fix(#338): Add rate limiting to orchestrator API

- Add @nestjs/throttler for rate limiting support
- Configure multiple throttle profiles: default (100/min), strict (10/min for spawn/kill), status (200/min for polling)
- Apply strict rate limits to spawn and kill endpoints to prevent DoS
- Apply higher rate limits to status/health endpoints for monitoring
- Add OrchestratorThrottlerGuard with X-Forwarded-For support for proxy setups
- Add unit tests for throttler guard

Refs #338

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

apps/orchestrator/package.json

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
     "@nestjs/config": "^4.0.2",
     "@nestjs/core": "^11.1.12",
     "@nestjs/platform-express": "^11.1.12",
+    "@nestjs/throttler": "^6.5.0",
     "bullmq": "^5.67.2",
     "class-transformer": "^0.5.1",
     "class-validator": "^0.14.1",

apps/orchestrator/src/api/agents/agents.controller.ts

@@ -12,21 +12,28 @@ import {
   HttpCode,
   UseGuards,
 } from "@nestjs/common";
+import { Throttle } from "@nestjs/throttler";
 import { QueueService } from "../../queue/queue.service";
 import { AgentSpawnerService } from "../../spawner/agent-spawner.service";
 import { AgentLifecycleService } from "../../spawner/agent-lifecycle.service";
 import { KillswitchService } from "../../killswitch/killswitch.service";
 import { SpawnAgentDto, SpawnAgentResponseDto } from "./dto/spawn-agent.dto";
 import { OrchestratorApiKeyGuard } from "../../common/guards/api-key.guard";
+import { OrchestratorThrottlerGuard } from "../../common/guards/throttler.guard";
 
 /**
  * Controller for agent management endpoints
  *
  * All endpoints require API key authentication via X-API-Key header.
  * Set ORCHESTRATOR_API_KEY environment variable to configure the expected key.
+ *
+ * Rate limits:
+ * - Status endpoints: 200 requests/minute
+ * - Spawn/kill endpoints: 10 requests/minute (strict)
+ * - Default: 100 requests/minute
  */
 @Controller("agents")
-@UseGuards(OrchestratorApiKeyGuard)
+@UseGuards(OrchestratorApiKeyGuard, OrchestratorThrottlerGuard)
 export class AgentsController {
   private readonly logger = new Logger(AgentsController.name);
 
@@ -43,6 +50,7 @@ export class AgentsController {
    * @returns Agent spawn response with agentId and status
    */
   @Post("spawn")
+  @Throttle({ strict: { limit: 10, ttl: 60000 } })
   @UsePipes(new ValidationPipe({ transform: true, whitelist: true }))
   async spawn(@Body() dto: SpawnAgentDto): Promise<SpawnAgentResponseDto> {
     this.logger.log(`Received spawn request for task: ${dto.taskId}`);
@@ -81,6 +89,7 @@ export class AgentsController {
    * @returns Array of all agent sessions with their status
    */
   @Get()
+  @Throttle({ status: { limit: 200, ttl: 60000 } })
   listAgents(): {
     agentId: string;
     taskId: string;
@@ -123,6 +132,7 @@ export class AgentsController {
    * @returns Agent status details
    */
   @Get(":agentId/status")
+  @Throttle({ status: { limit: 200, ttl: 60000 } })
   async getAgentStatus(@Param("agentId") agentId: string): Promise<{
     agentId: string;
     taskId: string;
@@ -181,6 +191,7 @@ export class AgentsController {
    * @returns Success message
    */
   @Post(":agentId/kill")
+  @Throttle({ strict: { limit: 10, ttl: 60000 } })
   @HttpCode(200)
   async killAgent(@Param("agentId") agentId: string): Promise<{ message: string }> {
     this.logger.warn(`Received kill request for agent: ${agentId}`);
@@ -204,6 +215,7 @@ export class AgentsController {
    * @returns Summary of kill operation
    */
   @Post("kill-all")
+  @Throttle({ strict: { limit: 10, ttl: 60000 } })
   @HttpCode(200)
   async killAllAgents(): Promise<{
     message: string;

apps/orchestrator/src/api/health/health.controller.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,22 @@
-import { Controller, Get } from "@nestjs/common";
+import { Controller, Get, UseGuards } from "@nestjs/common";
+import { Throttle } from "@nestjs/throttler";
 import { HealthService } from "./health.service";
+import { OrchestratorThrottlerGuard } from "../../common/guards/throttler.guard";
 
+/**
+ * Health check controller for orchestrator service
+ *
+ * Rate limits:
+ * - Health endpoints: 200 requests/minute (higher for monitoring)
+ */
 @Controller("health")
+@UseGuards(OrchestratorThrottlerGuard)
 export class HealthController {
   constructor(private readonly healthService: HealthService) {}
 
   @Get()
-  check() {
+  @Throttle({ status: { limit: 200, ttl: 60000 } })
+  check(): { status: string; uptime: number; timestamp: string } {
     return {
       status: "healthy",
       uptime: this.healthService.getUptime(),
@@ -15,7 +25,8 @@ export class HealthController {
   }
 
   @Get("ready")
-  ready() {
+  @Throttle({ status: { limit: 200, ttl: 60000 } })
+  ready(): { ready: boolean } {
     // NOTE: Check Valkey connection, Docker daemon (see issue #TBD)
     return { ready: true };
   }

apps/orchestrator/src/api/health/health.module.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { Module } from "@nestjs/common";
 import { HealthController } from "./health.controller";
+import { HealthService } from "./health.service";
 
 @Module({
   controllers: [HealthController],
+  providers: [HealthService],
 })
 export class HealthModule {}

apps/orchestrator/src/app.module.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
 import { Module } from "@nestjs/common";
 import { ConfigModule } from "@nestjs/config";
 import { BullModule } from "@nestjs/bullmq";
+import { ThrottlerModule } from "@nestjs/throttler";
 import { HealthModule } from "./api/health/health.module";
 import { AgentsModule } from "./api/agents/agents.module";
 import { CoordinatorModule } from "./coordinator/coordinator.module";
 import { BudgetModule } from "./budget/budget.module";
 import { orchestratorConfig } from "./config/orchestrator.config";
 
+/**
+ * Rate limiting configuration:
+ * - 'default': Standard API endpoints (100 requests per minute)
+ * - 'strict': Spawn/kill endpoints (10 requests per minute) - prevents DoS
+ * - 'status': Status/health endpoints (200 requests per minute) - higher for polling
+ */
 @Module({
   imports: [
     ConfigModule.forRoot({
@@ -19,6 +26,23 @@ import { orchestratorConfig } from "./config/orchestrator.config";
         port: parseInt(process.env.VALKEY_PORT ?? "6379"),
       },
     }),
+    ThrottlerModule.forRoot([
+      {
+        name: "default",
+        ttl: 60000, // 1 minute
+        limit: 100, // 100 requests per minute
+      },
+      {
+        name: "strict",
+        ttl: 60000, // 1 minute
+        limit: 10, // 10 requests per minute for spawn/kill
+      },
+      {
+        name: "status",
+        ttl: 60000, // 1 minute
+        limit: 200, // 200 requests per minute for status endpoints
+      },
+    ]),
     HealthModule,
     AgentsModule,
     CoordinatorModule,

apps/orchestrator/src/common/guards/throttler.guard.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from "vitest";
+import { ExecutionContext } from "@nestjs/common";
+import { ThrottlerException, ThrottlerModuleOptions, ThrottlerStorage } from "@nestjs/throttler";
+import { Reflector } from "@nestjs/core";
+import { OrchestratorThrottlerGuard } from "./throttler.guard";
+
+describe("OrchestratorThrottlerGuard", () => {
+  let guard: OrchestratorThrottlerGuard;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    // Create guard with minimal mocks for testing protected methods
+    const options: ThrottlerModuleOptions = {
+      throttlers: [{ name: "default", ttl: 60000, limit: 100 }],
+    };
+    const storageService = {} as ThrottlerStorage;
+    const reflector = {} as Reflector;
+
+    guard = new OrchestratorThrottlerGuard(options, storageService, reflector);
+  });
+
+  describe("getTracker", () => {
+    it("should extract IP from X-Forwarded-For header", async () => {
+      const req = {
+        headers: {
+          "x-forwarded-for": "192.168.1.1, 10.0.0.1",
+        },
+        ip: "127.0.0.1",
+      };
+
+      // Access protected method for testing
+      const tracker = await (
+        guard as unknown as { getTracker: (req: unknown) => Promise<string> }
+      ).getTracker(req);
+
+      expect(tracker).toBe("192.168.1.1");
+    });
+
+    it("should handle X-Forwarded-For as array", async () => {
+      const req = {
+        headers: {
+          "x-forwarded-for": ["192.168.1.1, 10.0.0.1"],
+        },
+        ip: "127.0.0.1",
+      };
+
+      const tracker = await (
+        guard as unknown as { getTracker: (req: unknown) => Promise<string> }
+      ).getTracker(req);
+
+      expect(tracker).toBe("192.168.1.1");
+    });
+
+    it("should fallback to request IP when no X-Forwarded-For", async () => {
+      const req = {
+        headers: {},
+        ip: "192.168.2.2",
+      };
+
+      const tracker = await (
+        guard as unknown as { getTracker: (req: unknown) => Promise<string> }
+      ).getTracker(req);
+
+      expect(tracker).toBe("192.168.2.2");
+    });
+
+    it("should fallback to connection remoteAddress when no IP", async () => {
+      const req = {
+        headers: {},
+        connection: {
+          remoteAddress: "192.168.3.3",
+        },
+      };
+
+      const tracker = await (
+        guard as unknown as { getTracker: (req: unknown) => Promise<string> }
+      ).getTracker(req);
+
+      expect(tracker).toBe("192.168.3.3");
+    });
+
+    it("should return 'unknown' when no IP available", async () => {
+      const req = {
+        headers: {},
+      };
+
+      const tracker = await (
+        guard as unknown as { getTracker: (req: unknown) => Promise<string> }
+      ).getTracker(req);
+
+      expect(tracker).toBe("unknown");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("throwThrottlingException", () => {
+    it("should throw ThrottlerException with endpoint info", () => {
+      const mockRequest = {
+        url: "/agents/spawn",
+      };
+
+      const mockContext = {
+        switchToHttp: vi.fn().mockReturnValue({
+          getRequest: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(mockRequest),
+        }),
+      } as unknown as ExecutionContext;
+
+      expect(() => {
+        (
+          guard as unknown as { throwThrottlingException: (context: ExecutionContext) => void }
+        ).throwThrottlingException(mockContext);
+      }).toThrow(ThrottlerException);
+
+      try {
+        (
+          guard as unknown as { throwThrottlingException: (context: ExecutionContext) => void }
+        ).throwThrottlingException(mockContext);
+      } catch (error) {
+        expect(error).toBeInstanceOf(ThrottlerException);
+        expect((error as ThrottlerException).message).toContain("/agents/spawn");
+      }
+    });
+  });
+});

apps/orchestrator/src/common/guards/throttler.guard.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { Injectable, ExecutionContext } from "@nestjs/common";
+import { ThrottlerGuard, ThrottlerException } from "@nestjs/throttler";
+
+interface RequestWithHeaders {
+  headers?: Record<string, string | string[]>;
+  ip?: string;
+  connection?: { remoteAddress?: string };
+  url?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * OrchestratorThrottlerGuard - Rate limiting guard for orchestrator API endpoints
+ *
+ * Uses the X-Forwarded-For header for client IP identification when behind a proxy,
+ * falling back to the direct connection IP.
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ * @UseGuards(OrchestratorThrottlerGuard)
+ * @Controller('agents')
+ * export class AgentsController { ... }
+ */
+@Injectable()
+export class OrchestratorThrottlerGuard extends ThrottlerGuard {
+  /**
+   * Get the client IP address for rate limiting tracking
+   * Prioritizes X-Forwarded-For header for proxy setups
+   */
+  protected getTracker(req: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<string> {
+    const request = req as RequestWithHeaders;
+    const headers = request.headers;
+
+    // Check X-Forwarded-For header first (for proxied requests)
+    if (headers) {
+      const forwardedFor = headers["x-forwarded-for"];
+      if (forwardedFor) {
+        // Get the first IP in the chain (original client)
+        const ips = Array.isArray(forwardedFor) ? forwardedFor[0] : forwardedFor;
+        if (ips) {
+          const clientIp = ips.split(",")[0]?.trim();
+          if (clientIp) {
+            return Promise.resolve(clientIp);
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Fallback to direct connection IP
+    const ip = request.ip ?? request.connection?.remoteAddress ?? "unknown";
+    return Promise.resolve(ip);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Custom error message for rate limit exceeded
+   */
+  protected throwThrottlingException(context: ExecutionContext): Promise<void> {
+    const request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest<RequestWithHeaders>();
+    const endpoint = request.url ?? "unknown";
+
+    throw new ThrottlerException(
+      `Rate limit exceeded for endpoint ${endpoint}. Please try again later.`
+    );
+  }
+}

pnpm-lock.yaml

@@ -292,6 +292,9 @@ importers:
       '@nestjs/platform-express':
         specifier: ^11.1.12
         version: 11.1.12(@nestjs/common@11.1.12(class-transformer@0.5.1)(class-validator@0.14.3)(reflect-metadata@0.2.2)(rxjs@7.8.2))(@nestjs/core@11.1.12)
+      '@nestjs/throttler':
+        specifier: ^6.5.0
+        version: 6.5.0(@nestjs/common@11.1.12(class-transformer@0.5.1)(class-validator@0.14.3)(reflect-metadata@0.2.2)(rxjs@7.8.2))(@nestjs/core@11.1.12)(reflect-metadata@0.2.2)
       bullmq:
         specifier: ^5.67.2
         version: 5.67.2
@@ -454,6 +457,8 @@ importers:
         specifier: ^3.0.8
         version: 3.2.4(@types/node@22.19.7)(jiti@2.6.1)(jsdom@26.1.0)(terser@5.46.0)(tsx@4.21.0)(yaml@2.8.2)
 
+  packages/cli-tools: {}
+
   packages/config:
     dependencies:
       '@eslint/js':