Directory Tree & Review Focus

PR FOCUS AREAS:

Kubo Integration (~1.2k LOC):
├── config/
│   ├── autoconf.go                  # Config expansion & helpers
│   │   ├── DNSResolversWithAutoConf()
│   │   ├── BootstrapWithAutoConf()
│   │   ├── DelegatedRoutersWithAutoConf()
│   │   └── DelegatedPublishersWithAutoConf()
│   └── autoconf_client.go           # Client management & caching

Runtime Integration:
├── core/commands/
│   ├── config.go                    # --expand-auto CLI flag
│   └── bootstrap.go                 # Bootstrap --expand-auto support
├── core/node/libp2p/
│   ├── host.go                      # Bootstrap peer expansion
│   └── routingopt.go                # Delegated routing expansion

Migration 16→17 (~800 LOC):
├── repo/fsrepo/migrations/
│   ├── embedded.go                  # Embedded migration framework
│   ├── atomicfile/                  # Atomic file operations (moved here)
│   └── fs-repo-16-to-17/
│       └── migration/
│           ├── migration.go         # Core migration logic
│           └── migration_test.go    # Migration tests

Testing (~3k LOC):
├── test/cli/
│   ├── autoconf/                    # AutoConf integration tests
│   └── migrations/                  # Migration tests
└── docs/config.md                   # Configuration documentation

Problem

Hardcoded defaults accumulated over time make it difficult to:

• Truly disable defaults in custom swarms
• Swap endpoints during third-party outages (#771, #772)
• Understand which values are dynamic vs static

Solution

Replace implicit hardcoded values with explicit "auto" placeholders resolved from remote autoconf.json manifest.

New ipfs init behavior

{
  "Bootstrap": ["auto"],
  "DNS": {
    "Resolvers": {".": "auto"}
  },
  "Routing": {
    "DelegatedRouters": ["auto"]
  },
  "Ipns": {
    "DelegatedPublishers": ["auto"]
  },
  "AutoConf": {
    "Enabled": true,
    "URL": "https://config.ipfs-mainnet.org/autoconf.json"
  }
}

Implementation Highlights

• Non-intrusive integration: Robust fallback system prevents daemon from ever being bricked - falls back to last valid cache or user-provided fallbacks
• Explicit "auto" placeholders: No implicit defaults - all dynamic values use visible "auto" placeholders in config
• Versioned cache: Multiple config versions stored with configurable TTL and automatic cleanup
• Background refresh: Daemon handles network updates every 24h, CLI commands use cache-only for speed
• Zero breaking changes: Existing configurations work unchanged, custom user-config is respected

CLI Usage

# View current config (shows "auto" placeholders)
ipfs config Bootstrap

# View resolved values
ipfs config Bootstrap --expand-auto
ipfs bootstrap list --expand-auto
ipfs config show --expand-auto

Migration 16→17

• Replaces hardcoded defaults with "auto" while preserving user-set values
• Runs instantly using embedded code (no remote binary downloads)
  • Template for future embedded migrations
  • 💡 This is very important for future-proofing Kubo's existence. Security best practices of operating systems changed in the past decade and fetching binaries and executing them behind user's back triggers too many red flags these days. At some point it may even be fully forbidden (e.g. macOS is heading in that direction)
• ipfs repo migrate now supports target version: ipfs repo migrate --to=17

Documentation

See AutoConf section in docs/config.md

References

• Part of
  • Ongoing maintenance of key libraries and services — IPFS/2025 ipshipyard/roadmaps#1
  • Improve the providing subsystem in Kubo — IPFS/2025 ipshipyard/roadmaps#6 (IPNS part)
  • AutoConf General Availability ipshipyard/conf.ipfs-mainnet.org#3
• Closes Add Routing.Type=delegated to only use Routing.DelegatedRouters #10824
• Closes Migrating users to new configuration (protocols, bootstrap peers etc.) #1793

"The Integration of AutoConfig in late Kubo" (1509-1511) by Raphael