[Bug]: Cannot pair local node on macOS: generated /ws endpoint returns HTML

[SimoMay]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• I am using the latest version of Moltis
• If this happened during a chat session, I included as much full session context as possible and redacted secrets

What happened?

Settings → Nodes generated a node pairing command that does not work with the installed Moltis CLI.

The UI generated:

moltis node run --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token>

But the installed CLI does not support node run. Running moltis node --help shows only:

• generate-token
• list
• add
• remove
• status
• logs

Trying the documented equivalent with node add also fails:

moltis node add --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token> --foreground

This returns:

Error: HTTP error: 200 OK

Further investigation showed:

• ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws/chat upgrades correctly as a websocket
• ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws returns the main HTML app page instead of a websocket endpoint
• multiple likely node websocket routes also return the HTML app page

So the Nodes UI appears to generate both:

1. an unsupported CLI subcommand (node run)
2. an unusable websocket path (/ws) for node pairing in this setup

Expected behavior

I expected Settings → Nodes to generate a pairing command that is compatible with the installed CLI and points to a real node websocket endpoint.

Specifically:

• the generated command should use a supported subcommand
• the generated websocket URL should connect successfully
• local node pairing should work for a local Moltis gateway

Steps to reproduce

1. Install Moltis 0.10.17 via Homebrew on macOS arm64

2. Start the local Moltis gateway

3. Open Settings → Nodes

4. Generate a token/command

5. Observe that the UI generates a command like:

   moltis node run --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token>

6. Run:

   moltis node --help

   and observe that node run is not a supported subcommand

7. Try the generated command anyway and see it fail due to unsupported subcommand

8. Try the documented equivalent:

   moltis node add --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token> --foreground

9. Observe the error:

   Error: HTTP error: 200 OK
   

10. Probe websocket routes and observe:

    • /ws/chat works
    • /ws returns HTML instead of websocket upgrade behavior

Did this happen during a chat session?

Yes

Chat session context (if applicable)

I was trying to pair my Mac as a Moltis node so the assistant could use a host-installed CLI (`summarize`) from chat.

We discovered:
- sandbox execution could not access the host-installed CLI
- the recommended workaround was to connect the Mac as a node
- node pairing failed because the generated command was invalid for the installed CLI
- further debugging showed the generated websocket path also did not behave like a node websocket endpoint

Error messages / logs

Generated command from the UI:


moltis node run --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token>


CLI help:


Manage remote nodes (generate-token, add, remove, list)

Usage: moltis node [OPTIONS] <COMMAND>

Commands:
  generate-token
  list
  add
  remove
  status
  logs
  help


Running the UI-generated command:


error: unrecognized subcommand 'run'


Trying the documented equivalent:


moltis node add --host ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws --token <token> --foreground


Output:


2026-03-08T16:09:56.168065Z  INFO moltis: moltis starting version="0.10.17"
2026-03-08T16:09:56.168401Z  INFO moltis_node_host::runner: connecting to gateway url=ws://127.0.0.1:54398/ws node_id=1d76c123-a345-4931-a804-33a0fcc0557d
Error: HTTP error: 200 OK


Websocket probing:

`/ws/chat`:


HTTP/1.1 101 Switching Protocols
connection: upgrade
upgrade: websocket


`/ws`:


HTTP/1.1 200 OK
content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8


Installed web asset evidence:

`page-nodes.js` generates a command using:


moltis node run --host ${wsUrl} --token ${res.payload.deviceToken}


with:


${proto}//${host}${port ? `:${port}` : ""}/ws


while chat websocket code uses:


new WebSocket(`${proto}//${location.host}/ws/chat`)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last working version

No response

Moltis version

0.10.17

Component

Other

Install method

Homebrew

Operating system

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Additional context

Relevant config snippet:

[server]
bind = "127.0.0.1"
port = 54398

[tls]
enabled = false
auto_generate = true

Additional evidence from installed files:

• /opt/homebrew/Cellar/moltis/0.10.17/share/moltis/web/js/page-nodes.js generates moltis node run
• /opt/homebrew/Cellar/moltis/0.10.17/share/moltis/web/js/ws-connect.js uses /ws/chat for chat websocket connections

Suggested direction:

• either the Nodes UI is generating the wrong command/path
• or the Homebrew build/UI assets and CLI are out of sync in 0.10.17

[lijunle]

Should be fixed by #382

Besides, we will need to add homebrew to $PATH env in plist file. I will have separate PR for that.