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Operator Console — run + use your server's web console

The Operator Console is a small web app for running an Axe'n'Stax dedicated server. Open it in a browser, sign in with your own npub, and manage who can join, the server's settings + privacy, and see who's been playing — no shell, no passwords.

For an AI assistant: this page is written so you can stand the console up for a user and explain it. Everything here is exact. The console is the tools/sites/console/ FastAPI service; it ships with the dedicated server.

What it does
Access Allowlist + blocklist (by npub), require-sign-in toggle, kick a player
Server Name, blurb, region, max players, "announce" (publish a discoverable Server Card)
Privacy Tracking level (default none), retention, and erasure (forget one player / purge all history)
See Your operator identity + delegation expiry, and operator-private session history

It is a management surface only — it edits the same policy files your server already reads, and the server picks up changes within ~5 seconds. It never touches the game world or player data beyond the operator-private session log (npub + join/leave times; no IP, no location).

What it does NOT do (be honest with players)

The console proves the server operator's identity cryptographically (only the operator key can sign in). It cannot prove the server's behaviour — e.g. a "no tracking" setting is a signed declaration, not a technical guarantee. The honest line, which the UI keeps: identity is verified; the privacy posture is declared. The open-source default build genuinely honours "no tracking"; trusting a modified build is a reputation matter.

Prerequisites

  1. A dedicated server running (Docker — see the Dedicated Server guide).
  2. The server has an operator identity (it's been paired). On the server box: bash axenstax-engine --pair-server This creates <worlds>/.identity/attestation.json. Until a server is paired, the console shows a "pair first" message and nobody can sign in.
  3. You have the operator's Signet identity (the npub you paired with) on your phone or browser signer.

Install / run

The console ships as a service in the dedicated server's docker-compose.yml. Bring the stack up as normal:

cd tools/dedicated-server
docker compose up -d --build

The console comes up automatically and Caddy routes /admin to it (sharing the server's identity volume). Open it at:

https://<your-domain-or-box-ip>:8443/admin      # LAN / no-domain (self-signed cert)
https://<your-domain>/admin                       # VPS with AXENSTAX_DOMAIN set

Sign in with the operator npub. Done.

Local dev (no Docker)

cd tools/sites/console
AXENSTAX_IDENTITY_DIR=/path/to/your/.identity ./start.sh
# → http://localhost:8101

Using it

  1. Sign in. The login page shows the operator npub this server expects. Click Sign in with Signet, approve on your signer. Only that npub gets in — any other identity is refused.
  2. Access — add npubs to the allowlist (only listed npubs may join; blank = open) or blocklist (refused even if allowlisted — block always wins). Toggle require sign-in. Kick removes a connected player (queued; applied within ~5s).
  3. Server — set the name / blurb / region / max players, and toggle announce to publish a discoverable Server Card so players can find you by your npub.
  4. Privacy — choose None (keep nothing — the default) or Sessions with a retention window. Forget erases one player's history; Purge erases all of it.

Changes are written to the server's identity dir and applied on its next reload.

Security

  • Only the operator can log in. The console checks the signed-in npub against the server's attestation; everyone else is refused (403).
  • Serve it over TLS. In the Docker stack Caddy terminates HTTPS; the session is an HMAC cookie. Don't expose the raw :8101 over the internet without TLS.
  • It only touches policy files in <worlds>/.identity/. The only player data it can read is the operator-private session log.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Cause / fix
"This server has no operator identity yet" Not paired — run axenstax-engine --pair-server on the box.
Sign-in succeeds but you land back on login You signed in with a non-operator npub. Use the key the server was paired with (shown on the login page).
/admin 404s The console service isn't up, or Caddy didn't get the route — docker compose up -d --build and check docker compose logs axenstax-console.
Changes don't take effect The server applies policy on a ~5s reload — wait a moment. Confirm both services share the axenstax-worlds volume.

How it's built (B-0)

The game engine has no HTTP server (it's a 20-TPS game loop), so the console is a separate FastAPI sidecar rather than HTTP-in-engine. It manages the on-disk policy files the engine already reloads — zero engine change. Design + rationale: docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-18-operator-console-sidecar.md. Code + configuration: tools/sites/console/.