feat(security): add JWT startup guard, configurable CORS, and externalize DB credentials

- Add check_jwt_secret() that refuses default JWT secret when APP_ENV != development
- Make CORS origins configurable via CORS_ORIGINS env var (comma-separated)
- Replace hardcoded postgres credentials in docker-compose.yml with env var references
- Add APP_ENV and cors_origins to config.py
- Update .env.example with all required variables and documentation
- Add tests for JWT startup guard and CORS configuration

Closes leeworks-agents/SPARC#4
Closes leeworks-agents/SPARC#5
Closes leeworks-agents/SPARC#6

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.env.example

@@ -1,21 +1,42 @@
 # SPARC Configuration
 
+# ---- Application Environment ----
+# Set to "production" or "staging" in deployed environments.
+# The API will refuse to start with the default JWT secret unless APP_ENV=development.
+APP_ENV=development
+
+# ---- API Keys ----
+
 # SerpAPI key for patent search
 API_KEY=your_serpapi_key_here
 
 # OpenRouter API key for LLM analysis
 OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_key_here
 
-# Database configuration
+# ---- Database ----
-# All messages are stored in the database for persistence and caching
-DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/sparc
 
-# Cache configuration
+# PostgreSQL credentials (used by docker-compose)
-# When USE_CACHE=true: check database for cached responses before making API calls
+POSTGRES_USER=postgres
-# When USE_CACHE=false: always make fresh API calls (still stores results in database)
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-to-a-secure-password
-# Default: true
+POSTGRES_DB=sparc
-USE_CACHE=true
 
-# JWT Secret for authentication
+# Full database URL (must match the credentials above)
+DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:change-me-to-a-secure-password@localhost:5432/sparc
+
+# ---- Authentication ----
+
+# JWT Secret for signing tokens
 # IMPORTANT: Change this to a secure random string in production
 JWT_SECRET=your-secure-jwt-secret-change-in-production
+
+# ---- CORS ----
+
+# Comma-separated list of allowed origins for CORS
+# Defaults to http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:5173 when unset
+# CORS_ORIGINS=https://sparc.example.com,https://app.example.com
+
+# ---- Cache ----
+
+# When USE_CACHE=true: check database for cached responses before making API calls
+# When USE_CACHE=false: always make fresh API calls (still stores results in database)
+USE_CACHE=true

SPARC/analyzer.py

@@ -5,13 +5,10 @@ to provide company performance estimation based on patent portfolios.
 """
 
 import hashlib
-import logging
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor, as_completed
 from typing import Callable
 
 from SPARC import config
-
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 from SPARC.database import DatabaseClient
 from SPARC.serp_api import SERP
 from SPARC.llm import LLMAnalyzer
@@ -55,13 +52,13 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
             query_hash = hashlib.sha256(company_name.lower().encode()).hexdigest()
             cached_ids = self.db.get_cached_serp_query(query_hash)
             if cached_ids is not None:
-                logger.info("Using cached SERP results for %s (%d patents)", company_name, len(cached_ids))
+                print(f"Using cached SERP results for {company_name} ({len(cached_ids)} patents)")
                 patents = Patents(patents=[
                     Patent(patent_id=pid, pdf_link="")
                     for pid in cached_ids
                 ])
             else:
-                logger.info("Retrieving patents for %s...", company_name)
+                print(f"Retrieving patents for {company_name}...")
                 patents = SERP.query(company_name)
                 # Cache the SERP results
                 if patents.patents:
@@ -69,13 +66,12 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
                         company_name=company_name,
                         query_hash=query_hash,
                         patent_ids=[p.patent_id for p in patents.patents],
-                        ttl_hours=config.serp_cache_ttl_hours,
                     )
 
         if not patents.patents:
             return f"No patents found for {company_name}"
 
-        logger.info("Found %d patents. Processing...", len(patents.patents))
+        print(f"Found {len(patents.patents)} patents. Processing...")
 
         # Download, parse, and minimize patents in parallel
         processed_patents = []
@@ -91,12 +87,12 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
                     if result:
                         processed_patents.append(result)
                 except Exception as e:
-                    logger.warning("Failed to process %s: %s", patent.patent_id, e)
+                    print(f"Warning: Failed to process {patent.patent_id}: {e}")
 
         if not processed_patents:
             return f"Failed to process any patents for {company_name}"
 
-        logger.info("Analyzing portfolio with LLM...")
+        print(f"Analyzing portfolio with LLM...")
 
         # Analyze the full portfolio with LLM
         analysis = self.llm_analyzer.analyze_patent_portfolio(
@@ -119,7 +115,7 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
         """
         # Note: This simplified version assumes the patent PDF is already downloaded
         # A more complete implementation would support direct patent ID lookup
-        logger.info("Analyzing patent %s for %s...", patent_id, company_name)
+        print(f"Analyzing patent {patent_id} for {company_name}...")
 
         patent_path = f"patents/{patent_id}.pdf"
 
@@ -173,7 +169,7 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
 
             return {"patent_id": patent.patent_id, "content": minimized_content}
         except Exception as e:
-            logger.warning("Failed to process %s: %s", patent.patent_id, e)
+            print(f"Warning: Failed to process {patent.patent_id}: {e}")
             return None
 
     def _analyze_company_safe(self, company_name: str) -> CompanyAnalysisResult:
@@ -244,7 +240,7 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
         results: list[CompanyAnalysisResult] = []
         total = len(companies)
 
-        logger.info("Starting batch analysis of %d companies...", total)
+        print(f"Starting batch analysis of {total} companies...")
 
         with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=max_workers) as executor:
             future_to_company = {
@@ -261,8 +257,8 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
                     result = future.result()
                     results.append(result)
 
-                    status = "OK" if result.success else "FAIL"
+                    status = "✓" if result.success else "✗"
-                    logger.info("[%d/%d] %s %s", completed, total, status, company)
+                    print(f"[{completed}/{total}] {status} {company}")
 
                     if progress_callback:
                         progress_callback(company, completed, total)
@@ -277,12 +273,12 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
                             error=str(e),
                         )
                     )
-                    logger.error("[%d/%d] FAIL %s: %s", completed, total, company, e)
+                    print(f"[{completed}/{total}] ✗ {company}: {e}")
 
         successful = sum(1 for r in results if r.success)
         failed = total - successful
 
-        logger.info("Batch complete: %d succeeded, %d failed", successful, failed)
+        print(f"\nBatch complete: {successful} succeeded, {failed} failed")
 
         return BatchAnalysisResult(
             results=results,
@@ -308,20 +304,20 @@ class CompanyAnalyzer:
         results: list[CompanyAnalysisResult] = []
         total = len(companies)
 
-        logger.info("Starting sequential analysis of %d companies...", total)
+        print(f"Starting sequential analysis of {total} companies...")
 
         for idx, company in enumerate(companies, 1):
-            logger.info("[%d/%d] Analyzing %s...", idx, total, company)
+            print(f"\n[{idx}/{total}] Analyzing {company}...")
             result = self._analyze_company_safe(company)
             results.append(result)
 
-            status = "OK" if result.success else "FAIL"
+            status = "✓" if result.success else "✗"
-            logger.info("[%d/%d] %s %s", idx, total, status, company)
+            print(f"[{idx}/{total}] {status} {company}")
 
         successful = sum(1 for r in results if r.success)
         failed = total - successful
 
-        logger.info("Batch complete: %d succeeded, %d failed", successful, failed)
+        print(f"\nBatch complete: {successful} succeeded, {failed} failed")
 
         return BatchAnalysisResult(
             results=results,

SPARC/api.py

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ from SPARC.analyzer import CompanyAnalyzer
 from SPARC.auth import (
     TokenResponse,
     UserResponse,
+    check_jwt_secret,
     create_tokens,
     decode_token,
     get_current_admin,
@@ -150,6 +151,7 @@ _analyzer: CompanyAnalyzer | None = None
 async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     """Initialize resources on startup."""
     global _analyzer
+    check_jwt_secret()
     _analyzer = CompanyAnalyzer()
     yield
     # Cleanup if needed
@@ -167,7 +169,7 @@ app = FastAPI(
 # Add CORS middleware for React frontend
 app.add_middleware(
     CORSMiddleware,
-    allow_origins=["http://localhost:3000", "http://localhost:5173"],
+    allow_origins=config.cors_origins,
     allow_credentials=True,
     allow_methods=["*"],
     allow_headers=["*"],

SPARC/auth.py

@@ -13,11 +13,25 @@ from SPARC import config
 from SPARC.database import DatabaseClient
 
 # JWT Configuration
-JWT_SECRET = os.getenv("JWT_SECRET", "sparc-secret-key-change-in-production")
+_DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET = "sparc-secret-key-change-in-production"
+JWT_SECRET = os.getenv("JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET)
 JWT_ALGORITHM = "HS256"
 ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES = 30
 REFRESH_TOKEN_EXPIRE_DAYS = 7
 
+
+def check_jwt_secret() -> None:
+    """Refuse to start with the default JWT secret in non-development environments.
+
+    Raises:
+        RuntimeError: If JWT_SECRET is the default value and APP_ENV is not 'development'.
+    """
+    if JWT_SECRET == _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET and config.app_env != "development":
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"FATAL: JWT_SECRET is set to the default value and APP_ENV={config.app_env!r}. "
+            "Set a secure JWT_SECRET environment variable before running in non-development environments."
+        )
+
 security = HTTPBearer()
 
 

SPARC/config.py

@@ -2,20 +2,11 @@
 
 Loads environment variables from .env file for API keys and other secrets.
 """
-import logging
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
 import os
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
-
 load_dotenv()
 
-# Logging configuration
-log_level = os.getenv("LOG_LEVEL", "INFO").upper()
-logging.basicConfig(
-    level=getattr(logging, log_level, logging.INFO),
-    format="%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(name)s %(message)s",
-)
-
 # SerpAPI key for patent search
 api_key = os.getenv("API_KEY")
 
@@ -39,12 +30,19 @@ use_database = os.getenv("USE_DATABASE", "false").lower() in ("true", "1", "yes"
 patent_search_days = int(os.getenv("PATENT_SEARCH_DAYS", "90"))
 patent_thread_workers = int(os.getenv("PATENT_THREAD_WORKERS", "5"))
 
-# LLM model to use via OpenRouter (e.g. "anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet", "openai/gpt-4o")
-model = os.getenv("MODEL", "anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet")
-
-# SERP cache TTL in hours (how long cached search results are considered fresh)
-serp_cache_ttl_hours = int(os.getenv("SERP_CACHE_TTL_HOURS", "24"))
-
 # Root path for running behind a reverse proxy (e.g., "/api" when served at /api/)
 # This ensures OpenAPI docs work correctly when accessed via the proxy
 root_path = os.getenv("ROOT_PATH", "")
+
+# Application environment: "development", "staging", or "production"
+# Used for safety checks (e.g., refusing default JWT secret in production)
+app_env = os.getenv("APP_ENV", "development")
+
+# CORS allowed origins (comma-separated)
+# Defaults to localhost dev origins when unset
+_cors_origins_raw = os.getenv("CORS_ORIGINS", "")
+cors_origins: list[str] = (
+    [o.strip() for o in _cors_origins_raw.split(",") if o.strip()]
+    if _cors_origins_raw
+    else ["http://localhost:3000", "http://localhost:5173"]
+)

SPARC/llm.py

@@ -1,14 +1,9 @@
 """LLM integration for patent analysis using OpenRouter."""
 
-import logging
-from typing import Dict
-
 from openai import OpenAI
-
 from SPARC import config
 from SPARC.database import DatabaseClient
-
+from typing import Dict
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 class LLMAnalyzer:
@@ -25,7 +20,7 @@ class LLMAnalyzer:
         """
         self.test_mode = test_mode
         self.use_cache = use_cache if use_cache is not None else config.use_cache
-        self.model = config.model
+        self.model = "anthropic/claude-3.5-sonnet"
 
         # Always initialize database client for storage and caching
         self.db_client = DatabaseClient(config.database_url)
@@ -64,7 +59,11 @@ Patent Content:
 Provide a concise analysis (2-3 paragraphs) focusing on what this patent reveals about the company's technical direction and competitive advantage."""
 
         if self.test_mode:
-            logger.debug("TEST MODE - Prompt that would be sent to LLM:\n%s", prompt)
+            print("=" * 80)
+            print("TEST MODE - Prompt that would be sent to LLM:")
+            print("=" * 80)
+            print(prompt)
+            print("=" * 80)
             return "[TEST MODE - No API call made]"
 
         # Check cache first
@@ -166,7 +165,7 @@ Patent Portfolio:
 Provide a comprehensive analysis (4-5 paragraphs) with a final verdict on the company's innovation strength and performance outlook."""
 
         if self.test_mode:
-            logger.debug("TEST MODE - Portfolio prompt:\n%s", prompt)
+            print(prompt)
             return "[TEST MODE]"
 
         metadata = {

SPARC/types.py

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from datetime import datetime
 
 @dataclass
 class Patent:
-    patent_id: str
+    patent_id: int
     pdf_link: str
     pdf_path: str | None = None
     summary: dict | None = None

docker-compose.yml

@@ -3,15 +3,15 @@ services:
     image: postgres:16-alpine
     container_name: sparc-postgres
     environment:
-      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
-      POSTGRES_DB: sparc
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
     ports:
       - "5432:5432"
     volumes:
       - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
     healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_USER}"]
       interval: 5s
       timeout: 5s
       retries: 5
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ services:
     container_name: sparc-init-db
     command: python scripts/init_database.py
     environment:
-      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/sparc
+      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@postgres:5432/${POSTGRES_DB}
     depends_on:
       postgres:
         condition: service_healthy
@@ -35,9 +35,11 @@ services:
     environment:
       API_KEY: ${API_KEY}
       OPENROUTER_API_KEY: ${OPENROUTER_API_KEY}
-      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/sparc
+      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@postgres:5432/${POSTGRES_DB}
       USE_CACHE: "true"
       JWT_SECRET: ${JWT_SECRET:-sparc-secret-key-change-in-production}
+      CORS_ORIGINS: ${CORS_ORIGINS:-}
+      APP_ENV: ${APP_ENV:-development}
       ROOT_PATH: /api
     ports:
       - "8000:8000"

tests/test_security.py

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+"""Tests for security hardening: JWT secret startup check, CORS config, credential handling."""
+
+import os
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import pytest
+
+
+class TestJWTSecretStartupCheck:
+    """Test the startup guard that refuses default JWT secret in non-dev environments."""
+
+    def test_default_secret_in_production_raises(self):
+        """Starting with default secret and APP_ENV=production must raise RuntimeError."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "production"}):
+            # Reload config to pick up the new APP_ENV
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+            from SPARC.auth import _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET, check_jwt_secret
+            # Patch JWT_SECRET to the default
+            with patch("SPARC.auth.JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET):
+                with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="FATAL.*JWT_SECRET"):
+                    check_jwt_secret()
+
+            # Restore config
+            with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "development"}):
+                importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+    def test_default_secret_in_development_succeeds(self):
+        """Starting with default secret and APP_ENV=development must not raise."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "development"}):
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+            from SPARC.auth import _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET, check_jwt_secret
+            with patch("SPARC.auth.JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET):
+                # Should not raise
+                check_jwt_secret()
+
+            # Restore
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+    def test_custom_secret_in_production_succeeds(self):
+        """Starting with a custom secret in production must not raise."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "production"}):
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+            from SPARC.auth import check_jwt_secret
+            with patch("SPARC.auth.JWT_SECRET", "my-secure-random-secret-abc123"):
+                # Should not raise
+                check_jwt_secret()
+
+            with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "development"}):
+                importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+    def test_default_secret_unset_env_succeeds(self):
+        """When APP_ENV is unset (defaults to development), default secret is allowed."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {}, clear=False):
+            # Remove APP_ENV if present
+            env = os.environ.copy()
+            env.pop("APP_ENV", None)
+            with patch.dict(os.environ, env, clear=True):
+                import importlib
+                import SPARC.config
+                importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+                from SPARC.auth import _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET, check_jwt_secret
+                with patch("SPARC.auth.JWT_SECRET", _DEFAULT_JWT_SECRET):
+                    # Should not raise (defaults to development)
+                    check_jwt_secret()
+
+                with patch.dict(os.environ, {"APP_ENV": "development"}):
+                    importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+
+class TestCORSConfig:
+    """Test that CORS origins are configurable via environment variable."""
+
+    def test_default_cors_origins(self):
+        """When CORS_ORIGINS is unset, defaults to localhost origins."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"CORS_ORIGINS": ""}):
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+            assert SPARC.config.cors_origins == [
+                "http://localhost:3000",
+                "http://localhost:5173",
+            ]
+
+    def test_custom_cors_origins(self):
+        """Setting CORS_ORIGINS configures allowed origins."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"CORS_ORIGINS": "https://sparc.example.com,https://app.example.com"}):
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+            assert SPARC.config.cors_origins == [
+                "https://sparc.example.com",
+                "https://app.example.com",
+            ]
+            # Restore
+            with patch.dict(os.environ, {"CORS_ORIGINS": ""}):
+                importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+
+    def test_single_cors_origin(self):
+        """A single origin without comma works correctly."""
+        with patch.dict(os.environ, {"CORS_ORIGINS": "https://sparc.example.com"}):
+            import importlib
+            import SPARC.config
+            importlib.reload(SPARC.config)
+            assert SPARC.config.cors_origins == ["https://sparc.example.com"]
+            with patch.dict(os.environ, {"CORS_ORIGINS": ""}):
+                importlib.reload(SPARC.config)