this is a big slop that might backfire lol... new config system and UI!

server/src/helpers/bandwidthSavings.configuration.js

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+// Bandwidth-Savings Configuration
+// Purpose: Defines the server-owned live-video and snapshot policy interpreted by this helper.
+// Scope: Exports configuration metadata without reading sessions or calculating policy.
+const { strictObject, string, boolean, integer } = require('../configuration/schemaHelpers');
+
+module.exports = {
+  key: 'bandwidthSavings',
+  defaultValue: {
+    multiTabProtection: 'verifiedOnly',
+    pauseHiddenRoverVideo: false,
+    nonTurnVideo: { mode: 'snapshots', userThreshold: 0 },
+    externalSpectatorVideo: 'snapshots',
+    externalSpectatorAccess: 'on',
+  },
+  schema: strictObject({
+    multiTabProtection: string({ enum: ['allowed', 'verifiedOnly', 'notAllowed'] }),
+    pauseHiddenRoverVideo: boolean(),
+    nonTurnVideo: strictObject({
+      mode: string({ enum: ['snapshots', 'live'] }),
+      userThreshold: integer({ minimum: 0, maximum: 100000 }),
+    }, { required: ['mode', 'userThreshold'] }),
+    externalSpectatorVideo: string({ enum: ['snapshots', 'live'] }),
+    externalSpectatorAccess: string({ enum: ['off', 'on', 'verifiedOnly', 'admin'] }),
+  }, { title: 'Bandwidth savings', required: ['multiTabProtection', 'pauseHiddenRoverVideo', 'nonTurnVideo', 'externalSpectatorVideo', 'externalSpectatorAccess'] }),
+};

server/src/helpers/bandwidthSavings.js

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // Bandwidth Savings Helper
 // Purpose: Normalizes bandwidth-saving config and exposes tiny policy helpers.
 // Scope: Keeps cross-service video/tab/spectator decisions consistent without
-// making individual services know raw YAML defaults or legacy config shapes.
-const { loadConfig } = require('./configLoader');
+// making individual services duplicate the validated database configuration contract.
+const { loadConfig } = require('../configuration');
 
 const MULTI_TAB_MODES = new Set(['allowed', 'verifiedOnly', 'notAllowed']);
 const VIDEO_MODES = new Set(['snapshots', 'live']);
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ const DEFAULT_BANDWIDTH_SAVINGS = Object.freeze({
 
 function normalizeEnum(value, allowed, fallback) {
   /*
-    Config files are hand-edited on the server, so a typo should not crash the
-    process or silently broaden access. Each option falls back to the current
-    conservative behavior unless it exactly matches a known value.
+    Tests and direct helper callers can still supply incomplete objects even
+    though the database rejects invalid persisted values. Conservative fallback
+    here keeps policy behavior safe at that secondary boundary.
   */
   const normalized = typeof value === 'string' ? value.trim() : '';
   return allowed.has(normalized) ? normalized : fallback;
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ function normalizeEnum(value, allowed, fallback) {
 
 function normalizeBoolean(value, fallback) {
   /*
-    YAML booleans must stay real booleans. Treating strings such as "false" as
-    truthy would silently enable a bandwidth policy that the operator intended
-    to disable, so invalid values fall back to the documented server default.
+    Treating strings such as "false" as truthy would silently enable a policy.
+    Persisted values are schema-validated, while this guard protects direct
+    helper calls and focused tests from the same JavaScript coercion trap.
   */
   return typeof value === 'boolean' ? value : fallback;
 }
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function buildBandwidthSavingsPolicy(config = loadConfig()) {
 
 function getBandwidthSavingsPolicy() {
   /*
-    loadConfig() is cached by configLoader, so rebuilding this small object per
+    loadConfig() is cached by configuration service, so rebuilding this small object per
     caller is cheap while still letting tests pass explicit config objects into
     buildBandwidthSavingsPolicy().
   */

server/src/helpers/configLoader.js

@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-// Config Loader Helper
-// Purpose: Loads and validates YAML server configuration from configured paths. Scope: Provides normalized config access with sane defaults and cache behavior.
-const fs = require('fs');
-const path = require('path');
-const yaml = require('js-yaml');
-
-const CONFIG_PATH = process.env.SERVER_CONFIG || path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'config.yaml');
-
-let cachedConfig;
-
-function loadConfig() {
-  if (cachedConfig) {
-    return cachedConfig;
-  }
-  const file = fs.readFileSync(CONFIG_PATH, 'utf8');
-  cachedConfig = yaml.load(file);
-  return cachedConfig;
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  loadConfig,
-};

server/src/helpers/features.js

@@ -1,126 +0,0 @@
-// Feature Flags Helper
-// Purpose: Normalizes optional server feature availability from config in one place.
-// Scope: Keeps hardware/social visibility decisions out of individual UI panels and service callers.
-const { loadConfig } = require('./configLoader');
-
-function asBoolean(value, fallback = false) {
-  /*
-    Optional feature config is intentionally explicit. A missing `enabled` flag
-    means "off" for specialty hardware, which makes a fresh public install a
-    rover-only server until the operator opts into extra devices.
-  */
-  if (typeof value === 'boolean') return value;
-  return fallback;
-}
-
-function asTrimmedString(value) {
-  return typeof value === 'string' ? value.trim() : '';
-}
-
-function getRoomCameraEntries(config) {
-  const raw = config.roomCameras;
-  /*
-    The public config uses `{ enabled, cameras }` so the feature gate is obvious.
-    Accepting the old array shape here keeps the rest of the server from needing
-    to know which shape the local config file currently uses.
-  */
-  if (Array.isArray(raw)) return raw;
-  if (raw && typeof raw === 'object' && Array.isArray(raw.cameras)) return raw.cameras;
-  return [];
-}
-
-function getConfiguredSocials(config) {
-  /*
-    Social links have an explicit feature switch. Entries under `links` are just
-    available data; they do not enable the Links panel by existing.
-  */
-  const links = config.socials && typeof config.socials === 'object' ? config.socials.links : [];
-  return Array.isArray(links)
-    ? links.filter((entry) => asTrimmedString(entry?.url))
-    : [];
-}
-
-function buildFeatureFlags(config = loadConfig()) {
-  const homeAssistantConfig = config.homeAssistant || {};
-  const roomCameraConfig = config.roomCameras || {};
-  const kinectConfig = config.kinect || {};
-  const buttonBoxConfig = config.buttonBox || {};
-  const barcodeScannerConfig = config.barcodeScanner || {};
-  const balanceBoardConfig = config.balanceBoard || {};
-  const barcodeGamesConfig = config.barcodeGames || {};
-  const socialsConfig = config.socials || {};
-  const interInstanceConfig = config.interInstance || {};
-  const ptzCameraConfig = config.ptzCamera || {};
-  const discordConfig = config.discord || {};
-  const fleetReportsConfig = config.fleetReports || {};
-  const homeAssistant = Boolean(
-    asBoolean(homeAssistantConfig.enabled) &&
-      asTrimmedString(homeAssistantConfig.url) &&
-      asTrimmedString(homeAssistantConfig.token),
-  );
-  const roomCameraEntries = getRoomCameraEntries(config);
-  const roomCamerasEnabled = Array.isArray(config.roomCameras)
-    ? false
-    : asBoolean(roomCameraConfig.enabled);
-  const barcodeScanner = asBoolean(barcodeScannerConfig.enabled);
-
-  return {
-    homeAssistant,
-    roomCameras: Boolean(roomCamerasEnabled && roomCameraEntries.length),
-    kinect: asBoolean(kinectConfig.enabled),
-    buttonBox: asBoolean(buttonBoxConfig.enabled),
-    barcodeScanner,
-    // The worker performs its own runtime availability reporting. Advertising
-    // the feature from the explicit config switch lets the UI show useful
-    // commissioning and hardware-error states even before a board is paired.
-    balanceBoard: asBoolean(balanceBoardConfig.enabled),
-    barcodeGames: Boolean(barcodeScanner && asBoolean(barcodeGamesConfig.enabled)),
-    lift: Boolean(
-      homeAssistant &&
-        asBoolean(homeAssistantConfig.lift?.enabled) &&
-        asTrimmedString(homeAssistantConfig.lift?.upSwitch) &&
-        asTrimmedString(homeAssistantConfig.lift?.downSwitch),
-    ),
-    neato: Boolean(
-      homeAssistant &&
-        asBoolean(homeAssistantConfig.neato?.enabled) &&
-        asTrimmedString(homeAssistantConfig.neato?.device),
-    ),
-    socials: Boolean(asBoolean(socialsConfig.enabled) && getConfiguredSocials(config).length > 0),
-    interInstance: asBoolean(interInstanceConfig.enabled),
-    ptzCamera: Boolean(
-      asBoolean(ptzCameraConfig.enabled) &&
-        asTrimmedString(ptzCameraConfig.host) &&
-        asTrimmedString(ptzCameraConfig.username) &&
-        asTrimmedString(ptzCameraConfig.password),
-    ),
-    /*
-      Discord is an optional transport, not a prerequisite for chat commands.
-      Requiring both the explicit switch and a token prevents an old token from
-      silently enabling external connections on installations that have chosen
-      to run without the integration.
-    */
-    discord: Boolean(asBoolean(discordConfig.enabled) && asTrimmedString(discordConfig.token)),
-    // Fleet reports are deliberately controlled by one explicit server switch.
-    // Storage contents, Discord availability, or historical database files must
-    // never cause the reporting UI to appear on an installation that has not
-    // opted into the collector.
-    fleetReports: asBoolean(fleetReportsConfig.enabled),
-  };
-}
-
-function getFeatureFlags() {
-  return buildFeatureFlags(loadConfig());
-}
-
-function isFeatureEnabled(featureName) {
-  return Boolean(getFeatureFlags()[featureName]);
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  buildFeatureFlags,
-  getFeatureFlags,
-  isFeatureEnabled,
-  getRoomCameraEntries,
-  getConfiguredSocials,
-};

server/src/helpers/siteMetadata.js

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Site Metadata Helper
 // Purpose: Resolves the public name, description, and colors used before the web UI starts.
 // Scope: Keeps document/PWA branding server-rendered and independent of Socket.IO session state.
-const { loadConfig } = require('./configLoader');
+const { loadConfig } = require('../configuration');
 
 const DEFAULT_SITE_METADATA = Object.freeze({
   name: 'Multi Roomba Rover',