# truenas-truecloud-patch

> ### Requires **TrueNAS SCALE 24.10 or newer**
>
> TrueCloud Backup — the feature this patch extends — **does not exist before
> 24.10**. There is nothing here to install on an older release, and `install.sh`
> will refuse.
>
> Verified on **24.10**, **25.04** and **25.10**. The unreleased **26.0** is not yet
> supported for nested snapshots — see [TrueNAS
> compatibility](#truenas-compatibility). Nothing breaks if you upgrade: the patch
> checks, and declines.

Extends TrueNAS SCALE's **TrueCloud Backup** feature to:

- work with S3-compatible providers and native Backblaze B2, instead of Storj only;
- take **consistent snapshots of datasets that have child datasets** — which is
  every box running Apps (see [Nested-dataset snapshots](#nested-dataset-snapshots)).

---

## Why this exists

In 2026, Storj raised the price of their TrueNAS-integrated storage tier from
**$5/month to $50/month** — a 10× increase. For many home lab and small-office
users, the TrueCloud Backup feature became unaffordable overnight.

TrueCloud Backup is the only native TrueNAS mechanism that provides:
- Integrated ZFS snapshot support before each backup
- Restic-based incremental deduplication
- Scheduled tasks with progress and log tracking in the UI
- Dataset lock integration

Running restic manually is possible but loses all of the above.
This patch restores access to the TrueCloud Backup feature for users who
need a provider other than Storj, with storage they already pay for or that
costs a fraction of the new Storj price.

---

## TrueNAS compatibility

<!-- BEGIN COMPAT MATRIX (generated by tools/compat.py --matrix --markdown) -->
| TrueNAS | B2/S3 providers | Nested snapshots | Hardware-verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 24.10.2.4 | ok | ok | — |
| 25.04.2.6 | ok | ok | — |
| 25.10.4 | ok | ok | nested + providers; 252-snapshot recursive backup of /mnt/Tap, 18m |
| 26.0.0-BETA.3 _(unreleased)_ | ok | **BROKEN** | — |
| master _(unreleased)_ | **BROKEN** | **BROKEN** | — |

| verdict | meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **ok** | Every assumption the patch makes about middleware still holds. |
| **BROKEN** | middleware changed underneath the patch. `apply.sh` **refuses to apply that module** on this version and leaves TrueNAS stock, so backups keep working — without the module's feature. |
| **native** | TrueNAS does this itself now. The module retires; it is not a failure. |

"ok" means *the patch's assumptions hold*, checked automatically against iX's
source. It does not mean a human ran a backup on it — that is the
**Hardware-verified** column, which is filled in by hand and only by doing it.
<!-- END COMPAT MATRIX -->

The table above is **regenerated daily by CI** — it is not a claim somebody typed
once and forgot. **TrueCloud Backup does not exist before 24.10**, so earlier
versions are absent rather than "unsupported".

### TrueNAS 26 — nested snapshots are not supported yet

**You do not need to do anything, and upgrading will not break your backups.** On
26, `apply.sh` finds that the nested module's assumptions no longer hold and **does
not apply it**. TrueNAS is left stock: B2/S3 backups keep running (the providers
module is unaffected), datasets nested under the target are simply not included, and
the reason is named in `apply.log`. A broken backup is worse than a missing feature.

TrueNAS 26 changes three things underneath this module, and each one alone is
backup-breaking:

| what changed | what it would have done |
| --- | --- |
| `cloud_backup` rewritten **async → synchronous** | an `async def` wrapper hands `sync.py` a coroutine where it unpacks a tuple |
| `get_dataset_recursive()` **deleted** from `plugins/cloud/snapshot.py` | `NameError` — the injected block called it out of the host module's namespace |
| `plugins/zfs_/dataset.py` and `zfs_/snapshot.py` **deleted** | `zfs.dataset.query`, `zfs.snapshot.query` and `zfs.snapshot.delete` all vanish. 26 uses `filesystem.statfs` and `zfs.resource.*` instead |

The first two are fixed: the patch now reads which flavour of `cloud_backup` your box
declares and injects the wrapper that matches (one implementation of the real logic,
two thin wrappers), and it carries its own copy of the deleted helper.

The third is **not** fixed, and is why 26 still reports BROKEN. Porting it means
rewriting the module's ZFS calls onto 26's new API, and there is no single API that
spans 24.10 through 26 — so it needs a real 26 box to verify against, not a
plausible-looking diff. **Shipping a port nobody has run is exactly the failure this
project exists to avoid.** The third row is also the one that would have hurt most:
`zfs.snapshot.delete` is what sweeps the recursive snapshot, and without it every run
would orphan one snapshot per descendant dataset — 250 on a real pool — forever.

`master` (development after 26) reports BROKEN too: iXsystems are still reshaping
these functions there, renaming `middleware` → `context` and `cloud_backup` →
`entry`, and adding a required `credentials` parameter. That is a moving target and
is deliberately not chased; the check keeps reporting it until it settles into a
beta, which is when it becomes worth fixing.

### How this is kept honest

[`tools/compat.py`](tools/compat.py) is the single written-down record of what each
module assumes about middleware. It is checked in two places:

- **[CI](.github/workflows/compat.yml), daily** — against iXsystems' source at every
  release line, *including `master` and the current BETA/RC*. When an unreleased
  version breaks the patch, it files a bug report automatically. The point is to
  find out while it is still a beta, rather than after it ships to you.
- **`apply.sh`, at every boot** — against the middleware installed on your machine.
  A module whose assumptions no longer hold is not applied.

Regenerate the table with:

```bash
python3 tools/compat.py --matrix              # human-readable
python3 tools/compat.py --matrix --markdown   # the table above
python3 tools/compat.py --ref master          # one version, with reasons
```

---

## Before you install

This project is unofficial and not affiliated with iXsystems. A few things worth
knowing:

- It targets **internal middleware APIs** with no stability contract, so a
  TrueNAS update can break it. Every patch is fail-safe: if it can't apply,
  middlewared starts normally and the reason is logged to `apply.log`. Check the
  log after an update. See [TrueNAS compatibility](#truenas-compatibility) for
  which versions currently work.
- If you file a TrueNAS bug report, **remove the patch first** and reproduce on a
  stock system.
- **Test your restores.** True of any backup, but it matters more here — see
  [Verifying it works](#verifying-it-works).
- Provided as-is, no warranty. See LICENSE.

The patch is two independent modules — **providers** (B2/S3) and **nested**
(snapshots on nested datasets) — and each retires on its own once TrueNAS ships
that capability natively. See [Native support](#if-truenas-adds-native-support).

## What's in the repo

| Path | What it is |
|---|---|
| `install.sh` | Registers the PREINIT boot hook, applies the patch, restarts middlewared. Also `--enable/--disable-nested-snapshots`. |
| `update.sh` | Fetch a newer **release** and apply it. `--check`, `--rollback`, `--to`, `--main`. |
| `uninstall.sh` | Remove everything: boot hook, patched files, UI bundle, staging mounts. |
| `recover.sh` | Emergency: set the kill switch and restart middlewared against stock files. |
| `patch/apply.sh` | The PREINIT script. Runs at **every boot**; re-applies the patch into a fresh overlay. |
| `patch/mw_patch.py` | The one implementation of apply/revert for the `TRUECLOUD_PATCH` blocks. Used by `apply.sh` *and* `uninstall.sh`. |
| `patch/truecloud_nested.py` | Nested-dataset staging: plan, mount, verify, tear down, sweep snapshots. Also `… cleanup` as a CLI. |
| `patch/patch_ui.py` | Widens the Angular credential dropdown. Refuses to write a bundle whose parens it unbalanced. |
| `patch/create_task.py` | Create TrueCloud tasks with S3/B2 credentials; `verify` the patch state. |
| `patch/alert_source.py` | The TrueNAS alert for "an update is available". Installed into `middlewared/alert/source/`. |
| `patch/wait_restart.sh` | Waits for boot to actually settle before restarting middlewared. |
| `release.sh` | Cut a release. Two stages, and the second is refused without the first. See [Releasing](#releasing). |
| `tools/compat.py` | What each module assumes about middlewared — and the checker. Run by CI daily *and* by `apply.sh` at every boot. |
| `tools/release_notes.py` | Extracts a version's CHANGELOG section; enforces version consistency. |
| `tools/release_gate.py` | The barrier: a stable release must have been a release candidate on the same commit. |

## Development

Parts of this project were written with AI assistance (Claude). All of it is
reviewed and tested before release; the test suite and CI exist in large part to
make that review meaningful. Bugs are mine.

```bash
pip install pytest ruff
ruff check patch tests tools
pytest tests
```

CI runs shellcheck, `bash -n`, ruff, and pytest on Python 3.11–3.13. Two checks
are worth calling out, because nothing else would catch what they catch:

- The tests **`compile()` the `*_BLOCK` strings** in `patch/apply.sh`. Those are
  Python source appended into live `middlewared` modules — a syntax error there
  breaks the box at boot, and they're string literals, so nothing else type-checks
  them.
- CI asserts **every script declares the same version**, and that it matches the
  newest CHANGELOG entry. `VERSION=` had silently drifted to three different
  values across the scripts before anything checked.

The project is hosted on **Gitea** (`git.onetick.ninja/flan/truenas-truecloud-patch`)
and mirrored to GitHub. Both run the same workflows — Gitea reads
`.github/workflows/` too — so a change is checked twice, on two independent runners.

---

## Releasing

**Every release interrupts every user.** An update alert fires on each installed
box (see [Update alerts](#update-alerts)), so a release that exists only to fix the
last release teaches people to dismiss the alert — and one day that alert will be
carrying a security fix. This project cut twelve releases in a single day once.
Never again, and not by good intentions: by a gate.

### The rule

> A stable `vX.Y.Z` may only be published if a `vX.Y.Z-rcN` tag points at the
> **same commit**.

Release candidates are **invisible to users**: `update.sh` and the update alert both
take the newest plain `vX.Y.Z` tag, so an `-rc` is never offered as an update. All
the debugging therefore happens across `rc1`, `rc2`, `rc3` — at nobody's expense —
instead of across `v0.5.0`, `v0.5.1`, `v0.5.2`, at everybody's.

"The candidate passed, then I pushed one more little fix" is refused **by name**.
That is not hypothetical; it is exactly how v0.5.1 happened.

### Day to day

You don't touch the release machinery. Write your changes under `## Unreleased` in
`CHANGELOG.md` and push to `main`. `main` is a work surface — it is allowed to be
mid-thought. Releasing is a separate, deliberate act.

### Cutting a release

```bash
bash release.sh 0.6.0 --check      # what would ship? what is the next rc?

bash release.sh 0.6.0 --rc         # promotes `## Unreleased` -> v0.6.0, stamps every
                                   # VERSION=, tags v0.6.0-rc1, pushes. Users see nothing.

#   ... install it on a real box. Exercise it. Break it. ...
#   Found a bug? Fix it on main, then `bash release.sh 0.6.0 --rc` again -> rc2.

bash release.sh 0.6.0 --promote    # publishes v0.6.0. REFUSED unless an rc points here.
```

### The gates, and where they live

The logic is Python so it can be unit-tested; CI is the enforcement boundary
because it is the only actor holding the token that publishes. `release.sh` runs the
**same** code locally so you fail in 200 ms instead of after a push.

| gate | enforces | where |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [`release_notes.py check`](tools/release_notes.py) | every script's `VERSION=` matches the tag; the CHANGELOG section exists and is non-empty; **nothing is stranded under `## Unreleased`** | `release.sh` + CI |
| [`release_gate.py`](tools/release_gate.py) | **an rc points at this exact commit** | `release.sh` + CI |
| the full suite | ruff, pytest, shellcheck, `bash -n` — re-run against the *tagged* commit | CI |

A release's body **is** its `CHANGELOG.md` section — there is no second place to
write release notes, and therefore no second place for them to go stale. Releases
are published on both forges.

### Why the alert doesn't nag

A release whose CHANGELOG contains only a `### Docs` section changed no code, and
raises **no alert**. Candidates raise no alert either. So the only thing that ever
interrupts a user is a real, complete change — which is the entire point.

---

## What is actually patched

**Nothing in TrueNAS's persistent database or configuration is modified**
(other than the boot-hook entry itself). On every boot, `patch/apply.sh` runs
as a PREINIT script. It mounts a writable
[overlayfs](https://docs.kernel.org/filesystems/overlayfs.html) over the
relevant directories in `/usr/` (upper layer in `/run` tmpfs), then patches
`b2.py` and `restic.py` inside that overlay. The overlay is volatile — it
exists only for the current boot — but the PREINIT script recreates it
automatically on every subsequent boot. Nothing in `/usr/` is written to
directly.

PREINIT scripts are executed *by* middlewared, which by then has already
imported the stock modules — so after patching, `apply.sh` schedules a single
detached middlewared restart (transient systemd unit `truecloud-mw-restart`
running `patch/wait_restart.sh`) that loads the patched modules once boot has
*actually* settled: the script waits for the systemd boot job queue to drain
and for the docker/apps state machine to reach a terminal state before
restarting. Expect one middlewared restart shortly after every boot; the UI
and API are briefly unavailable while it happens, and running services are
not affected.

| Module | What changes | Technique |
|---|---|---|
| **providers** | `B2RcloneRemote` gains `get_restic_config()` — skipped automatically if TrueNAS already provides one on the class. `restic.py` URL builder is fixed: strips the stray leading slash and converts the slash separator to a colon (`b2:bucket:path`), which is the format restic 0.16.x expects. URL wrapper is a no-op if the URL is already correctly formed. | File patch applied inside the overlayfs upper layer |
| **providers** (UI) | The Angular bundle's `filterByProviders` binding is widened from `["STORJ_IX"]` to `["STORJ_IX","S3","B2"]` | In-place text replacement in the compiled JS chunk; original is backed up before patching |
| **nested** (opt-in) | `_truecloud_nested.py` is installed into `plugins/cloud/`, and `plugins/cloud/{snapshot,crud}.py` + `plugins/cloud_backup/sync.py` are patched so `snapshot = true` works on a dataset that has child datasets. See [below](#nested-dataset-snapshots). | New module + file patches inside the overlayfs upper layer |

All changes are **fail-safe**: if a patch cannot be applied (e.g. TrueNAS
restructured the relevant code), middlewared starts normally, the affected module
is simply inactive, and the reason is logged to `apply.log` in your repo root. The
two modules are independent — one failing or going native does not disable the
other.

## Nested-dataset snapshots

**Opt-in, off by default.** It changes how backups read their source data, so it
is never enabled implicitly:

```bash
bash install.sh --enable-nested-snapshots
bash install.sh --disable-nested-snapshots
```

With neither flag `install.sh` leaves the setting alone, so `git pull && bash
install.sh` won't flip it. The providers module is unaffected either way.

Validated end to end on a live 252-dataset pool: an unattended scheduled backup
of `/mnt/Tap` built a 173-mount staging tree, completed in **18m14s**, and left
**zero** orphaned snapshots and **zero** stale mounts behind. The same backup
previously stalled at 74% for over 12 hours reading live files.

Still: verify your own first run actually contains child-dataset data before you
rely on it — see [Verifying it works](#verifying-it-works). That advice is not
boilerplate; it is the specific thing this feature exists to make true.

TrueCloud Backup's **Take Snapshot** option makes restic read from a frozen ZFS
snapshot instead of live files. Without it the backup reads data *while apps are
writing to it* — databases get captured mid-write, and an app that rewrites its
files continuously can stall a backup indefinitely as restic chases a moving
target.

Stock TrueNAS refuses to enable it on most real-world paths:

```
[EINVAL] cloud_backup_update.snapshot:
  This option is only available for datasets that have no further nesting
```

That rules out **any pool running Apps** — every app is its own dataset, usually
with `config`/`pgdata` children of its own. On a typical box that is 100+ nested
datasets, so the feature is effectively unusable exactly where it matters most.

### Why stock refuses

The guard is **correct**. `plugins/cloud/snapshot.py` already takes a *recursive*
ZFS snapshot — but it then points restic at the **parent** dataset's
`.zfs/snapshot/<snap>/` directory, and ZFS does not expose child datasets
through a parent's snapshot directory:

```
/mnt/Tap/.zfs/snapshot/<snap>/apps/                 ->  0 entries  (children invisible)
/mnt/Tap/apps/lidarr/config/.zfs/snapshot/<snap>/   ->  the real data
```

So if you just remove the validation, restic walks a near-empty tree, reports
SUCCESS, and uploads almost nothing — a green backup job protecting no data. iX
gate the config rather than ship a backup that lies about succeeding.

That is worth spelling out, because deleting those four lines in
`plugins/cloud/crud.py` is the obvious "fix" and it is the wrong one. The guard
is load-bearing: it has to be *replaced* with a working traversal, not removed.

### What this patch does instead

After the (already recursive) snapshot is taken, every descendant dataset's own
`.zfs/snapshot/<snap>` is bind-mounted into a **staging tree** that mirrors the
original layout, and restic is pointed at the staging root — a complete,
consistent, point-in-time view of the whole subtree. Only then is the guard
relaxed.

Safety properties, in order of importance:

- **Staging failure is loud.** If any descendant cannot be staged, the backup
  *fails*. A silently-incomplete backup is precisely what the stock guard exists
  to prevent, and it would be worse than not having the feature at all.
- **Post-mount verification** asserts every planned target really is a mountpoint
  and the staging root is non-empty — so this cannot regress into the empty
  backup it exists to fix.
- **The guard is relaxed last.** `apply.sh` installs the traversal, patches
  `snapshot.py`, then `sync.py`, and only then `crud.py`. Any partial failure
  leaves the guard intact and the option merely unavailable — never
  "guard removed, traversal missing".
- Datasets that cannot contribute to a file tree (`mountpoint=none|legacy`,
  unmounted, locked/encrypted) are skipped and **reported to the log** — never
  dropped silently.
- Scoped to **cloud_backup only**. Cloud Sync (rclone) shares the same
  validation mixin but has no staging teardown wired in, so its guard is
  deliberately left in place.

Side benefit: the staging root is a **stable path per task**, so restic can find
its parent snapshot between runs. Stock's `.zfs/snapshot/<name>-<timestamp>/`
path changes every run, defeating restic's parent detection and forcing a full
re-scan each time.

### Snapshot lifecycle

`zfs.snapshot.delete` defaults to **`recursive=False`**, and stock
`restic_backup()` calls it with no options. Stock is safe only because its
validation means a *recursive* snapshot never actually happens in the field.
Enabling nested datasets makes them real: on a 250-dataset pool,
`zfs snapshot -r` creates **250 snapshots**, and stock's delete removes only the
parent — orphaning **249 on every successful run** (measured, not theorised).

So the patch owns the whole lifecycle:

- **Sweeps the parent and every child**, and is idempotent against stock's
  `finally` winning the race once the mounts are released.
- **Records the snapshot in a sidecar file before mounting anything**, so a
  middlewared restart mid-backup cannot orphan the tree (this patch *schedules*
  a restart at boot, so that is not hypothetical).
- **Reclaims the tree left by a crashed run** instead of overwriting the record.
- **Deletes the tree when staging fails** — sync.py's own `finally` deletes
  *nothing* in that case, because its `snapshot` local never gets assigned.
- **Enumerates datasets *after* the snapshot, never before.** A list read
  beforehand can miss a dataset created in the gap, which the recursive snapshot
  *would* capture but the staging plan would not — a silent omission.

**Expected log noise:** stock's delete fails with `EBUSY` while the staging
mounts pin the snapshot. You will see one benign `Error deleting snapshot ...`
warning per run; the patch then unmounts and deletes the tree for real.

### Verifying it works

This feature exists because a backup can report SUCCESS while containing
nothing, so check the contents rather than the exit status:

```bash
# 1. Does the restic snapshot actually contain child-dataset data?
#    Pick a path that lives in a CHILD dataset (e.g. an app's config).
midclt call cloud_backup.list_snapshots <task_id> | head

# 2. List a child-dataset path inside the newest restic snapshot.
#    If this is empty, the staging tree did not work and you are backing up NOTHING.
midclt call cloud_backup.list_snapshot_directory <task_id> "<snapshot_id>" "/apps/lidarr/config"
```

You should see the app's real files (`lidarr.db`, `config.xml`, …). An empty
listing means the child datasets were not staged; disable the feature and open an
issue.

```bash
# 3. No snapshots may be left behind after a run.
zfs list -t snapshot -r <pool> | grep -c cloud_backup-   # expect 0 between runs

# 4. No staging mounts may be left behind.
mount | grep truecloud-nested                            # expect no output
```

### Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| `This option is only available for datasets that have no further nesting` | Feature not enabled. Run `install.sh --enable-nested-snapshots`, then restart middlewared. |
| Backup fails: `dataset '…' has no snapshot '…'; refusing to back up an incomplete tree` | Working as designed — a descendant dataset was not covered by the snapshot. The backup is refused rather than silently omitting that data. |
| Backup fails: `snapshot '…' cannot be read (Permission denied)` | The snapshot exists but is unreadable. Middleware runs as root, so this indicates a real permissions problem, not a missing snapshot. |
| `cloud_backup-*` snapshots accumulating | The sweep is not running. Check `apply.log` for the nested patch applying, and confirm `sync.py` carries the `TRUECLOUD_PATCH` block. |
| Web UI blank after a patch | A bad pattern unbalanced the bundle. `apply.sh` now refuses to write in that case, but if you hit it on an older version: restore `chunk-*.js.pre-truecloud-patch` over the live chunk, then re-run `install.sh`. (`MARKER` makes an already-patched file skip, so the patch cannot heal a corrupted bundle by itself.) |
| Stale mounts under `/run/truecloud-nested` | A crashed run. The next backup tears them down. To clear them now: `python3 patch/truecloud_nested.py cleanup` (also run by `uninstall.sh` and `recover.sh`). It names any ZFS snapshot an interrupted run left pinned. |

## Supported providers after patching

| Provider | Credential type in TrueNAS |
|---|---|
| Backblaze B2 (native B2 API) | `B2` |
| AWS S3, Wasabi, Cloudflare R2, MinIO, and any S3-compatible endpoint | `S3` |
| Storj (unchanged) | `STORJ_IX` |

## How persistence works

Two different things must survive two different events:

| Event | What would be lost | What makes it survive |
|---|---|---|
| **Reboot** | The overlay holding the patched files lives in `/run` (tmpfs) and vanishes | The PREINIT hook re-runs `apply.sh` on every boot and schedules one middlewared restart to load the result |
| **TrueNAS update** | `/usr/` is replaced entirely; custom files in `/etc/` are wiped with the new boot environment | This repo lives on your **data pool**, and the hook registration lives in the **TrueNAS config database** — both survive updates. The first boot after an update is just a normal boot |

### What happens on every boot

1. **middlewared starts** with the stock (unpatched) modules. This is
   unavoidable: PREINIT scripts are executed *by* middlewared
   (`ix-preinit.service` → `midclt call initshutdownscript.execute_init_tasks`),
   so nothing registered there can run before it.
2. **Pools import** (`ix-zfs.service`), making `/mnt/<pool>` — and this
   repository — available.
3. **`apply.sh` runs** (`ix-preinit.service`). Before it patches anything it runs
   the **compatibility preflight** ([`tools/compat.py`](tools/compat.py)) against
   the middlewared that is *actually installed*, and **any module whose assumptions
   no longer hold is not applied** — see [TrueNAS
   compatibility](#truenas-compatibility). What survives that check gets applied:
   it mounts the writable overlay (upper layer in `/run`), patches `b2.py` and
   `restic.py` on disk inside it, patches the UI bundle, and writes `apply.log` and
   `hook_status.json`.

   An incompatible module is skipped **for this boot only**. It is not the kill
   switch: install a release that supports your TrueNAS and the patch re-applies
   itself on the next boot, with no manual step. (The kill switch is permanent and
   is set only when TrueNAS has made the patch *unnecessary* — a different
   situation, and the opposite conclusion.)
4. **A deferred restart is scheduled.** The middlewared that is running
   imported the stock modules in step 1 and never re-imports, so the on-disk
   patch alone is not enough. `apply.sh` detects it was invoked by middlewared
   and creates a transient systemd unit (`truecloud-mw-restart`, via
   `systemd-run --no-block`) running `patch/wait_restart.sh` — detached so it
   cannot disrupt the remainder of the boot sequence.
5. **Once boot has settled, middlewared restarts once** and imports the
   patched modules from the overlay. `wait_restart.sh` holds the restart until
   the systemd boot job queue has drained (so in-flight `ix-*` units like
   `ix-reporting` finish first) *and* middlewared's docker/apps startup has
   reached a terminal state — plain unit ordering cannot see either, and
   restarting middlewared while they run kills apps and dashboard reporting
   for the whole boot. S3/B2 backup support is then active until the next
   reboot, when the cycle repeats.

What you will observe: one middlewared restart shortly after every boot (a
brief web UI/API blip; running services are unaffected). Between steps 3
and 5 there is a short window — typically well under a minute — where the UI
already shows S3/B2 (the JS bundle is read from disk per request) but the
backend is still stock. A backup job that fires inside that window fails once
with `NotImplementedError` and succeeds on its next run; see
[Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) if it persists beyond boot.

Manual runs of `bash patch/apply.sh` never trigger the restart — that only
happens in boot context. `install.sh` and `recover.sh` perform their own
explicit restarts instead, which is why a manual re-apply must be followed by
`systemctl restart middlewared`.

---

## Install

Clone the repository to a **persistent ZFS pool** so it survives OS updates,
then run `install.sh` from there:

```bash
# Replace /mnt/tank with your pool name
git clone https://git.onetick.ninja/flan/truenas-truecloud-patch.git \
    /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch
cd /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch
bash install.sh
```

The directory you clone into becomes the **permanent install location**. The
PREINIT boot hook is registered with the exact path you chose, and TrueNAS will
call that path on every boot.

> **Do not delete or move the repository after install.**
> If you need to relocate it, run `bash uninstall.sh` first, move the directory,
> then run `bash install.sh` again from the new location. Deleting the repo
> without uninstalling leaves a dangling PREINIT hook in the TrueNAS database —
> if that happens, see [Emergency recovery](#emergency-recovery) below.

Refresh your browser. S3 and B2 credentials now appear in the
**Data Protection → TrueCloud Backup → Add** credential dropdown.

## Updating

```bash
cd /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch
bash update.sh              # to the newest release, with a confirmation
```

| | |
|---|---|
| `bash update.sh` | Update to the newest release tag. Shows what's coming, asks first. |
| `bash update.sh --check` | Show what *would* happen. Changes nothing. |
| `bash update.sh --rollback` | Undo the last update. |
| `bash update.sh --to v0.3.5` | Go to a specific tag or commit. |
| `bash update.sh --main` | Track **unreleased** `main`. You're on your own. |
| `bash update.sh --yes` | Skip the confirmation (for a scripted, *attended* run). |

Run it as **root** — it calls `install.sh`, which needs to reload middlewared.

### First time: bootstrapping `update.sh`

`update.sh` ships *inside* the patch, so a clone older than v0.4.0 doesn't have it
yet. Bootstrap it once with git:

```bash
cd /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch
git pull                 # or: git checkout v0.4.1
bash install.sh
```

Every update after that is just `bash update.sh`.

> If a plain `git pull` fails with *"insufficient permission for adding an object
> to repository database"*, past `sudo git pull`s left root-owned objects in
> `.git`. Fix it once as root: `chown -R <you>:<you> .git`. (`update.sh` repairs
> this automatically from then on.)

### What it does for you

- **Preserves your nested-snapshot opt-in setting** — updating never flips it.
- **Shows the commits and release notes you don't have**, then asks before moving.
- **Records the previous revision *before* checking out**, so `--rollback` works
  even if `install.sh` dies halfway through.
- **Refuses to run over a dirty working tree**, rather than merging across
  hand-edited or scp'd files and losing them.
- **Detects untracked files that would be clobbered** by the checkout and names
  them, instead of dying on a raw git error mid-update.
- **Repairs `.git` ownership** left root-owned by past `sudo git pull`s.

It updates to the newest **release tag**, not `main`. `main` can be mid-refactor;
a tag is the tested artifact, and CI gates every release. Pre-release tags
(`-rc`, `-beta`) are skipped — `--to` them explicitly if you want one.

After updating, the checkout is pinned to a release tag (detached HEAD). That is
what you want for a deployment: plain `git pull` no longer applies, and
`update.sh` is the supported path.

### Why there is no auto-update

**Never put this in cron or a systemd timer.** This patch injects Python into
`middlewared` and re-applies itself at *every boot*, so an unattended pull would
let any bad upstream commit reach your box with no human in the loop — and
detonate on the next reboot. That is not hypothetical: **v0.0.4 shipped exactly
such a bug and took all 54 apps on a box down.**

The manual step *is* the safety gate. If you want convenience, watch the
[releases feed](https://git.onetick.ninja/flan/truenas-truecloud-patch/releases);
don't automate the pull.

## Update alerts

When a newer release exists, the patch raises a **TrueNAS alert** (the bell in the
UI) telling you so. It's on by default and checks once a day.

```bash
bash install.sh --no-update-alerts   # turn it off
bash install.sh --update-alerts      # turn it back on
```

**It will not nag you about a README.** A release whose CHANGELOG contains only a
`### Docs` section changed no code, and raises nothing. Anything that touched the
system raises an INFO alert; a release with a `### Security` section raises a
WARNING. The CHANGELOG's own section headings are the signal, and a security fix
anywhere in the range escalates the whole span — a docs-only release on top of a
security fix still reports as security.

**Release candidates never alert.** They are invisible to `update.sh` and to the
alert, which both take the newest plain `vX.Y.Z` tag. That is what lets debugging
happen in `-rc` tags instead of in your notification bell — see
[Releasing](#releasing).

The changelog is read from whichever forge `origin` points at, derived from the
remote rather than hard-coded. That is not cosmetic: when the changelog cannot be
read, the alert deliberately fires **anyway** rather than risk hiding a security
fix — so a wrong URL would not silence the alert, it would make it fire on *every*
release, including the documentation-only ones this section promises to suppress.

### How it works, and why it's built this way

TrueNAS **cannot raise an alert from the CLI** — `midclt` exposes only
`alert.dismiss`, `alert.list`, `alert.list_categories`, `alert.list_policies` and
`alert.restore`. Alert *creation* is internal to middlewared, and none of its ~60
one-shot alert classes is generic enough to reuse. So the only way to get a real
alert is to register an `AlertSource`, which is what `patch/alert_source.py` does.

That is also the **least invasive** thing this patch does:

| | |
|---|---|
| providers module | **modifies** stock files (appends code to `b2.py`, `restic.py`) |
| nested module | **modifies** stock files (3 middleware modules) |
| **update alert** | **adds one file. Modifies nothing.** |

It's the native mechanism — the same one every built-in TrueNAS alert uses — and
TrueNAS polls it itself, so there is no cron job and no systemd timer.

- **Fail-safe.** Every error path returns `None`. It cannot take middlewared down.
- **Read-only.** `git ls-remote` plus an HTTPS fetch of the CHANGELOG. It never
  writes to `.git`, so it cannot leave root-owned objects behind the way a
  `git fetch` from middlewared (which runs as root) would.
- **Removed by `uninstall.sh`.**

It only *tells* you. It never updates anything — see
[Why there is no auto-update](#why-there-is-no-auto-update).

## Creating a task via CLI

If the UI still shows only Storj after refreshing (e.g. the JS bundle pattern
changed in a new TrueNAS version), create tasks directly. Run this **on the
TrueNAS host** — it talks to the local middleware via `midclt`, so it needs no
host address or API key:

```bash
# Replace /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch with your clone path

# List your cloud credentials to find the right ID
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py list-credentials

# Create a task with a B2 credential (id=3).
# The restic repo password is read from stdin, so it never lands in your shell
# history — nor in any process's argv, where `ps` would expose it.
printf '%s' 'restic-repo-password' | \
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py create \
    --name "tank-to-b2" \
    --path /mnt/tank/data \
    --credential 3 \
    --bucket my-bucket \
    --folder backups/tank \
    --password-stdin \
    --cache-path /mnt/tank/.restic-cache \
    --keep-last 14
```

Omit `--password-stdin` and you'll be prompted for the password instead. `--password
<secret>` still works but warns: that password is the encryption key for the whole
repository, and a CLI argument persists in your shell history forever.

> **Always pass `--cache-path`.** Without it TrueNAS runs restic with `--no-cache`,
> which re-fetches all repo metadata from the provider every run — glacially slow
> on large repos. Point it at a writable dir on a pool with free space.

> Versions ≤ 0.1.0 used the `/api/v2.0` REST API with `--host`/`--api-key`; those
> flags are now accepted-but-ignored (REST is removed in TrueNAS 26.04).

---

## Uninstall

```bash
bash /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/uninstall.sh
```

Replace the path with your clone location. Removes the PREINIT hook,
unmounts the overlay (restoring the original backend files immediately),
and restores the original UI bundle from backup.

---

## If TrueNAS adds native support

The patch is **two independent modules**, and each retires on its own — TrueNAS
is likely to ship one of these natively long before the other, and a module
going native must not take the other one down with it.

| Module | What it does | Detected as native when |
|---|---|---|
| **providers** | B2/S3 credentials for TrueCloud Backup (`b2.py`, `restic.py`, UI dropdown) | `B2RcloneRemote` carries a real `get_restic_config()` |
| **nested** | Snapshots on datasets with child datasets (`plugins/cloud/*`) | the *"no further nesting"* validation is gone from `plugins/cloud/crud.py` |

At every boot `apply.sh` checks both:

- **One module goes native** → that module is skipped and logged; the other keeps
  working, and the patch stays installed.
- **Both are done** (native, or nested was never enabled) → the kill switch
  (`disabled` file) is set, overlays are unmounted, and `apply.log` tells you to
  run `uninstall.sh`.

So on a box using only the provider patch, native B2 support retires the whole
thing as before. On a box that also uses nested snapshots, native B2 support
retires *just* that half.

Check the log after any TrueNAS update:
```bash
tail -20 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/apply.log
```

`hook_status.json` reports each module separately (`module.providers`,
`module.nested_snapshots`) with an `active` flag and a reason.

**Scenarios where the auto-detect may not fire** (manual check needed):

| Scenario | What happens | Action |
|---|---|---|
| B2 support added to a **base class** (not `B2RcloneRemote` directly) | `__dict__` check misses it; our method shadows native | Uninstall manually |
| B2 **credential schema changed** (e.g. `provider["account"]` renamed) | `KeyError` on first backup | Uninstall or update the patch |
| **URL builder** fixed but B2 class unchanged | URL wrapper becomes a no-op; no harm, but patch is dead weight | Uninstall at your convenience |

---

## After a TrueNAS update

A TrueNAS update replaces `/usr/` wholesale, wiping the patch. You do **not** need
to reinstall: `patch/apply.sh` runs at every boot and re-applies itself from your
clone. But it targets internal APIs with no stability contract, so an update *can*
break it — and the failure is quiet by design (middlewared starts fine; the patch
just doesn't).

**Check the log after any TrueNAS update:**

```bash
tail -30 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/apply.log
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py verify
```

| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| `[OK] providers`, `[OK]`/`[SKIP] nested_snapshots` | Fine. Nothing to do. |
| `WARNING: … pattern not found` (UI) | The Angular bundle changed. The UI dropdown reverts to Storj-only, but **backups keep working** — create tasks with `create_task.py` meanwhile, and [open an issue](https://git.onetick.ninja/flan/truenas-truecloud-patch/issues) with your TrueNAS version. |
| `WARNING: truecloud-patch is NOT COMPATIBLE with this TrueNAS version` | This TrueNAS changed middleware underneath the patch, and the named module was **deliberately not applied** — see `incompatible.json` for exactly which assumption broke. TrueNAS is left stock, so nothing is half-patched. Check [TrueNAS compatibility](#truenas-compatibility), then `bash update.sh` once a release supports your version; it re-applies itself on the next boot. This is **not** the kill switch and needs no manual reset. |
| `[FAIL] providers` | **Your B2/S3 backups will not run.** middlewared is fine, but the credential/URL handling is gone. Open an issue with your version. |
| `[FAIL] nested_snapshots` | The stock guard is back, so tasks with `snapshot = true` on a nested dataset will fail validation. Turn the option off on those tasks until it's fixed. |

"Fail-safe" means *the box stays up* — not that your backups keep running. A
`[FAIL] providers` is a broken backup, so check the log rather than assume.

Then update the patch itself if a newer release fixes it:

```bash
bash /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/update.sh
```

---

## Emergency recovery

### middlewared won't start

Run this from the TrueNAS shell (local console, SSH, or the debug shell in
the UI):

```bash
bash /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/recover.sh
```

Replace the path with your clone location. This creates a kill-switch file
(`disabled`) in the repo root, unmounts the overlay so the original files are
visible immediately, then restarts middlewared. No reboot required.

If you cannot run a script and only have a bare shell prompt:

```bash
touch /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/disabled
systemctl restart middlewared
```

If you don't remember where you cloned the repo (midclt won't work while middlewared is
down), find the path two ways:

```bash
# Option 1 — search the filesystem:
find /mnt -name "recover.sh" -path "*/truenas-truecloud-patch/*" 2>/dev/null

# Option 2 — query the TrueNAS database directly:
sqlite3 /data/freenas-v1.db \
    "SELECT script FROM initshutdownscript WHERE comment = 'TrueCloud provider patch (S3/B2)';"
```

The `script` column shows the full path to `patch/apply.sh`; your clone root is one
level up (strip `/patch/apply.sh` from the end). Then run the `touch` command above
with that path.

If middlewared **still** won't start after the kill switch is set, the problem
is unrelated to this patch. Check:

```bash
journalctl -u middlewared -n 50
```

To re-enable the patch once you have investigated:

```bash
rm /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/disabled
bash /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/apply.sh
systemctl restart middlewared   # manual apply.sh runs never restart for you
```

---

### Web UI is blank or broken

If the TrueNAS web interface loads blank or shows JavaScript errors, the
Angular bundle may have been interrupted mid-write (e.g. power cut during
boot). The original bundle is always backed up before patching, so recovery
is straightforward:

```bash
# Find the backup (the path varies by TrueNAS version):
find /usr/share/truenas /usr/share/truenas-ui /var/www/truenas -name "*.js.pre-truecloud-patch" 2>/dev/null

# Restore it — substitute the actual path from the find output:
mv /usr/share/truenas/webui/main.XXXXXXXX.js.pre-truecloud-patch \
   /usr/share/truenas/webui/main.XXXXXXXX.js
```

Refresh your browser. The UI will return to normal (Storj-only until the
patch re-runs at next reboot, or you run
`bash /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/apply.sh` manually).

---

### Backend verify shows FAIL

```bash
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py verify
```

`verify` reports one line per module:

| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `[OK  ]` | Module is active and applied. |
| `[SKIP]` | Module is inactive — either TrueNAS now does it natively, or it is opt-in and switched off. **Not a failure.** `nested_snapshots` shows SKIP on a default install. |
| `[FAIL]` | Module is needed but did not apply. |

If a module shows `[FAIL]`:

1. **Check the apply log** for errors during the last boot:
   ```bash
   tail -40 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/apply.log
   ```
2. **Check middlewared's own log** for Python tracebacks:
   ```bash
   grep -i "truecloud\|traceback\|error" /var/log/middlewared.log 2>/dev/null | tail -30
   journalctl -u middlewared -n 50
   ```
3. **A FAIL is non-fatal.** middlewared runs normally and the other module is
   unaffected; the failed one is simply inactive. Existing backups are not at
   risk.
4. **If the detail says the module doesn't exist**, a TrueNAS update renamed
   or restructured the internal API.
   [Open an issue](https://git.onetick.ninja/flan/truenas-truecloud-patch/issues)
   with your TrueNAS version number and the full verify output.

---

## Troubleshooting

**Backups fail with `NotImplementedError` after a reboot**

The traceback ends in `rclone/base.py` → `raise NotImplementedError` and
contains no `_tc_` frames: the running middlewared is executing stock code.
Either the deferred restart never fired, or the patch never landed on disk
this boot. Diagnose in this order:

```bash
# Did apply.sh run this boot, at which version, and did it schedule the restart?
tail -40 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/apply.log

# Full check — compares the running process against the patch timestamp
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py verify

# Did the deferred restart unit run, fail, or never get created?
systemctl status truecloud-mw-restart.service
journalctl -u truecloud-mw-restart.service --no-pager | tail -20
```

- `verify` reports the process started **before** the patch → the restart
  didn't happen. `systemctl restart middlewared` fixes it immediately; the
  journal output above tells you why it was missed.
- `apply.log` shows the kill switch is active → `rm .../disabled`, then
  `bash install.sh`.
- `apply.log` has no entry for this boot → the hook didn't run; re-run
  `bash install.sh` to re-register it.
- `apply.log` header shows `[v0.0.3]` or older → update:
  `git pull && bash install.sh` (v0.0.4 fixed patches not loading after
  reboot).

**Apply log** (check after each reboot or install):
```bash
cat /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/apply.log
```

**Verify backend patch is loaded** (while middlewared is running):
```bash
python3 /mnt/tank/truenas-truecloud-patch/patch/create_task.py verify
```
Reads `hook_status.json` written by `apply.sh` at boot **and** checks that the
running middlewared process started *after* the patches were applied — an
on-disk patch that middlewared has not loaded yet is reported as FAIL with
instructions. Does not require `--host` or `--api-key`.

**Middlewared log:**
```bash
grep truecloud-patch /var/log/middlewared.log 2>/dev/null | tail -20
journalctl -u middlewared -n 100 2>/dev/null | grep truecloud-patch
```

**Verify the UI patch** (should print your TrueNAS version):
```bash
grep -c 'STORJ_IX.*S3.*B2' \
    $(find /usr/share/truenas -name '*.js' 2>/dev/null) 2>/dev/null \
    | grep -v ':0'
```

**`create_task.py` — "midclt not found" or permission errors**
`create_task.py` now talks to the local middleware via `midclt`, so run it **on
the TrueNAS host** (not remotely) as a user with middleware access (root). There
is no HTTPS/API-key call anymore, so there is no TLS certificate to configure.