security: deny-by-default allowFrom with wildcard support and startup validation

README.md

@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ pip install nanobot-ai[matrix]
       "accessToken": "syt_xxx",
       "deviceId": "NANOBOT01",
       "e2eeEnabled": true,
-      "allowFrom": [],
+      "allowFrom": ["@your_user:matrix.org"],
       "groupPolicy": "open",
       "groupAllowFrom": [],
       "allowRoomMentions": false,
@@ -441,14 +441,14 @@ Uses **WebSocket** long connection — no public IP required.
       "appSecret": "xxx",
       "encryptKey": "",
       "verificationToken": "",
-      "allowFrom": []
+      "allowFrom": ["ou_YOUR_OPEN_ID"]
     }
   }
 }
 ```
 
 > `encryptKey` and `verificationToken` are optional for Long Connection mode.
-> `allowFrom`: Leave empty to allow all users, or add `["ou_xxx"]` to restrict access.
+> `allowFrom`: Add your open_id (find it in nanobot logs when you message the bot). Use `["*"]` to allow all users.
 
 **3. Run**
 
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ Uses **botpy SDK** with WebSocket — no public IP required. Currently supports
 
 **3. Configure**
 
-> - `allowFrom`: Leave empty for public access, or add user openids to restrict. You can find openids in the nanobot logs when a user messages the bot.
+> - `allowFrom`: Add your openid (find it in nanobot logs when you message the bot). Use `["*"]` for public access.
 > - For production: submit a review in the bot console and publish. See [QQ Bot Docs](https://bot.q.qq.com/wiki/) for the full publishing flow.
 
 ```json
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ Uses **botpy SDK** with WebSocket — no public IP required. Currently supports
       "enabled": true,
       "appId": "YOUR_APP_ID",
       "secret": "YOUR_APP_SECRET",
-      "allowFrom": []
+      "allowFrom": ["YOUR_OPENID"]
     }
   }
 }
@@ -527,13 +527,13 @@ Uses **Stream Mode** — no public IP required.
       "enabled": true,
       "clientId": "YOUR_APP_KEY",
       "clientSecret": "YOUR_APP_SECRET",
-      "allowFrom": []
+      "allowFrom": ["YOUR_STAFF_ID"]
     }
   }
 }
 ```
 
-> `allowFrom`: Leave empty to allow all users, or add `["staffId"]` to restrict access.
+> `allowFrom`: Add your staff ID. Use `["*"]` to allow all users.
 
 **3. Run**
 
@@ -568,6 +568,7 @@ Uses **Socket Mode** — no public URL required.
       "enabled": true,
       "botToken": "xoxb-...",
       "appToken": "xapp-...",
+      "allowFrom": ["YOUR_SLACK_USER_ID"],
       "groupPolicy": "mention"
     }
   }
@@ -601,7 +602,7 @@ Give nanobot its own email account. It polls **IMAP** for incoming mail and repl
 **2. Configure**
 
 > - `consentGranted` must be `true` to allow mailbox access. This is a safety gate — set `false` to fully disable.
-> - `allowFrom`: Leave empty to accept emails from anyone, or restrict to specific senders.
+> - `allowFrom`: Add your email address. Use `["*"]` to accept emails from anyone.
 > - `smtpUseTls` and `smtpUseSsl` default to `true` / `false` respectively, which is correct for Gmail (port 587 + STARTTLS). No need to set them explicitly.
 > - Set `"autoReplyEnabled": false` if you only want to read/analyze emails without sending automatic replies.
 
@@ -874,6 +875,7 @@ MCP tools are automatically discovered and registered on startup. The LLM can us
 
 > [!TIP]
 > For production deployments, set `"restrictToWorkspace": true` in your config to sandbox the agent.
+> **Change in source / post-`v0.1.4.post3`:** In `v0.1.4.post3` and earlier, an empty `allowFrom` means "allow all senders". In newer versions (including building from source), **empty `allowFrom` denies all access by default**. To allow all senders, set `"allowFrom": ["*"]`.
 
 | Option | Default | Description |
 |--------|---------|-------------|

SECURITY.md

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ chmod 600 ~/.nanobot/config.json
 ```
 
 **Security Notes:**
-- Empty `allowFrom` list will **ALLOW ALL** users (open by default for personal use)
+- In `v0.1.4.post3` and earlier, an empty `allowFrom` allows all users. In newer versions (including source builds), **empty `allowFrom` denies all access** — set `["*"]` to explicitly allow everyone.
 - Get your Telegram user ID from `@userinfobot`
 - Use full phone numbers with country code for WhatsApp
 - Review access logs regularly for unauthorized access attempts
@@ -212,9 +212,8 @@ If you suspect a security breach:
 - Input length limits on HTTP requests
 
 ✅ **Authentication**
-- Allow-list based access control
+- Allow-list based access control — in `v0.1.4.post3` and earlier empty means allow all; in newer versions empty means deny all (`["*"]` to explicitly allow all)
 - Failed authentication attempt logging
-- Open by default (configure allowFrom for production use)
 
 ✅ **Resource Protection**
 - Command execution timeouts (60s default)

nanobot/channels/base.py

@@ -59,36 +59,17 @@ class BaseChannel(ABC):
         pass
 
     def is_allowed(self, sender_id: str) -> bool:
-        """
+        """Check if *sender_id* is permitted.  Empty list → deny all; ``"*"`` → allow all."""
-        Check if a sender is allowed to use this bot.
-
-        Args:
-            sender_id: The sender's identifier.
-
-        Returns:
-            True if allowed, False otherwise.
-        """
         allow_list = getattr(self.config, "allow_from", [])
-
-        # Security fix: If no allow list, deny everyone by default
-        # This prevents unauthorized access when allow_from is not configured
         if not allow_list:
-            logger.warning(
+            logger.warning("{}: allow_from is empty — all access denied", self.name)
-                "Channel {} has no allow_from configured - "
-                "blocking all access by default for security. "
-                "Add allowed senders to config to enable access.",
-                self.name,
-            )
             return False
-
+        if "*" in allow_list:
-        sender_str = str(sender_id)
-        if sender_str in allow_list:
             return True
-        if "|" in sender_str:
+        sender_str = str(sender_id)
-            for part in sender_str.split("|"):
+        return sender_str in allow_list or any(
-                if part and part in allow_list:
+            p in allow_list for p in sender_str.split("|") if p
-                    return True
+        )
-        return False
 
     async def _handle_message(
         self,

nanobot/channels/manager.py

@@ -149,6 +149,16 @@ class ChannelManager:
             except ImportError as e:
                 logger.warning("Matrix channel not available: {}", e)
 
+        self._validate_allow_from()
+
+    def _validate_allow_from(self) -> None:
+        for name, ch in self.channels.items():
+            if getattr(ch.config, "allow_from", None) == []:
+                raise SystemExit(
+                    f'Error: "{name}" has empty allowFrom (denies all). '
+                    f'Set ["*"] to allow everyone, or add specific user IDs.'
+                )
+
     async def _start_channel(self, name: str, channel: BaseChannel) -> None:
         """Start a channel and log any exceptions."""
         try:

nanobot/channels/matrix.py

@@ -450,8 +450,7 @@ class MatrixChannel(BaseChannel):
                 await asyncio.sleep(2)
 
     async def _on_room_invite(self, room: MatrixRoom, event: InviteEvent) -> None:
-        allow_from = self.config.allow_from or []
+        if self.is_allowed(event.sender):
-        if not allow_from or event.sender in allow_from:
             await self.client.join(room.room_id)
 
     def _is_direct_room(self, room: MatrixRoom) -> bool:

nanobot/config/schema.py

@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ class SlackConfig(Base):
     user_token_read_only: bool = True
     reply_in_thread: bool = True
     react_emoji: str = "eyes"
+    allow_from: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list)  # Allowed Slack user IDs (sender-level)
     group_policy: str = "mention"  # "mention", "open", "allowlist"
     group_allow_from: list[str] = Field(default_factory=list)  # Allowed channel IDs if allowlist
     dm: SlackDMConfig = Field(default_factory=SlackDMConfig)