# 9router Start on Boot (without systemd)

Make **9router** (AI router & token saver) auto-start as a **non-root user (`ardhi`)**
when the server boots — using a `@reboot` cron job instead of a systemd unit.

> Proven working on Ubuntu 26.04 (systemd) after a real reboot.

---

## Why not systemd / plain `9router`?

- Running `9router` **without** `-t` crashes on a headless server (it waits for an
  interactive TTY menu that doesn't exist → crash-loop with `EADDRINUSE`).
- A plain `@reboot` cron calling `9router -t ...` directly fails because:
  1. cron runs the job as the **cron user**, not root — so `runuser` inside is rejected
     (`runuser: may not be used by non-root users`).
  2. The log file gets created as **root**, so the `ardhi` process can't write to it
     (`cannot create /home/ardhi/9router.log: Permission denied`).
  3. The process is killed when cron's boot session tears down
     (`Session terminated, killing shell... killed.`).

This project solves all three with a tiny **wrapper script** + an **adaptive crontab**.

---

## Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `start-9router.sh` | Detached launcher. Drops to `ardhi` if run as root, runs directly if already `ardhi`. Uses absolute paths (cron `@reboot` has a minimal `PATH`). |
| `install.sh` | One-shot setup: installs the wrapper, fixes log ownership, and registers the `@reboot` cron as **root**. |
| `README.md` | This file. |

---

## Step-by-step (manual)

### 1. Install the wrapper
```bash
sudo cp start-9router.sh /usr/local/bin/start-9router.sh
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/start-9router.sh
```

### 2. Fix log-file ownership (so `ardhi` can write)
```bash
sudo touch /home/ardhi/9router.log
sudo chown ardhi:ardhi /home/ardhi/9router.log
sudo chmod 644 /home/ardhi/9router.log
```

### 3. Register the `@reboot` cron as ROOT
> Must be **root's** crontab, because the wrapper uses `runuser` to drop privileges.
```bash
sudo crontab -l 2>/dev/null; echo "@reboot /usr/local/bin/start-9router.sh" | sudo crontab -
```
Verify:
```bash
sudo crontab -l
# -> @reboot /usr/local/bin/start-9router.sh
```

### 4. Make sure the cron daemon is running
```bash
sudo systemctl enable cron
sudo systemctl start cron
systemctl is-active cron   # -> active
```

### 5. Disable the (broken) systemd unit if it exists
```bash
sudo systemctl disable 9router 2>/dev/null || true
```

### 6. Reboot and verify
```bash
sudo reboot
```
After the server is back:
```bash
# port should be LISTEN
ss -ltnp | grep 20128

# process should run as ardhi
ps -eo pid,user,args | grep -E '9router -t|next-server' | grep -v grep

# live check
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" http://127.0.0.1:20128/v1/models   # -> 200
```
Dashboard: **http://127.0.0.1:20128/dashboard**
API endpoint for CLI tools: **http://127.0.0.1:20128/v1**

---

## Or just run the installer

```bash
sudo ./install.sh
```
Then reboot.

---

## How the wrapper works

```sh
if [ "$(id -u)" = "0" ]; then
  # root (e.g. root's @reboot cron) -> drop to ardhi
  setsid runuser -u ardhi -- sh -c "exec '9router' -t -n --host 127.0.0.1 --port 20128 >> LOG 2>&1 < /dev/null" &
else
  # already ardhi -> run directly
  setsid 9router -t -n --host 127.0.0.1 --port 20128 >> LOG 2>&1 < /dev/null &
fi
```

- `setsid` + `< /dev/null` → detaches the process from cron's session so it survives
  the boot-session teardown.
- Absolute paths (`/usr/bin/setsid`, `/usr/sbin/runuser`, `/usr/local/bin/9router`) →
  required because cron `@reboot` runs with a minimal `PATH`.
- The redirect happens **inside** `runuser`, so `ardhi` (not root) owns the log file.

---

## Notes / caveats

- `@reboot` cron starts the service at boot but does **not** auto-restart it if the
  parent `-t` process dies. For extra safety you could add a per-minute watchdog cron
  that checks the port and re-launches the wrapper if needed.
- Change the user (`ardhi`), port (`20128`), or bind host (`127.0.0.1`) by editing the
  wrapper directly.
- This setup was validated on the `9router@0.5.50` standalone build, which crashes when
  launched without `-t` on a headless machine.

---

## License
MIT — use freely.