Fixes for public mode authentication flows.

cista/api.py

@@ -95,8 +95,13 @@ async def control(req, ws):
 async def watch(req, ws):
     # Build user info from either built-in auth or SSO
     user_info = None
+    if sso.paskia_enabled():
+        # SSO auth: call validation to get user info (don't enforce auth in public mode)
+        try:
+            await sso.validate_sso_request(req)
+        except Exception:
+            pass  # Ignore auth errors, user_info stays None
         if sso_user := getattr(req.ctx, "sso_user", None):
-        # SSO auth (paskia mode): extract from validation response
             ctx = sso_user.get("ctx", {})
             perms = ctx.get("permissions", [])
             user_info = {

cista/app.py

@@ -257,10 +257,7 @@ def get_files(wanted: set) -> list[tuple[PurePosixPath, Path]]:
 @app.get("/zip/<keys>/<zipfile:ext=zip>")
 async def zip_download(req, keys, zipfile, ext):
     """Download a zip archive of the given keys"""
-    if config.config.authentication == "paskia":
-        await auth.verify_sso(req)
-    else:
-        auth.verify(req)
+    await auth.verify(req)
 
     wanted = set(keys.split("+"))
     files = get_files(wanted)

cista/auth.py

@@ -236,39 +236,36 @@ async def verify(request, *, privileged=False):
 
     For paskia mode (PASKIA_BACKEND_URL set), validates against the SSO backend.
     For built-in mode, checks session-based authentication.
-    For public mode (config.public=True), allows all requests.
-
-    All 401/403 responses include auth.iframe URL for consistent frontend handling
-    via the paskia library's showAuthIframe().
+    For public mode (config.public=True), skips auth unless privileged is required.
 
     Args:
         request: The Sanic request object
-        privileged: If True, requires admin privileges
+        privileged: If True, requires admin privileges (always enforced even in public mode)
 
     Raises:
         Unauthorized: If authentication is required
         Forbidden: If access is denied
     """
+    # Public mode: skip auth unless privileged access is required
+    if config.config.public and not privileged:
+        return
+
     sso = _get_sso()
     if sso.paskia_enabled():
-        # SSO validation against auth backend
-        # Always check cista:login; privileged flag comes from response perm list
         perm = "cista:admin" if privileged else "cista:login"
         await sso.validate_sso_request(request, perm=perm)
         return
 
     user = getattr(request.ctx, "user", None)
     if privileged:
-        if user:
-            if user.privileged:
+        if user and user.privileged:
             return
         raise Forbidden(
             "Access Forbidden: Only for privileged users",
             quiet=True,
         )
-    elif config.config.public or user:
+    if user:
         return
-    # Return iframe URL for paskia library to show login dialog
     raise Unauthorized(
         f"Login required for {request.path}",
         "cookie",

frontend/src/components/HeaderMain.vue

@@ -94,11 +94,11 @@ const settingsMenu = (e: Event) => {
 
   if (store.user.isLoggedIn) {
     items.push({ label: '🚪 Logout', onClick: () => store.logout() })
-  } else if (!ssoStore.isExternalAuth) {
-    // Show login in paskia iframe overlay
+  } else if (store.server.public) {
+    // Show login option only in public mode (non-public modes trigger auth automatically)
     items.push({ label: '🔐 Login', onClick: async () => {
       try {
-        await showAuthIframe('/auth/restricted')
+        await showAuthIframe('/auth/restricted#theme=light')
         resumeWatching()
       } catch (e) {
         console.log('Login cancelled')