[Sayan-]

Summary

Kernel's Chromium build stores browser-wide settings set over CDP in Chrome's Local State, under a top-level kernel object (fingerprint overrides and request header rules). Saved profiles archive the whole user-data directory, so a profile saved from a browser with these settings brings them back into every browser that loads it.

When /chromium/configure installs a profile, it now removes the kernel object from the unpacked profile's Local State before swapping it in for user-data. Like stripProfileSessionRestore, only the live copy is changed; the stored archive is not. This covers archives saved before the API stopped including these settings (kernel/kernel#5396).

A missing Local State is a no-op. If the file cannot be read, parsed or written, configure logs a warning and installs the profile anyway. A file without a kernel object is not rewritten, and the rewrite keeps the file's owner and mode.

Validation

• New unit test for the strip: removes only kernel, keeps large integers and URLs with &, keeps the file mode, leaves files without kernel byte-for-byte unchanged, treats a missing file as a no-op, and reports invalid JSON.
• Configure now runs both profile cleanups (session restore and Local State) through one helper, sanitizePreparedProfile. Its test covers both start_url cases and confirms an unreadable Local State does not fail the load. Removing the Local State strip from the helper fails the test.
• Not tested: the chromiumConfigureRestart call into that helper, which needs a running Chromium under supervisor. Not exercised end to end in an image.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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Note

Medium Risk
Changes profile install behavior in the Chromium configure restart path; mistaken stripping could affect fingerprint/header behavior, but Local State failures are non-blocking by design.

Overview
When /chromium/configure installs a profile archive, profile prep now runs through sanitizePreparedProfile, which still removes Default/Sessions only when a start_url navigation is requested, and always strips the top-level kernel object from the unpacked profile’s Local State so saved fingerprint/header settings from another browser are not reapplied.

stripProfileKernelLocalState parses and rewrites Local State in place on the live unpacked copy only; missing files or absent kernel are no-ops. Errors reading/parsing/writing Local State are warned and ignored so configure can still install the profile. Unit tests cover the strip helper and the combined sanitizer (with/without navigation, and invalid Local State not failing the load).

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Failed rewrite can corrupt Local State

Medium Severity

A write error in stripProfileKernelLocalState still installs the profile. os.WriteFile truncates Local State before writing, so a failed write can leave empty or partial JSON. Configure then swaps that copy in, which can drop os_crypt and other browser-wide prefs instead of keeping the original file.

Additional Locations (1)

• server/cmd/api/api/chromium_configure.go#L323-L326

 

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