# Prole Home Directory Structure ## Overview The Prole Installer creates and uses `$HOME/.prole/` for writable storage when running from a packaged binary. This is necessary because PyInstaller extracts resources to a read-only temporary directory. ## Directory Structure ``` $HOME/.prole/ ├── build/ # Docker build contexts │ └── prole-db/ # PostgreSQL Docker build │ ├── Dockerfile │ ├── conf/ │ └── ... └── scan/ # Network scan output and cache └── (scan results, temporary files) ``` ## Purpose of Each Directory ### build/ **Purpose:** Writable location for Docker build contexts **Why:** PyInstaller extracts resources to `/tmp/_MEIxxxxxx/` which is read-only. Docker requires a writable build context directory to create images. **Usage:** ```python prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" build_dir = prole_home / "build" / "prole-db" build_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # Copy build context from embedded resources source_dir = get_resource_path("prole-db") shutil.copytree(source_dir, build_dir) # Docker build subprocess.Popen(['docker', 'build', '-t', 'prole-db:TAG', '.'], cwd=build_dir) ``` **Contents:** - Complete copy of `prole-db/` directory - Dockerfile and all dependencies - Refreshed on each build (old content removed) **Size:** ~1-5 MB ### scan/ **Purpose:** Writable working directory for network scan operations **Why:** The `prole-agent` binary may need to write output files, cache data, or store temporary results. Running from a read-only directory causes failures. **Usage:** ```python prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" scan_dir = prole_home / "scan" scan_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # Run scan with writable cwd subprocess.Popen([str(scan_binary)], cwd=str(scan_dir)) ``` **Contents:** - Network scan results (temporary) - Ollama API interaction cache - Any intermediate files created by prole-agent **Size:** Varies, typically < 1 MB ## Creation and Cleanup ### Automatic Creation All directories are created automatically when needed: ```python # Build directory (Path.home() / ".prole" / "build" / "prole-db").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) # Scan directory (Path.home() / ".prole" / "scan").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) ``` ### Manual Cleanup To remove all Prole working directories: ```bash rm -rf ~/.prole ``` Or from Python: ```python import shutil from pathlib import Path prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" if prole_home.exists(): shutil.rmtree(prole_home) ``` ### Automatic Cleanup (Future) Consider adding cleanup options to the installer: ```python def cleanup_prole_home(): """Clean up .prole working directories.""" prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" if prole_home.exists(): # Keep or remove based on user preference if messagebox.askyesno("Cleanup", "Remove temporary files?"): shutil.rmtree(prole_home) ``` ## Disk Space ### Expected Usage | Directory | Size | When Created | Persistent | |-----------|------|--------------|------------| | `build/prole-db/` | 1-5 MB | First Docker build | Yes | | `scan/` | < 1 MB | First network scan | Yes | | **Total** | **~2-6 MB** | On first use | Yes | ### Growth - **build/** – Overwritten on each build, doesn't grow - **scan/** – May accumulate cache files over time ## Troubleshooting ### Permission Errors **Error:** `Permission denied` creating `.prole` directory **Cause:** Home directory not writable **Solution:** ```bash ls -ld ~ chmod u+w ~ ``` ### Disk Space Issues **Error:** `No space left on device` **Cause:** Disk full **Solution:** ```bash df -h ~ rm -rf ~/.prole # Free up space ``` ### Stale Build Context **Issue:** Docker build uses old files **Solution:** ```python # Build directory is refreshed automatically if build_dir.exists(): shutil.rmtree(build_dir) shutil.copytree(source_dir, build_dir) ``` ## Security Considerations ### File Permissions The `.prole` directory inherits user's home directory permissions: ```bash ls -ld ~/.prole # drwxr-xr-x user group ~/.prole ``` Only the user should have write access. ### Sensitive Data Avoid storing sensitive data in `.prole/`: - ✓ Build contexts (public) - ✓ Scan results (network info, semi-sensitive) - ✗ Passwords, keys, credentials ### Cleanup on Uninstall If distributing the installer, consider: 1. **Document cleanup:** ``` To completely remove Prole: 1. Delete the app: rm -rf /Applications/Prole\ Installer.app 2. Clean up data: rm -rf ~/.prole ``` 2. **Provide uninstall script:** ```bash #!/bin/bash # uninstall-prole.sh rm -rf /Applications/Prole\ Installer.app rm -rf ~/.prole echo "Prole uninstalled" ``` ## Related Issues ### Docker Build Hang **Problem:** Docker build hangs when running from packaged binary **Solution:** Copy build context to `~/.prole/build/prole-db/` **See:** [DOCKER-BUILD-FIX.md](DOCKER-BUILD-FIX.md) ### Network Scan Failure **Problem:** Network scan fails to make API calls from packaged binary **Solution:** Run scan with `cwd=~/.prole/scan` **Reason:** Scan binary needs writable directory for output/cache ## Implementation Details ### Code Location **Build directory creation:** `install.py`, `run_db_build()` method (line ~1791) ```python prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" build_dir = prole_home / "build" / "prole-db" build_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) ``` **Scan directory creation:** `install.py`, network scan worker (line ~1102) ```python prole_home = Path.home() / ".prole" scan_dir = prole_home / "scan" scan_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) ``` ### Resource Path Resolution Both use `get_resource_path()` to find embedded resources: ```python def get_resource_path(relative_path): """Get absolute path to resource, works for dev and for PyInstaller.""" try: base_path = Path(sys._MEIPASS) # PyInstaller temp dir except AttributeError: base_path = PROJECT_ROOT # Running from source return base_path / relative_path ``` ## Future Enhancements ### Persistent Cache Store network scan results between runs: ```python scan_cache = Path.home() / ".prole" / "scan" / "cache.json" if scan_cache.exists(): # Load previous scan results = json.loads(scan_cache.read_text()) else: # Run new scan results = run_scan() scan_cache.write_text(json.dumps(results)) ``` ### Build Artifacts Store built Docker images as tarballs: ```python image_cache = Path.home() / ".prole" / "build" / "prole-db-TAG.tar" if not image_cache.exists(): # Build and save subprocess.run(['docker', 'build', '-t', 'prole-db:TAG', '.']) subprocess.run(['docker', 'save', '-o', str(image_cache), 'prole-db:TAG']) else: # Load cached image subprocess.run(['docker', 'load', '-i', str(image_cache)]) ``` ### Configuration Storage Store user preferences: ```python config_file = Path.home() / ".prole" / "config.json" config = { 'cluster_env': 'development', 'kerberos_enabled': False, 'last_scan': '2025-01-19', } config_file.write_text(json.dumps(config, indent=2)) ``` ## Summary The `~/.prole/` directory provides: - ✓ Writable storage for packaged binary operations - ✓ Separate from extracted read-only resources - ✓ User-specific, secure location - ✓ Easy to clean up manually - ✓ Small disk footprint (< 10 MB) This architecture ensures the installer works correctly whether running from source or from a PyInstaller package.