From 3f349299950dadfffc364077f84e922bbc67b9c4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ken Van Hoeylandt <git@kenvanhoeylandt.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:37:25 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] WebServer doesn't save config as a side-effect of reading the
 config

---
 Documentation/ideas.md                        |  1 -
 .../Source/settings/WebServerSettings.cpp     | 45 ++++++-------------
 2 files changed, 14 insertions(+), 32 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/ideas.md b/Documentation/ideas.md
index c12417b63..f92dbe67f 100644
--- a/Documentation/ideas.md
+++ b/Documentation/ideas.md
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 ## Before release
 
-- WebServer service shouldn't save webserver.properties at start, it slows the boot process
 - Remove incubating flag from various devices
 - Add `// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-only` and `// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0` to individual files in the project
 - Elecrow Basic & Advance 3.5" memory issue: not enough memory for App Hub
diff --git a/Tactility/Source/settings/WebServerSettings.cpp b/Tactility/Source/settings/WebServerSettings.cpp
index 1a5860191..99cc17d15 100644
--- a/Tactility/Source/settings/WebServerSettings.cpp
+++ b/Tactility/Source/settings/WebServerSettings.cpp
@@ -144,23 +144,17 @@ bool load(WebServerSettings& settings) {
         ? static_cast<uint8_t>(parseInt(ap_channel->second, 1, 13, 1))
         : 1;
 
-    // Security: If AP password is empty, generate a strong random password.
+    // Security: If AP password is empty, generate a strong random password in memory.
     // Skip this if user explicitly wants an open network.
     // Note: We only auto-generate for EMPTY passwords, not user-set ones.
+    // This is a read-only function: the generated password is NOT persisted here —
+    // callers that want it saved must call save() explicitly.
     if (!settings.apOpenNetwork && isEmptyCredential(settings.apPassword)) {
-        LOG_I(TAG, "AP password is empty - generating secure random password");
+        LOG_I(TAG, "AP password is empty - generating secure random password (not persisted)");
 
         // Generate 12-character random password (alphanumeric, ~71 bits of entropy)
         // WPA2 requires 8-63 characters, so 12 is well within range
         settings.apPassword = generateRandomCredential(12);
-
-        // Persist the generated password immediately
-        map[KEY_AP_PASSWORD] = settings.apPassword;
-        if (file::savePropertiesFile(getSettingsFilePath(), map)) {
-            LOG_I(TAG, "Generated and saved new secure AP password");
-        } else {
-            LOG_E(TAG, "Failed to save generated AP password");
-        }
     }
 
     // Web server settings
@@ -181,27 +175,20 @@ bool load(WebServerSettings& settings) {
     settings.webServerUsername = (webserver_username != map.end()) ? webserver_username->second : "";
     settings.webServerPassword = (webserver_password != map.end()) ? webserver_password->second : "";
 
-    // Security: If auth is enabled but credentials are empty,
-    // generate strong random credentials and persist them immediately.
-    // Note: We only auto-generate for EMPTY credentials, allowing users to set their own.
+    // Security: If auth is enabled but credentials are empty, generate strong random
+    // credentials in memory. Note: We only auto-generate for EMPTY credentials, allowing
+    // users to set their own.
+    // This is a read-only function: the generated credentials are NOT persisted here —
+    // callers that want them saved (so they're consistent across reboots) must call
+    // save() explicitly.
     if (settings.webServerAuthEnabled &&
         (isEmptyCredential(settings.webServerUsername) || isEmptyCredential(settings.webServerPassword))) {
 
-        LOG_I(TAG, "Auth enabled with empty credentials - generating secure random credentials");
+        LOG_I(TAG, "Auth enabled with empty credentials - generating secure random credentials (not persisted)");
 
         // Generate 12-character random credentials (alphanumeric, ~71 bits of entropy each)
         settings.webServerUsername = generateRandomCredential(12);
         settings.webServerPassword = generateRandomCredential(12);
-
-        // Persist the generated credentials immediately
-        // We need to save these to the file so they're consistent across reboots
-        map[KEY_WEBSERVER_USERNAME] = settings.webServerUsername;
-        map[KEY_WEBSERVER_PASSWORD] = settings.webServerPassword;
-        if (file::savePropertiesFile(getSettingsFilePath(), map)) {
-            LOG_I(TAG, "Generated and saved new secure credentials");
-        } else {
-            LOG_E(TAG, "Failed to save generated credentials - auth may be inconsistent across reboots");
-        }
     }
 
     return true;
@@ -228,14 +215,10 @@ WebServerSettings loadOrGetDefault() {
 
     bool loadedFromFlash = load(settings);
     if (!loadedFromFlash) {
-        // First boot - use defaults (WiFi OFF, WebServer OFF)
+        // No properties file yet (e.g. first boot) - use defaults in memory (WiFi OFF,
+        // WebServer OFF). Read-only function: does NOT persist these defaults — callers
+        // that want them saved must call save() explicitly.
         settings = getDefault();
-        // Save defaults to flash so toggle states persist
-        if (save(settings)) {
-            LOG_I(TAG, "First boot - saved default settings (WiFi OFF WebServer OFF)");
-        } else {
-            LOG_W(TAG, "First boot - failed to save default settings to flash");
-        }
     }
 
     return settings;