Add inactivity-based session timeout (closes #66)

Sessions had only a 7-day absolute lifetime, and that cap was enforced
only by the cookie's MaxAge -- i.e. only by the browser. An abandoned
session stayed usable for the full week.

Sessions are now bounded by two independent, server-enforced clocks,
and end at whichever expires first:

- absolute: created_at + 7 days, stamped once by SetUser and never
  rewritten, so no amount of activity can extend it
- idle: last_seen + SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT (default 24h), pushed forward
  by the new Session.Touch

Both deadlines are checked in Session.expired, which IsAuthenticated
now consults, so every existing authentication decision honours them
without each call site having to remember.

Activity means a request that passes RequireAuth, which is the only
place Touch is called; an unauthenticated request carrying the cookie
cannot keep a session alive. Touch re-checks authentication itself so
that guarantee does not depend on the call site.

To avoid re-issuing the session cookie on every authenticated request,
Touch rewrites last_seen only once it is older than a tenth of the idle
window. The session therefore expires up to 10% early relative to the
user's true last request, never late.

An authenticated session carrying no timestamps (a cookie minted before
this change) is treated as expired, so the failure mode of the upgrade
is one forced re-login rather than an unbounded session.

Tests use an injected clock rather than sleeps and cover idle expiry,
refresh on activity, an actively used session still dying at the
absolute cap, refusal to refresh unauthenticated or expired sessions,
disabled idle expiry, and startup aborting on an unparseable
SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT.

internal/session/session.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"log/slog"
 	"maps"
 	"net/http"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/gorilla/sessions"
 	"go.uber.org/fx"
@@ -32,6 +33,18 @@ const (
 	// status.
 	AuthenticatedKey = "authenticated"
 
+	// CreatedAtKey is the session key holding the Unix timestamp at
+	// which the session was authenticated. It anchors the ABSOLUTE
+	// expiry clock and is written exactly once, by SetUser. Nothing
+	// refreshes it: an absolute deadline that moved with activity
+	// would not be a cap at all.
+	CreatedAtKey = "created_at"
+
+	// LastSeenKey is the session key holding the Unix timestamp of
+	// the most recent authenticated request. It anchors the IDLE
+	// expiry clock and is pushed forward by Touch.
+	LastSeenKey = "last_seen"
+
 	// sessionKeyLength is the required length in bytes for the
 	// session authentication key.
 	sessionKeyLength = 32
@@ -41,6 +54,19 @@ const (
 
 	// secondsPerDay is the number of seconds in a day.
 	secondsPerDay = 86400
+
+	// sessionAbsoluteMaxAge is the hard upper bound on how long a
+	// session may live, measured from CreatedAtKey. Activity never
+	// extends it, so even a continuously used session ends here and
+	// the user has to authenticate again.
+	sessionAbsoluteMaxAge = sessionMaxAgeDays * secondsPerDay * time.Second
+
+	// idleRefreshDivisor rate-limits idle-deadline refreshes. Touch
+	// only rewrites LastSeenKey once the stored value is older than
+	// idleTimeout/idleRefreshDivisor, so an active session is
+	// re-saved at most this many times per idle window instead of
+	// once per request. See Touch for the tradeoff this buys.
+	idleRefreshDivisor = 10
 )
 
 // ErrSessionKeyLength is returned when the decoded session key
@@ -62,6 +88,16 @@ type Session struct {
 	key    []byte // raw 32-byte auth key, also used for CSRF cookie signing
 	log    *slog.Logger
 	config *config.Config
+
+	// idleTimeout is the sliding inactivity window. A session that
+	// sees no authenticated request within this window expires,
+	// independently of the absolute cap. Non-positive disables idle
+	// expiry and leaves sessionAbsoluteMaxAge as the only bound.
+	idleTimeout time.Duration
+
+	// now reads the current time. Injected so expiry can be tested
+	// without sleeping.
+	now func() time.Time
 }
 
 // New creates a new session manager. The cookie store is
@@ -73,8 +109,10 @@ func New(
 	params Params,
 ) (*Session, error) {
 	s := &Session{
-		log:    params.Logger.Get(),
-		config: params.Config,
+		log:         params.Logger.Get(),
+		config:      params.Config,
+		idleTimeout: params.Config.SessionIdleTimeout,
+		now:         time.Now,
 	}
 
 	lc.Append(fx.Hook{
@@ -149,29 +187,98 @@ func (s *Session) Save(
 	return sess.Save(r, w)
 }
 
-// SetUser sets the user information in the session.
+// SetUser sets the user information in the session. It starts both
+// expiry clocks: CreatedAtKey (absolute, never refreshed again) and
+// LastSeenKey (idle, refreshed by Touch).
 func (s *Session) SetUser(
 	sess *sessions.Session,
 	userID, username string,
 ) {
+	now := s.now().Unix()
+
 	sess.Values[UserIDKey] = userID
 	sess.Values[UsernameKey] = username
 	sess.Values[AuthenticatedKey] = true
+	sess.Values[CreatedAtKey] = now
+	sess.Values[LastSeenKey] = now
 }
 
-// ClearUser removes user information from the session.
+// ClearUser removes user information from the session, including
+// both expiry timestamps.
 func (s *Session) ClearUser(sess *sessions.Session) {
 	delete(sess.Values, UserIDKey)
 	delete(sess.Values, UsernameKey)
 	delete(sess.Values, AuthenticatedKey)
+	delete(sess.Values, CreatedAtKey)
+	delete(sess.Values, LastSeenKey)
 }
 
-// IsAuthenticated checks if the session has an authenticated
-// user.
+// sessionTime reads a Unix-second timestamp stored under key.
+func sessionTime(
+	sess *sessions.Session,
+	key string,
+) (time.Time, bool) {
+	secs, ok := sess.Values[key].(int64)
+	if !ok {
+		return time.Time{}, false
+	}
+
+	return time.Unix(secs, 0), true
+}
+
+// IsAuthenticated checks if the session has an authenticated user
+// whose session has not passed either expiry deadline. Every
+// authentication decision goes through here, so neither clock can
+// be bypassed by a caller that forgets to check it.
 func (s *Session) IsAuthenticated(sess *sessions.Session) bool {
 	auth, ok := sess.Values[AuthenticatedKey].(bool)
+	if !ok || !auth {
+		return false
+	}
 
-	return ok && auth
+	return !s.expired(sess)
+}
+
+// Touch records authenticated activity by pushing the IDLE deadline
+// forward. It writes LastSeenKey only; CreatedAtKey is left alone so
+// the absolute cap keeps counting down even for a user who never
+// stops clicking.
+//
+// Callers must only invoke Touch for a request that authenticated
+// with this session. Refreshing on an unauthenticated request would
+// let anyone holding a stolen or abandoned cookie keep the session
+// alive by polling a public endpoint. Touch enforces that itself by
+// returning false for any session that is not currently
+// authenticated and unexpired.
+//
+// To avoid re-encrypting and re-emitting the session cookie on every
+// single request, the timestamp is advanced only once it is older
+// than idleTimeout/idleRefreshDivisor. The tradeoff is that
+// LastSeenKey lags real activity by up to that much, so a session
+// can expire slightly early relative to the user's true last
+// request -- never late.
+//
+// Touch reports whether it changed the session; only then does the
+// caller need to save it.
+func (s *Session) Touch(sess *sessions.Session) bool {
+	if s.idleTimeout <= 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	if !s.IsAuthenticated(sess) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	now := s.now()
+
+	lastSeen, ok := sessionTime(sess, LastSeenKey)
+	if ok && now.Sub(lastSeen) < s.idleTimeout/idleRefreshDivisor {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	sess.Values[LastSeenKey] = now.Unix()
+
+	return true
 }
 
 // GetUserID retrieves the user ID from the session.
@@ -253,3 +360,41 @@ func (s *Session) Regenerate(
 
 	return newSess, nil
 }
+
+// expired reports whether the session has passed either of its two
+// independent deadlines. They are deliberately kept apart:
+//
+//   - the ABSOLUTE deadline is CreatedAtKey + sessionAbsoluteMaxAge.
+//     It is fixed at login and no amount of activity moves it.
+//   - the IDLE deadline is LastSeenKey + idleTimeout. Activity moves
+//     it forward via Touch.
+//
+// Whichever comes first ends the session.
+//
+// A session that claims to be authenticated but carries no
+// timestamps predates this check; it is treated as expired so the
+// user re-authenticates rather than being granted an unbounded
+// session.
+func (s *Session) expired(sess *sessions.Session) bool {
+	now := s.now()
+
+	createdAt, ok := sessionTime(sess, CreatedAtKey)
+	if !ok {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	if !now.Before(createdAt.Add(sessionAbsoluteMaxAge)) {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	if s.idleTimeout <= 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	lastSeen, ok := sessionTime(sess, LastSeenKey)
+	if !ok {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	return !now.Before(lastSeen.Add(s.idleTimeout))
+}

internal/session/session_test.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/gorilla/sessions"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -17,11 +18,47 @@ import (
 
 const testKeySize = 32
 
-// testSession creates a Session with a real cookie store for
-// testing.
+// testIdleTimeout is the idle window used by the expiry tests.
+const testIdleTimeout = time.Hour
+
+// testAbsoluteMaxAge restates the documented absolute session cap
+// independently of the implementation constant.
+const testAbsoluteMaxAge = 7 * 24 * time.Hour
+
+// fakeClock is a manually advanced clock, so expiry can be tested
+// without sleeping.
+type fakeClock struct {
+	t time.Time
+}
+
+func (c *fakeClock) Now() time.Time {
+	return c.t
+}
+
+func (c *fakeClock) Advance(d time.Duration) {
+	c.t = c.t.Add(d)
+}
+
+// testSession creates a Session with a real cookie store and the
+// real clock.
 func testSession(t *testing.T) *session.Session {
 	t.Helper()
 
+	s, _ := testSessionWithClock(t, testIdleTimeout, nil)
+
+	return s
+}
+
+// testSessionWithClock creates a Session with a real cookie store,
+// the given idle timeout, and a manually advanced clock. Passing a
+// nil clock uses the real one.
+func testSessionWithClock(
+	t *testing.T,
+	idleTimeout time.Duration,
+	clock *fakeClock,
+) (*session.Session, *fakeClock) {
+	t.Helper()
+
 	key := make([]byte, testKeySize)
 
 	for i := range key {
@@ -38,7 +75,8 @@ func testSession(t *testing.T) *session.Session {
 	}
 
 	cfg := &config.Config{
-		Environment: config.EnvironmentDev,
+		Environment:        config.EnvironmentDev,
+		SessionIdleTimeout: idleTimeout,
 	}
 
 	log := slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(
@@ -46,7 +84,46 @@ func testSession(t *testing.T) *session.Session {
 		&slog.HandlerOptions{Level: slog.LevelDebug},
 	))
 
-	return session.NewForTest(store, cfg, log, key)
+	var now func() time.Time
+
+	if clock != nil {
+		now = clock.Now
+	}
+
+	return session.NewForTest(store, cfg, log, key, now), clock
+}
+
+// newFakeClock returns a clock started at a fixed instant.
+func newFakeClock() *fakeClock {
+	return &fakeClock{
+		t: time.Date(
+			2026, time.January, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0, time.UTC,
+		),
+	}
+}
+
+// authenticatedSession returns a fresh session that has just been
+// logged in, along with its manager and clock.
+func authenticatedSession(
+	t *testing.T,
+	idleTimeout time.Duration,
+) (*session.Session, *sessions.Session, *fakeClock) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	s, clock := testSessionWithClock(
+		t, idleTimeout, newFakeClock(),
+	)
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		context.Background(), http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+
+	sess, err := s.Get(req)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	s.SetUser(sess, "user-123", "alice")
+	require.True(t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess))
+
+	return s, sess, clock
 }
 
 // --- Get and Save Tests ---
@@ -430,6 +507,263 @@ func TestSessionConstants(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "user_id", session.UserIDKey)
 	assert.Equal(t, "username", session.UsernameKey)
 	assert.Equal(t, "authenticated", session.AuthenticatedKey)
+	assert.Equal(t, "created_at", session.CreatedAtKey)
+	assert.Equal(t, "last_seen", session.LastSeenKey)
+}
+
+// --- Expiry Tests ---
+
+func TestSetUser_StartsBothClocks(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	_, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	assert.Equal(
+		t, clock.Now().Unix(), sess.Values[session.CreatedAtKey],
+		"SetUser should anchor the absolute clock",
+	)
+	assert.Equal(
+		t, clock.Now().Unix(), sess.Values[session.LastSeenKey],
+		"SetUser should anchor the idle clock",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestIsAuthenticated_WithinIdleWindow(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout - time.Second)
+
+	assert.True(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"session should still be valid just inside the idle window",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestIsAuthenticated_IdleExpired(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"session should expire once the idle window lapses",
+	)
+}
+
+// TestTouch_DoesNotExtendAbsoluteCap is the regression test for the
+// refresh-the-wrong-clock bug: a session that is used continuously
+// must survive well past the idle window and still die at the
+// absolute cap.
+func TestTouch_DoesNotExtendAbsoluteCap(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	createdAt := sess.Values[session.CreatedAtKey]
+
+	// Stay active: a request every half idle window, right up to
+	// the absolute cap.
+	step := testIdleTimeout / 2
+	steps := int(testAbsoluteMaxAge/step) - 1
+
+	for i := range steps {
+		clock.Advance(step)
+		s.Touch(sess)
+
+		require.True(
+			t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+			"active session should survive the idle window "+
+				"(step %d of %d)", i+1, steps,
+		)
+	}
+
+	// One more step of activity takes the session to exactly the
+	// absolute cap, measured from login. Nothing that happened in
+	// the loop may have moved that deadline.
+	clock.Advance(step)
+	s.Touch(sess)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"activity must not extend the absolute cap",
+	)
+	assert.Equal(
+		t, createdAt, sess.Values[session.CreatedAtKey],
+		"Touch must never rewrite the absolute-clock anchor",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestTouch_RefreshesIdleDeadline(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	// Halfway through the window, activity happens.
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout / 2)
+	assert.True(
+		t, s.Touch(sess),
+		"Touch should refresh once past the lazy-refresh threshold",
+	)
+
+	// Past the original deadline, but inside the refreshed one.
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout - time.Second)
+	assert.True(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"refreshed session should outlive the original deadline",
+	)
+
+	// And it still expires an idle window after that activity.
+	clock.Advance(time.Second)
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"refreshed session should expire one window after activity",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestTouch_LazyBelowRefreshThreshold(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	before := sess.Values[session.LastSeenKey]
+
+	// A request arriving almost immediately is not worth a cookie
+	// rewrite.
+	clock.Advance(time.Second)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.Touch(sess),
+		"Touch should not rewrite the session below the threshold",
+	)
+	assert.Equal(
+		t, before, sess.Values[session.LastSeenKey],
+		"last-seen should be unchanged below the threshold",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestTouch_UnauthenticatedSessionIsNotRefreshed(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, clock := testSessionWithClock(
+		t, testIdleTimeout, newFakeClock(),
+	)
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		context.Background(), http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+
+	sess, err := s.Get(req)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout / 2)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.Touch(sess),
+		"an unauthenticated session must not be refreshed",
+	)
+
+	_, hasLastSeen := sess.Values[session.LastSeenKey]
+	assert.False(
+		t, hasLastSeen,
+		"Touch must not stamp an unauthenticated session",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestTouch_IdleExpiredSessionIsNotRevived(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	clock.Advance(testIdleTimeout)
+	require.False(t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess))
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.Touch(sess),
+		"an already expired session must not be refreshed",
+	)
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"Touch must not revive an expired session",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestIsAuthenticated_MissingTimestamps(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, _ := testSessionWithClock(
+		t, testIdleTimeout, newFakeClock(),
+	)
+
+	req := httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+		context.Background(), http.MethodGet, "/", nil)
+
+	sess, err := s.Get(req)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// A session from before idle expiry existed: authenticated,
+	// but with no timestamps. Fail closed.
+	sess.Values[session.AuthenticatedKey] = true
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"a session with no timestamps should be rejected",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestIsAuthenticated_MissingLastSeen(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, _ := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	delete(sess.Values, session.LastSeenKey)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"a session with no idle anchor should be rejected",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestIdleTimeoutDisabled_AbsoluteCapStillApplies(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, clock := authenticatedSession(t, 0)
+
+	// Idle expiry is off, so an untouched session survives an
+	// arbitrary idle stretch.
+	clock.Advance(testAbsoluteMaxAge - time.Second)
+	assert.True(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"idle expiry should be disabled by a non-positive timeout",
+	)
+
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.Touch(sess),
+		"Touch should be a no-op when idle expiry is disabled",
+	)
+
+	// The absolute cap still ends it.
+	clock.Advance(time.Second)
+	assert.False(
+		t, s.IsAuthenticated(sess),
+		"the absolute cap must still apply with idle expiry off",
+	)
+}
+
+func TestClearUser_RemovesTimestamps(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	s, sess, _ := authenticatedSession(t, testIdleTimeout)
+
+	s.ClearUser(sess)
+
+	_, hasCreatedAt := sess.Values[session.CreatedAtKey]
+	assert.False(t, hasCreatedAt, "CreatedAtKey should be removed")
+
+	_, hasLastSeen := sess.Values[session.LastSeenKey]
+	assert.False(t, hasLastSeen, "LastSeenKey should be removed")
 }
 
 // --- Edge Cases ---

internal/session/testing.go

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package session
 
 import (
 	"log/slog"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/gorilla/sessions"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/webhooker/internal/config"
@@ -12,16 +13,28 @@ import (
 // middleware and handler tests to use real session functionality. The key
 // parameter is the raw 32-byte authentication key used for session encryption
 // and CSRF cookie signing.
+//
+// The idle timeout is taken from cfg.SessionIdleTimeout, exactly as in
+// production. The now parameter supplies the clock used for expiry
+// checks so tests can advance time without sleeping; pass nil for the
+// real clock.
 func NewForTest(
 	store *sessions.CookieStore,
 	cfg *config.Config,
 	log *slog.Logger,
 	key []byte,
+	now func() time.Time,
 ) *Session {
+	if now == nil {
+		now = time.Now
+	}
+
 	return &Session{
-		store:  store,
-		key:    key,
-		config: cfg,
-		log:    log,
+		store:       store,
+		key:         key,
+		config:      cfg,
+		log:         log,
+		idleTimeout: cfg.SessionIdleTimeout,
+		now:         now,
 	}
 }