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Summary

The so1 console — our org-wide control plane UI — went from placeholder pages to a fully wired application in one session. Six tasksets delivered: MCP tool integration, secure API proxy, error handling, feature data hooks, and CI gates.

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What changed operationally

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MCP tool servers are now accessible from the console

The BFF (backend-for-frontend) can now connect to the three MCP servers (GitHub, n8n, Filesystem) and expose their tools through REST endpoints. This means the console’s MCP Registry page shows live server status and available tools instead of an empty list. Action needed: Set MCP_API_KEY in the BFF environment and ensure MCP servers are running for the registry to populate.

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API calls no longer leak credentials to the browser

Previously, the browser called the BFF directly with a visible auth token. Now all API calls go through a same-origin proxy (/api/bff/*) that injects credentials server-side. The BFF hostname and auth tokens are never exposed to client JavaScript. Config change: Replace NEXT_PUBLIC_BFF_URL with BFF_INTERNAL_URL in Vercel environment variables. The new variable is server-only (not prefixed with NEXT_PUBLIC_).

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Every page handles failure gracefully

All feature pages (Dashboard, Catalog, Workflows, Jobs, MCP, Content) now show consistent loading spinners, error cards with retry buttons, and empty states. If the BFF goes down, users see an actionable error within seconds instead of an infinite spinner. API requests retry twice with exponential backoff (1s, 2s, max 10s) but stop immediately on auth or not-found errors.

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CI now validates both frontend and backend

Every PR and push to main runs:
  • Console: lint, type check, production build
  • BFF: lint, type check, unit tests
This catches type errors and broken builds before merge.

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Business impact

  • Faster incident response: Error states include request IDs for tracing issues end-to-end.
  • Reduced security surface: No auth tokens in browser network tab; BFF URL hidden.
  • Developer velocity: CI catches regressions automatically; no manual build-check step needed.
  • MCP tools visible: Teams can now discover available automation tools through the console UI rather than needing direct server access.
See technical findings for implementation details, code references, and architecture decisions.