From b4c21b4f6707eed1373f63bc93b794473abb3943 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jochen <jschoubben@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:59:22 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Read a machine's iptables rules when it has no nft, instead
 of calling it unfiltered (hq ADR 0100)

---
 internal/firewall/firewall.go      | 18 ++++++++++++++---
 internal/firewall/firewall_test.go | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 46 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/internal/firewall/firewall.go b/internal/firewall/firewall.go
index 91a0f7c..37b9052 100644
--- a/internal/firewall/firewall.go
+++ b/internal/firewall/firewall.go
@@ -63,19 +63,31 @@ func Detect(ctx context.Context, run Runner) (Kind, string, error) {
 		ufwActive = statusActive(out)
 	}
 
+	noNft := false
 	out, err := run(ctx, "nft", "list", "ruleset")
 	switch {
 	case err == nil:
 		if refusing := Refusing(out, ufwActive); len(refusing) > 0 {
 			return Unsupported, "nftables rules that refuse traffic, in " + strings.Join(refusing, ", "), nil
 		}
-	case !missing(err):
+	case missing(err):
+		// **No nft on this machine does not mean no rules.** iptables-nft writes tables nft would
+		// have shown, and a machine whose only tool is iptables answers about them through that.
+		// Read as "nothing filters here", a machine with an iptables firewall would be adopted
+		// with no openings and nothing would reach the mesh (novox/hq ADR 0100).
+		noNft = true
+	default:
 		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("cannot read this machine's packet filter to know what it has: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if !ufwActive {
-		// iptables with the legacy backend is invisible to nft.
-		for _, legacy := range []string{"iptables-legacy", "ip6tables-legacy"} {
+		// iptables with the legacy backend is invisible to nft; and where nft is not installed,
+		// the iptables command is the only way to see anything at all.
+		tools := []string{"iptables-legacy", "ip6tables-legacy"}
+		if noNft {
+			tools = append(tools, "iptables", "ip6tables")
+		}
+		for _, legacy := range tools {
 			out, err := run(ctx, legacy, "-S")
 			if err != nil {
 				continue
diff --git a/internal/firewall/firewall_test.go b/internal/firewall/firewall_test.go
index 426c7d5..acee5d2 100644
--- a/internal/firewall/firewall_test.go
+++ b/internal/firewall/firewall_test.go
@@ -119,11 +119,20 @@ type fakeUFW struct {
 	// after it is disabled; empty is a machine without iptables. forward is a policy set since.
 	iptablesActive, iptablesInactive string
 	forward                          string
+	// noNft is a machine with no nft binary; iptablesRules is what `iptables -S` prints there.
+	noNft         bool
+	iptablesRules string
 }
 
 // iptables answers `iptables -S FORWARD` from the captured output for ufw's state, and records
 // a forward policy set with -P.
 func (f *fakeUFW) iptables(name string, args []string) (string, error) {
+	if f.iptablesRules != "" && len(args) == 1 && args[0] == "-S" {
+		if name == "ip6tables" {
+			return "", nil
+		}
+		return f.iptablesRules, nil
+	}
 	if f.iptablesActive == "" {
 		return "", &exec.Error{Name: name, Err: exec.ErrNotFound}
 	}
@@ -189,6 +198,9 @@ func (f *fakeUFW) run(_ context.Context, name string, args ...string) (string, e
 		}
 		return "", &exec.Error{Name: name, Err: exec.ErrNotFound}
 	case "nft":
+		if f.noNft {
+			return "", &exec.Error{Name: name, Err: exec.ErrNotFound}
+		}
 		return f.ruleset, nil
 	case "iptables-legacy", "ip6tables-legacy":
 		return "", &exec.Error{Name: name, Err: exec.ErrNotFound}
@@ -756,3 +768,22 @@ func TestIncomingIsUfwsDefaultDirection(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("an incoming refusal ufw would merge was not refused")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAMachineWithIptablesRulesAndNoNftIsNotReadAsUnfiltered(t *testing.T) {
+	// nft is not installed, and iptables-nft holds a firewall of somebody's. Read as "nothing
+	// filters here" the mesh would adopt it, open nothing, and be unreachable (novox/hq ADR 0100).
+	rules := "-P INPUT DROP\n-P FORWARD DROP\n-P OUTPUT ACCEPT\n-A INPUT -p tcp -m tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT\n"
+	f := &fakeUFW{noNft: true, iptablesRules: rules}
+	kind, what, err := Detect(context.Background(), f.run)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if kind != Unsupported {
+		t.Errorf("a machine filtered by iptables with no nft read as %s (%s)", kind, what)
+	}
+	// And a machine with nothing but the runtime's own rules and no nft is still unfiltered.
+	docker := "-P INPUT ACCEPT\n-P FORWARD DROP\n-P OUTPUT ACCEPT\n-N DOCKER\n-A DOCKER -i docker0 -j DROP\n"
+	if kind, _, err := Detect(context.Background(), (&fakeUFW{noNft: true, iptablesRules: docker}).run); err != nil || kind != None {
+		t.Errorf("a machine with only the runtime's rules read as %s: %v", kind, err)
+	}
+}