
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.False(t, filtered, "a 2 byte packet must not be classified from stale buffer bytes")
-}
-
-// TestReceiveFn_ClearsSizeOfConsumedPacket covers the accounting WireGuard relies
-// on: sizes is reused across reads, so a slot whose packet was consumed as STUN must
-// be reported as empty. Otherwise WireGuard reprocesses the same buffer under the
-// previous packet's length, which for a WireGuard-shaped packet means it is handled
-// twice.
-func TestReceiveFn_ClearsSizeOfConsumedPacket(t *testing.T) {
-	conn := listenUDP(t, "udp4", "127.0.0.1:0")
-	defer conn.Close()
-
-	recvFn := receiverCreator{setupICEBind(t)}.CreateReceiverFn(
-		ipv4.NewPacketConn(conn), conn, false, createMsgPool(),
-	)
-
-	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.BindingRequest, stun.TransactionID, stun.Fingerprint)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
-	sender := listenUDP(t, "udp4", "127.0.0.1:0")
-	defer sender.Close()
-	_, err = sender.WriteTo(msg.Raw, conn.LocalAddr())
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
-	require.NoError(t, conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(3*time.Second)))
-
-	bufs := [][]byte{make([]byte, 1500)}
-	// A leftover size from an earlier read, which is what makes the missing reset
-	// observable.
-	sizes := []int{148}
-	eps := make([]wgConn.Endpoint, 1)
-
-	n, err := recvFn(bufs, sizes, eps)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, 1, n)
-	assert.Zero(t, sizes[0], "consumed STUN packet must not leave a size behind for WireGuard")
-}
-
-func TestIsTransportPkg(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name string
-		pkt  []byte
-		n    int
-		want bool
-	}{
-		{"transport data with payload", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 128, true},
-		{"keepalive", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, wgMinMsgSize, nil), wgMinMsgSize, false},
-		{"handshake initiation", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeHandshakeInitiation, 148, nil), 148, false},
-		{"stale type bytes beyond packet", wgMsg(wgMsgTypeTransport, 128, nil), 2, false},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, isTransportPkg(intoBuffer(tc.pkt), tc.n),
-				"wrong activity classification for %s", tc.name)
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-// TestFilterOutStunMessages_ConsumesSTUNWithWireGuardShapedType covers the one STUN
-// encoding whose leading bytes collide with a WireGuard message type: method 0x080 as a
-// request encodes to 0x0200, so the type byte reads as a handshake response and the byte
-// after it is zero. Only the length check keeps such a message out of WireGuard's hands.
-// pion implements no method in that range, so this is a synthetic worst case rather than
-// traffic ICE produces.
-func TestFilterOutStunMessages_ConsumesSTUNWithWireGuardShapedType(t *testing.T) {
-	msg, err := stun.Build(stun.NewType(stun.Method(0x080), stun.ClassRequest), stun.TransactionID)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	require.Equal(t, []byte{0x02, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00}, msg.Raw[:4],
-		"precondition: the leading bytes read as a WireGuard message type")
-
-	buffers := intoBuffer(msg.Raw)
-	bind := &ICEBind{}
-
-	filtered, err := bind.filterOutStunMessages(buffers, len(msg.Raw), &net.UDPAddr{})
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.True(t, filtered, "STUN message must be consumed despite its WireGuard-shaped type")
-}

client/internal/approval/broker.go

@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+// Package approval brokers per-attempt user-accept prompts for inbound
+// remote access (VNC today, SSH and others in the future). A caller pushes
+// a Prompt; the broker emits a SystemEvent on the daemon→UI stream and
+// blocks until the UI calls the daemon's RespondApproval RPC, the per-
+// request timeout fires, or no subscriber is connected. The latter case
+// fails closed so a backgrounded UI cannot silently bypass the gate.
+package approval
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
+)
+
+// Metadata keys the broker reserves on the emitted SystemEvent. Callers
+// should not set these themselves; values in Prompt.Metadata that collide
+// are overwritten by the broker.
+const (
+	MetaRequestID = "request_id"
+	MetaKind      = "kind"
+	MetaExpiresAt = "expires_at"
+)
+
+// ShortKeyFingerprint formats a hex-encoded Noise_IK static pubkey as a
+// short, eyeball-able fingerprint to display in the approval dialog.
+// The dashboard-supplied display name attached to a SessionPubKey isn't
+// cryptographically asserted by the connecting client, so the prompt
+// must also show something that IS: the key fingerprint, a hash of
+// the static public key the client just proved possession of during the
+// Noise handshake. Returns the empty string when the input is too short
+// to plausibly be a hex pubkey, so the row is omitted rather than
+// rendered as a misleading partial.
+//
+// Output format: 16 hex chars grouped as XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (64 bits of
+// fingerprint, resistant to random-prefix collisions and easy for a human
+// to compare with an out-of-band reference).
+func ShortKeyFingerprint(hexKey string) string {
+	if len(hexKey) < 8 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	src := hexKey
+	if len(src) > 16 {
+		src = src[:16]
+	}
+	var out []byte
+	for i, c := range src {
+		if i > 0 && i%4 == 0 {
+			out = append(out, '-')
+		}
+		out = append(out, byte(c))
+	}
+	return string(out)
+}
+
+// Kind values for the well-known prompt subjects. New subsystems should
+// add a constant here so the UI can dispatch on a known string.
+const (
+	KindVNC = "vnc"
+	KindSSH = "ssh"
+)
+
+// DefaultTimeout is the wall-clock window the user has to accept or deny a
+// pending approval before the broker fails closed and returns ErrTimeout.
+// Kept well under typical VNC client and dashboard connection timeouts so
+// the RFB rejection actually reaches the browser instead of racing the
+// browser's own "connection timed out" message.
+const DefaultTimeout = 15 * time.Second
+
+// timeoutValue returns the active timeout. It's a var so tests in this
+// package can shorten the wait without exposing a setter on the public
+// API. Production code always sees DefaultTimeout.
+var timeoutValue = func() time.Duration { return DefaultTimeout }
+
+// ErrNoSubscriber indicates no UI is connected to consume the prompt.
+// The caller must reject the underlying connection (fail-closed).
+var ErrNoSubscriber = errors.New("no UI subscriber connected for approval")
+
+// ErrTimeout indicates the user did not respond within DefaultTimeout.
+var ErrTimeout = errors.New("approval timed out")
+
+// ErrDenied indicates the user explicitly denied the connection.
+var ErrDenied = errors.New("approval denied")
+
+// EventPublisher is the subset of peer.Status used to emit prompts.
+type EventPublisher interface {
+	PublishEvent(
+		severity proto.SystemEvent_Severity,
+		category proto.SystemEvent_Category,
+		msg string,
+		userMsg string,
+		metadata map[string]string,
+	)
+	HasEventSubscribers() bool
+}
+
+// Prompt describes the pending request shown to the user. Kind selects
+// the UI dispatch path (e.g. "vnc", "ssh"). Subject is the human-readable
+// one-liner the UI may show as a title or notification body. Metadata is
+// passed through verbatim and is the subsystem-specific payload (peer
+// name, source IP, mode, etc.).
+type Prompt struct {
+	Kind     string
+	Subject  string
+	Metadata map[string]string
+}
+
+// Decision carries the user's response to an approval prompt. ViewOnly is
+// only meaningful when Accept is true; it lets the host grant the
+// connection but signal the requester that input control is withheld.
+type Decision struct {
+	Accept   bool
+	ViewOnly bool
+}
+
+// Broker holds in-flight approval requests keyed by request ID.
+type Broker struct {
+	pub EventPublisher
+
+	mu      sync.Mutex
+	pending map[string]chan Decision
+}
+
+// New returns a broker that publishes prompts via pub.
+func New(pub EventPublisher) *Broker {
+	return &Broker{
+		pub:     pub,
+		pending: make(map[string]chan Decision),
+	}
+}
+
+// Request emits a SystemEvent for p and blocks until the UI calls Respond,
+// ctx is cancelled, or DefaultTimeout elapses. Returns a Decision when
+// the user replied; ErrDenied / ErrTimeout / ErrNoSubscriber / ctx.Err
+// otherwise. Callers must treat any non-nil error as a deny.
+func (b *Broker) Request(ctx context.Context, p Prompt) (Decision, error) {
+	var zero Decision
+	if b == nil || b.pub == nil {
+		return zero, fmt.Errorf("approval broker not configured")
+	}
+	if !b.pub.HasEventSubscribers() {
+		return zero, ErrNoSubscriber
+	}
+
+	id := uuid.NewString()
+	resp := make(chan Decision, 1)
+
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	b.pending[id] = resp
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+
+	defer b.dropPending(id)
+
+	timeout := timeoutValue()
+	expiresAt := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	meta := make(map[string]string, len(p.Metadata)+3)
+	for k, v := range p.Metadata {
+		meta[k] = v
+	}
+	meta[MetaRequestID] = id
+	meta[MetaKind] = p.Kind
+	meta[MetaExpiresAt] = expiresAt.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
+
+	subject := p.Subject
+	if subject == "" {
+		subject = fmt.Sprintf("%s connection requires approval", p.Kind)
+	}
+	b.pub.PublishEvent(proto.SystemEvent_INFO, proto.SystemEvent_APPROVAL, subject, subject, meta)
+	log.Debugf("approval request %s (%s) emitted: %s", id, p.Kind, subject)
+
+	timer := time.NewTimer(timeout)
+	defer timer.Stop()
+
+	select {
+	case d := <-resp:
+		if !d.Accept {
+			return zero, ErrDenied
+		}
+		return d, nil
+	case <-timer.C:
+		return zero, ErrTimeout
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		return zero, ctx.Err()
+	}
+}
+
+// Respond delivers the user's decision for id. Returns true when a pending
+// request matched and was woken, false when id was unknown or already done.
+func (b *Broker) Respond(id string, d Decision) bool {
+	if b == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	ch, ok := b.pending[id]
+	if ok {
+		delete(b.pending, id)
+	}
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	select {
+	case ch <- d:
+	default:
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+func (b *Broker) dropPending(id string) {
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	delete(b.pending, id)
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+}

client/internal/approval/broker_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,434 @@
+package approval
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
+)
+
+// fakePublisher records published events and reports whether subscribers
+// are connected. The subscribers flag is the security-critical signal:
+// when false the broker must refuse to emit and the gate must fail closed.
+type fakePublisher struct {
+	mu          sync.Mutex
+	subscribers bool
+	events      []*proto.SystemEvent
+}
+
+func (p *fakePublisher) PublishEvent(
+	severity proto.SystemEvent_Severity,
+	category proto.SystemEvent_Category,
+	msg string,
+	userMsg string,
+	metadata map[string]string,
+) {
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	p.events = append(p.events, &proto.SystemEvent{
+		Severity:    severity,
+		Category:    category,
+		Message:     msg,
+		UserMessage: userMsg,
+		Metadata:    metadata,
+	})
+	p.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
+func (p *fakePublisher) HasEventSubscribers() bool {
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+	return p.subscribers
+}
+
+func (p *fakePublisher) lastEvent(t *testing.T) *proto.SystemEvent {
+	t.Helper()
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+	require.NotEmpty(t, p.events, "publisher saw no events")
+	return p.events[len(p.events)-1]
+}
+
+func (p *fakePublisher) eventCount() int {
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+	return len(p.events)
+}
+
+// TestRequestNoSubscriberFailsClosed is the core fail-closed invariant:
+// when the UI is not subscribed, the broker must refuse without emitting
+// an event or arming a waiter. A regression here is a silent bypass.
+func TestRequestNoSubscriberFailsClosed(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: false}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	_, err := b.Request(context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC, Subject: "test"})
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrNoSubscriber)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, pub.eventCount(), "no event must be emitted when fail-closed")
+
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	pending := len(b.pending)
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, pending, "no waiter must be registered on fail-closed")
+}
+
+// TestRequestTimeoutDenies verifies that a request without a UI response
+// returns ErrTimeout (deny) rather than nil (silent accept). Uses a short
+// per-test broker timeout via Respond after the fact to keep the test fast.
+func TestRequestTimeoutDenies(t *testing.T) {
+	// Replace DefaultTimeout for the lifetime of this test.
+	orig := DefaultTimeout
+	defaultTimeout(t, 60*time.Millisecond)
+	defer defaultTimeout(t, orig)
+
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	start := time.Now()
+	_, err := b.Request(context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC, Subject: "test"})
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrTimeout, "missing user response must yield ErrTimeout, not nil")
+	assert.GreaterOrEqual(t, time.Since(start), 50*time.Millisecond, "timeout fired prematurely")
+}
+
+// TestRequestDenied returns ErrDenied when the UI responds with false.
+func TestRequestDenied(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	var requestID string
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC, Subject: "test"})
+	}()
+
+	requestID = waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	require.True(t, b.Respond(requestID, Decision{Accept: false}))
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrDenied)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("Request did not return after Respond(false)")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRequestAccepted is the happy path. Failure here doesn't bypass the
+// gate but breaks the feature.
+func TestRequestAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC, Subject: "test"})
+	}()
+
+	id := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	require.True(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: true}))
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("Request did not return after Respond(true)")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRequestCtxCancelDenies verifies that an upstream cancel (e.g. the
+// engine shutting down mid-prompt) returns the cancel error rather than
+// nil. A nil here would be a silent bypass on shutdown races.
+func TestRequestCtxCancelDenies(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, ctx, Prompt{Kind: KindVNC, Subject: "test"})
+	}()
+
+	// Wait until the prompt is in flight so cancel races a live waiter.
+	_ = waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	cancel()
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, context.Canceled)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("Request did not return after ctx cancel")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRespondUnknownIsNoop ensures a stray RespondApproval RPC cannot
+// affect or accidentally accept any in-flight request whose id it doesn't
+// match. Also confirms it doesn't panic.
+func TestRespondUnknownIsNoop(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	// No in-flight prompts: Respond returns false.
+	assert.False(t, b.Respond("does-not-exist", Decision{Accept: true}))
+
+	// With an in-flight prompt, a wrong id still returns false and the
+	// prompt remains armed (eventually timing out as a deny).
+	defaultTimeout(t, 60*time.Millisecond)
+	defer defaultTimeout(t, DefaultTimeout)
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+	}()
+	realID := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	assert.False(t, b.Respond("totally-bogus", Decision{Accept: true}), "unknown id must not match")
+	assert.NotEqual(t, "totally-bogus", realID)
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrTimeout, "armed prompt must still time out, not accept")
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("prompt did not resolve")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRespondAfterTimeoutNoop confirms a late accept response can't
+// retroactively flip a denied (timed-out) request. The dropPending defer
+// in Request must have removed the entry by the time Respond races in.
+func TestRespondAfterTimeoutNoop(t *testing.T) {
+	defaultTimeout(t, 30*time.Millisecond)
+	defer defaultTimeout(t, DefaultTimeout)
+
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+	}()
+	id := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrTimeout)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("prompt did not time out")
+	}
+
+	assert.False(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: true}), "late respond must be no-op")
+}
+
+// TestRespondDoubleNoop ensures a duplicate ack from the UI doesn't leak
+// past the matched waiter or panic on a closed/full channel.
+func TestRespondDoubleNoop(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+	}()
+	id := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	require.True(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: true}))
+	assert.False(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: false}), "second response must be no-op")
+
+	select {
+	case err := <-done:
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("prompt did not resolve")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestNilBrokerRequestErrors guards the engine pre-init path where the
+// broker may not yet exist (or its publisher is nil): Request must
+// error, never silently accept.
+func TestNilBrokerRequestErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	var b *Broker
+	_, err := b.Request(context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+	assert.Error(t, err, "nil broker must error, never silently accept")
+
+	b2 := New(nil)
+	_, err = b2.Request(context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+	assert.Error(t, err, "broker with nil publisher must error, never silently accept")
+}
+
+// TestPromptMetadataInjected confirms the broker stamps request_id, kind,
+// and expires_at on the emitted event. The UI relies on these keys; if
+// they are dropped, the user cannot route the prompt and the response
+// path breaks (which fails closed via timeout).
+func TestPromptMetadataInjected(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	done := make(chan error, 1)
+	go func() {
+		done <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{
+			Kind:     KindVNC,
+			Subject:  "VNC connection from peerA",
+			Metadata: map[string]string{"peer_name": "peerA"},
+		})
+	}()
+
+	id := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	ev := pub.lastEvent(t)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, proto.SystemEvent_APPROVAL, ev.Category)
+	assert.Equal(t, KindVNC, ev.Metadata[MetaKind])
+	assert.Equal(t, id, ev.Metadata[MetaRequestID])
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, ev.Metadata[MetaExpiresAt])
+	assert.Equal(t, "peerA", ev.Metadata["peer_name"], "caller metadata must pass through")
+
+	require.True(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: true}))
+	<-done
+}
+
+// TestConcurrentRequests verifies that two concurrent prompts are tracked
+// independently. A bug that aliases ids would let one Respond unblock
+// the wrong waiter (a silent accept across prompts).
+func TestConcurrentRequests(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	const n = 20
+	results := make(chan error, n)
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			results <- requestErr(b, context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+		}()
+	}
+
+	ids := waitForNRequestIDs(t, pub, n)
+	require.Len(t, ids, n)
+
+	// Deny exactly half, accept the rest. Track outcome per id so we can
+	// match each Request's return value against the response we sent.
+	denySet := make(map[string]bool, n)
+	for i, id := range ids {
+		deny := i%2 == 0
+		denySet[id] = deny
+		require.True(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: !deny}))
+	}
+
+	// Collect all returns and check no nil errors slipped past a deny.
+	var accepted, denied atomic.Int32
+	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
+		select {
+		case err := <-results:
+			if err == nil {
+				accepted.Add(1)
+			} else {
+				assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrDenied)
+				denied.Add(1)
+			}
+		case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+			t.Fatalf("only got %d/%d responses", i, n)
+		}
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(n/2), denied.Load())
+	assert.Equal(t, int32(n/2), accepted.Load())
+}
+
+// waitForRequestID blocks until the publisher sees its next event and
+// returns the request_id stamped on it.
+func waitForRequestID(t *testing.T, pub *fakePublisher) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		pub.mu.Lock()
+		count := len(pub.events)
+		var id string
+		if count > 0 {
+			id = pub.events[count-1].Metadata[MetaRequestID]
+		}
+		pub.mu.Unlock()
+		if id != "" {
+			return id
+		}
+		time.Sleep(2 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatal("timeout waiting for emitted event")
+	return ""
+}
+
+func waitForNRequestIDs(t *testing.T, pub *fakePublisher, n int) []string {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(2 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		pub.mu.Lock()
+		count := len(pub.events)
+		pub.mu.Unlock()
+		if count >= n {
+			break
+		}
+		time.Sleep(2 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	pub.mu.Lock()
+	defer pub.mu.Unlock()
+	out := make([]string, 0, len(pub.events))
+	seen := make(map[string]struct{}, len(pub.events))
+	for _, ev := range pub.events {
+		id := ev.Metadata[MetaRequestID]
+		if id == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if _, dup := seen[id]; dup {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[id] = struct{}{}
+		out = append(out, id)
+	}
+	if len(out) < n {
+		t.Fatalf("only got %d/%d request ids", len(out), n)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// defaultTimeout swaps the broker's per-request wall-clock window so the
+// timeout tests run quickly. Restores the prior value on the next call.
+func defaultTimeout(t *testing.T, d time.Duration) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if d <= 0 {
+		t.Fatal("defaultTimeout must be > 0")
+	}
+	timeoutValue = func() time.Duration { return d }
+}
+
+// requestErr wraps Broker.Request to drop the Decision when tests only
+// care about the error path. Keeps the goroutine bodies tight.
+func requestErr(b *Broker, ctx context.Context, p Prompt) error {
+	_, err := b.Request(ctx, p)
+	return err
+}
+
+// TestRequestViewOnly checks the view-only outcome flows through Request's
+// Decision return without being silently swallowed.
+func TestRequestViewOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	pub := &fakePublisher{subscribers: true}
+	b := New(pub)
+
+	type result struct {
+		d   Decision
+		err error
+	}
+	done := make(chan result, 1)
+	go func() {
+		d, err := b.Request(context.Background(), Prompt{Kind: KindVNC})
+		done <- result{d, err}
+	}()
+
+	id := waitForRequestID(t, pub)
+	require.True(t, b.Respond(id, Decision{Accept: true, ViewOnly: true}))
+
+	select {
+	case r := <-done:
+		assert.NoError(t, r.err)
+		assert.True(t, r.d.Accept)
+		assert.True(t, r.d.ViewOnly, "ViewOnly must survive the round-trip")
+	case <-time.After(time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("view-only request did not resolve")
+	}
+}

client/internal/approval/fingerprint_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+package approval
+
+import "testing"
+
+// TestShortKeyFingerprint locks in the format the VNC approval prompt
+// shows to the user. The fingerprint is the user's only cryptographic
+// anchor against a malicious management server that pushes a spoofed
+// display name, so accidental changes to its format would silently
+// undermine that defence.
+func TestShortKeyFingerprint(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		in   string
+		want string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "full_32_byte_pubkey",
+			in:   "0123456789abcdeffedcba9876543210ffeeddccbbaa99887766554433221100",
+			want: "0123-4567-89ab-cdef",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "exactly_16_chars",
+			in:   "0123456789abcdef",
+			want: "0123-4567-89ab-cdef",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "borderline_8_chars",
+			in:   "01234567",
+			want: "0123-4567",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "too_short_returns_empty",
+			in:   "0123",
+			want: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "empty_returns_empty",
+			in:   "",
+			want: "",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := ShortKeyFingerprint(tc.in)
+			if got != tc.want {
+				t.Fatalf("ShortKeyFingerprint(%q) = %q, want %q", tc.in, got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestShortKeyFingerprint_DistinctKeysDistinctOutputs guards against a
+// formatting bug that would collapse different prefixes onto the same
+// displayed fingerprint and let an attacker substitute their pubkey for
+// a victim's while keeping the prompt visually identical.
+func TestShortKeyFingerprint_DistinctKeysDistinctOutputs(t *testing.T) {
+	a := ShortKeyFingerprint("0123456789abcdef" + "rest_of_pubkey_ignored")
+	b := ShortKeyFingerprint("0123456789abcde0" + "rest_of_pubkey_ignored")
+	if a == b {
+		t.Fatalf("expected distinct outputs for distinct prefixes, both = %q", a)
+	}
+}

client/internal/auth/auth.go

@@ -344,6 +344,7 @@ func (a *Auth) setSystemInfoFlags(info *system.Info) {
 		a.config.RosenpassEnabled,
 		a.config.RosenpassPermissive,
 		a.config.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		a.config.ServerVNCAllowed,
 		a.config.DisableClientRoutes,
 		a.config.DisableServerRoutes,
 		a.config.DisableDNS,

client/internal/connect.go

@@ -614,6 +614,8 @@ func createEngineConfig(key wgtypes.Key, config *profilemanager.Config, peerConf
 		RosenpassEnabled:              config.RosenpassEnabled,
 		RosenpassPermissive:           config.RosenpassPermissive,
 		ServerSSHAllowed:              util.ReturnBoolWithDefaultTrue(config.ServerSSHAllowed),
+		ServerVNCAllowed:              config.ServerVNCAllowed != nil && *config.ServerVNCAllowed,
+		DisableVNCApproval:            config.DisableVNCApproval,
 		EnableSSHRoot:                 config.EnableSSHRoot,
 		EnableSSHSFTP:                 config.EnableSSHSFTP,
 		EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding:  config.EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding,
@@ -697,6 +699,7 @@ func loginToManagement(ctx context.Context, client mgm.Client, pubSSHKey []byte,
 		config.RosenpassEnabled,
 		config.RosenpassPermissive,
 		config.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		config.ServerVNCAllowed,
 		config.DisableClientRoutes,
 		config.DisableServerRoutes,
 		config.DisableDNS,

client/internal/debug/debug.go

@@ -34,8 +34,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/netiputil"
 )
 
-const readmeContent = `This debug bundle contains the following files.
-If anonymization is enabled (--anonymize / --anonymize-level), the files are anonymized to protect sensitive information.
+const readmeContent = `Netbird debug bundle
+This debug bundle contains the following files.
+If the --anonymize flag is set, the files are anonymized to protect sensitive information.
 
 status.txt: Anonymized status information of the NetBird client.
 client.log: Most recent, anonymized client log file of the NetBird client.
@@ -69,34 +70,21 @@ capture.pcap: Packet capture in pcap format. Only present when capture was runni
 
 
 Anonymization Process
-The files in this bundle have been anonymized to protect sensitive information. The level applied to this bundle is recorded at the top of this file. Here's how the anonymization was applied:
+The files in this bundle have been anonymized to protect sensitive information. Here's how the anonymization was applied:
 
 IP Addresses
 
-Default level:
-- Public IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.51.100.0
-- Public IPv6 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 2001:db8:ffff::
-- IPv6 unique local addresses (fc00::/7) are anonymized as well: their random global ID uniquely identifies the network.
-- IP addresses from internal IPv4 ranges and well-known addresses are not anonymized (e.g. 8.8.8.8, 100.64.0.0/10, addresses starting with 192.168., 172.16., 10., 169.254., fe80::).
-
-Strict level (--anonymize-level strict), in addition to the default level:
-- Private (RFC 1918), CGNAT (100.64.0.0/10), and link-local (169.254.0.0/16, fe80::/10) addresses are anonymized too.
-- Internal IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.18.0.0 and internal IPv6 addresses with addresses starting from 2001:db8:1::, so internal addresses remain distinguishable from public ones.
-- Addresses are mapped in order of first appearance: subnet structure, allocation scheme, and gateway conventions are not preserved. Prefix lengths of networks are preserved.
-- Peer names in front of NetBird domains are replaced with numbered placeholders (e.g. peer-1.netbird.cloud), and subdomain labels of other domains with host-N placeholders.
-- WireGuard public keys are replaced with consistent placeholder keys.
+IPv4 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 198.51.100.0
+IPv6 addresses are replaced with addresses starting from 100::
 
+IP addresses from non public ranges and well known addresses are not anonymized (e.g. 8.8.8.8, 100.64.0.0/10, addresses starting with 192.168., 172.16., 10., etc.).
 Reoccuring IP addresses are replaced with the same anonymized address.
 
 Note: The anonymized IP addresses in the status file do not match those in the log and routes files. However, the anonymized IP addresses are consistent within the status file and across the routes and log files.
 
-MAC Addresses
-MAC addresses are replaced at every anonymization level with consistent placeholders counting up from 02:00:00:00:00:01. Broadcast, multicast, and all-zero addresses are kept. At the default level a preserved IPv6 link-local address may still embed a MAC address (EUI-64); the strict level anonymizes those addresses.
-
 Domains
 All domain names (except for the netbird domains) are replaced with randomly generated strings ending in ".domain". Anonymized domains are consistent across all files in the bundle.
 Reoccuring domain names are replaced with the same anonymized domain.
-At the strict level, the peer name labels in front of netbird domains are anonymized as well.
 
 Sync Response
 The network_map.json file contains the following anonymized information:
@@ -293,7 +281,6 @@ type BundleGenerator struct {
 	cliVersion     string
 
 	anonymize         bool
-	anonymizeLevel    anonymize.Level
 	includeSystemInfo bool
 	logFileCount      uint32
 
@@ -301,10 +288,7 @@ type BundleGenerator struct {
 }
 
 type BundleConfig struct {
-	Anonymize bool
-	// AnonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts.
-	// anonymize.LevelStrict implies Anonymize.
-	AnonymizeLevel    anonymize.Level
+	Anonymize         bool
 	IncludeSystemInfo bool
 	LogFileCount      uint32
 }
@@ -343,11 +327,8 @@ func NewBundleGenerator(deps GeneratorDependencies, cfg BundleConfig) *BundleGen
 		uiLogOpener = openLogFile
 	}
 
-	anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-	anonymizer.SetLevel(cfg.AnonymizeLevel)
-
 	return &BundleGenerator{
-		anonymizer: anonymizer,
+		anonymizer: anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses()),
 
 		internalConfig: deps.InternalConfig,
 		statusRecorder: deps.StatusRecorder,
@@ -364,8 +345,7 @@ func NewBundleGenerator(deps GeneratorDependencies, cfg BundleConfig) *BundleGen
 		daemonVersion:  deps.DaemonVersion,
 		cliVersion:     deps.CliVersion,
 
-		anonymize:         cfg.Anonymize || cfg.AnonymizeLevel >= anonymize.LevelStrict,
-		anonymizeLevel:    cfg.AnonymizeLevel,
+		anonymize:         cfg.Anonymize,
 		includeSystemInfo: cfg.IncludeSystemInfo,
 		logFileCount:      logFileCount,
 	}
@@ -505,13 +485,7 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addSystemInfo() {
 }
 
 func (g *BundleGenerator) addReadme() error {
-	level := "none (anonymization disabled)"
-	if g.anonymize {
-		level = g.anonymizeLevel.String()
-	}
-	header := fmt.Sprintf("Netbird debug bundle\nAnonymization level applied to this bundle: %s\n", level)
-
-	readmeReader := strings.NewReader(header + readmeContent)
+	readmeReader := strings.NewReader(readmeContent)
 	if err := g.addFileToZip(readmeReader, "README.txt"); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("add README file to zip: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -533,10 +507,9 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addStatus() error {
 		fullStatus := g.statusRecorder.GetFullStatus()
 		protoFullStatus := nbstatus.ToProtoFullStatus(fullStatus)
 		overview := nbstatus.ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(protoFullStatus, nbstatus.ConvertOptions{
-			Anonymize:      g.anonymize,
-			AnonymizeLevel: g.anonymizeLevel,
-			ProfileName:    profName,
-			DaemonVersion:  g.daemonVersion,
+			Anonymize:     g.anonymize,
+			ProfileName:   profName,
+			DaemonVersion: g.daemonVersion,
 		})
 		overview.CliVersion = g.cliVersion
 		statusOutput := overview.FullDetailSummary()
@@ -689,7 +662,7 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCommonConfigFields(configContent *strings.Builder)
 	configContent.WriteString("NetBird Client Configuration:\n\n")
 
 	if key, err := wgtypes.ParseKey(g.internalConfig.PrivateKey); err == nil {
-		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("PublicKey: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(key.PublicKey().String())))
+		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("PublicKey: %s\n", key.PublicKey().String()))
 	}
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("WgIface: %s\n", g.internalConfig.WgIface))
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("WgPort: %d\n", g.internalConfig.WgPort))
@@ -721,6 +694,12 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCommonConfigFields(configContent *strings.Builder)
 	if g.internalConfig.SSHJWTCacheTTL != nil {
 		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("SSHJWTCacheTTL: %d\n", *g.internalConfig.SSHJWTCacheTTL))
 	}
+	if g.internalConfig.ServerVNCAllowed != nil {
+		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("ServerVNCAllowed: %v\n", *g.internalConfig.ServerVNCAllowed))
+	}
+	if g.internalConfig.DisableVNCApproval != nil {
+		configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("DisableVNCApproval: %v\n", *g.internalConfig.DisableVNCApproval))
+	}
 
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("DisableClientRoutes: %v\n", g.internalConfig.DisableClientRoutes))
 	configContent.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("DisableServerRoutes: %v\n", g.internalConfig.DisableServerRoutes))
@@ -979,11 +958,6 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addUpdateLogs() error {
 		}
 
 		baseName := filepath.Base(logFile)
-		data, err = g.anonymizeBytes(data)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Warnf("skipping update log file %s: %v", baseName, err)
-			continue
-		}
 		if err := g.addFileToZip(bytes.NewReader(data), filepath.Join("update-logs", baseName)); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("add update log file %s to zip: %w", baseName, err)
 		}
@@ -1011,13 +985,6 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCorruptedStateFiles() error {
 		}
 
 		fileName := filepath.Base(match)
-		// Corrupted state files usually fail structured JSON anonymization,
-		// so run them through the string anonymizer instead.
-		data, err = g.anonymizeBytes(data)
-		if err != nil {
-			log.Warnf("skipping corrupted state file %s: %v", fileName, err)
-			continue
-		}
 		if err := g.addFileToZip(bytes.NewReader(data), "corrupted_states/"+fileName); err != nil {
 			log.Warnf("Failed to add corrupted state file %s to zip: %v", fileName, err)
 			continue
@@ -1029,27 +996,6 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) addCorruptedStateFiles() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// anonymizeBytes runs raw file content through the string anonymizer line by
-// line when anonymization is enabled. It errors instead of returning partial
-// content, so a caller never adds an unanonymized fallback to the bundle.
-func (g *BundleGenerator) anonymizeBytes(data []byte) ([]byte, error) {
-	if !g.anonymize {
-		return data, nil
-	}
-
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(bytes.NewReader(data))
-	scanner.Buffer(make([]byte, 1024*1024), 1024*1024)
-	for scanner.Scan() {
-		buf.WriteString(g.anonymizer.AnonymizeString(scanner.Text()))
-		buf.WriteByte('\n')
-	}
-	if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("anonymize content: %w", err)
-	}
-	return buf.Bytes(), nil
-}
-
 func (g *BundleGenerator) addMetrics() error {
 	if g.clientMetrics == nil {
 		log.Debugf("skipping metrics in debug bundle: no metrics collector")
@@ -1522,7 +1468,6 @@ func anonymizeRemotePeer(peer *mgmProto.RemotePeerConfig, anonymizer *anonymize.
 	}
 
 	peer.Fqdn = anonymizer.AnonymizeDomain(peer.Fqdn)
-	peer.WgPubKey = anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.WgPubKey)
 
 	anonymizeSSHConfig(peer.SshConfig)
 }

client/internal/debug/debug_test.go

@@ -864,6 +864,8 @@ func TestAddConfig_AllFieldsCovered(t *testing.T) {
 		RosenpassEnabled:              true,
 		RosenpassPermissive:           true,
 		ServerSSHAllowed:              &bTrue,
+		ServerVNCAllowed:              &bTrue,
+		DisableVNCApproval:            &bTrue,
 		EnableSSHRoot:                 &bTrue,
 		EnableSSHSFTP:                 &bTrue,
 		EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding:  &bTrue,

client/internal/debug/wgshow.go

@@ -35,14 +35,14 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) toWGShowFormat(s *configurer.Stats) string {
 	var sb strings.Builder
 
 	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("interface: %s\n", s.DeviceName))
-	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  public key: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(s.PublicKey)))
+	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  public key: %s\n", s.PublicKey))
 	sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  listen port: %d\n", s.ListenPort))
 	if s.FWMark != 0 {
 		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  fwmark: %#x\n", s.FWMark))
 	}
 
 	for _, peer := range s.Peers {
-		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\npeer: %s\n", g.anonymizer.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.PublicKey)))
+		sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("\npeer: %s\n", peer.PublicKey))
 		if peer.Endpoint.IP != nil {
 			if g.anonymize {
 				anonEndpoint := g.anonymizer.AnonymizeUDPAddr(peer.Endpoint)
@@ -54,11 +54,7 @@ func (g *BundleGenerator) toWGShowFormat(s *configurer.Stats) string {
 		if len(peer.AllowedIPs) > 0 {
 			var ipStrings []string
 			for _, ipnet := range peer.AllowedIPs {
-				ipStr := ipnet.String()
-				if g.anonymize {
-					ipStr = g.anonymizer.AnonymizeIPString(ipStr)
-				}
-				ipStrings = append(ipStrings, ipStr)
+				ipStrings = append(ipStrings, ipnet.String())
 			}
 			sb.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  allowed ips: %s\n", strings.Join(ipStrings, ", ")))
 		}

client/internal/engine.go

@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import (
 	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/tun/netstack"
 	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/wgctrl/wgtypes"
 
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	nberrors "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/errors"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall/firewalld"
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/udpmux"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/wgaddr"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/acl"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/approval"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/dns"
 	dnsconfig "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/dns/config"
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ type EngineConfig struct {
 	RosenpassPermissive bool
 
 	ServerSSHAllowed              bool
+	ServerVNCAllowed              bool
+	DisableVNCApproval            *bool
 	EnableSSHRoot                 *bool
 	EnableSSHSFTP                 *bool
 	EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding  *bool
@@ -234,7 +236,9 @@ type Engine struct {
 
 	networkMonitor *networkmonitor.NetworkMonitor
 
-	sshServer sshServer
+	sshServer      sshServer
+	vncSrv         vncServer
+	approvalBroker *approval.Broker
 
 	statusRecorder *peer.Status
 
@@ -341,6 +345,7 @@ func NewEngine(
 		TURNs:              []*stun.URI{},
 		networkSerial:      0,
 		statusRecorder:     services.StatusRecorder,
+		approvalBroker:     approval.New(services.StatusRecorder),
 		stateManager:       services.StateManager,
 		portForwardManager: portforward.NewManager(),
 		checks:             services.Checks,
@@ -415,6 +420,10 @@ func (e *Engine) stopLocked() {
 		log.Warnf("failed to stop SSH server: %v", err)
 	}
 
+	if err := e.stopVNCServer(); err != nil {
+		log.Warnf("failed to stop VNC server: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	e.cleanupSSHConfig()
 
 	if e.ingressGatewayMgr != nil {
@@ -1238,6 +1247,7 @@ func (e *Engine) applyInfoFlags(info *system.Info) {
 		e.config.RosenpassEnabled,
 		e.config.RosenpassPermissive,
 		&e.config.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		&e.config.ServerVNCAllowed,
 		e.config.DisableClientRoutes,
 		e.config.DisableServerRoutes,
 		e.config.DisableDNS,
@@ -1293,6 +1303,10 @@ func (e *Engine) updateConfig(conf *mgmProto.PeerConfig) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if err := e.updateVNC(); err != nil {
+		log.Warnf("failed handling VNC server setup: %v", err)
+	}
+
 	state := e.statusRecorder.GetLocalPeerState()
 	state.IP = e.wgInterface.Address().String()
 	state.IPv6 = e.wgInterface.Address().IPv6String()
@@ -1386,14 +1400,13 @@ func (e *Engine) handleBundle(params *mgmProto.BundleParameters) (*mgmProto.JobR
 
 	bundleJobParams := debug.BundleConfig{
 		Anonymize:         params.Anonymize,
-		AnonymizeLevel:    anonymize.ParseLevel(params.AnonymizeLevel),
 		IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		LogFileCount:      uint32(params.LogFileCount),
 	}
 
 	waitFor := time.Duration(params.BundleForTime) * time.Minute
 
-	uploadKey, err := e.jobExecutor.BundleJob(e.ctx, bundleDeps, bundleJobParams, waitFor, e.config.ProfileConfig.ManagementURL.String(), params.GetUploadUrl())
+	uploadKey, err := e.jobExecutor.BundleJob(e.ctx, bundleDeps, bundleJobParams, waitFor, e.config.ProfileConfig.ManagementURL.String())
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -1594,6 +1607,11 @@ func (e *Engine) reconcilePeers(networkMap *mgmProto.NetworkMap) ([]*mgmProto.Re
 		}
 	}
 
+	// VNC auth: always sync, including nil so cleared auth on the management
+	// side is applied locally, and so it isn't skipped on the RemotePeersIsEmpty
+	// cleanup path.
+	e.updateVNCServerAuth(networkMap.GetVncAuth())
+
 	// cleanup request, most likely our peer has been deleted
 	if networkMap.GetRemotePeersIsEmpty() {
 		err := e.removeAllPeers()
@@ -2875,3 +2893,16 @@ func decodeRelayIP(b []byte) netip.Addr {
 	}
 	return ip.Unmap()
 }
+
+// RespondApproval relays the user's decision for a pending approval to
+// the broker. viewOnly is honoured only when accept is true. Returns
+// true when the request_id matched a live prompt.
+func (e *Engine) RespondApproval(requestID string, accept, viewOnly bool) bool {
+	if e == nil || e.approvalBroker == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return e.approvalBroker.Respond(requestID, approval.Decision{
+		Accept:   accept,
+		ViewOnly: accept && viewOnly,
+	})
+}

client/internal/engine_ssh.go

@@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ import (
 	firewallManager "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall/manager"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/netstack"
 	nftypes "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/netflow/types"
-	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/auth"
 	sshconfig "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/config"
 	sshserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/server"
 	mgmProto "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/proto"
+	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sessionauth"
 	sshuserhash "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sshauth"
 )
 
@@ -237,22 +237,18 @@ func (e *Engine) startSSHServer(jwtConfig *sshserver.JWTConfig) error {
 		return errors.New("wg interface not initialized")
 	}
 
+	wgAddr := e.wgInterface.Address()
 	serverConfig := &sshserver.Config{
-		HostKeyPEM: e.config.SSHKey,
-		JWT:        jwtConfig,
+		HostKeyPEM:        e.config.SSHKey,
+		JWT:               jwtConfig,
+		NetstackNet:       e.wgInterface.GetNet(),
+		NetworkValidation: wgAddr,
 	}
 	server := sshserver.New(serverConfig)
 
-	wgAddr := e.wgInterface.Address()
-	server.SetNetworkValidation(wgAddr)
-
 	netbirdIP := wgAddr.IP
 	listenAddr := netip.AddrPortFrom(netbirdIP, sshserver.InternalSSHPort)
 
-	if netstackNet := e.wgInterface.GetNet(); netstackNet != nil {
-		server.SetNetstackNet(netstackNet)
-	}
-
 	e.configureSSHServer(server)
 
 	if err := server.Start(e.ctx, listenAddr); err != nil {

client/internal/engine_vnc.go

@@ -0,0 +1,329 @@
+//go:build !js && !ios && !android
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/netip"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	firewallManager "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/firewall/manager"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/approval"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/metrics"
+	nftypes "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/netflow/types"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc"
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+	mgmProto "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/proto"
+	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sessionauth"
+	sshuserhash "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sshauth"
+)
+
+type vncServer interface {
+	Start(ctx context.Context, addr netip.AddrPort, network netip.Prefix) error
+	AddListener(ctx context.Context, addr netip.AddrPort, network netip.Prefix) error
+	Stop() error
+	ActiveSessions() []vncserver.ActiveSessionInfo
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) setupVNCPortRedirection() error {
+	if e.firewall == nil || e.wgInterface == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	localAddr := e.wgInterface.Address().IP
+	if !localAddr.IsValid() {
+		return errors.New("invalid local NetBird address")
+	}
+
+	if err := e.firewall.AddInboundDNAT(localAddr, firewallManager.ProtocolTCP, vnc.ExternalPort, vnc.InternalPort); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("add VNC port redirection: %w", err)
+	}
+	log.Infof("VNC port redirection: %s:%d -> %s:%d", localAddr, vnc.ExternalPort, localAddr, vnc.InternalPort)
+
+	if wgAddr := e.wgInterface.Address(); wgAddr.HasIPv6() {
+		v6 := wgAddr.IPv6
+		if err := e.firewall.AddInboundDNAT(v6, firewallManager.ProtocolTCP, vnc.ExternalPort, vnc.InternalPort); err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("failed to add IPv6 VNC port redirection: %v", err)
+		} else {
+			log.Infof("VNC port redirection: [%s]:%d -> [%s]:%d", v6, vnc.ExternalPort, v6, vnc.InternalPort)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) cleanupVNCPortRedirection() error {
+	if e.firewall == nil || e.wgInterface == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	localAddr := e.wgInterface.Address().IP
+	if !localAddr.IsValid() {
+		return errors.New("invalid local NetBird address")
+	}
+
+	if err := e.firewall.RemoveInboundDNAT(localAddr, firewallManager.ProtocolTCP, vnc.ExternalPort, vnc.InternalPort); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("remove VNC port redirection: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if wgAddr := e.wgInterface.Address(); wgAddr.HasIPv6() {
+		if err := e.firewall.RemoveInboundDNAT(wgAddr.IPv6, firewallManager.ProtocolTCP, vnc.ExternalPort, vnc.InternalPort); err != nil {
+			log.Debugf("failed to remove IPv6 VNC port redirection: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// updateVNC handles starting/stopping the VNC server based on the config flag.
+func (e *Engine) updateVNC() error {
+	if !e.config.ServerVNCAllowed {
+		if e.vncSrv != nil {
+			log.Info("VNC server disabled, stopping")
+		}
+		return e.stopVNCServer()
+	}
+
+	if e.config.BlockInbound {
+		log.Info("VNC server disabled because inbound connections are blocked")
+		return e.stopVNCServer()
+	}
+
+	if e.vncSrv != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return e.startVNCServer()
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) startVNCServer() error {
+	if e.wgInterface == nil {
+		return errors.New("wg interface not initialized")
+	}
+
+	capturer, injector, ok := newPlatformVNC()
+	if !ok {
+		log.Debug("VNC server not supported on this platform")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	netbirdIP := e.wgInterface.Address().IP
+
+	var sessionRecorder func(vncserver.SessionTick)
+	if e.clientMetrics != nil {
+		sessionRecorder = func(t vncserver.SessionTick) {
+			e.clientMetrics.RecordVNCSessionTick(e.ctx, metrics.VNCSessionTick{
+				Period:        t.Period,
+				BytesOut:      t.BytesOut,
+				Writes:        t.Writes,
+				FBUs:          t.FBUs,
+				MaxFBUBytes:   t.MaxFBUBytes,
+				MaxFBURects:   t.MaxFBURects,
+				MaxWriteBytes: t.MaxWriteBytes,
+				WriteNanos:    t.WriteNanos,
+			})
+		}
+	}
+	serviceMode := vncNeedsServiceMode()
+	if serviceMode {
+		log.Info("VNC: running as system service, enabling service mode (per-session agent proxy)")
+	}
+	requireApproval := e.config.DisableVNCApproval == nil || !*e.config.DisableVNCApproval
+	srv := vncserver.New(vncserver.Config{
+		Capturer:        capturer,
+		Injector:        injector,
+		IdentityKey:     e.config.WgPrivateKey[:],
+		ServiceMode:     serviceMode,
+		SessionRecorder: sessionRecorder,
+		NetstackNet:     e.wgInterface.GetNet(),
+		RequireApproval: requireApproval,
+		Approver:        &vncApprover{broker: e.approvalBroker, statusRecorder: e.statusRecorder},
+		// Session start/stop is invisible to the peer status recorder, so push a
+		// snapshot ourselves; otherwise the UI's session list goes stale until an
+		// unrelated peer change happens to fire one.
+		OnSessionsChanged: e.statusRecorder.NotifyStateChange,
+	})
+
+	listenAddr := netip.AddrPortFrom(netbirdIP, vnc.InternalPort)
+	network := e.wgInterface.Address().Network
+	if err := srv.Start(e.ctx, listenAddr, network); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("start VNC server: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if wgAddr := e.wgInterface.Address(); wgAddr.HasIPv6() {
+		v6Addr := netip.AddrPortFrom(wgAddr.IPv6, vnc.InternalPort)
+		if err := srv.AddListener(e.ctx, v6Addr, wgAddr.IPv6Net); err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("failed to add IPv6 VNC listener: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	e.vncSrv = srv
+
+	if netstackNet := e.wgInterface.GetNet(); netstackNet != nil {
+		if registrar, ok := e.firewall.(interface {
+			RegisterNetstackService(protocol nftypes.Protocol, port uint16)
+		}); ok {
+			registrar.RegisterNetstackService(nftypes.TCP, vnc.InternalPort)
+			log.Debugf("registered VNC service with netstack for TCP:%d", vnc.InternalPort)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if err := e.setupVNCPortRedirection(); err != nil {
+		log.Warnf("setup VNC port redirection: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	log.Info("VNC server enabled")
+	return nil
+}
+
+// updateVNCServerAuth updates VNC fine-grained access control from management.
+// A nil vncAuth clears all authorized users and session pubkeys so management
+// can revoke access by omitting the field on the next sync.
+func (e *Engine) updateVNCServerAuth(vncAuth *mgmProto.VNCAuth) {
+	if e.vncSrv == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	vncSrv, ok := e.vncSrv.(*vncserver.Server)
+	if !ok {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if vncAuth == nil {
+		vncSrv.UpdateVNCAuth(&sshauth.Config{})
+		return
+	}
+
+	protoUsers := vncAuth.GetAuthorizedUsers()
+	authorizedUsers := make([]sshuserhash.UserIDHash, len(protoUsers))
+	for i, hash := range protoUsers {
+		if len(hash) != 16 {
+			log.Warnf("invalid VNC auth hash length %d, expected 16", len(hash))
+			return
+		}
+		authorizedUsers[i] = sshuserhash.UserIDHash(hash)
+	}
+
+	machineUsers := make(map[string][]uint32)
+	for osUser, indexes := range vncAuth.GetMachineUsers() {
+		machineUsers[osUser] = indexes.GetIndexes()
+	}
+
+	sessionPubKeys := make([]sshauth.SessionPubKey, 0, len(vncAuth.GetSessionPubKeys()))
+	for _, pk := range vncAuth.GetSessionPubKeys() {
+		pub := pk.GetPubKey()
+		if len(pub) != 32 {
+			log.Warnf("VNC session pubkey wrong length %d", len(pub))
+			continue
+		}
+		hash := pk.GetUserIdHash()
+		if len(hash) != 16 {
+			log.Warnf("VNC session user id hash wrong length %d", len(hash))
+			continue
+		}
+		sessionPubKeys = append(sessionPubKeys, sshauth.SessionPubKey{
+			PubKey:      pub,
+			UserIDHash:  sshuserhash.UserIDHash(hash),
+			DisplayName: pk.GetDisplayName(),
+		})
+	}
+
+	vncSrv.UpdateVNCAuth(&sshauth.Config{
+		AuthorizedUsers: authorizedUsers,
+		MachineUsers:    machineUsers,
+		SessionPubKeys:  sessionPubKeys,
+	})
+}
+
+// GetVNCServerStatus returns whether the VNC server is running and the list
+// of active VNC sessions. The pointer is captured under syncMsgMux so a
+// concurrent updateVNC/stopVNCServer cannot swap it out between the nil
+// check and the ActiveSessions call.
+func (e *Engine) GetVNCServerStatus() (enabled bool, sessions []vncserver.ActiveSessionInfo) {
+	e.syncMsgMux.Lock()
+	vncSrv := e.vncSrv
+	e.syncMsgMux.Unlock()
+	if vncSrv == nil {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	return true, vncSrv.ActiveSessions()
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) stopVNCServer() error {
+	if e.vncSrv == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	if err := e.cleanupVNCPortRedirection(); err != nil {
+		log.Warnf("cleanup VNC port redirection: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if e.wgInterface != nil && e.wgInterface.GetNet() != nil {
+		if registrar, ok := e.firewall.(interface {
+			UnregisterNetstackService(protocol nftypes.Protocol, port uint16)
+		}); ok {
+			registrar.UnregisterNetstackService(nftypes.TCP, vnc.InternalPort)
+		}
+	}
+
+	log.Info("stopping VNC server")
+	err := e.vncSrv.Stop()
+	e.vncSrv = nil
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("stop VNC server: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// vncApprover adapts the generic approval.Broker for the VNC server.
+type vncApprover struct {
+	broker         *approval.Broker
+	statusRecorder *peer.Status
+}
+
+func (a *vncApprover) Request(ctx context.Context, info vncserver.ApprovalInfo) (vncserver.ApprovalDecision, error) {
+	// Resolve the source overlay IP to a peer FQDN for the prompt label.
+	if info.PeerName == "" && info.SourceIP != "" && a.statusRecorder != nil {
+		if fqdn, ok := a.statusRecorder.PeerByIP(info.SourceIP); ok {
+			info.PeerName = fqdn
+		}
+	}
+	subject := fmt.Sprintf("VNC connection from %s", displayPeer(info))
+	meta := map[string]string{
+		"peer_name":   info.PeerName,
+		"peer_pubkey": info.PeerPubKey,
+		"source_ip":   info.SourceIP,
+		"mode":        info.Mode,
+		"username":    info.Username,
+		"initiator":   info.Initiator,
+	}
+	d, err := a.broker.Request(ctx, approval.Prompt{
+		Kind:     approval.KindVNC,
+		Subject:  subject,
+		Metadata: meta,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return vncserver.ApprovalDecision{}, err
+	}
+	return vncserver.ApprovalDecision{ViewOnly: d.ViewOnly}, nil
+}
+
+func displayPeer(info vncserver.ApprovalInfo) string {
+	if info.Initiator != "" {
+		return info.Initiator
+	}
+	if info.PeerName != "" {
+		return info.PeerName
+	}
+	if info.SourceIP != "" {
+		return info.SourceIP
+	}
+	if info.PeerPubKey != "" {
+		return info.PeerPubKey
+	}
+	return "unknown peer"
+}

client/internal/engine_vnc_console_freebsd.go

@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+//go:build freebsd
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+// newConsoleVNC builds the FreeBSD console fallback: vt(4) framebuffer
+// for capture, /dev/uinput for input. The uinput device requires the
+// `uinput` kernel module (`kldload uinput`); without it, input init
+// fails and we drop to a stub injector so the user still gets a
+// view-only screen mirror.
+func newConsoleVNC() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, error) {
+	poller := vncserver.NewFBPoller("")
+	w, h := poller.Width(), poller.Height()
+	if w == 0 || h == 0 {
+		poller.Close()
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("vt framebuffer init failed (vt may not allow mmap on this driver)")
+	}
+	if inj, err := vncserver.NewUInputInjector(w, h); err == nil {
+		return poller, inj, nil
+	} else {
+		log.Infof("VNC console: uinput unavailable (%v); view-only mode. Run `kldload uinput` to enable input.", err)
+		return poller, &vncserver.StubInputInjector{}, nil
+	}
+}

client/internal/engine_vnc_console_linux.go

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+//go:build linux && !android
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+// newConsoleVNC builds a framebuffer + uinput VNC backend for boxes
+// without a running X server. Used as the auto-fallback when
+// newPlatformVNC can't reach X. Returns an error when /dev/fb0 or
+// /dev/uinput aren't usable so the caller can drop back to a stub.
+func newConsoleVNC() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, error) {
+	poller := vncserver.NewFBPoller("")
+	w, h := poller.Width(), poller.Height()
+	if w == 0 || h == 0 {
+		poller.Close()
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("framebuffer capturer init failed (is /dev/fb0 readable?)")
+	}
+	inj, err := vncserver.NewUInputInjector(w, h)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Debugf("uinput unavailable, falling back to view-only VNC: %v", err)
+		return poller, &vncserver.StubInputInjector{}, nil
+	}
+	return poller, inj, nil
+}

client/internal/engine_vnc_darwin.go

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+//go:build darwin && !ios
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	"os"
+
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+func newPlatformVNC() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, bool) {
+	capturer := vncserver.NewMacPoller()
+	// No permission request here. Screen Recording is a user-scope TCC service,
+	// so a request from this process is dropped when it runs as a LaunchDaemon:
+	// no prompt appears and NetBird never even shows up in the Screen Recording
+	// list. The per-user agent asks instead, see newAgentResources.
+	injector, err := vncserver.NewMacInputInjector()
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Debugf("VNC: macOS input injector: %v", err)
+		return capturer, &vncserver.StubInputInjector{}, true
+	}
+	return capturer, injector, true
+}
+
+// vncNeedsServiceMode reports whether the running process is a system
+// LaunchDaemon (root, parented by launchd). Daemons sit in the global
+// bootstrap namespace and cannot talk to WindowServer; we route capture
+// through a per-user agent in that case.
+func vncNeedsServiceMode() bool {
+	return os.Geteuid() == 0 && os.Getppid() == 1
+}

client/internal/engine_vnc_stub.go

@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+//go:build js || ios || android
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	mgmProto "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/management/proto"
+)
+
+type vncServer interface{}
+
+func (e *Engine) updateVNC() error { return nil }
+
+func (e *Engine) updateVNCServerAuth(auth *mgmProto.VNCAuth) {
+	if auth == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	log.Debugf("ignoring VNC auth push on platform without a VNC server: %d session pubkeys, %d authorized users",
+		len(auth.GetSessionPubKeys()), len(auth.GetAuthorizedUsers()))
+}
+
+func (e *Engine) stopVNCServer() error { return nil }

client/internal/engine_vnc_windows.go

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+//go:build windows
+
+package internal
+
+import vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+
+func newPlatformVNC() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, bool) {
+	return vncserver.NewDesktopCapturer(), vncserver.NewWindowsInputInjector(), true
+}
+
+func vncNeedsServiceMode() bool {
+	return vncserver.GetCurrentSessionID() == 0
+}

client/internal/engine_vnc_x11.go

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+//go:build (linux && !android) || freebsd
+
+package internal
+
+import (
+	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+
+	vncserver "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/vnc/server"
+)
+
+func newPlatformVNC() (vncserver.ScreenCapturer, vncserver.InputInjector, bool) {
+	// Prefer X11 when an X server is reachable. NewX11InputInjector probes
+	// DISPLAY (and /proc) eagerly, so a non-nil error here means no X.
+	injector, err := vncserver.NewX11InputInjector("", "", "")
+	if err == nil {
+		return vncserver.NewX11Poller("", ""), injector, true
+	}
+	log.Debugf("VNC: X11 not available: %v", err)
+
+	// Fallback for headless / pre-X states (kernel console, login manager
+	// without X, physical server in recovery): stream the framebuffer and
+	// inject input via /dev/uinput.
+	consoleCap, consoleInj, err := newConsoleVNC()
+	if err == nil {
+		log.Infof("VNC: using framebuffer console capture (%dx%d)", consoleCap.Width(), consoleCap.Height())
+		return consoleCap, consoleInj, true
+	}
+	log.Debugf("VNC: framebuffer console fallback unavailable: %v", err)
+
+	return &vncserver.StubCapturer{}, &vncserver.StubInputInjector{}, false
+}
+
+func vncNeedsServiceMode() bool {
+	return false
+}

client/internal/metrics/connection_type.go

@@ -4,17 +4,11 @@ package metrics
 type ConnectionType string
 
 const (
-	// ConnectionTypeICEP2P represents a direct peer-to-peer connection using ICE
-	ConnectionTypeICEP2P ConnectionType = "ice_p2p"
-
-	// ConnectionTypeICETurn represents an ICE connection through a TURN server
-	ConnectionTypeICETurn ConnectionType = "ice_turn"
+	// ConnectionTypeICE represents a direct peer-to-peer connection using ICE
+	ConnectionTypeICE ConnectionType = "ice"
 
 	// ConnectionTypeRelay represents a relayed connection
 	ConnectionTypeRelay ConnectionType = "relay"
-
-	// ConnectionTypeUnknown represents a connection with no active transport. It is not pushed.
-	ConnectionTypeUnknown ConnectionType = "unknown"
 )
 
 // String returns the string representation of the connection type

client/internal/metrics/influxdb.go

@@ -120,6 +120,36 @@ func (m *influxDBMetrics) RecordSyncDuration(_ context.Context, agentInfo AgentI
 	m.trimLocked()
 }
 
+func (m *influxDBMetrics) RecordVNCSessionTick(_ context.Context, agentInfo AgentInfo, tick VNCSessionTick) {
+	tags := fmt.Sprintf("deployment_type=%s,version=%s,os=%s,arch=%s,peer_id=%s",
+		agentInfo.DeploymentType.String(),
+		agentInfo.Version,
+		agentInfo.OS,
+		agentInfo.Arch,
+		agentInfo.peerID,
+	)
+
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	defer m.mu.Unlock()
+
+	m.samples = append(m.samples, influxSample{
+		measurement: "netbird_vnc_traffic",
+		tags:        tags,
+		fields: map[string]float64{
+			"period_seconds":     tick.Period.Seconds(),
+			"bytes_out":          float64(tick.BytesOut),
+			"writes":             float64(tick.Writes),
+			"fbus":               float64(tick.FBUs),
+			"max_fbu_bytes":      float64(tick.MaxFBUBytes),
+			"max_fbu_rects":      float64(tick.MaxFBURects),
+			"max_write_bytes":    float64(tick.MaxWriteBytes),
+			"write_time_seconds": float64(tick.WriteNanos) / 1e9,
+		},
+		timestamp: time.Now(),
+	})
+	m.trimLocked()
+}
+
 func (m *influxDBMetrics) RecordSyncPhase(_ context.Context, agentInfo AgentInfo, phase string, duration time.Duration) {
 	tags := fmt.Sprintf("deployment_type=%s,version=%s,os=%s,arch=%s,peer_id=%s,phase=%s",
 		agentInfo.DeploymentType.String(),

client/internal/metrics/influxdb_test.go

@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ func TestInfluxDBMetrics_RecordAndExport(t *testing.T) {
 		WgHandshakeSuccess: time.Now().Add(-1 * time.Second),
 	}
 
-	m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICEP2P, false, ts)
+	m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICE, false, ts)
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	err := m.Export(&buf)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func TestInfluxDBMetrics_ExportDeterministicFieldOrder(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Record multiple times and verify consistent field order
 	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
-		m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICEP2P, false, ts)
+		m.RecordConnectionStages(context.Background(), agentInfo, "pair123", ConnectionTypeICE, false, ts)
 	}
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer

client/internal/metrics/infra/README.md

@@ -56,33 +56,14 @@ Measurement: `netbird_peer_connection`
 
 Tags:
 - `deployment_type`: "cloud" | "selfhosted" | "unknown"
-- `connection_type`: "ice_p2p" | "ice_turn" | "relay" (see below)
+- `connection_type`: "ice" | "relay"
 - `attempt_type`: "initial" | "reconnection"
 - `version`: NetBird version string
 - `os`: Operating system (linux, darwin, windows, android, ios, etc.)
 - `arch`: CPU architecture (amd64, arm64, etc.)
-- `peer_id`: anonymised peer identifier (truncated SHA-256 of the WireGuard public key)
-- `connection_pair_id`: deterministic identifier for the peer pair, identical on both sides
 
 **Note:** `SignalingReceived` is set when the first offer or answer arrives from the remote peer (in both initial and reconnection paths). It excludes the potentially unbounded wait for the remote peer to come online.
 
-#### `connection_type` values
-
-Derived from the connection priority (`conntype.ConnPriority`) by `metricsConnType` in `client/internal/peer/conn.go`:
-
-| Value | Priority | Traffic is |
-|-------|----------|------------|
-| `ice_p2p` | `ICEP2P` | direct peer-to-peer |
-| `ice_turn` | `ICETurn` | relayed, through a TURN server |
-| `relay` | `Relay` | relayed, through a NetBird relay |
-| `unknown` | `None` or unrecognised | no active transport — **the sample is not pushed** |
-
-**Direct traffic is `ice_p2p` only.** `ice_turn` is relayed despite being negotiated by ICE, matching `Conn.isRelayed`.
-
-`None` means no transport is active: not established yet, or reset after a relay drop or a peer-state reset. Such a sample cannot be attributed to a transport, so `recordConnectionMetrics` drops it instead of pushing it — `unknown` therefore never appears in the bucket. Connection counts are counts of connections whose transport was known at sampling time.
-
-**Samples recorded before 0.77 used a single `ice` value** which covered `ICEP2P`, `ICETurn` *and* `None`, so historical `ice` samples overstate direct connections by an unknown amount and must not be compared with `ice_p2p`.
-
 ### Sync Duration
 
 Measurement: `netbird_sync`

client/internal/metrics/metrics.go

@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ type metricsImplementation interface {
 	// RecordLoginDuration records how long the login to management took
 	RecordLoginDuration(ctx context.Context, agentInfo AgentInfo, duration time.Duration, success bool)
 
+	// RecordVNCSessionTick records a periodic snapshot of one VNC
+	// session's wire activity. Called once per metricsConn tick interval
+	// (and once at session close), only when the tick saw activity.
+	RecordVNCSessionTick(ctx context.Context, agentInfo AgentInfo, tick VNCSessionTick)
+
 	// Export exports metrics in InfluxDB line protocol format
 	Export(w io.Writer) error
 
@@ -82,6 +87,21 @@ type ClientMetrics struct {
 	pushCancel context.CancelFunc
 }
 
+// VNCSessionTick is one sampling slice of a VNC session's wire activity.
+// BytesOut / Writes / FBUs / WriteNanos are deltas observed during this
+// tick; Max* fields are the high-water marks observed during the tick.
+// Period is the wall-clock duration the deltas cover.
+type VNCSessionTick struct {
+	Period        time.Duration
+	BytesOut      uint64
+	Writes        uint64
+	FBUs          uint64
+	MaxFBUBytes   uint64
+	MaxFBURects   uint64
+	MaxWriteBytes uint64
+	WriteNanos    uint64
+}
+
 // ConnectionStageTimestamps holds timestamps for each connection stage
 type ConnectionStageTimestamps struct {
 	SignalingReceived  time.Time // First signal received from remote peer (both initial and reconnection)
@@ -131,6 +151,18 @@ func (c *ClientMetrics) RecordSyncDuration(ctx context.Context, duration time.Du
 	c.impl.RecordSyncDuration(ctx, agentInfo, duration)
 }
 
+// RecordVNCSessionTick records a periodic snapshot of one VNC session.
+func (c *ClientMetrics) RecordVNCSessionTick(ctx context.Context, tick VNCSessionTick) {
+	if c == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	c.mu.RLock()
+	agentInfo := c.agentInfo
+	c.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	c.impl.RecordVNCSessionTick(ctx, agentInfo, tick)
+}
+
 // RecordSyncPhase records the duration of a single sub-phase of sync processing
 func (c *ClientMetrics) RecordSyncPhase(ctx context.Context, phase string, duration time.Duration) {
 	if c == nil {

client/internal/metrics/push_test.go

@@ -76,6 +76,9 @@ func (m *mockMetrics) RecordSyncPhase(_ context.Context, _ AgentInfo, _ string,
 func (m *mockMetrics) RecordLoginDuration(_ context.Context, _ AgentInfo, _ time.Duration, _ bool) {
 }
 
+func (m *mockMetrics) RecordVNCSessionTick(_ context.Context, _ AgentInfo, _ VNCSessionTick) {
+}
+
 func (m *mockMetrics) Export(w io.Writer) error {
 	if m.exportData != "" {
 		_, err := w.Write([]byte(m.exportData))

client/internal/peer/conn.go

@@ -307,8 +307,6 @@ func (conn *Conn) Close(signalToRemote bool) {
 
 	if conn.wgWatcherCancel != nil {
 		conn.wgWatcherCancel()
-		conn.wgWatcher = nil
-		conn.wgWatcherCancel = nil
 	}
 	conn.workerRelay.CloseConn()
 	if conn.workerICE != nil {
@@ -961,9 +959,12 @@ func (conn *Conn) recordConnectionMetrics() {
 	priority := conn.currentConnPriority
 	conn.mu.Unlock()
 
-	connType := metricsConnType(priority)
-	if connType == metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown {
-		return
+	var connType metrics.ConnectionType
+	switch priority {
+	case conntype.Relay:
+		connType = metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay
+	default:
+		connType = metrics.ConnectionTypeICE
 	}
 
 	// Record metrics with timestamps - duration calculation happens in metrics package
@@ -1064,16 +1065,3 @@ func boolToConnStatus(connected bool) guard.ConnStatus {
 	}
 	return guard.ConnStatusDisconnected
 }
-
-func metricsConnType(priority conntype.ConnPriority) metrics.ConnectionType {
-	switch priority {
-	case conntype.Relay:
-		return metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay
-	case conntype.ICETurn:
-		return metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn
-	case conntype.ICEP2P:
-		return metrics.ConnectionTypeICEP2P
-	default:
-		return metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown
-	}
-}

client/internal/peer/conn_test.go

@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface"
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/metrics"
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/conntype"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/dispatcher"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/guard"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/peer/ice"
@@ -388,33 +386,3 @@ func TestConn_onWGDisconnected_NoEscalationWithoutRosenpass(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	assert.Empty(t, disconnected, "escalation must be limited to rosenpass connections")
 }
-
-func TestMetricsConnType(t *testing.T) {
-	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		priority conntype.ConnPriority
-		expected metrics.ConnectionType
-	}{
-		{"relay", conntype.Relay, metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay},
-		{"ice over turn is relayed, not p2p", conntype.ICETurn, metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn},
-		{"direct p2p", conntype.ICEP2P, metrics.ConnectionTypeICEP2P},
-		{"unset priority is unknown, not p2p", conntype.None, metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown},
-		{"unrecognised priority is unknown", conntype.ConnPriority(99), metrics.ConnectionTypeUnknown},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range tests {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.expected, metricsConnType(tc.priority))
-		})
-	}
-}
-
-func TestMetricsConnType_RelayedMatchesIsRelayed(t *testing.T) {
-	for _, priority := range []conntype.ConnPriority{conntype.None, conntype.Relay, conntype.ICETurn, conntype.ICEP2P} {
-		conn := &Conn{currentConnPriority: priority}
-		tag := metricsConnType(priority)
-		relayedTag := tag == metrics.ConnectionTypeRelay || tag == metrics.ConnectionTypeICETurn
-		assert.Equal(t, conn.isRelayed(), relayedTag,
-			"priority %s: isRelayed and the %q metric tag must agree", priority, tag)
-	}
-}

client/internal/peer/status.go

@@ -1330,6 +1330,15 @@ func (d *Status) SubscribeToEvents() *EventSubscription {
 	}
 }
 
+// HasEventSubscribers reports whether any client is currently subscribed
+// to the daemon's SystemEvent stream. Used by the VNC approval broker to
+// fail closed when no UI is connected to prompt the user.
+func (d *Status) HasEventSubscribers() bool {
+	d.eventMux.Lock()
+	defer d.eventMux.Unlock()
+	return len(d.eventStreams) > 0
+}
+
 // UnsubscribeFromEvents removes an event subscription
 func (d *Status) UnsubscribeFromEvents(sub *EventSubscription) {
 	if sub == nil {

client/internal/profilemanager/config.go

@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@ type ConfigInput struct {
 	StateFilePath                 string
 	PreSharedKey                  *string
 	ServerSSHAllowed              *bool
+	ServerVNCAllowed              *bool
+	DisableVNCApproval            *bool
 	EnableSSHRoot                 *bool
 	EnableSSHSFTP                 *bool
 	EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding  *bool
@@ -124,6 +126,8 @@ type Config struct {
 	RosenpassEnabled              bool
 	RosenpassPermissive           bool
 	ServerSSHAllowed              *bool
+	ServerVNCAllowed              *bool
+	DisableVNCApproval            *bool
 	EnableSSHRoot                 *bool
 	EnableSSHSFTP                 *bool
 	EnableSSHLocalPortForwarding  *bool
@@ -456,6 +460,33 @@ func (config *Config) apply(input ConfigInput) (updated bool, err error) {
 		updated = true
 	}
 
+	if input.ServerVNCAllowed != nil {
+		if config.ServerVNCAllowed == nil || *input.ServerVNCAllowed != *config.ServerVNCAllowed {
+			if *input.ServerVNCAllowed {
+				log.Infof("enabling VNC server")
+			} else {
+				log.Infof("disabling VNC server")
+			}
+			config.ServerVNCAllowed = input.ServerVNCAllowed
+			updated = true
+		}
+	} else if config.ServerVNCAllowed == nil {
+		config.ServerVNCAllowed = util.False()
+		updated = true
+	}
+
+	if input.DisableVNCApproval != nil {
+		if config.DisableVNCApproval == nil || *input.DisableVNCApproval != *config.DisableVNCApproval {
+			if *input.DisableVNCApproval {
+				log.Infof("disabling VNC connection approval prompt")
+			} else {
+				log.Infof("enabling VNC connection approval prompt")
+			}
+			config.DisableVNCApproval = input.DisableVNCApproval
+			updated = true
+		}
+	}
+
 	if input.EnableSSHRoot != nil && (config.EnableSSHRoot == nil || *input.EnableSSHRoot != *config.EnableSSHRoot) {
 		if *input.EnableSSHRoot {
 			log.Infof("enabling SSH root login")
@@ -712,6 +743,8 @@ func (config *Config) applyMDMPolicy(policy *mdm.Policy) {
 	}
 
 	applyBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerSSH, func(v bool) { bv := v; config.ServerSSHAllowed = &bv })
+	applyBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC, func(v bool) { bv := v; config.ServerVNCAllowed = &bv })
+	applyBool(mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval, func(v bool) { bv := v; config.DisableVNCApproval = &bv })
 	applyBool(mdm.KeyDisableClientRoutes, func(v bool) { config.DisableClientRoutes = v })
 	applyBool(mdm.KeyDisableServerRoutes, func(v bool) { config.DisableServerRoutes = v })
 	applyBool(mdm.KeyBlockInbound, func(v bool) { config.BlockInbound = v })

client/internal/profilemanager/config_mdm_test.go

@@ -130,6 +130,36 @@ func TestApply_MDMBoolKeysOverrideOnDiskValue(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, cfg.Policy().HasKey(mdm.KeyRosenpassEnabled))
 }
 
+func TestApply_MDMVNCKeys(t *testing.T) {
+	tmp := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "config.json")
+
+	// Seed without MDM: VNC off, approval prompt on.
+	withMDMPolicy(t, mdm.NewPolicy(nil))
+	_, err := UpdateOrCreateConfig(ConfigInput{
+		ConfigPath:         tmp,
+		ServerVNCAllowed:   boolPtr(false),
+		DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(false),
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// MDM enforces VNC on and disables the approval prompt.
+	withMDMPolicy(t, mdm.NewPolicy(map[string]any{
+		mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC:     true,
+		mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval: true,
+	}))
+
+	cfg, err := UpdateOrCreateConfig(ConfigInput{ConfigPath: tmp})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg)
+
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg.ServerVNCAllowed)
+	assert.True(t, *cfg.ServerVNCAllowed, "MDM override should flip on-disk false to true")
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg.DisableVNCApproval)
+	assert.True(t, *cfg.DisableVNCApproval)
+	assert.True(t, cfg.Policy().HasKey(mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC))
+	assert.True(t, cfg.Policy().HasKey(mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval))
+}
+
 func TestApply_MDMLazyConnection(t *testing.T) {
 	cases := []struct {
 		name string

client/internal/statemanager/manager.go

@@ -75,6 +75,14 @@ func New(filePath string) *Manager {
 	}
 }
 
+// FilePath returns the path of the underlying state file.
+func (m *Manager) FilePath() string {
+	if m == nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return m.filePath
+}
+
 // Start starts the state manager periodic save routine
 func (m *Manager) Start() {
 	if m == nil {

client/ios/NetBirdSDK/client.go

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import (
 
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 
-	nbAnonymize "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
@@ -29,13 +28,6 @@ import (
 	types "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/upload-server/types"
 )
 
-// AnonymizeLevelDefault and AnonymizeLevelStrict are the accepted
-// anonymizeLevel values for DebugBundle.
-const (
-	AnonymizeLevelDefault = nbAnonymize.LevelDefaultString
-	AnonymizeLevelStrict  = nbAnonymize.LevelStrictString
-)
-
 // ConnectionListener export internal Listener for mobile
 type ConnectionListener interface {
 	peer.Listener
@@ -208,10 +200,8 @@ func (c *Client) Stop() {
 // DebugBundle generates a debug bundle, uploads it and returns the upload key.
 // It works with or without a running engine: when the engine is up it reuses
 // the live config, sync response and client metrics; otherwise it loads the
-// config from disk (or the preloaded tvOS config). anonymizeLevel is "default"
-// or "strict"; strict also anonymizes internal IP ranges, peer names, and
-// WireGuard public keys, and implies anonymize.
-func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool, anonymizeLevel string) (string, error) {
+// config from disk (or the preloaded tvOS config).
+func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool) (string, error) {
 	cfg, cc := c.stateSnapshot()
 
 	// If the engine hasn't been started, load config so we can reach management.
@@ -261,7 +251,6 @@ func (c *Client) DebugBundle(anonymize bool, anonymizeLevel string) (string, err
 		deps,
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         anonymize,
-			AnonymizeLevel:    nbAnonymize.ParseLevel(anonymizeLevel),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: true,
 		},
 	)

client/jobexec/executor.go

@@ -28,11 +28,7 @@ func NewExecutor() *Executor {
 	return &Executor{}
 }
 
-func (e *Executor) BundleJob(ctx context.Context, debugBundleDependencies debug.GeneratorDependencies, params debug.BundleConfig, waitForDuration time.Duration, mgmURL, uploadURL string) (string, error) {
-	if uploadURL == "" {
-		uploadURL = types.DefaultBundleURL
-	}
-
+func (e *Executor) BundleJob(ctx context.Context, debugBundleDependencies debug.GeneratorDependencies, params debug.BundleConfig, waitForDuration time.Duration, mgmURL string) (string, error) {
 	if waitForDuration > MaxBundleWaitTime {
 		log.Warnf("bundle wait time %v exceeds maximum %v, capping to maximum", waitForDuration, MaxBundleWaitTime)
 		waitForDuration = MaxBundleWaitTime
@@ -58,7 +54,7 @@ func (e *Executor) BundleJob(ctx context.Context, debugBundleDependencies debug.
 		}
 	}()
 
-	key, err := debug.UploadDebugBundle(ctx, uploadURL, mgmURL, path, false)
+	key, err := debug.UploadDebugBundle(ctx, types.DefaultBundleURL, mgmURL, path, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Errorf("failed to upload debug bundle: %v", err)
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("upload debug bundle: %w", err)

client/mdm/canonical_loaders.go

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ var allKeys = []string{
 	KeyBlockInbound,
 	KeyDisableMetricsCollection,
 	KeyAllowServerSSH,
+	KeyAllowServerVNC,
+	KeyDisableVNCApproval,
 	KeyDisableAutoConnect,
 	KeyDisableAutostart,
 	KeyPreSharedKey,

client/mdm/policy.go

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ const (
 	KeyBlockInbound             = "blockInbound"
 	KeyDisableMetricsCollection = "disableMetricsCollection"
 	KeyAllowServerSSH           = "allowServerSSH"
+	KeyAllowServerVNC           = "allowServerVNC"
+	KeyDisableVNCApproval       = "disableVNCApproval"
 	KeyDisableAutoConnect       = "disableAutoConnect"
 	// KeyDisableAutostart suppresses the GUI's fresh-install
 	// launch-on-login default and marks the Settings toggle as

client/proto/daemon.pb.gw.go

@@ -1099,6 +1099,30 @@ func request_DaemonService_ExposeService_0(ctx context.Context, marshaler runtim
 	return stream, metadata, nil
 }
 
+func request_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(ctx context.Context, marshaler runtime.Marshaler, client DaemonServiceClient, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) (proto.Message, runtime.ServerMetadata, error) {
+	var (
+		protoReq RespondApprovalRequest
+		metadata runtime.ServerMetadata
+	)
+	if err := marshaler.NewDecoder(req.Body).Decode(&protoReq); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		return nil, metadata, status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "%v", err)
+	}
+	msg, err := client.RespondApproval(ctx, &protoReq, grpc.Header(&metadata.HeaderMD), grpc.Trailer(&metadata.TrailerMD))
+	return msg, metadata, err
+}
+
+func local_request_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(ctx context.Context, marshaler runtime.Marshaler, server DaemonServiceServer, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) (proto.Message, runtime.ServerMetadata, error) {
+	var (
+		protoReq RespondApprovalRequest
+		metadata runtime.ServerMetadata
+	)
+	if err := marshaler.NewDecoder(req.Body).Decode(&protoReq); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		return nil, metadata, status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "%v", err)
+	}
+	msg, err := server.RespondApproval(ctx, &protoReq)
+	return msg, metadata, err
+}
+
 func request_DaemonService_WailsUIReady_0(ctx context.Context, marshaler runtime.Marshaler, client DaemonServiceClient, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) (proto.Message, runtime.ServerMetadata, error) {
 	var (
 		protoReq WailsUIReadyRequest
@@ -1977,6 +2001,26 @@ func RegisterDaemonServiceHandlerServer(ctx context.Context, mux *runtime.ServeM
 		runtime.HTTPError(ctx, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, err)
 		return
 	})
+	mux.Handle(http.MethodPost, pattern_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0, func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) {
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(req.Context())
+		defer cancel()
+		var stream runtime.ServerTransportStream
+		ctx = grpc.NewContextWithServerTransportStream(ctx, &stream)
+		inboundMarshaler, outboundMarshaler := runtime.MarshalerForRequest(mux, req)
+		annotatedContext, err := runtime.AnnotateIncomingContext(ctx, mux, req, "/daemon.DaemonService/RespondApproval", runtime.WithHTTPPathPattern("/daemon.DaemonService/RespondApproval"))
+		if err != nil {
+			runtime.HTTPError(ctx, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, err)
+			return
+		}
+		resp, md, err := local_request_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(annotatedContext, inboundMarshaler, server, req, pathParams)
+		md.HeaderMD, md.TrailerMD = metadata.Join(md.HeaderMD, stream.Header()), metadata.Join(md.TrailerMD, stream.Trailer())
+		annotatedContext = runtime.NewServerMetadataContext(annotatedContext, md)
+		if err != nil {
+			runtime.HTTPError(annotatedContext, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, err)
+			return
+		}
+		forward_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(annotatedContext, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, resp, mux.GetForwardResponseOptions()...)
+	})
 	mux.Handle(http.MethodPost, pattern_DaemonService_WailsUIReady_0, func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) {
 		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(req.Context())
 		defer cancel()
@@ -2802,6 +2846,23 @@ func RegisterDaemonServiceHandlerClient(ctx context.Context, mux *runtime.ServeM
 		}
 		forward_DaemonService_ExposeService_0(annotatedContext, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, func() (proto.Message, error) { return resp.Recv() }, mux.GetForwardResponseOptions()...)
 	})
+	mux.Handle(http.MethodPost, pattern_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0, func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) {
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(req.Context())
+		defer cancel()
+		inboundMarshaler, outboundMarshaler := runtime.MarshalerForRequest(mux, req)
+		annotatedContext, err := runtime.AnnotateContext(ctx, mux, req, "/daemon.DaemonService/RespondApproval", runtime.WithHTTPPathPattern("/daemon.DaemonService/RespondApproval"))
+		if err != nil {
+			runtime.HTTPError(ctx, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, err)
+			return
+		}
+		resp, md, err := request_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(annotatedContext, inboundMarshaler, client, req, pathParams)
+		annotatedContext = runtime.NewServerMetadataContext(annotatedContext, md)
+		if err != nil {
+			runtime.HTTPError(annotatedContext, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, err)
+			return
+		}
+		forward_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0(annotatedContext, mux, outboundMarshaler, w, req, resp, mux.GetForwardResponseOptions()...)
+	})
 	mux.Handle(http.MethodPost, pattern_DaemonService_WailsUIReady_0, func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request, pathParams map[string]string) {
 		ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(req.Context())
 		defer cancel()
@@ -2868,6 +2929,7 @@ var (
 	pattern_DaemonService_StopCPUProfile_0             = runtime.MustPattern(runtime.NewPattern(1, []int{2, 0, 2, 1}, []string{"daemon.DaemonService", "StopCPUProfile"}, ""))
 	pattern_DaemonService_GetInstallerResult_0         = runtime.MustPattern(runtime.NewPattern(1, []int{2, 0, 2, 1}, []string{"daemon.DaemonService", "GetInstallerResult"}, ""))
 	pattern_DaemonService_ExposeService_0              = runtime.MustPattern(runtime.NewPattern(1, []int{2, 0, 2, 1}, []string{"daemon.DaemonService", "ExposeService"}, ""))
+	pattern_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0            = runtime.MustPattern(runtime.NewPattern(1, []int{2, 0, 2, 1}, []string{"daemon.DaemonService", "RespondApproval"}, ""))
 	pattern_DaemonService_WailsUIReady_0               = runtime.MustPattern(runtime.NewPattern(1, []int{2, 0, 2, 1}, []string{"daemon.DaemonService", "WailsUIReady"}, ""))
 )
 
@@ -2917,5 +2979,6 @@ var (
 	forward_DaemonService_StopCPUProfile_0             = runtime.ForwardResponseMessage
 	forward_DaemonService_GetInstallerResult_0         = runtime.ForwardResponseMessage
 	forward_DaemonService_ExposeService_0              = runtime.ForwardResponseStream
+	forward_DaemonService_RespondApproval_0            = runtime.ForwardResponseMessage
 	forward_DaemonService_WailsUIReady_0               = runtime.ForwardResponseMessage
 )

client/proto/daemon.proto

@@ -152,6 +152,14 @@ service DaemonService {
   // ExposeService exposes a local port via the NetBird reverse proxy
   rpc ExposeService(ExposeServiceRequest) returns (stream ExposeServiceEvent) {}
 
+  // RespondApproval delivers the user's accept/deny decision for a
+  // pending user-approval prompt. The daemon pushes the prompt as a
+  // SystemEvent with category APPROVAL and metadata key "request_id";
+  // the UI calls this RPC with the same request_id to unblock whichever
+  // subsystem (VNC, SSH, ...) is waiting. The "kind" metadata key tells
+  // the UI which subsystem the prompt belongs to.
+  rpc RespondApproval(RespondApprovalRequest) returns (RespondApprovalResponse) {}
+
   // WailsUIReady is a no-op probe the Wails UI calls once at startup. The UI
   // only cares whether the daemon implements it: an Unimplemented response
   // means the daemon predates this UI and is too old to drive it.
@@ -242,6 +250,10 @@ message LoginRequest {
   optional bool disableSSHAuth = 38;
   optional int32 sshJWTCacheTTL = 39;
   optional bool disable_ipv6 = 40;
+
+  optional bool serverVNCAllowed = 41;
+
+  optional bool disableVNCApproval = 42;
 }
 
 message LoginResponse {
@@ -362,12 +374,16 @@ message GetConfigResponse {
 
   bool disable_ipv6 = 27;
 
+  bool serverVNCAllowed = 28;
+
+  bool disableVNCApproval = 29;
+
   // mDMManagedFields lists the names of configuration keys whose value is
   // currently enforced by an MDM policy. Names match mdm.Key* constants
   // (e.g. "managementURL", "disableClientRoutes"). UI/CLI clients should
   // render the corresponding inputs as read-only and display a "managed
   // by MDM" indicator.
-  repeated string mDMManagedFields = 28;
+  repeated string mDMManagedFields = 30;
 }
 
 // PeerState contains the latest state of a peer
@@ -452,6 +468,25 @@ message SSHServerState {
   repeated SSHSessionInfo sessions = 2;
 }
 
+// VNCSessionInfo contains information about an active VNC session
+message VNCSessionInfo {
+  string remoteAddress = 1;
+  string mode = 2;
+  string username = 3;
+  // userID is the Noise-verified session identity (hashed user ID from
+  // the ACL session-key entry), empty when auth is disabled.
+  string userID = 4;
+  // initiator is the human-readable display name of the dashboard user
+  // who minted the SessionPubKey, when known.
+  string initiator = 5;
+}
+
+// VNCServerState contains the latest state of the VNC server
+message VNCServerState {
+  bool enabled = 1;
+  repeated VNCSessionInfo sessions = 2;
+}
+
 // FullStatus contains the full state held by the Status instance
 message FullStatus {
   ManagementState managementState = 1;
@@ -472,6 +507,7 @@ message FullStatus {
   // on it to know when to re-fetch ListNetworks via the push stream, instead
   // of polling on every status snapshot.
   uint64 networksRevision = 11;
+  VNCServerState vncServerState = 12;
 }
 
 // Networks
@@ -540,11 +576,6 @@ message DebugBundleRequest {
   // untrusted TLS certificate. Restricted to privileged callers; for
   // self-hosted upload servers.
   bool uploadInsecure = 7;
-  // anonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts: "default"
-  // (or empty) keeps internal IP ranges, "strict" also anonymizes them.
-  // Unknown values are treated as "strict". Only meaningful with anonymize;
-  // "strict" implies it.
-  string anonymizeLevel = 8;
 }
 
 message DebugBundleResponse {
@@ -676,6 +707,7 @@ message SystemEvent {
     AUTHENTICATION = 2;
     CONNECTIVITY = 3;
     SYSTEM = 4;
+    APPROVAL = 5;
   }
 
   string id = 1;
@@ -766,6 +798,10 @@ message SetConfigRequest {
   optional bool disableSSHAuth = 33;
   optional int32 sshJWTCacheTTL = 34;
   optional bool disable_ipv6 = 35;
+
+  optional bool serverVNCAllowed = 36;
+
+  optional bool disableVNCApproval = 37;
 }
 
 message SetConfigResponse{}
@@ -1055,3 +1091,18 @@ message StartBundleCaptureRequest {
 message StartBundleCaptureResponse {}
 message StopBundleCaptureRequest {}
 message StopBundleCaptureResponse {}
+
+message RespondApprovalRequest {
+  // request_id matches the SystemEvent metadata key emitted by the daemon
+  // when a subsystem awaits user approval for an inbound connection.
+  string request_id = 1;
+  // accept is true if the user approved the request, false if they
+  // denied it. A missing or unknown request_id is treated as a no-op.
+  bool accept = 2;
+  // view_only signals that the user granted the connection but withheld
+  // input control. Only meaningful when accept is true; ignored when
+  // accept is false.
+  bool view_only = 3;
+}
+
+message RespondApprovalResponse {}

client/proto/daemon_grpc.pb.go

@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ const (
 	DaemonService_StopCPUProfile_FullMethodName             = "/daemon.DaemonService/StopCPUProfile"
 	DaemonService_GetInstallerResult_FullMethodName         = "/daemon.DaemonService/GetInstallerResult"
 	DaemonService_ExposeService_FullMethodName              = "/daemon.DaemonService/ExposeService"
+	DaemonService_RespondApproval_FullMethodName            = "/daemon.DaemonService/RespondApproval"
 	DaemonService_WailsUIReady_FullMethodName               = "/daemon.DaemonService/WailsUIReady"
 )
 
@@ -167,6 +168,13 @@ type DaemonServiceClient interface {
 	GetInstallerResult(ctx context.Context, in *InstallerResultRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*InstallerResultResponse, error)
 	// ExposeService exposes a local port via the NetBird reverse proxy
 	ExposeService(ctx context.Context, in *ExposeServiceRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (grpc.ServerStreamingClient[ExposeServiceEvent], error)
+	// RespondApproval delivers the user's accept/deny decision for a
+	// pending user-approval prompt. The daemon pushes the prompt as a
+	// SystemEvent with category APPROVAL and metadata key "request_id";
+	// the UI calls this RPC with the same request_id to unblock whichever
+	// subsystem (VNC, SSH, ...) is waiting. The "kind" metadata key tells
+	// the UI which subsystem the prompt belongs to.
+	RespondApproval(ctx context.Context, in *RespondApprovalRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*RespondApprovalResponse, error)
 	// WailsUIReady is a no-op probe the Wails UI calls once at startup. The UI
 	// only cares whether the daemon implements it: an Unimplemented response
 	// means the daemon predates this UI and is too old to drive it.
@@ -667,6 +675,16 @@ func (c *daemonServiceClient) ExposeService(ctx context.Context, in *ExposeServi
 // This type alias is provided for backwards compatibility with existing code that references the prior non-generic stream type by name.
 type DaemonService_ExposeServiceClient = grpc.ServerStreamingClient[ExposeServiceEvent]
 
+func (c *daemonServiceClient) RespondApproval(ctx context.Context, in *RespondApprovalRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*RespondApprovalResponse, error) {
+	cOpts := append([]grpc.CallOption{grpc.StaticMethod()}, opts...)
+	out := new(RespondApprovalResponse)
+	err := c.cc.Invoke(ctx, DaemonService_RespondApproval_FullMethodName, in, out, cOpts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
 func (c *daemonServiceClient) WailsUIReady(ctx context.Context, in *WailsUIReadyRequest, opts ...grpc.CallOption) (*WailsUIReadyResponse, error) {
 	cOpts := append([]grpc.CallOption{grpc.StaticMethod()}, opts...)
 	out := new(WailsUIReadyResponse)
@@ -777,6 +795,13 @@ type DaemonServiceServer interface {
 	GetInstallerResult(context.Context, *InstallerResultRequest) (*InstallerResultResponse, error)
 	// ExposeService exposes a local port via the NetBird reverse proxy
 	ExposeService(*ExposeServiceRequest, grpc.ServerStreamingServer[ExposeServiceEvent]) error
+	// RespondApproval delivers the user's accept/deny decision for a
+	// pending user-approval prompt. The daemon pushes the prompt as a
+	// SystemEvent with category APPROVAL and metadata key "request_id";
+	// the UI calls this RPC with the same request_id to unblock whichever
+	// subsystem (VNC, SSH, ...) is waiting. The "kind" metadata key tells
+	// the UI which subsystem the prompt belongs to.
+	RespondApproval(context.Context, *RespondApprovalRequest) (*RespondApprovalResponse, error)
 	// WailsUIReady is a no-op probe the Wails UI calls once at startup. The UI
 	// only cares whether the daemon implements it: an Unimplemented response
 	// means the daemon predates this UI and is too old to drive it.
@@ -926,6 +951,9 @@ func (UnimplementedDaemonServiceServer) GetInstallerResult(context.Context, *Ins
 func (UnimplementedDaemonServiceServer) ExposeService(*ExposeServiceRequest, grpc.ServerStreamingServer[ExposeServiceEvent]) error {
 	return status.Error(codes.Unimplemented, "method ExposeService not implemented")
 }
+func (UnimplementedDaemonServiceServer) RespondApproval(context.Context, *RespondApprovalRequest) (*RespondApprovalResponse, error) {
+	return nil, status.Error(codes.Unimplemented, "method RespondApproval not implemented")
+}
 func (UnimplementedDaemonServiceServer) WailsUIReady(context.Context, *WailsUIReadyRequest) (*WailsUIReadyResponse, error) {
 	return nil, status.Error(codes.Unimplemented, "method WailsUIReady not implemented")
 }
@@ -1732,6 +1760,24 @@ func _DaemonService_ExposeService_Handler(srv interface{}, stream grpc.ServerStr
 // This type alias is provided for backwards compatibility with existing code that references the prior non-generic stream type by name.
 type DaemonService_ExposeServiceServer = grpc.ServerStreamingServer[ExposeServiceEvent]
 
+func _DaemonService_RespondApproval_Handler(srv interface{}, ctx context.Context, dec func(interface{}) error, interceptor grpc.UnaryServerInterceptor) (interface{}, error) {
+	in := new(RespondApprovalRequest)
+	if err := dec(in); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if interceptor == nil {
+		return srv.(DaemonServiceServer).RespondApproval(ctx, in)
+	}
+	info := &grpc.UnaryServerInfo{
+		Server:     srv,
+		FullMethod: DaemonService_RespondApproval_FullMethodName,
+	}
+	handler := func(ctx context.Context, req interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
+		return srv.(DaemonServiceServer).RespondApproval(ctx, req.(*RespondApprovalRequest))
+	}
+	return interceptor(ctx, in, info, handler)
+}
+
 func _DaemonService_WailsUIReady_Handler(srv interface{}, ctx context.Context, dec func(interface{}) error, interceptor grpc.UnaryServerInterceptor) (interface{}, error) {
 	in := new(WailsUIReadyRequest)
 	if err := dec(in); err != nil {
@@ -1921,6 +1967,10 @@ var DaemonService_ServiceDesc = grpc.ServiceDesc{
 			MethodName: "GetInstallerResult",
 			Handler:    _DaemonService_GetInstallerResult_Handler,
 		},
+		{
+			MethodName: "RespondApproval",
+			Handler:    _DaemonService_RespondApproval_Handler,
+		},
 		{
 			MethodName: "WailsUIReady",
 			Handler:    _DaemonService_WailsUIReady_Handler,

client/server/capture.go

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func (s *Server) StartCapture(req *proto.StartCaptureRequest, stream proto.Daemo
 		return status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "create capture session: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	engine, err := s.claimCapture(sess)
+	engine, err := s.claimCapture(sess, func() { pw.Close() })
 	if err != nil {
 		sess.Stop()
 		pw.Close()
@@ -190,10 +190,7 @@ func (s *Server) StartBundleCapture(_ context.Context, req *proto.StartBundleCap
 
 	s.stopBundleCaptureLocked()
 	s.cleanupBundleCapture()
-
-	if s.activeCapture != nil {
-		return nil, status.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "another capture is already running")
-	}
+	s.evictActiveCaptureLocked()
 
 	engine, err := s.getCaptureEngineLocked()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -304,29 +301,58 @@ func (s *Server) cleanupBundleCapture() {
 	s.bundleCapture = nil
 }
 
-// claimCapture reserves the engine's capture slot for sess. Returns
-// FailedPrecondition if another capture is already active.
-func (s *Server) claimCapture(sess *capture.Session) (*internal.Engine, error) {
+// claimCapture reserves the engine's capture slot for sess. If another
+// capture is already running it is evicted: a previous streaming session
+// whose gRPC client died and never freed the slot stays stuck otherwise,
+// and a bundle capture is just informational state.
+func (s *Server) claimCapture(sess *capture.Session, cancel func()) (*internal.Engine, error) {
 	s.mutex.Lock()
 	defer s.mutex.Unlock()
 
-	if s.activeCapture != nil {
-		return nil, status.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "another capture is already running")
-	}
+	s.evictActiveCaptureLocked()
 	engine, err := s.getCaptureEngineLocked()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	s.activeCapture = sess
+	s.activeCaptureCancel = cancel
 	return engine, nil
 }
 
+// evictActiveCaptureLocked tears down whatever capture currently owns
+// the engine slot so a fresh claim can succeed. Caller must hold mutex.
+func (s *Server) evictActiveCaptureLocked() {
+	if s.activeCapture == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if s.bundleCapture != nil && s.bundleCapture.sess == s.activeCapture {
+		log.Infof("evicting running bundle capture to start a new capture")
+		s.stopBundleCaptureLocked()
+		return
+	}
+	log.Infof("evicting previous streaming capture to start a new one")
+	prev := s.activeCapture
+	cancel := s.activeCaptureCancel
+	if engine, err := s.getCaptureEngineLocked(); err == nil {
+		if err := engine.SetCapture(nil); err != nil {
+			log.Debugf("clear previous capture: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	s.activeCapture = nil
+	s.activeCaptureCancel = nil
+	prev.Stop()
+	if cancel != nil {
+		cancel()
+	}
+}
+
 // releaseCapture clears the active-capture owner if it still matches sess.
 func (s *Server) releaseCapture(sess *capture.Session) {
 	s.mutex.Lock()
 	defer s.mutex.Unlock()
 	if s.activeCapture == sess {
 		s.activeCapture = nil
+		s.activeCaptureCancel = nil
 	}
 }
 
@@ -341,6 +367,7 @@ func (s *Server) clearCaptureIfOwner(sess *capture.Session, engine *internal.Eng
 		log.Debugf("clear capture: %v", err)
 	}
 	s.activeCapture = nil
+	s.activeCaptureCancel = nil
 }
 
 func (s *Server) getCaptureEngineLocked() (*internal.Engine, error) {

client/server/debug.go

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
 	gstatus "google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 
-	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/anonymize"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/debug"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/ipcauth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/proto"
@@ -123,7 +122,6 @@ func (s *Server) generateDebugBundle(req *proto.DebugBundleRequest, uiOpener deb
 		},
 		debug.BundleConfig{
 			Anonymize:         req.GetAnonymize(),
-			AnonymizeLevel:    anonymize.ParseLevel(req.GetAnonymizeLevel()),
 			IncludeSystemInfo: req.GetSystemInfo(),
 			LogFileCount:      req.GetLogFileCount(),
 		},

client/server/mdm.go

@@ -297,6 +297,8 @@ func mdmManagedFieldConflicts(msg *proto.SetConfigRequest, policy *mdm.Policy) [
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyRosenpassPermissive, msg.RosenpassPermissive),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableAutoConnect, msg.DisableAutoConnect),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerSSH, msg.ServerSSHAllowed),
+		conflictBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC, msg.ServerVNCAllowed),
+		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval, msg.DisableVNCApproval),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableClientRoutes, msg.DisableClientRoutes),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableServerRoutes, msg.DisableServerRoutes),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyBlockInbound, msg.BlockInbound),
@@ -332,6 +334,8 @@ func setConfigRequestHasConfigOverrides(msg *proto.SetConfigRequest) bool {
 		msg.Mtu != nil ||
 		msg.DisableAutoConnect != nil ||
 		msg.ServerSSHAllowed != nil ||
+		msg.ServerVNCAllowed != nil ||
+		msg.DisableVNCApproval != nil ||
 		msg.NetworkMonitor != nil ||
 		msg.DisableClientRoutes != nil ||
 		msg.DisableServerRoutes != nil ||
@@ -370,6 +374,8 @@ func loginRequestHasConfigOverrides(msg *proto.LoginRequest) bool {
 		msg.WireguardPort != nil ||
 		msg.DisableAutoConnect != nil ||
 		msg.ServerSSHAllowed != nil ||
+		msg.ServerVNCAllowed != nil ||
+		msg.DisableVNCApproval != nil ||
 		msg.RosenpassPermissive != nil ||
 		len(msg.ExtraIFaceBlacklist) > 0 ||
 		msg.NetworkMonitor != nil ||
@@ -418,6 +424,8 @@ func loginRequestMDMConflicts(msg *proto.LoginRequest, policy *mdm.Policy) []str
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyRosenpassPermissive, msg.RosenpassPermissive),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableAutoConnect, msg.DisableAutoConnect),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerSSH, msg.ServerSSHAllowed),
+		conflictBool(mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC, msg.ServerVNCAllowed),
+		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval, msg.DisableVNCApproval),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableClientRoutes, msg.DisableClientRoutes),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyDisableServerRoutes, msg.DisableServerRoutes),
 		conflictBool(mdm.KeyBlockInbound, msg.BlockInbound),

client/server/server.go

@@ -122,8 +122,12 @@ type Server struct {
 	captureEnabled         bool
 	bundleCapture          *bundleCapture
 	// activeCapture is the session currently installed on the engine; guarded by s.mutex.
-	activeCapture    *capture.Session
-	networksDisabled bool
+	activeCapture *capture.Session
+	// activeCaptureCancel tears down the streaming pipe/cancel for the
+	// active streaming capture so eviction unblocks the StartCapture RPC
+	// handler. Nil for bundle captures (they own their own context).
+	activeCaptureCancel func()
+	networksDisabled    bool
 
 	sleepHandler *sleephandler.SleepHandler
 
@@ -553,6 +557,8 @@ func (s *Server) setConfigInputFromRequest(msg *proto.SetConfigRequest) (profile
 	config.RosenpassPermissive = msg.RosenpassPermissive
 	config.DisableAutoConnect = msg.DisableAutoConnect
 	config.ServerSSHAllowed = msg.ServerSSHAllowed
+	config.ServerVNCAllowed = msg.ServerVNCAllowed
+	config.DisableVNCApproval = msg.DisableVNCApproval
 	config.NetworkMonitor = msg.NetworkMonitor
 	config.DisableClientRoutes = msg.DisableClientRoutes
 	config.DisableServerRoutes = msg.DisableServerRoutes
@@ -1572,6 +1578,7 @@ func (s *Server) buildStatusResponse(ctx context.Context, msg *proto.StatusReque
 		pbFullStatus := fullStatus.ToProto()
 		pbFullStatus.Events = s.statusRecorder.GetEventHistory()
 		pbFullStatus.SshServerState = s.getSSHServerState()
+		pbFullStatus.VncServerState = s.getVNCServerState()
 		pbFullStatus.NetworksRevision = s.statusRecorder.GetNetworksRevision()
 		statusResponse.FullStatus = pbFullStatus
 	}
@@ -1612,6 +1619,38 @@ func (s *Server) getSSHServerState() *proto.SSHServerState {
 	return sshServerState
 }
 
+// getVNCServerState retrieves the current VNC server state.
+func (s *Server) getVNCServerState() *proto.VNCServerState {
+	s.mutex.Lock()
+	connectClient := s.connectClient
+	s.mutex.Unlock()
+
+	if connectClient == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	engine := connectClient.Engine()
+	if engine == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	enabled, sessions := engine.GetVNCServerStatus()
+	pbSessions := make([]*proto.VNCSessionInfo, 0, len(sessions))
+	for _, sess := range sessions {
+		pbSessions = append(pbSessions, &proto.VNCSessionInfo{
+			RemoteAddress: sess.RemoteAddress,
+			Mode:          sess.Mode,
+			Username:      sess.Username,
+			UserID:        sess.UserID,
+			Initiator:     sess.Initiator,
+		})
+	}
+	return &proto.VNCServerState{
+		Enabled:  enabled,
+		Sessions: pbSessions,
+	}
+}
+
 // GetPeerSSHHostKey retrieves SSH host key for a specific peer
 func (s *Server) GetPeerSSHHostKey(
 	ctx context.Context,
@@ -2000,6 +2039,30 @@ func (s *Server) ExposeService(req *proto.ExposeServiceRequest, srv proto.Daemon
 	return nil
 }
 
+// RespondApproval relays the user's accept/deny decision for a pending
+// approval prompt to the engine's broker. Unknown or already-resolved
+// request_ids are silently no-op'd so a slow UI cannot deny a prompt the
+// user already handled (or that already timed out).
+func (s *Server) RespondApproval(_ context.Context, msg *proto.RespondApprovalRequest) (*proto.RespondApprovalResponse, error) {
+	if msg.GetRequestId() == "" {
+		return nil, gstatus.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "request_id is required")
+	}
+	s.mutex.Lock()
+	connectClient := s.connectClient
+	s.mutex.Unlock()
+	if connectClient == nil {
+		return nil, gstatus.Errorf(codes.FailedPrecondition, "client not initialized")
+	}
+	engine := connectClient.Engine()
+	if engine == nil {
+		return nil, gstatus.Errorf(codes.FailedPrecondition, "engine not running")
+	}
+	if !engine.RespondApproval(msg.GetRequestId(), msg.GetAccept(), msg.GetViewOnly()) {
+		log.Debugf("approval response for unknown request_id %s", msg.GetRequestId())
+	}
+	return &proto.RespondApprovalResponse{}, nil
+}
+
 func isUnixRunningDesktop() bool {
 	if runtime.GOOS != "linux" && runtime.GOOS != "freebsd" {
 		return false
@@ -2107,6 +2170,8 @@ func (s *Server) GetConfig(ctx context.Context, req *proto.GetConfigRequest) (*p
 		Mtu:                           int64(cfg.MTU),
 		DisableAutoConnect:            cfg.DisableAutoConnect,
 		ServerSSHAllowed:              *cfg.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		ServerVNCAllowed:              cfg.ServerVNCAllowed != nil && *cfg.ServerVNCAllowed,
+		DisableVNCApproval:            cfg.DisableVNCApproval != nil && *cfg.DisableVNCApproval,
 		RosenpassEnabled:              cfg.RosenpassEnabled,
 		RosenpassPermissive:           cfg.RosenpassPermissive,
 		BlockInbound:                  cfg.BlockInbound,

client/server/setconfig_mdm_test.go

@@ -109,6 +109,30 @@ func TestSetConfig_MDMReject_SingleField(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{mdm.KeyManagementURL}, v.GetFields())
 }
 
+func TestSetConfig_MDMReject_VNCFields(t *testing.T) {
+	withMDMPolicy(t, mdm.NewPolicy(map[string]any{
+		mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC:     true,
+		mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval: false,
+	}))
+
+	s, ctx, profName, username, _ := setupServerWithProfile(t)
+
+	vncAllowed := false
+	disableApproval := true
+	_, err := s.SetConfig(ctx, &proto.SetConfigRequest{
+		ProfileName:        profName,
+		Username:           username,
+		ServerVNCAllowed:   &vncAllowed,
+		DisableVNCApproval: &disableApproval,
+	})
+
+	v := extractViolation(t, err)
+	assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{
+		mdm.KeyAllowServerVNC,
+		mdm.KeyDisableVNCApproval,
+	}, v.GetFields())
+}
+
 func TestSetConfig_MDMReject_MultipleFields(t *testing.T) {
 	withMDMPolicy(t, mdm.NewPolicy(map[string]any{
 		mdm.KeyManagementURL:    "https://mdm.example.com:443",

client/server/setconfig_test.go

@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ func TestSetConfig_AllFieldsSaved(t *testing.T) {
 	rosenpassEnabled := true
 	rosenpassPermissive := true
 	serverSSHAllowed := true
+	serverVNCAllowed := true
+	disableVNCApproval := true
 	interfaceName := "utun100"
 	wireguardPort := int64(51820)
 	preSharedKey := "test-psk"
@@ -85,6 +87,8 @@ func TestSetConfig_AllFieldsSaved(t *testing.T) {
 		RosenpassEnabled:     &rosenpassEnabled,
 		RosenpassPermissive:  &rosenpassPermissive,
 		ServerSSHAllowed:     &serverSSHAllowed,
+		ServerVNCAllowed:     &serverVNCAllowed,
+		DisableVNCApproval:   &disableVNCApproval,
 		InterfaceName:        &interfaceName,
 		WireguardPort:        &wireguardPort,
 		OptionalPreSharedKey: &preSharedKey,
@@ -128,6 +132,10 @@ func TestSetConfig_AllFieldsSaved(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Equal(t, rosenpassPermissive, cfg.RosenpassPermissive)
 	require.NotNil(t, cfg.ServerSSHAllowed)
 	require.Equal(t, serverSSHAllowed, *cfg.ServerSSHAllowed)
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg.ServerVNCAllowed)
+	require.Equal(t, serverVNCAllowed, *cfg.ServerVNCAllowed)
+	require.NotNil(t, cfg.DisableVNCApproval)
+	require.Equal(t, disableVNCApproval, *cfg.DisableVNCApproval)
 	require.Equal(t, interfaceName, cfg.WgIface)
 	require.Equal(t, int(wireguardPort), cfg.WgPort)
 	require.Equal(t, preSharedKey, cfg.PreSharedKey)
@@ -180,6 +188,8 @@ func verifyAllFieldsCovered(t *testing.T, req *proto.SetConfigRequest) {
 		"RosenpassEnabled":              true,
 		"RosenpassPermissive":           true,
 		"ServerSSHAllowed":              true,
+		"ServerVNCAllowed":              true,
+		"DisableVNCApproval":            true,
 		"InterfaceName":                 true,
 		"WireguardPort":                 true,
 		"OptionalPreSharedKey":          true,
@@ -240,6 +250,8 @@ func TestCLIFlags_MappedToSetConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		"enable-rosenpass":                  "RosenpassEnabled",
 		"rosenpass-permissive":              "RosenpassPermissive",
 		"allow-server-ssh":                  "ServerSSHAllowed",
+		"allow-server-vnc":                  "ServerVNCAllowed",
+		"disable-vnc-approval":              "DisableVNCApproval",
 		"interface-name":                    "InterfaceName",
 		"wireguard-port":                    "WireguardPort",
 		"preshared-key":                     "OptionalPreSharedKey",

client/server/ssh_gate.go

@@ -26,40 +26,51 @@ import (
 //     daemon's SSH server into a root (or unauthenticated) shell.
 //   - Enabling the SSH server at all is what makes the above reachable, and a
 //     profile the caller owns is not a privilege they hold.
-//   - While the SSH server is enabled, repointing the profile at another
-//     management identity hands SSH authorization decisions, including which
-//     keys and users are accepted, to whoever controls that identity. Changing
-//     the management URL and deregistering the peer are both ways to do that.
+//   - Enabling the VNC server exposes the console session, which on a
+//     multi-user host belongs to another user, and disabling its approval
+//     prompt removes that user's only say in it.
+//   - While a remote-access server (SSH or VNC) is enabled, repointing the
+//     profile at another management identity hands authorization decisions,
+//     including which keys and users are accepted, to whoever controls that
+//     identity. Changing the management URL and deregistering the peer are both
+//     ways to do that.
 //
 // Everything else stays unauthenticated, so this is not an authorization model:
-// it only refuses the changes that would let a local user become root. A caller
-// whose identity cannot be established is refused as well.
+// it only refuses the changes that would let a local user become root, or reach
+// another user's desktop. A caller whose identity cannot be established is
+// refused as well.
 
 // privilegedConfigChange is the subset of a config request that crosses the
 // user-to-root boundary. Fields are nil or empty when the request leaves them
 // untouched.
 type privilegedConfigChange struct {
-	managementURL    string
-	serverSSHAllowed *bool
-	enableSSHRoot    *bool
-	disableSSHAuth   *bool
+	managementURL      string
+	serverSSHAllowed   *bool
+	enableSSHRoot      *bool
+	disableSSHAuth     *bool
+	serverVNCAllowed   *bool
+	disableVNCApproval *bool
 }
 
 func privilegedChangeFromSetConfig(msg *proto.SetConfigRequest) privilegedConfigChange {
 	return privilegedConfigChange{
-		managementURL:    msg.GetManagementUrl(),
-		serverSSHAllowed: msg.ServerSSHAllowed,
-		enableSSHRoot:    msg.EnableSSHRoot,
-		disableSSHAuth:   msg.DisableSSHAuth,
+		managementURL:      msg.GetManagementUrl(),
+		serverSSHAllowed:   msg.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		enableSSHRoot:      msg.EnableSSHRoot,
+		disableSSHAuth:     msg.DisableSSHAuth,
+		serverVNCAllowed:   msg.ServerVNCAllowed,
+		disableVNCApproval: msg.DisableVNCApproval,
 	}
 }
 
 func privilegedChangeFromLogin(msg *proto.LoginRequest) privilegedConfigChange {
 	return privilegedConfigChange{
-		managementURL:    msg.GetManagementUrl(),
-		serverSSHAllowed: msg.ServerSSHAllowed,
-		enableSSHRoot:    msg.EnableSSHRoot,
-		disableSSHAuth:   msg.DisableSSHAuth,
+		managementURL:      msg.GetManagementUrl(),
+		serverSSHAllowed:   msg.ServerSSHAllowed,
+		enableSSHRoot:      msg.EnableSSHRoot,
+		disableSSHAuth:     msg.DisableSSHAuth,
+		serverVNCAllowed:   msg.ServerVNCAllowed,
+		disableVNCApproval: msg.DisableVNCApproval,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -83,15 +94,21 @@ func requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(ctx context.Context, stored *profilemanager
 		return denyPrivileged(ctx, "enabling the NetBird SSH server", ipcauth.UpCommand("--allow-server-ssh"))
 	}
 
-	// Only guard the management binding while the SSH server is enabled: that is
-	// when the management identity decides who may open a shell here.
-	if !sshServerEnabled(stored) {
+	if err := requirePrivilegeForVNCChange(ctx, stored, change); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Only guard the management binding while a remote-access server is enabled:
+	// that is when the management identity decides who may open a shell or reach
+	// the desktop here.
+	server, enabled := enabledRemoteAccessServer(stored)
+	if !enabled {
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	if change.managementURL != "" && !sameManagementURL(stored.ManagementURL, change.managementURL) {
 		return denyPrivileged(ctx,
-			"changing the management URL while the NetBird SSH server is enabled",
+			fmt.Sprintf("changing the management URL while the NetBird %s server is enabled", server),
 			ipcauth.UpCommand("-m "+change.managementURL))
 	}
 
@@ -99,20 +116,21 @@ func requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(ctx context.Context, stored *profilemanager
 }
 
 // requirePrivilegeForDeregistration refuses to deregister the peer from the
-// management server when the caller is not privileged and the profile has the
-// SSH server enabled. Deregistering frees the peer's key to be registered
-// against another management identity, which is the same handover the
+// management server when the caller is not privileged and the profile has a
+// remote-access server enabled. Deregistering frees the peer's key to be
+// registered against another management identity, which is the same handover the
 // management URL check refuses.
 //
 // Callers that treat deregistration as best-effort (profile removal) continue
 // without it; callers that were asked to deregister surface the error.
 func requirePrivilegeForDeregistration(ctx context.Context, cfg *profilemanager.Config) error {
-	if !sshServerEnabled(cfg) {
+	server, enabled := enabledRemoteAccessServer(cfg)
+	if !enabled {
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	return denyPrivileged(ctx,
-		"deregistering this peer while the NetBird SSH server is enabled",
+		fmt.Sprintf("deregistering this peer while the NetBird %s server is enabled", server),
 		ipcauth.ElevatedCommand("netbird logout"))
 }
 

client/server/vnc_gate.go

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"context"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/ipcauth"
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/profilemanager"
+)
+
+// The VNC half of the privilege gate described in ssh_gate.go. The daemon runs
+// as root/LocalSystem and the VNC server it hosts attaches to the console
+// session, so both of these cross the user-to-root boundary:
+//
+//   - Enabling the VNC server publishes the console desktop, keyboard and
+//     mouse to whoever the account authorizes. On a multi-user host that
+//     desktop belongs to another user, and the profile the caller owns is not a
+//     privilege they hold over it.
+//   - Disabling the approval prompt removes the console user's per-connection
+//     consent, turning an authorized VNC session into a silent one.
+func requirePrivilegeForVNCChange(ctx context.Context, stored *profilemanager.Config, change privilegedConfigChange) error {
+	if enables(storedFlag(stored, func(c *profilemanager.Config) *bool { return c.DisableVNCApproval }), change.disableVNCApproval) {
+		return denyPrivileged(ctx, "disabling VNC connection approval", ipcauth.UpCommand("--disable-vnc-approval"))
+	}
+
+	if enables(storedFlag(stored, func(c *profilemanager.Config) *bool { return c.ServerVNCAllowed }), change.serverVNCAllowed) {
+		return denyPrivileged(ctx, "enabling the NetBird VNC server", ipcauth.UpCommand("--allow-server-vnc"))
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// vncServerEnabled reports whether the profile currently runs the VNC server.
+//
+// Unlike the SSH server, VNC defaults to off: the flag was introduced with the
+// server itself, so a nil value is a config written before VNC existed and
+// means the server is not running.
+func vncServerEnabled(cfg *profilemanager.Config) bool {
+	if cfg == nil || cfg.ServerVNCAllowed == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return *cfg.ServerVNCAllowed
+}
+
+// enabledRemoteAccessServer names a remote-access server the profile currently
+// runs, and whether it runs any. It decides whether the management-binding and
+// deregistration guards apply, since either server hands authorization
+// decisions to the management identity the profile points at. SSH is reported
+// first when both are on: it is the more privileged of the two.
+func enabledRemoteAccessServer(cfg *profilemanager.Config) (string, bool) {
+	switch {
+	case sshServerEnabled(cfg):
+		return "SSH", true
+	case vncServerEnabled(cfg):
+		return "VNC", true
+	default:
+		return "", false
+	}
+}

client/server/vnc_gate_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/internal/profilemanager"
+)
+
+func TestRequirePrivilegeForConfigChange_VNCFlags(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		stored     *profilemanager.Config
+		change     privilegedConfigChange
+		privileged bool
+		wantDeny   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "enabling the vnc server unprivileged is refused",
+			stored:   &profilemanager.Config{ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)},
+			change:   privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantDeny: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "enabling the vnc server as root is allowed",
+			stored:     &profilemanager.Config{ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)},
+			change:     privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			privileged: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "restating an already enabled vnc server is not a change",
+			stored: &profilemanager.Config{ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			change: privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "turning the vnc server off is not guarded",
+			stored: &profilemanager.Config{ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			change: privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)},
+		},
+		{
+			// Unlike SSH, a nil flag means off: the flag shipped with the server.
+			name:     "a config written before vnc existed counts as off, so enabling is refused",
+			stored:   &profilemanager.Config{},
+			change:   privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantDeny: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "a profile with no config yet counts as off, so enabling is refused",
+			stored:   nil,
+			change:   privilegedConfigChange{serverVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantDeny: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "disabling the vnc approval prompt unprivileged is refused",
+			stored:   &profilemanager.Config{DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(false)},
+			change:   privilegedConfigChange{disableVNCApproval: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantDeny: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "disabling the vnc approval prompt as root is allowed",
+			stored:     &profilemanager.Config{DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(false)},
+			change:     privilegedConfigChange{disableVNCApproval: boolPtr(true)},
+			privileged: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "re-enabling the vnc approval prompt is not guarded",
+			stored: &profilemanager.Config{DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(true)},
+			change: privilegedConfigChange{disableVNCApproval: boolPtr(false)},
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "restating a disabled approval prompt is not a change",
+			stored: &profilemanager.Config{DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(true)},
+			change: privilegedConfigChange{disableVNCApproval: boolPtr(true)},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ctx := userCtx()
+			if tt.privileged {
+				ctx = rootCtx()
+			}
+			err := requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(ctx, tt.stored, tt.change)
+			if tt.wantDeny {
+				assertDenied(t, err)
+				return
+			}
+			assertAllowed(t, err)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// The management binding and deregistration guards protect either remote-access
+// server, so the VNC server alone must arm them even with SSH off.
+func TestRequirePrivilegeForConfigChange_ManagementURLWithVNCOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	vncOnly := &profilemanager.Config{
+		ServerSSHAllowed:   boolPtr(false),
+		ServerVNCAllowed:   boolPtr(true),
+		ManagementURL:      mustURL(t, "https://api.netbird.io:443"),
+		DisableVNCApproval: boolPtr(false),
+	}
+
+	err := requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(userCtx(), vncOnly,
+		privilegedConfigChange{managementURL: "https://attacker.example.com:443"})
+	assertDenied(t, err)
+
+	// The same move is the administrator's to make.
+	assertAllowed(t, requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(rootCtx(), vncOnly,
+		privilegedConfigChange{managementURL: "https://selfhosted.example.com:443"}))
+
+	// Restating the stored binding is not a change, so it is never refused.
+	assertAllowed(t, requirePrivilegeForConfigChange(userCtx(), vncOnly,
+		privilegedConfigChange{managementURL: "https://api.netbird.io"}))
+}
+
+func TestRequirePrivilegeForDeregistration_VNCOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	vncOnly := &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(false), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)}
+
+	assertDenied(t, requirePrivilegeForDeregistration(userCtx(), vncOnly))
+	assertAllowed(t, requirePrivilegeForDeregistration(rootCtx(), vncOnly))
+
+	bothOff := &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(false), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)}
+	assertAllowed(t, requirePrivilegeForDeregistration(userCtx(), bothOff))
+}
+
+// enabledRemoteAccessServer names the server in the refusal, so the user is told
+// which one is holding the binding down. SSH wins when both are on: it is the
+// more privileged of the two.
+func TestEnabledRemoteAccessServer(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		cfg        *profilemanager.Config
+		wantServer string
+		wantOn     bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "ssh only",
+			cfg:        &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(true), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)},
+			wantServer: "SSH",
+			wantOn:     true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "vnc only",
+			cfg:        &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(false), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantServer: "VNC",
+			wantOn:     true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:       "both on reports ssh",
+			cfg:        &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(true), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(true)},
+			wantServer: "SSH",
+			wantOn:     true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "both off",
+			cfg:  &profilemanager.Config{ServerSSHAllowed: boolPtr(false), ServerVNCAllowed: boolPtr(false)},
+		},
+		{
+			// A nil SSH flag means on (legacy configs), so it still arms the guard.
+			name:       "legacy config with no flags at all reports ssh",
+			cfg:        &profilemanager.Config{},
+			wantServer: "SSH",
+			wantOn:     true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "no config",
+			cfg:  nil,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			server, on := enabledRemoteAccessServer(tt.cfg)
+			if on != tt.wantOn || server != tt.wantServer {
+				t.Fatalf("enabledRemoteAccessServer() = (%q, %v), want (%q, %v)", server, on, tt.wantServer, tt.wantOn)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

client/ssh/proxy/proxy_privileged_test.go

@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ import (
 	cryptossh "golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 
 	nbssh "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh"
-	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/server"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/testutil"
 	nbjwt "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/auth/jwt"
+	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sessionauth"
 	sshuserhash "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sshauth"
 )
 

client/ssh/server/jwt_test.go

@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	nbssh "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh"
-	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/client"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/detection"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/testutil"
 	nbjwt "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/auth/jwt"
+	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sessionauth"
 	sshuserhash "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sshauth"
 )
 

client/ssh/server/server.go

@@ -23,10 +23,10 @@ import (
 	"golang.zx2c4.com/wireguard/tun/netstack"
 
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/iface/wgaddr"
-	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/client/ssh/detection"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/auth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/auth/jwt"
+	sshauth "github.com/netbirdio/netbird/shared/sessionauth"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/util/netrelay"
 	"github.com/netbirdio/netbird/version"
 )
@@ -197,6 +197,14 @@ type Config struct {
 
 	// HostKey is the SSH server host key in PEM format
 	HostKeyPEM []byte
+
+	// NetstackNet, when non-nil, makes the SSH server listen via the
+	// supplied userspace network stack instead of an OS socket.
+	NetstackNet *netstack.Net
+
+	// NetworkValidation, when non-zero, restricts inbound connections to
+	// peers inside the NetBird overlay defined by this WireGuard address.
+	NetworkValidation wgaddr.Address
 }
 
 // SessionInfo contains information about an active SSH session
@@ -208,12 +216,15 @@ type SessionInfo struct {
 	PortForwards  []string
 }
 
-// New creates an SSH server instance with the provided host key and optional JWT configuration
-// If jwtConfig is nil, JWT authentication is disabled
+// New creates an SSH server instance from the supplied Config. Fields are
+// read once at construction; mutating Config afterwards has no effect.
+// JWT == nil disables JWT authentication.
 func New(config *Config) *Server {
 	s := &Server{
 		mu:                     sync.RWMutex{},
 		hostKeyPEM:             config.HostKeyPEM,
+		netstackNet:            config.NetstackNet,
+		wgAddress:              config.NetworkValidation,
 		sessions:               make(map[sessionKey]*sessionState),
 		pendingAuthJWT:         make(map[authKey]string),
 		remoteForwardListeners: make(map[forwardKey]net.Listener),
@@ -434,20 +445,6 @@ func (s *Server) buildSessionInfo(state *sessionState) SessionInfo {
 	return info
 }
 
-// SetNetstackNet sets the netstack network for userspace networking
-func (s *Server) SetNetstackNet(net *netstack.Net) {
-	s.mu.Lock()
-	defer s.mu.Unlock()
-	s.netstackNet = net
-}
-
-// SetNetworkValidation configures network-based connection filtering
-func (s *Server) SetNetworkValidation(addr wgaddr.Address) {
-	s.mu.Lock()
-	defer s.mu.Unlock()
-	s.wgAddress = addr
-}
-
 // UpdateSSHAuth updates the SSH fine-grained access control configuration
 // This should be called when network map updates include new SSH auth configuration
 func (s *Server) UpdateSSHAuth(config *sshauth.Config) {

client/status/status.go

@@ -46,10 +46,7 @@ func ParseDaemonStatus(s string) DaemonStatus {
 
 // ConvertOptions holds parameters for ConvertToStatusOutputOverview.
 type ConvertOptions struct {
-	Anonymize bool
-	// AnonymizeLevel selects how much the anonymizer redacts. Only
-	// meaningful when Anonymize is set.
-	AnonymizeLevel       anonymize.Level
+	Anonymize            bool
 	DaemonVersion        string
 	DaemonStatus         DaemonStatus
 	StatusFilter         string
@@ -139,6 +136,19 @@ type SSHServerStateOutput struct {
 	Sessions []SSHSessionOutput `json:"sessions" yaml:"sessions"`
 }
 
+type VNCSessionOutput struct {
+	RemoteAddress string `json:"remoteAddress" yaml:"remoteAddress"`
+	Mode          string `json:"mode" yaml:"mode"`
+	Username      string `json:"username,omitempty" yaml:"username,omitempty"`
+	UserID        string `json:"userID,omitempty" yaml:"userID,omitempty"`
+	Initiator     string `json:"initiator,omitempty" yaml:"initiator,omitempty"`
+}
+
+type VNCServerStateOutput struct {
+	Enabled  bool               `json:"enabled" yaml:"enabled"`
+	Sessions []VNCSessionOutput `json:"sessions" yaml:"sessions"`
+}
+
 type OutputOverview struct {
 	Peers                   PeersStateOutput           `json:"peers" yaml:"peers"`
 	CliVersion              string                     `json:"cliVersion" yaml:"cliVersion"`
@@ -162,6 +172,7 @@ type OutputOverview struct {
 	LazyConnectionEnabled   bool                       `json:"lazyConnectionEnabled" yaml:"lazyConnectionEnabled"`
 	ProfileName             string                     `json:"profileName" yaml:"profileName"`
 	SSHServerState          SSHServerStateOutput       `json:"sshServer" yaml:"sshServer"`
+	VNCServerState          VNCServerStateOutput       `json:"vncServer" yaml:"vncServer"`
 	// SessionExpiresAt is the absolute UTC instant at which the peer's SSO
 	// session expires. nil when the peer is not SSO-tracked or login
 	// expiration is disabled. Pointer (rather than zero-value time.Time) so
@@ -187,6 +198,7 @@ func ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(pbFullStatus *proto.FullStatus, opts ConvertO
 
 	relayOverview := mapRelays(pbFullStatus.GetRelays())
 	sshServerOverview := mapSSHServer(pbFullStatus.GetSshServerState())
+	vncServerOverview := mapVNCServer(pbFullStatus.GetVncServerState())
 	peersOverview := mapPeers(pbFullStatus.GetPeers(), opts.StatusFilter, opts.PrefixNamesFilter, opts.PrefixNamesFilterMap, opts.IPsFilter, opts.ConnectionTypeFilter)
 
 	overview := OutputOverview{
@@ -212,6 +224,7 @@ func ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(pbFullStatus *proto.FullStatus, opts ConvertO
 		LazyConnectionEnabled:   pbFullStatus.GetLazyConnectionEnabled(),
 		ProfileName:             opts.ProfileName,
 		SSHServerState:          sshServerOverview,
+		VNCServerState:          vncServerOverview,
 	}
 	if !opts.SessionExpiresAt.IsZero() {
 		t := opts.SessionExpiresAt
@@ -220,7 +233,6 @@ func ConvertToStatusOutputOverview(pbFullStatus *proto.FullStatus, opts ConvertO
 
 	if opts.Anonymize {
 		anonymizer := anonymize.NewAnonymizer(anonymize.DefaultAddresses())
-		anonymizer.SetLevel(opts.AnonymizeLevel)
 		anonymizeOverview(anonymizer, &overview)
 	}
 
@@ -298,6 +310,26 @@ func mapSSHServer(sshServerState *proto.SSHServerState) SSHServerStateOutput {
 	}
 }
 
+func mapVNCServer(state *proto.VNCServerState) VNCServerStateOutput {
+	if state == nil {
+		return VNCServerStateOutput{Sessions: []VNCSessionOutput{}}
+	}
+	sessions := make([]VNCSessionOutput, 0, len(state.GetSessions()))
+	for _, sess := range state.GetSessions() {
+		sessions = append(sessions, VNCSessionOutput{
+			RemoteAddress: sess.GetRemoteAddress(),
+			Mode:          sess.GetMode(),
+			Username:      sess.GetUsername(),
+			UserID:        sess.GetUserID(),
+			Initiator:     sess.GetInitiator(),
+		})
+	}
+	return VNCServerStateOutput{
+		Enabled:  state.GetEnabled(),
+		Sessions: sessions,
+	}
+}
+
 func mapPeers(
 	peers []*proto.PeerState,
 	statusFilter string,
@@ -562,6 +594,26 @@ func (o *OutputOverview) GeneralSummary(showURL bool, showRelays bool, showNameS
 		}
 	}
 
+	vncServerStatus := "Disabled"
+	if o.VNCServerState.Enabled {
+		vncSessionCount := len(o.VNCServerState.Sessions)
+		if vncSessionCount > 0 {
+			sessionWord := "session"
+			if vncSessionCount > 1 {
+				sessionWord = "sessions"
+			}
+			vncServerStatus = fmt.Sprintf("Enabled (%d active %s)", vncSessionCount, sessionWord)
+		} else {
+			vncServerStatus = "Enabled"
+		}
+
+		if showSSHSessions && vncSessionCount > 0 {
+			for _, sess := range o.VNCServerState.Sessions {
+				vncServerStatus += "\n  " + formatVNCSessionLine(sess)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	peersCountString := fmt.Sprintf("%d/%d Connected", o.Peers.Connected, o.Peers.Total)
 
 	var sessionExpiryString string
@@ -617,6 +669,7 @@ func (o *OutputOverview) GeneralSummary(showURL bool, showRelays bool, showNameS
 			"Quantum resistance: %s\n"+
 			"Lazy connection: %s\n"+
 			"SSH Server: %s\n"+
+			"VNC Server: %s\n"+
 			"Networks: %s\n"+
 			"%s"+
 			"%s"+
@@ -637,6 +690,7 @@ func (o *OutputOverview) GeneralSummary(showURL bool, showRelays bool, showNameS
 		rosenpassEnabledStatus,
 		lazyConnectionEnabledStatus,
 		sshServerStatus,
+		vncServerStatus,
 		networks,
 		forwardingRulesString,
 		sessionExpiryString,
@@ -980,7 +1034,6 @@ func timeAgo(t time.Time) string {
 
 func anonymizePeerDetail(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, peer *PeerStateDetailOutput) {
 	peer.FQDN = a.AnonymizeDomain(peer.FQDN)
-	peer.PubKey = a.AnonymizeWGKey(peer.PubKey)
 	if localIP, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(peer.IceCandidateEndpoint.Local); err == nil {
 		peer.IceCandidateEndpoint.Local = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", a.AnonymizeIPString(localIP), port)
 	}
@@ -1000,6 +1053,26 @@ func anonymizePeerDetail(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, peer *PeerStateDetailOutput) {
 	}
 }
 
+// formatVNCSessionLine renders a single VNC session row for the detailed
+// status output. The leading slot identifies the initiator (display name
+// when known, hashed UserID otherwise); the post-arrow slot is the OS
+// user the session targets and is omitted in attach mode where the
+// destination is the current console user (unknown to the daemon).
+func formatVNCSessionLine(sess VNCSessionOutput) string {
+	who := sess.Initiator
+	if who == "" {
+		who = sess.UserID
+	}
+	prefix := sess.RemoteAddress
+	if who != "" {
+		prefix = fmt.Sprintf("%s@%s", who, sess.RemoteAddress)
+	}
+	if sess.Username != "" {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("[%s -> %s] mode=%s", prefix, sess.Username, sess.Mode)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("[%s] mode=%s", prefix, sess.Mode)
+}
+
 func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	for i, peer := range overview.Peers.Details {
 		peer := peer
@@ -1012,7 +1085,6 @@ func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	overview.SignalState.URL = a.AnonymizeURI(overview.SignalState.URL)
 	overview.SignalState.Error = a.AnonymizeString(overview.SignalState.Error)
 
-	overview.PubKey = a.AnonymizeWGKey(overview.PubKey)
 	overview.IP = a.AnonymizeIPString(overview.IP)
 	overview.IPv6 = a.AnonymizeIPString(overview.IPv6)
 	for i, detail := range overview.Relays.Details {
@@ -1021,6 +1093,19 @@ func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 		overview.Relays.Details[i] = detail
 	}
 
+	anonymizeNSServerGroups(a, overview)
+
+	for i, route := range overview.Networks {
+		overview.Networks[i] = a.AnonymizeRoute(route)
+	}
+
+	overview.FQDN = a.AnonymizeDomain(overview.FQDN)
+
+	anonymizeEvents(a, overview)
+	anonymizeServerSessions(a, overview)
+}
+
+func anonymizeNSServerGroups(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	for i, nsGroup := range overview.NSServerGroups {
 		for j, domain := range nsGroup.Domains {
 			overview.NSServerGroups[i].Domains[j] = a.AnonymizeDomain(domain)
@@ -1032,13 +1117,9 @@ func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+}
 
-	for i, route := range overview.Networks {
-		overview.Networks[i] = a.AnonymizeRoute(route)
-	}
-
-	overview.FQDN = a.AnonymizeDomain(overview.FQDN)
-
+func anonymizeEvents(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	for i, event := range overview.Events {
 		overview.Events[i].Message = a.AnonymizeString(event.Message)
 		overview.Events[i].UserMessage = a.AnonymizeString(event.UserMessage)
@@ -1047,15 +1128,26 @@ func anonymizeOverview(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 			event.Metadata[k] = a.AnonymizeString(v)
 		}
 	}
+}
 
+func anonymizeRemoteAddress(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, addr string) string {
+	if host, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(addr); err == nil {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", a.AnonymizeIPString(host), port)
+	}
+	return a.AnonymizeIPString(addr)
+}
+
+func anonymizeServerSessions(a *anonymize.Anonymizer, overview *OutputOverview) {
 	for i, session := range overview.SSHServerState.Sessions {
-		if host, port, err := net.SplitHostPort(session.RemoteAddress); err == nil {
-			overview.SSHServerState.Sessions[i].RemoteAddress = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", a.AnonymizeIPString(host), port)
-		} else {
-			overview.SSHServerState.Sessions[i].RemoteAddress = a.AnonymizeIPString(session.RemoteAddress)
-		}
+		overview.SSHServerState.Sessions[i].RemoteAddress = anonymizeRemoteAddress(a, session.RemoteAddress)
 		overview.SSHServerState.Sessions[i].Command = a.AnonymizeString(session.Command)
 	}
+	for i, sess := range overview.VNCServerState.Sessions {
+		overview.VNCServerState.Sessions[i].RemoteAddress = anonymizeRemoteAddress(a, sess.RemoteAddress)
+		overview.VNCServerState.Sessions[i].Username = a.AnonymizeString(sess.Username)
+		overview.VNCServerState.Sessions[i].UserID = a.AnonymizeString(sess.UserID)
+		overview.VNCServerState.Sessions[i].Initiator = a.AnonymizeString(sess.Initiator)
+	}
 }
 
 // FormatRemainingDuration renders a time.Duration for the "Session expires"

client/status/status_test.go

@@ -242,6 +242,10 @@ var overview = OutputOverview{
 		Enabled:  false,
 		Sessions: []SSHSessionOutput{},
 	},
+	VNCServerState: VNCServerStateOutput{
+		Enabled:  false,
+		Sessions: []VNCSessionOutput{},
+	},
 }
 
 func TestConversionFromFullStatusToOutputOverview(t *testing.T) {
@@ -407,6 +411,10 @@ func TestParsingToJSON(t *testing.T) {
 		  "sshServer":{
 		    "enabled":false,
 			"sessions":[]
+		  },
+		  "vncServer":{
+		    "enabled":false,
+			"sessions":[]
 		  }
         }`
 	// @formatter:on
@@ -517,6 +525,9 @@ profileName: ""
 sshServer:
     enabled: false
     sessions: []
+vncServer:
+    enabled: false
+    sessions: []
 `
 
 	assert.Equal(t, expectedYAML, yaml)
@@ -587,6 +598,7 @@ Wireguard port: %d
 Quantum resistance: false
 Lazy connection: false
 SSH Server: Disabled
+VNC Server: Disabled
 Networks: 10.10.0.0/24
 Peers count: 2/2 Connected
 `, lastConnectionUpdate1, lastHandshake1, lastConnectionUpdate2, lastHandshake2, runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH, overview.CliVersion, overview.WgPort)
@@ -613,6 +625,7 @@ Wireguard port: 51820
 Quantum resistance: false
 Lazy connection: false
 SSH Server: Disabled
+VNC Server: Disabled
 Networks: 10.10.0.0/24
 Peers count: 2/2 Connected
 `

client/system/info.go

@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ type Info struct {
 	RosenpassEnabled    bool
 	RosenpassPermissive bool
 	ServerSSHAllowed    bool
+	ServerVNCAllowed    bool
 
 	DisableClientRoutes bool
 	DisableServerRoutes bool
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ type Info struct {
 func (i *Info) SetFlags(
 	rosenpassEnabled, rosenpassPermissive bool,
 	serverSSHAllowed *bool,
+	serverVNCAllowed *bool,
 	disableClientRoutes, disableServerRoutes,
 	disableDNS, disableFirewall, blockLANAccess, blockInbound, disableIPv6 bool, syncMessageVersion *int,
 	enableSSHRoot, enableSSHSFTP, enableSSHLocalPortForwarding, enableSSHRemotePortForwarding *bool,
@@ -96,6 +98,9 @@ func (i *Info) SetFlags(
 	if serverSSHAllowed != nil {
 		i.ServerSSHAllowed = *serverSSHAllowed
 	}
+	if serverVNCAllowed != nil {
+		i.ServerVNCAllowed = *serverVNCAllowed
+	}
 
 	i.DisableClientRoutes = disableClientRoutes
 	i.DisableServerRoutes = disableServerRoutes

client/ui/frontend/src/app.tsx

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import ReactDOM from "react-dom/client";
 import "./globals.css";
 import { HashRouter, Navigate, Route, Routes } from "react-router-dom";
 import SessionExpirationDialog from "@/modules/session/SessionExpirationDialog.tsx";
+import ApprovalDialog from "@/modules/approval/ApprovalDialog.tsx";
 import UpdateInProgressDialog from "@/modules/auto-update/UpdateInProgressDialog.tsx";
 import WelcomeDialog from "@/modules/welcome/WelcomeDialog.tsx";
 import ErrorDialog from "@/modules/error/ErrorDialog.tsx";
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ Promise.all([
                                 path={"session-expiration"}
                                 element={<SessionExpirationDialog />}
                             />
+                            <Route path={"approval"} element={<ApprovalDialog />} />
                             <Route path={"welcome"} element={<WelcomeDialog />} />
                             <Route path={"error"} element={<ErrorDialog />} />
                         </Route>

client/ui/frontend/src/contexts/DebugBundleContext.tsx

@@ -71,12 +71,10 @@ type BundleOptions = {
     hasWindow: boolean;
     totalSec: number;
     uploadUrl: string;
-    anonymizeLevel: AnonymizeLevel;
+    anonymize: boolean;
     systemInfo: boolean;
 };
 
-export type AnonymizeLevel = "none" | "default" | "strict";
-
 const startCaptureBestEffort = async (totalSec: number, pcap: CaptureState) => {
     try {
         // Mirror the CLI's safety margin: window + 30s, server caps at 10m.
@@ -189,10 +187,7 @@ const runBundleFlow = async (
 
     if (opts.uploadUrl) setStage({ kind: "uploading" });
     const result = await DebugSvc.Bundle({
-        anonymize: opts.anonymizeLevel !== "none",
-        // The daemon only knows "default" and "strict"; "none" is expressed
-        // through the anonymize flag being off.
-        anonymizeLevel: opts.anonymizeLevel === "strict" ? "strict" : "default",
+        anonymize: opts.anonymize,
         systemInfo: opts.systemInfo,
         uploadUrl: opts.uploadUrl,
         logFileCount,
@@ -203,7 +198,7 @@ const runBundleFlow = async (
 };
 
 const useDebugBundle = () => {
-    const [anonymizeLevel, setAnonymizeLevel] = useState<AnonymizeLevel>("none");
+    const [anonymize, setAnonymize] = useState(false);
     const [systemInfo, setSystemInfo] = useState(true);
     const [upload, setUpload] = useState(true);
     const [trace, setTrace] = useState(true);
@@ -245,7 +240,7 @@ const useDebugBundle = () => {
             hasWindow: capture && totalSec > 0,
             totalSec,
             uploadUrl: upload ? NETBIRD_UPLOAD_URL : "",
-            anonymizeLevel,
+            anonymize,
             systemInfo,
         };
 
@@ -277,8 +272,8 @@ const useDebugBundle = () => {
     };
 
     return {
-        anonymizeLevel,
-        setAnonymizeLevel,
+        anonymize,
+        setAnonymize,
         systemInfo,
         setSystemInfo,
         upload,

client/ui/frontend/src/hooks/useKeepConnectedOnQuit.ts

@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useState } from "react";
-import { Preferences } from "@bindings/services";
-
-export const useKeepConnectedOnQuit = () => {
-    const [keepConnected, setKeepConnected] = useState<boolean | null>(null);
-
-    useEffect(() => {
-        let cancelled = false;
-        Preferences.Get()
-            .then((prefs) => {
-                if (cancelled) return;
-                setKeepConnected(prefs?.keepConnectedOnQuit ?? false);
-            })
-            .catch((err: unknown) => {
-                if (cancelled) return;
-                console.warn("[useKeepConnectedOnQuit] load preferences failed", err);
-                setKeepConnected(false);
-            });
-        return () => {
-            cancelled = true;
-        };
-    }, []);
-
-    const setKeepConnectedOnQuit = useCallback(async (keep: boolean) => {
-        setKeepConnected(keep);
-        try {
-            await Preferences.SetKeepConnectedOnQuit(keep);
-        } catch (err: unknown) {
-            setKeepConnected(!keep);
-            console.error("[useKeepConnectedOnQuit] SetKeepConnectedOnQuit failed", err);
-        }
-    }, []);
-
-    return { keepConnected, setKeepConnectedOnQuit };
-};

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/approval/ApprovalDialog.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
+import { useSearchParams } from "react-router-dom";
+import { MonitorIcon } from "lucide-react";
+import { Button } from "@/components/buttons/Button";
+import { ConfirmDialog } from "@/components/dialog/ConfirmDialog";
+import { DialogActions } from "@/components/dialog/DialogActions";
+import { DialogHeading } from "@/components/dialog/DialogHeading";
+import { SquareIcon } from "@/components/SquareIcon";
+import { Approval, WindowManager } from "@bindings/services";
+import { useAutoSizeWindow } from "@/hooks/useAutoSizeWindow";
+
+const WINDOW_WIDTH = 360;
+// Fallback window so a missing/unparseable expires_at can't leave the prompt open forever.
+const FALLBACK_SECONDS = 13;
+
+// shortFingerprint groups a hex key as XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX (16 chars). Mirrors the
+// daemon's approval.ShortKeyFingerprint so the value matches an out-of-band reference.
+function shortFingerprint(hexKey: string): string {
+    if (hexKey.length < 8) return "";
+    const src = hexKey.slice(0, 16);
+    return src.match(/.{1,4}/g)?.join("-") ?? src;
+}
+
+type Row = { label: string; value: string; mono?: boolean };
+
+export default function ApprovalDialog() {
+    const { t } = useTranslation();
+    const contentRef = useAutoSizeWindow<HTMLDivElement>(WINDOW_WIDTH);
+    const [params] = useSearchParams();
+    const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
+
+    const requestID = params.get("request_id") ?? "";
+    const kind = params.get("kind") ?? "";
+    const initiator = params.get("initiator") ?? "";
+    const peerName = params.get("peer_name") ?? "";
+    const sourceIP = params.get("source_ip") ?? "";
+    const username = params.get("username") ?? "";
+    const peerPubKey = params.get("peer_pubkey") ?? "";
+    const expiresAt = params.get("expires_at") ?? "";
+
+    const deadline = useMemo(() => {
+        const parsed = Date.parse(expiresAt);
+        return Number.isFinite(parsed) ? parsed : Date.now() + FALLBACK_SECONDS * 1000;
+    }, [expiresAt]);
+
+    const title = useMemo(() => {
+        switch (kind) {
+            case "vnc":
+                return t("approval.title.vnc");
+            case "ssh":
+                return t("approval.title.ssh");
+            default:
+                return t("approval.title.default");
+        }
+    }, [kind, t]);
+
+    const rows = useMemo<Row[]>(() => {
+        const out: Row[] = [];
+        // The display name is dashboard-supplied and not cryptographically
+        // asserted; the key fingerprint below IS, so show both.
+        if (initiator) out.push({ label: t("approval.field.user"), value: initiator });
+        const fp = shortFingerprint(peerPubKey);
+        if (fp) out.push({ label: t("approval.field.keyFingerprint"), value: fp, mono: true });
+        if (peerName) out.push({ label: t("approval.field.peer"), value: peerName });
+        if (sourceIP && sourceIP !== peerName)
+            out.push({ label: t("approval.field.sourceIp"), value: sourceIP, mono: true });
+        if (username) out.push({ label: t("approval.field.osUser"), value: username });
+        return out;
+    }, [initiator, peerPubKey, peerName, sourceIP, username, t]);
+
+    const respond = useCallback(
+        async (accept: boolean, viewOnly: boolean) => {
+            if (busy) return;
+            setBusy(true);
+            try {
+                if (requestID) {
+                    await Approval.Respond(requestID, accept, viewOnly);
+                }
+            } catch (e) {
+                console.error("respond approval failed", e);
+            } finally {
+                WindowManager.CloseApproval().catch(console.error);
+            }
+        },
+        [busy, requestID],
+    );
+
+    const secondsLeft = () => Math.max(0, Math.ceil((deadline - Date.now()) / 1000));
+    const [remaining, setRemaining] = useState(secondsLeft);
+    const closedRef = useRef(false);
+    useEffect(() => {
+        const id = globalThis.setInterval(() => {
+            const left = secondsLeft();
+            setRemaining(left);
+            // On the deadline the daemon auto-denies; just close the prompt.
+            if (left <= 0 && !closedRef.current) {
+                closedRef.current = true;
+                WindowManager.CloseApproval().catch(console.error);
+            }
+        }, 1000);
+        return () => globalThis.clearInterval(id);
+        // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+    }, [deadline]);
+
+    const showViewOnly = kind === "vnc";
+
+    return (
+        <ConfirmDialog ref={contentRef} aria-labelledby={"nb-approval-title"}>
+            <SquareIcon icon={MonitorIcon} />
+
+            <DialogHeading id={"nb-approval-title"}>{title}</DialogHeading>
+
+            {rows.length > 0 && (
+                <dl className={"w-full space-y-1 text-left text-sm"}>
+                    {rows.map((row) => (
+                        <div key={row.label} className={"flex justify-between gap-4"}>
+                            <dt className={"shrink-0 text-nb-gray-400"}>{row.label}</dt>
+                            <dd
+                                className={`min-w-0 truncate text-nb-gray-100 ${
+                                    row.mono ? "font-mono" : ""
+                                }`}
+                                title={row.value}
+                            >
+                                {row.value}
+                            </dd>
+                        </div>
+                    ))}
+                </dl>
+            )}
+
+            <div className={"text-sm tabular-nums text-nb-gray-400"} aria-live={"polite"}>
+                {t("approval.countdown", { seconds: remaining })}
+            </div>
+
+            <DialogActions>
+                <Button
+                    autoFocus
+                    variant={"primary"}
+                    size={"md"}
+                    className={"w-full"}
+                    onClick={() => respond(true, false)}
+                    disabled={busy}
+                >
+                    {t("approval.action.allow")}
+                </Button>
+                {showViewOnly && (
+                    <Button
+                        variant={"secondary"}
+                        size={"md"}
+                        className={"w-full"}
+                        onClick={() => respond(true, true)}
+                        disabled={busy}
+                    >
+                        {t("approval.action.allowViewOnly")}
+                    </Button>
+                )}
+                <Button
+                    variant={"danger"}
+                    size={"md"}
+                    className={"w-full"}
+                    onClick={() => respond(false, false)}
+                    disabled={busy}
+                >
+                    {t("approval.action.deny")}
+                </Button>
+            </DialogActions>
+        </ConfirmDialog>
+    );
+}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/main/ActiveSessionIndicator.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
+import { CircleAlert } from "lucide-react";
+import { Tooltip } from "@/components/Tooltip";
+import { useStatus } from "@/contexts/StatusContext.tsx";
+import { cn } from "@/lib/cn.ts";
+import { type ReactNode } from "react";
+
+// ActiveSessionIndicator marks that someone is attached to this machine over
+// VNC right now, and warns that disconnecting ends that session — which may be
+// the session the person reading it is using.
+//
+// An alert glyph rather than an info one: this is not neutral context, it is a
+// state that changes what the disconnect button does to you.
+//
+// Only a warning, never a block. Input injected by the VNC agent is
+// indistinguishable from local input, so we cannot tell whether this UI is being
+// driven remotely, and the owner may want to disconnect on purpose either way.
+//
+// Renders nothing when no session is attached.
+export function ActiveSessionIndicator({ className }: { className?: string }): ReactNode {
+    const { t } = useTranslation();
+    const { status } = useStatus();
+    const sessions = status?.vncSessions ?? [];
+    if (sessions.length === 0) return null;
+
+    // The initiator is the dashboard user who started the session, which is more
+    // use than a source address. Absent when the session carries no identity.
+    const who = sessions
+        .map((s) => s.initiator)
+        .filter((name): name is string => !!name)
+        .join(", ");
+
+    const message = who
+        ? t("connect.activeSession.tooltipNamed", { sessionCount: sessions.length, who })
+        : t("connect.activeSession.tooltip", { sessionCount: sessions.length });
+
+    return (
+        <Tooltip content={<span className={"block max-w-64"}>{message}</span>}>
+            <span
+                role={"status"}
+                aria-label={message}
+                className={cn(
+                    "inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-full border border-yellow-700/50 bg-yellow-900/20 px-2 py-0.5 text-yellow-300",
+                    className,
+                )}
+            >
+                <CircleAlert size={12} aria-hidden={true} />
+                <span className={"text-[0.7rem] leading-none"}>
+                    {t("connect.activeSession.badge")}
+                </span>
+            </span>
+        </Tooltip>
+    );
+}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/main/MainConnectionStatusSwitch.tsx

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { useFocusVisible } from "@/hooks/useFocusVisible";
 import { Check as CheckIcon, ChevronDownIcon, Copy as CopyIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import * as Popover from "@radix-ui/react-popover";
 import netbirdFullLogo from "@/assets/logos/netbird-full.svg";
+import { ActiveSessionIndicator } from "@/modules/main/ActiveSessionIndicator.tsx";
 
 enum ConnectionState {
     Disconnected = "disconnected",
@@ -272,6 +273,9 @@ export const MainConnectionStatusSwitch = () => {
                     />
                 </CopyToClipboard>
                 <LocalIpLine ip={ip} ipv6={ipv6} show={show} />
+                {connState === ConnectionState.Connected && (
+                    <ActiveSessionIndicator className={"mt-3"} />
+                )}
             </div>
         </div>
     );

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/PrivilegeGuard.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
+import { CopyToClipboard } from "@/components/CopyToClipboard";
+import { usePrivilege } from "@/hooks/usePrivilege.ts";
+import { Privilege } from "@bindings/services/models.js";
+import { type ReactNode } from "react";
+
+export type GuardedControl = {
+    disabled: boolean;
+    hint: ReactNode;
+};
+
+// useGuardedControl returns a guard for the settings controls the daemon
+// restricts to root/administrator: enabling a remote-access server, or removing
+// one of its safeguards.
+//
+// The daemon restricts only the direction that hands out access from a process
+// running as root. So for an unprivileged user a guarded control is either
+// unavailable (it is off and only they could turn it on) or a one-way switch (it
+// is on, they may turn it off, but not back on) — say which, either way.
+//
+// A null privilege means we could not determine it: leave the control alone
+// rather than greying it out with nothing to explain why. The daemon enforces
+// this regardless, and a rejected save reports its own guidance.
+export const useGuardedControl = () => {
+    const privilege = usePrivilege();
+
+    return (
+        guardedDirectionActive: boolean,
+        command: (p: Privilege) => string,
+        // inverted marks a control whose guarded direction is switching it off,
+        // so the one-way warning has to read the other way round.
+        inverted = false,
+    ): GuardedControl => {
+        if (!privilege || privilege.privileged) {
+            return { disabled: false, hint: undefined };
+        }
+        const hint = (
+            <PrivilegeHint
+                actor={privilege.actor}
+                command={command(privilege)}
+                oneWay={guardedDirectionActive}
+                inverted={inverted}
+            />
+        );
+        return { disabled: !guardedDirectionActive, hint };
+    };
+};
+
+// PrivilegeHint explains what an unprivileged user can and cannot do with a
+// guarded control, and offers the command that does it with the privileges the
+// daemon requires. oneWay covers the control being in the guarded state already:
+// switching it back is the part that needs privileges.
+export function PrivilegeHint({
+    actor,
+    command,
+    oneWay,
+    inverted,
+}: {
+    actor: string;
+    command: string;
+    oneWay: boolean;
+    inverted: boolean;
+}): ReactNode {
+    const { t } = useTranslation();
+    if (!command) return null;
+    return (
+        <div
+            className={
+                "-mt-2 flex flex-col gap-1 rounded-md bg-nb-gray-930 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-nb-gray-300"
+            }
+        >
+            <span>
+                {!oneWay
+                    ? t("settings.privilege.hint", { actor })
+                    : inverted
+                      ? t("settings.privilege.oneWayInverted", { actor })
+                      : t("settings.privilege.oneWay", { actor })}
+            </span>
+            <CopyToClipboard message={command} alwaysShowIcon wrap variant={"bright"}>
+                <code className={"select-text break-all font-mono text-xs text-nb-gray-200"}>
+                    {command}
+                </code>
+            </CopyToClipboard>
+        </div>
+    );
+}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsGeneral.tsx

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import { ManagementServerSwitch } from "@/components/ManagementServerSwitch.tsx"
 import { ManagementMode, useManagementUrl } from "@/hooks/useManagementUrl.ts";
 import { LanguagePicker } from "@/components/LanguagePicker.tsx";
 import { useRestrictions } from "@/contexts/RestrictionsContext.tsx";
-import { useKeepConnectedOnQuit } from "@/hooks/useKeepConnectedOnQuit.ts";
 
 export function SettingsGeneral() {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
@@ -20,7 +19,6 @@ export function SettingsGeneral() {
     const { mode, setMode, setUrl, displayUrl, showError, canSave, save, checking, unreachable } =
         useManagementUrl();
     const { mdm, features } = useRestrictions();
-    const { keepConnected, setKeepConnectedOnQuit } = useKeepConnectedOnQuit();
 
     const inputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement>(null);
     const managementUrlId = useId();
@@ -59,15 +57,6 @@ export function SettingsGeneral() {
                         helpText={t("settings.general.autostart.help")}
                     />
                 )}
-                <FancyToggleSwitch
-                    value={keepConnected ?? false}
-                    onChange={(v) => {
-                        void setKeepConnectedOnQuit(v);
-                    }}
-                    loading={keepConnected === null}
-                    label={t("settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label")}
-                    helpText={t("settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help")}
-                />
             </SectionGroup>
 
             {!mdm.managementURL && !features.disableUpdateSettings && (

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsNavigation.tsx

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
     BoltIcon,
     InfoIcon,
     LifeBuoyIcon,
+    MonitorIcon,
     NetworkIcon,
     ShieldIcon,
     SlidersHorizontalIcon,
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ export const SettingsNavigation = () => {
     const { updateAvailable } = useClientVersion();
     const { mdm, features } = useRestrictions();
     const showSsh = mdm.allowServerSSH ?? !features.disableUpdateSettings;
+    const showVnc = mdm.allowServerVNC ?? !features.disableUpdateSettings;
 
     const aboutAdornment = updateAvailable ? (
         <Tooltip content={t("settings.tabs.updateAvailable")} side={"right"}>
@@ -63,6 +65,13 @@ export const SettingsNavigation = () => {
                         title={t("settings.tabs.ssh")}
                     />
                 )}
+                {showVnc && (
+                    <VerticalTabs.Trigger
+                        value={"vnc"}
+                        icon={MonitorIcon}
+                        title={t("settings.tabs.vnc")}
+                    />
+                )}
                 {!features.disableUpdateSettings && (
                     <VerticalTabs.Trigger
                         value={"advanced"}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsPage.tsx

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { SettingsNetwork } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsNetwork.tsx";
 import { SettingsSecurity } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSecurity.tsx";
 import { ProfilesTab } from "@/modules/profiles/ProfilesTab.tsx";
 import { SettingsSSH } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSSH.tsx";
+import { SettingsVNC } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsVNC.tsx";
 import { SettingsAdvanced } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsAdvanced.tsx";
 import { SettingsTroubleshooting } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsTroubleshooting.tsx";
 import { SettingsAbout } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsAbout.tsx";
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ const enum Tab {
     Security = "security",
     Profiles = "profiles",
     SSH = "ssh",
+    VNC = "vnc",
     Advanced = "advanced",
     Troubleshooting = "troubleshooting",
     About = "about",
@@ -37,6 +39,7 @@ const TAB_CONTENT: Record<Tab, ReactNode> = {
     [Tab.Security]: <SettingsSecurity />,
     [Tab.Profiles]: <ProfilesTab />,
     [Tab.SSH]: <SettingsSSH />,
+    [Tab.VNC]: <SettingsVNC />,
     [Tab.Advanced]: <SettingsAdvanced />,
     [Tab.Troubleshooting]: <SettingsTroubleshooting />,
     [Tab.About]: <SettingsAbout />,
@@ -55,12 +58,18 @@ export const SettingsPage = () => {
             [Tab.Security]: editable,
             [Tab.Profiles]: !features.disableProfiles,
             [Tab.SSH]: mdm.allowServerSSH ?? editable,
+            [Tab.VNC]: mdm.allowServerVNC ?? editable,
             [Tab.Advanced]: editable,
             [Tab.Troubleshooting]: true,
             [Tab.About]: true,
         };
         return (Object.keys(visibility) as Tab[]).filter((t) => visibility[t]);
-    }, [features.disableUpdateSettings, features.disableProfiles, mdm.allowServerSSH]);
+    }, [
+        features.disableUpdateSettings,
+        features.disableProfiles,
+        mdm.allowServerSSH,
+        mdm.allowServerVNC,
+    ]);
 
     const defaultTab = visibleTabs[0];
     const [active, setActive] = useState<string>(() => navState?.tab ?? defaultTab);

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsSSH.tsx

@@ -1,51 +1,19 @@
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
-import { CopyToClipboard } from "@/components/CopyToClipboard";
 import FancyToggleSwitch from "@/components/switches/FancyToggleSwitch";
 import { HelpText } from "@/components/typography/HelpText";
 import { Input } from "@/components/inputs/Input";
 import { Label } from "@/components/typography/Label";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/cn";
 import { SectionGroup } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSection.tsx";
+import { useGuardedControl } from "@/modules/settings/PrivilegeGuard.tsx";
 import { useSettings } from "@/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx";
-import { usePrivilege } from "@/hooks/usePrivilege.ts";
-import { Privilege } from "@bindings/services/models.js";
-import { type ChangeEvent, type ReactNode, useEffect, useId, useState } from "react";
+import { type ChangeEvent, useEffect, useId, useState } from "react";
 
 export function SettingsSSH() {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
     const { config, setField } = useSettings();
-    const privilege = usePrivilege();
+    const guarded = useGuardedControl();
     const isSSHServerEnabled = config.serverSshAllowed;
-
-    // The daemon restricts only the direction that hands out shells from a process
-    // running as root. So for an unprivileged user a guarded control is either
-    // unavailable (it is off and only they could turn it on) or a one-way switch
-    // (it is on, they may turn it off, but not back on) — say which, either way.
-    //
-    // A null privilege means we could not determine it: leave the control alone
-    // rather than greying it out with nothing to explain why. The daemon enforces
-    // this regardless, and a rejected save reports its own guidance.
-    const guarded = (
-        guardedDirectionActive: boolean,
-        command: (p: Privilege) => string,
-        // inverted marks a control whose guarded direction is switching it off, so
-        // the one-way warning has to read the other way round.
-        inverted = false,
-    ) => {
-        if (!privilege || privilege.privileged) {
-            return { disabled: false, hint: undefined };
-        }
-        const hint = (
-            <PrivilegeHint
-                actor={privilege.actor}
-                command={command(privilege)}
-                oneWay={guardedDirectionActive}
-                inverted={inverted}
-            />
-        );
-        return { disabled: !guardedDirectionActive, hint };
-    };
-
     const sshServer = guarded(config.serverSshAllowed, (p) => p.allowSshServer);
     const sshRoot = guarded(config.enableSshRoot, (p) => p.enableSshRoot);
     // Inverted control: the guarded direction is switching authentication off, so
@@ -162,42 +130,3 @@ export function SettingsSSH() {
         </>
     );
 }
-
-// PrivilegeHint explains what an unprivileged user can and cannot do with a
-// guarded control, and offers the command that does it with the privileges the
-// daemon requires. oneWay covers the control being in the guarded state already:
-// switching it back is the part that needs privileges.
-function PrivilegeHint({
-    actor,
-    command,
-    oneWay,
-    inverted,
-}: {
-    actor: string;
-    command: string;
-    oneWay: boolean;
-    inverted: boolean;
-}): ReactNode {
-    const { t } = useTranslation();
-    if (!command) return null;
-    return (
-        <div
-            className={
-                "-mt-2 flex flex-col gap-1 rounded-md bg-nb-gray-930 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-nb-gray-300"
-            }
-        >
-            <span>
-                {!oneWay
-                    ? t("settings.ssh.privilege.hint", { actor })
-                    : inverted
-                      ? t("settings.ssh.privilege.oneWayInverted", { actor })
-                      : t("settings.ssh.privilege.oneWay", { actor })}
-            </span>
-            <CopyToClipboard message={command} alwaysShowIcon wrap variant={"bright"}>
-                <code className={"select-text break-all font-mono text-xs text-nb-gray-200"}>
-                    {command}
-                </code>
-            </CopyToClipboard>
-        </div>
-    );
-}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsTroubleshooting.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { useId, type ReactNode } from "react";
 import { Trans, useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
-import { ChevronDown, CircleCheckBig, FolderOpen, Info, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
+import { CircleCheckBig, FolderOpen, Loader2 } from "lucide-react";
 import { Browser } from "@wailsio/runtime";
 import { Debug as DebugSvc } from "@bindings/services";
 import type { DebugBundleResult } from "@bindings/services/models.js";
@@ -8,22 +8,13 @@ import { Button } from "@/components/buttons/Button";
 import { DialogActions } from "@/components/dialog/DialogActions";
 import { DialogDescription } from "@/components/dialog/DialogDescription";
 import { DialogHeading } from "@/components/dialog/DialogHeading";
-import {
-    DropdownMenu,
-    DropdownMenuContent,
-    DropdownMenuRadioGroup,
-    DropdownMenuRadioItem,
-    DropdownMenuTrigger,
-} from "@/components/DropdownMenu";
 import FancyToggleSwitch from "@/components/switches/FancyToggleSwitch";
 import HelpText from "@/components/typography/HelpText.tsx";
 import { Input } from "@/components/inputs/Input";
 import { Label } from "@/components/typography/Label";
 import { SquareIcon } from "@/components/SquareIcon";
-import { Tooltip } from "@/components/Tooltip";
-import { cn } from "@/lib/cn";
 import { formatRemaining } from "@/lib/formatters";
-import type { AnonymizeLevel, DebugStage } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
+import type { DebugStage } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
 import { useDebugBundleContext } from "@/contexts/DebugBundleContext";
 import { SectionGroup, SettingsBottomBar } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSection.tsx";
 
@@ -33,8 +24,8 @@ export function SettingsTroubleshooting() {
     const { t } = useTranslation();
     const durationId = useId();
     const {
-        anonymizeLevel,
-        setAnonymizeLevel,
+        anonymize,
+        setAnonymize,
         systemInfo,
         setSystemInfo,
         upload,
@@ -64,71 +55,12 @@ export function SettingsTroubleshooting() {
 
     return (
         <SectionGroup title={t("settings.troubleshooting.section.title")}>
-            <div className={"flex items-center justify-between gap-6"}>
-                <div className={"max-w-md flex-1"}>
-                    <Label as={"div"}>
-                        <span className={"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5"}>
-                            {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
-                            <Tooltip
-                                content={
-                                    <div className={"max-w-xs whitespace-normal leading-relaxed"}>
-                                        {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.info")}
-                                    </div>
-                                }
-                            >
-                                <Info
-                                    size={14}
-                                    aria-label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
-                                    className={"shrink-0 cursor-default text-nb-gray-400"}
-                                />
-                            </Tooltip>
-                        </span>
-                    </Label>
-                    <HelpText margin={false}>
-                        {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help")}
-                    </HelpText>
-                </div>
-                <div className={"shrink-0"}>
-                    <DropdownMenu>
-                        <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
-                            <button
-                                type={"button"}
-                                aria-label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
-                                className={cn(
-                                    "inline-flex h-[40px] min-w-[160px] items-center justify-between gap-2 px-3",
-                                    "rounded-md border bg-white dark:bg-nb-gray-900",
-                                    "border-neutral-200 dark:border-nb-gray-700",
-                                    "cursor-default text-xs font-semibold text-nb-gray-100 outline-none",
-                                    "hover:border-nb-gray-600 data-[state=open]:border-nb-gray-600",
-                                )}
-                            >
-                                {t(`settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.${anonymizeLevel}`)}
-                                <ChevronDown
-                                    size={16}
-                                    aria-hidden={"true"}
-                                    className={"shrink-0 text-nb-gray-200"}
-                                />
-                            </button>
-                        </DropdownMenuTrigger>
-                        <DropdownMenuContent align={"end"} className={"min-w-[160px]"}>
-                            <DropdownMenuRadioGroup
-                                value={anonymizeLevel}
-                                onValueChange={(v) => setAnonymizeLevel(v as AnonymizeLevel)}
-                            >
-                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"none"}>
-                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.none")}
-                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
-                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"default"}>
-                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.default")}
-                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
-                                <DropdownMenuRadioItem value={"strict"}>
-                                    {t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.strict")}
-                                </DropdownMenuRadioItem>
-                            </DropdownMenuRadioGroup>
-                        </DropdownMenuContent>
-                    </DropdownMenu>
-                </div>
-            </div>
+            <FancyToggleSwitch
+                value={anonymize}
+                onChange={setAnonymize}
+                label={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label")}
+                helpText={t("settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help")}
+            />
             <FancyToggleSwitch
                 value={systemInfo}
                 onChange={setSystemInfo}

client/ui/frontend/src/modules/settings/SettingsVNC.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
+import FancyToggleSwitch from "@/components/switches/FancyToggleSwitch";
+import { SectionGroup } from "@/modules/settings/SettingsSection.tsx";
+import { useGuardedControl } from "@/modules/settings/PrivilegeGuard.tsx";
+import { useSettings } from "@/contexts/SettingsContext.tsx";
+import { useRestrictions } from "@/contexts/RestrictionsContext.tsx";
+
+export function SettingsVNC() {
+    const { t } = useTranslation();
+    const { config, setField } = useSettings();
+    const { mdm } = useRestrictions();
+    const guarded = useGuardedControl();
+    const isVNCServerEnabled = config.serverVncAllowed;
+    const vncServerManaged = mdm.allowServerVNC != null;
+
+    const vncServer = guarded(config.serverVncAllowed, (p) => p.allowVncServer);
+    // Inverted control: the guarded direction is switching the approval prompt
+    // off, so the already-disabled state is the one-way one.
+    const vncApproval = guarded(config.disableVncApproval, (p) => p.disableVncApproval, true);
+
+    return (
+        <>
+            <SectionGroup title={t("settings.vnc.section.server")}>
+                <FancyToggleSwitch
+                    value={config.serverVncAllowed}
+                    onChange={(v) => setField("serverVncAllowed", v)}
+                    label={t("settings.vnc.server.label")}
+                    helpText={t("settings.vnc.server.help")}
+                    disabled={vncServerManaged || vncServer.disabled}
+                />
+                {!vncServerManaged && vncServer.hint}
+            </SectionGroup>
+
+            {!mdm.disableVNCApproval && (
+                <SectionGroup
+                    title={t("settings.vnc.section.approval")}
+                    disabled={!isVNCServerEnabled}
+                >
+                    <FancyToggleSwitch
+                        value={!config.disableVncApproval}
+                        onChange={(v) => setField("disableVncApproval", !v)}
+                        label={t("settings.vnc.approval.label")}
+                        helpText={t("settings.vnc.approval.help")}
+                        disabled={vncApproval.disabled}
+                    />
+                    {vncApproval.hint}
+                </SectionGroup>
+            )}
+        </>
+    );
+}

client/ui/i18n/locales/de/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Ändern des Autostarts fehlgeschlagen"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Nach dem Beenden verbunden bleiben",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "Die Verbindung bleibt im Hintergrund bestehen, nachdem Sie NetBird schließen. Sie endet erst, wenn Sie sie selbst trennen.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Anzeigesprache"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "Vorgang fehlgeschlagen."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Server"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Genehmigung"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "VNC-Server aktivieren"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Den NetBird-VNC-Server auf diesem Host ausführen, damit autorisierte Peers den Bildschirm ansehen oder steuern können."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Verbindungsgenehmigung erforderlich"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Auf diesem Host eine Aufforderung anzeigen, die bestätigt werden muss, bevor eine eingehende VNC-Verbindung zugelassen wird."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Verbindungsanfrage"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC-Verbindung zulassen?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "SSH-Verbindung zulassen?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Eingehende Verbindung zulassen?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "Von Benutzer"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Schlüssel-Fingerabdruck"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Über Peer"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "Quell-IP"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Betriebssystem-Benutzer"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Automatische Ablehnung in {seconds}s"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Zulassen"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Zulassen (nur ansehen)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Ablehnen"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/en/common.json

@@ -683,6 +683,10 @@
         "message": "SSH",
         "description": "Settings tab label: SSH. Acronym — keep as-is."
     },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC",
+        "description": "Settings tab label: VNC. Acronym — keep as-is."
+    },
     "settings.tabs.advanced": {
         "message": "Advanced",
         "description": "Settings tab label: Advanced. Keep short."
@@ -735,14 +739,6 @@
         "message": "Autostart Change Failed",
         "description": "Error-dialog title when changing the autostart setting fails."
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Stay Connected After Quitting",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "The connection stays up in the background after you close NetBird. It only stops when you disconnect it yourself.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Display Language",
         "description": "Label for the display-language picker."
@@ -959,6 +955,30 @@
         "message": "Second(s)",
         "description": "Unit suffix shown after the JWT TTL number field. The '(s)' marks an optional plural."
     },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Server",
+        "description": "Section heading: Server (VNC settings)."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Approval",
+        "description": "Section heading: Approval (VNC connection approval settings)."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Enable VNC Server",
+        "description": "Toggle label: enable the embedded VNC server."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Run the NetBird VNC server on this host so authorized peers can view or control its screen.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the VNC server toggle."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Require Connection Approval",
+        "description": "Toggle label: prompt for approval before each inbound VNC connection."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Show a prompt on this host that must be accepted before an incoming VNC connection is allowed.",
+        "description": "Helper text for the VNC connection-approval toggle."
+    },
     "settings.advanced.section.interface": {
         "message": "Interface",
         "description": "Section heading: Interface (network-interface settings)."
@@ -1013,27 +1033,11 @@
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.label": {
         "message": "Anonymize Sensitive Information",
-        "description": "Label for the anonymization level dropdown (None, Default, Strict)."
+        "description": "Toggle label: anonymize sensitive information in the bundle."
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.help": {
-        "message": "Hides IP addresses, domains, and other sensitive values.",
-        "description": "Helper text under the anonymization dropdown. The level details live in the info tooltip."
-    },
-    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.info": {
-        "message": "Default keeps internal IPv4 addresses and peer names readable for support. Strict additionally anonymizes private (RFC 1918), CGNAT, and link-local IP addresses, peer names, and WireGuard public keys. Recurring values map to the same placeholder, so peers stay distinguishable. Use Strict when sharing the bundle outside your organization.",
-        "description": "Info tooltip explaining the anonymization levels. 'RFC 1918', 'CGNAT', 'link-local', and 'WireGuard' are technical terms — keep them."
-    },
-    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.none": {
-        "message": "None",
-        "description": "Dropdown option: no anonymization."
-    },
-    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.default": {
-        "message": "Default",
-        "description": "Dropdown option: default anonymization level."
-    },
-    "settings.troubleshooting.anonymize.strict": {
-        "message": "Strict",
-        "description": "Dropdown option: strict anonymization level."
+        "message": "Hides public IP addresses and non-NetBird domains from logs.",
+        "description": "Helper text for anonymizing logs (hides public IPs and non-NetBird domains)."
     },
     "settings.troubleshooting.systemInfo.label": {
         "message": "Include System Information",
@@ -1387,6 +1391,58 @@
         "message": "Session Expiring",
         "description": "OS window-chrome title for the session-expiration window."
     },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Connection Request",
+        "description": "OS window-chrome title for the inbound-connection approval window."
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Allow VNC Connection?",
+        "description": "Approval dialog heading for an inbound VNC connection."
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Allow SSH Connection?",
+        "description": "Approval dialog heading for an inbound SSH connection."
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Allow Incoming Connection?",
+        "description": "Approval dialog heading for an inbound connection of unknown kind."
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "From user",
+        "description": "Approval dialog row label: the initiating user's display name."
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Key fingerprint",
+        "description": "Approval dialog row label: the connecting peer's cryptographic key fingerprint."
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Via peer",
+        "description": "Approval dialog row label: the peer the connection arrives through."
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "Source IP",
+        "description": "Approval dialog row label: the source IP address of the connection."
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "OS user",
+        "description": "Approval dialog row label: the target operating-system user."
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Auto-deny in {seconds}s",
+        "description": "Approval dialog countdown; {seconds} is the remaining whole seconds before the daemon auto-denies."
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Allow",
+        "description": "Approval dialog button: allow the connection."
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Allow (view only)",
+        "description": "Approval dialog button: allow the connection in view-only mode."
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Deny",
+        "description": "Approval dialog button: deny the connection."
+    },
     "window.title.updating": {
         "message": "Updating",
         "description": "OS window-chrome title for the update / install window."
@@ -1799,16 +1855,28 @@
         "message": "Operation failed.",
         "description": "Generic fallback error message used when no specific error applies."
     },
-    "settings.ssh.privilege.hint": {
+    "connect.activeSession.badge": {
+        "message": "Screen shared",
+        "description": "Short label on the badge shown on the main screen while somebody is attached to this machine over VNC."
+    },
+    "connect.activeSession.tooltip": {
+        "message": "This screen is being viewed over VNC ({sessionCount} session(s)). Disconnecting ends it, and if you are connected through VNC you will lose access.",
+        "description": "Tooltip on the screen-shared badge. {sessionCount} is how many VNC sessions are attached; wording covers any number since the bundle has no plural forms."
+    },
+    "connect.activeSession.tooltipNamed": {
+        "message": "This screen is being viewed over VNC by {who} ({sessionCount} session(s)). Disconnecting ends it, and if you are connected through VNC you will lose access.",
+        "description": "As connect.activeSession.tooltip, with {who} naming the dashboard users who started the sessions."
+    },
+    "settings.privilege.hint": {
         "message": "Requires {actor}. Run this instead:",
-        "description": "Help text under an SSH setting the user cannot change: it needs elevated privileges. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
+        "description": "Help text under a remote-access setting the user cannot change: it needs elevated privileges. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
     },
-    "settings.ssh.privilege.oneWay": {
+    "settings.privilege.oneWay": {
         "message": "You can switch this off, but switching it back on needs {actor}:",
-        "description": "Warning under an SSH setting an unprivileged user may disable but not re-enable. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
+        "description": "Warning under a remote-access setting an unprivileged user may disable but not re-enable. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
     },
-    "settings.ssh.privilege.oneWayInverted": {
+    "settings.privilege.oneWayInverted": {
         "message": "You can switch this on, but switching it back off needs {actor}:",
-        "description": "Warning under the SSH authentication setting, which an unprivileged user may re-enable but not disable again. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
+        "description": "Warning under a safeguard setting (SSH authentication, VNC approval) which an unprivileged user may re-enable but not disable again. {actor} is 'root' on Linux/macOS or 'administrator privileges' on Windows. Followed by a copyable command."
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/es/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Error al cambiar el inicio automático"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Permanecer conectado al salir",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "La conexión sigue activa en segundo plano después de cerrar NetBird. Solo se detiene cuando la desconectas tú.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Idioma de la interfaz"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "La operación falló."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Servidor"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Aprobación"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Habilitar el servidor VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Ejecuta el servidor VNC de NetBird en este host para que los peers autorizados puedan ver o controlar su pantalla."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Requerir aprobación de conexión"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Mostrar en este host una solicitud que debe aceptarse antes de permitir una conexión VNC entrante."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Solicitud de conexión"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "¿Permitir la conexión VNC?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "¿Permitir la conexión SSH?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "¿Permitir la conexión entrante?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "Del usuario"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Huella de la clave"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "A través del peer"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "IP de origen"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Usuario del SO"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Rechazo automático en {seconds}s"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Permitir"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Permitir (solo ver)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Denegar"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/fr/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Échec de la modification du démarrage automatique"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Rester connecté après la fermeture",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "La connexion reste active en arrière-plan après la fermeture de NetBird. Elle ne s'arrête que si vous la coupez vous-même.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Langue d’affichage"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "L’opération a échoué."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Serveur"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Approbation"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Activer le serveur VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Exécuter le serveur VNC de NetBird sur cet hôte afin que les pairs autorisés puissent voir ou contrôler son écran."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Exiger l'approbation des connexions"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Afficher sur cet hôte une invite qui doit être acceptée avant d'autoriser une connexion VNC entrante."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Demande de connexion"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Autoriser la connexion VNC ?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Autoriser la connexion SSH ?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Autoriser la connexion entrante ?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "De l'utilisateur"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Empreinte de clé"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Via le pair"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "IP source"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Utilisateur du système"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Refus automatique dans {seconds}s"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Autoriser"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Autoriser (lecture seule)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Refuser"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/hu/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Az automatikus indítás módosítása sikertelen"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Kapcsolat megtartása kilépéskor",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "A kapcsolat a háttérben megmarad, miután bezárod a NetBirdöt. Csak akkor szakad meg, ha te magad bontod.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Megjelenítési nyelv"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "A művelet meghiúsult."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Szerver"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Jóváhagyás"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "VNC szerver engedélyezése"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "A NetBird VNC szerver futtatása ezen a gépen, hogy az arra jogosult partnerek megtekinthessék vagy vezérelhessék a képernyőjét."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Kapcsolat jóváhagyásának megkövetelése"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Megerősítést kérő ablak megjelenítése ezen a gépen, amelyet el kell fogadni a bejövő VNC-kapcsolat engedélyezése előtt."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Kapcsolódási kérés"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Engedélyezi a VNC-kapcsolatot?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Engedélyezi az SSH-kapcsolatot?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Engedélyezi a bejövő kapcsolatot?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "Felhasználótól"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Kulcs ujjlenyomata"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Partneren keresztül"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "Forrás IP"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "OS-felhasználó"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Automatikus elutasítás {seconds} mp múlva"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Engedélyezés"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Engedélyezés (csak megtekintés)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Elutasítás"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/it/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Modifica avvio automatico non riuscita"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Resta connesso dopo la chiusura",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "La connessione resta attiva in background dopo la chiusura di NetBird. Si interrompe solo quando la disconnetti tu.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Lingua dell'interfaccia"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "Operazione non riuscita."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Server"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Approvazione"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Abilita server VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Esegui il server VNC di NetBird su questo host in modo che i peer autorizzati possano visualizzarne o controllarne lo schermo."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Richiedi l'approvazione della connessione"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Mostra su questo host una richiesta che deve essere accettata prima di consentire una connessione VNC in entrata."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Richiesta di connessione"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Consentire la connessione VNC?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Consentire la connessione SSH?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Consentire la connessione in entrata?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "Dall'utente"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Impronta della chiave"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Tramite peer"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "IP di origine"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Utente del sistema"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Rifiuto automatico tra {seconds}s"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Consenti"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Consenti (sola visualizzazione)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Rifiuta"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/ja/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "自動起動の変更に失敗しました"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "終了後も接続を維持",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "NetBird を閉じたあとも接続はバックグラウンドで維持されます。自分で切断したときにだけ停止します。",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "表示言語"
     },

client/ui/i18n/locales/pt/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Falha ao alterar o início automático"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Permanecer conectado ao sair",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "A conexão continua ativa em segundo plano depois de fechar o NetBird. Ela só para quando você mesmo a desconecta.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Idioma de exibição"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "A operação falhou."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Servidor"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Aprovação"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Ativar servidor VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Execute o servidor VNC do NetBird neste host para que os peers autorizados possam ver ou controlar a sua tela."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Exigir aprovação de conexão"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Mostrar neste host um aviso que precisa ser aceito antes de permitir uma conexão VNC de entrada."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Solicitação de conexão"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Permitir a conexão VNC?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Permitir a conexão SSH?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Permitir a conexão de entrada?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "Do usuário"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Impressão digital da chave"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Via peer"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "IP de origem"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Usuário do SO"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Negação automática em {seconds}s"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Permitir"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Permitir (somente visualização)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Negar"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/ru/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "Не удалось изменить автозапуск"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "Оставаться подключённым после выхода",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "Соединение остаётся активным в фоне после закрытия NetBird. Оно прервётся, только когда вы отключите его сами.",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "Язык интерфейса"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "Не удалось выполнить операцию."
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "Сервер"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "Подтверждение"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "Включить VNC-сервер"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "Запустить VNC-сервер NetBird на этом хосте, чтобы авторизованные пиры могли просматривать его экран или управлять им."
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "Требовать подтверждение подключения"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "Показывать на этом хосте запрос, который нужно принять перед разрешением входящего VNC-подключения."
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "Запрос на подключение"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "Разрешить VNC-подключение?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "Разрешить SSH-подключение?"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "Разрешить входящее подключение?"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "От пользователя"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "Отпечаток ключа"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "Через пир"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "IP-адрес источника"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "Пользователь ОС"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "Автоотклонение через {seconds} с"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "Разрешить"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "Разрешить (только просмотр)"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "Отклонить"
     }
 }

client/ui/i18n/locales/zh-CN/common.json

@@ -551,14 +551,6 @@
     "settings.general.autostart.errorTitle": {
         "message": "更改自启动设置失败"
     },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.label": {
-        "message": "退出后保持连接",
-        "description": "Toggle label: keep the VPN connection up after quitting the UI."
-    },
-    "settings.general.keepConnectedOnQuit.help": {
-        "message": "关闭 NetBird 后，连接会在后台保持。只有你自己断开时才会停止。",
-        "description": "Helper text for the stay-connected-after-quitting toggle."
-    },
     "settings.general.language.label": {
         "message": "显示语言"
     },
@@ -1338,5 +1330,65 @@
     },
     "error.unknown": {
         "message": "操作失败。"
+    },
+    "settings.tabs.vnc": {
+        "message": "VNC"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.server": {
+        "message": "服务器"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.section.approval": {
+        "message": "批准"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.label": {
+        "message": "启用 VNC 服务器"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.server.help": {
+        "message": "在此主机上运行 NetBird VNC 服务器，以便授权的对端可以查看或控制其屏幕。"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.label": {
+        "message": "要求连接批准"
+    },
+    "settings.vnc.approval.help": {
+        "message": "在此主机上显示一个提示，必须先接受该提示才能允许传入的 VNC 连接。"
+    },
+    "window.title.approval": {
+        "message": "连接请求"
+    },
+    "approval.title.vnc": {
+        "message": "允许 VNC 连接？"
+    },
+    "approval.title.ssh": {
+        "message": "允许 SSH 连接？"
+    },
+    "approval.title.default": {
+        "message": "允许传入连接？"
+    },
+    "approval.field.user": {
+        "message": "来自用户"
+    },
+    "approval.field.keyFingerprint": {
+        "message": "密钥指纹"
+    },
+    "approval.field.peer": {
+        "message": "经由对端"
+    },
+    "approval.field.sourceIp": {
+        "message": "源 IP"
+    },
+    "approval.field.osUser": {
+        "message": "操作系统用户"
+    },
+    "approval.countdown": {
+        "message": "{seconds} 秒后自动拒绝"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allow": {
+        "message": "允许"
+    },
+    "approval.action.allowViewOnly": {
+        "message": "允许（仅查看）"
+    },
+    "approval.action.deny": {
+        "message": "拒绝"
     }
 }

client/ui/main.go

@@ -180,7 +180,6 @@ func main() {
 		WindowManager:   windowManager,
 		Session:         authSession,
 		Localizer:       localizer,
-		Preferences:     prefStore,
 	})
 	listenForShowSignal(context.Background(), tray)
 
@@ -324,6 +323,7 @@ func registerServices(app *application.App, conn *Conn, s registeredServices) {
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(s.settings))
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(s.networks))
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(services.NewForwarding(conn)))
+	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(services.NewApproval(conn)))
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(s.profiles))
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(services.NewDebug(conn)))
 	app.RegisterService(application.NewService(s.update))