packages/mosaic/src/auth.ts

@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ export function saveSession(gatewayUrl: string, auth: AuthResult): void {
     expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000).toISOString(), // 7 days
   };
 
-  writeFileSync(SESSION_FILE, JSON.stringify(session, null, 2), 'utf-8');
+  // 0o600: owner read/write only — the session cookie is a credential
+  writeFileSync(SESSION_FILE, JSON.stringify(session, null, 2), { encoding: 'utf-8', mode: 0o600 });
 }
 
 /**

packages/mosaic/src/commands/gateway.ts

@@ -126,10 +126,18 @@ export function registerGatewayCommand(program: Command): void {
     .description('Sign in to the gateway (defaults to URL from meta.json)')
     .option('-g, --gateway <url>', 'Gateway URL (overrides meta.json)')
     .option('-e, --email <email>', 'Email address')
-    .option('-p, --password <password>', 'Password')
+    .option(
+      '-p, --password <password>',
+      '[UNSAFE] Avoid — exposes credentials in shell history and process listings',
+    )
     .action(async (cmdOpts: { gateway?: string; email?: string; password?: string }) => {
       const { runLogin } = await import('./gateway/login.js');
       const url = getGatewayUrl(cmdOpts.gateway);
+      if (cmdOpts.password) {
+        console.warn(
+          'Warning: --password flag exposes credentials in shell history and process listings.',
+        );
+      }
       try {
         await runLogin({ gatewayUrl: url, email: cmdOpts.email, password: cmdOpts.password });
       } catch (err) {

packages/mosaic/src/commands/gateway/login.ts

@@ -2,6 +2,62 @@ import { createInterface } from 'node:readline';
 import { signIn, saveSession } from '../../auth.js';
 import { readMeta } from './daemon.js';
 
+/**
+ * Prompt for a single line of input (with echo).
+ */
+export function promptLine(question: string): Promise<string> {
+  const rl = createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout });
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    rl.question(question, (answer) => {
+      rl.close();
+      resolve(answer.trim());
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Prompt for a secret value without echoing the typed characters to the terminal.
+ * Uses TTY raw mode when available so that passwords do not appear in terminal
+ * recordings, scrollback, or shared screen sessions.
+ */
+export function promptSecret(question: string): Promise<string> {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    process.stdout.write(question);
+    if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
+      process.stdin.setRawMode(true);
+    }
+    process.stdin.resume();
+    process.stdin.setEncoding('utf-8');
+
+    let secret = '';
+    const onData = (char: string): void => {
+      if (char === '\n' || char === '\r' || char === '\u0004') {
+        process.stdout.write('\n');
+        if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
+          process.stdin.setRawMode(false);
+        }
+        process.stdin.pause();
+        process.stdin.removeListener('data', onData);
+        resolve(secret);
+      } else if (char === '\u0003') {
+        // ^C
+        process.stdout.write('\n');
+        if (process.stdin.isTTY) {
+          process.stdin.setRawMode(false);
+        }
+        process.stdin.pause();
+        process.stdin.removeListener('data', onData);
+        process.exit(130);
+      } else if (char === '\u007f' || char === '\b') {
+        secret = secret.slice(0, -1);
+      } else {
+        secret += char;
+      }
+    };
+    process.stdin.on('data', onData);
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * Shared login helper used by both `mosaic login` and `mosaic gateway login`.
  * Prompts for email/password if not supplied, signs in, and persists the session.
@@ -11,17 +67,9 @@ export async function runLogin(opts: {
   email?: string;
   password?: string;
 }): Promise<void> {
-  let email = opts.email;
-  let password = opts.password;
-
-  if (!email || !password) {
-    const rl = createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout });
-    const ask = (q: string): Promise<string> => new Promise((resolve) => rl.question(q, resolve));
-
-    if (!email) email = await ask('Email: ');
-    if (!password) password = await ask('Password: ');
-    rl.close();
-  }
+  const email = opts.email ?? (await promptLine('Email: '));
+  // Do not trim password — it may intentionally contain leading/trailing whitespace
+  const password = opts.password ?? (await promptSecret('Password: '));
 
   const auth = await signIn(opts.gatewayUrl, email, password);
   saveSession(opts.gatewayUrl, auth);

packages/mosaic/src/commands/gateway/recover-token.spec.ts

@@ -16,14 +16,9 @@ vi.mock('./daemon.js', () => ({
 
 vi.mock('./login.js', () => ({
   getGatewayUrl: vi.fn().mockReturnValue('http://localhost:14242'),
-}));
-
-// Mock readline so tests don't block on stdin
-vi.mock('node:readline', () => ({
-  createInterface: vi.fn().mockReturnValue({
-    question: vi.fn((_q: string, cb: (a: string) => void) => cb('test-input')),
-    close: vi.fn(),
-  }),
+  // promptLine/promptSecret are used by ensureSession; return fixed values so tests don't block on stdin
+  promptLine: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue('test@example.com'),
+  promptSecret: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue('test-password'),
 }));
 
 const mockFetch = vi.fn();

packages/mosaic/src/commands/gateway/token-ops.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
-import { createInterface } from 'node:readline';
 import { loadSession, validateSession, signIn, saveSession } from '../../auth.js';
 import { readMeta, writeMeta } from './daemon.js';
-import { getGatewayUrl } from './login.js';
+import { getGatewayUrl, promptLine, promptSecret } from './login.js';
 
 interface MintedToken {
   id: string;
@@ -58,6 +57,9 @@ export async function mintAdminToken(
 
 /**
  * Persist the new token into meta.json and print the confirmation banner.
+ *
+ * Emits a warning when the target gateway differs from the locally installed one,
+ * so operators are aware that meta.json may not reflect the intended gateway.
  */
 export function persistToken(gatewayUrl: string, minted: MintedToken): void {
   const meta = readMeta() ?? {
@@ -68,6 +70,15 @@ export function persistToken(gatewayUrl: string, minted: MintedToken): void {
     port: parseInt(new URL(gatewayUrl).port || '14242', 10),
   };
 
+  // Warn when the target gateway does not match the locally installed one
+  const targetHost = new URL(gatewayUrl).hostname;
+  if (targetHost !== meta.host) {
+    console.warn(
+      `Warning: token was minted against ${gatewayUrl} but is being saved to the local` +
+        ` meta.json (host: ${meta.host}). Copy the token manually if targeting a remote gateway.`,
+    );
+  }
+
   writeMeta({ ...meta, adminToken: minted.plaintext });
 
   const preview = `${minted.plaintext.slice(0, 8)}...`;
@@ -108,13 +119,10 @@ export async function ensureSession(gatewayUrl: string): Promise<string> {
     console.log(`No session found for ${gatewayUrl}. Please sign in.`);
   }
 
-  // Prompt for credentials
-  const rl = createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout });
-  const ask = (q: string): Promise<string> => new Promise((resolve) => rl.question(q, resolve));
-
-  const email = (await ask('Email: ')).trim();
-  const password = (await ask('Password: ')).trim();
-  rl.close();
+  // Prompt for credentials — password must not be echoed to the terminal
+  const email = await promptLine('Email: ');
+  // Do not trim password — it may contain intentional leading/trailing whitespace
+  const password = await promptSecret('Password: ');
 
   const auth = await signIn(gatewayUrl, email, password).catch((err: unknown) => {
     console.error(err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err));