Display Name Management API

HTTP endpoints for managing the agent display name at runtime.

Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/display-name/manage	POST	Manage display name on local agent
/agents/{agent-id}/display-name/manage	POST	Manage display name on remote agent

These endpoints require http.remote_api: true in configuration.

---

POST /display-name/manage

Manage the display name on the local agent.

Request

Set the display name:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/display-name/manage \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "set", "name": "gateway-us-east"}'

Get the current display name:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/display-name/manage \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "get"}'

Revert to the config value (set empty name):

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/display-name/manage \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "set", "name": ""}'

Request Body

Field	Type	Required	Description
action	string	Yes	Action to perform: set or get
name	string	For set	Display name to set (empty string reverts to config value)

Response

Set Success (200):

{
  "status": "ok",
  "message": "display name set to \"gateway-us-east\"",
  "name": "gateway-us-east"
}

Get Success (200):

{
  "status": "ok",
  "name": "gateway-us-east"
}

Bad Request (400):

{
  "error": "unknown action foo (expected set or get)"
}

Forbidden (403):

display name management restricted: management key decryption unavailable

Service Unavailable (503):

display name management not configured

Behavior

When a display name is set:

1. The name is stored in memory
2. Route advertisements are triggered immediately
3. Node info is re-advertised to peers
4. The new name appears in dashboard, topology, and agent listings

When a display name is retrieved:

1. Returns the current effective display name
2. Priority: dynamic name > config name > short agent ID

Setting an empty name reverts to the configured agent.display_name value.

Dynamic display names:

• Are ephemeral (lost on agent restart)
• Override the config-file display name while set
• Are immediately propagated to all connected peers

---

POST /agents/{agent-id}/display-name/manage

Manage the display name on a remote agent.

Request

Set display name on remote agent:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/agents/abc123def456/display-name/manage \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "set", "name": "exit-eu-west"}'

Get display name from remote agent:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/agents/abc123def456/display-name/manage \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"action": "get"}'

Request Body

Same as /display-name/manage.

Response

Same response formats as /display-name/manage.

The request is forwarded to the target agent via the mesh control channel. The response reflects the result from the remote agent.

Error Responses

Additional error cases for remote display name management:

Agent Not Found (404):

{
  "error": "agent not found or not reachable"
}

Timeout (504):

{
  "error": "request to remote agent timed out"
}

---

Error Responses

All endpoints may return:

Status	Description
400	Invalid request body or parameters
403	Management key required but unavailable
404	Endpoint disabled (remote_api not enabled) or agent not found
405	Method not allowed (must be POST)
503	Display name management not configured
504	Remote request timeout (remote endpoint only)

Management Key Protection

Display name management endpoints follow the same management key restrictions as route management. Agents with only management.public_key (field agents) cannot manage display names. Agents with both keys (operator nodes) can manage display names freely. If no management key is configured, display name management is unrestricted.

Dynamic Display Names are Ephemeral

Dynamic display names set via the API are lost when the agent restarts. For persistent names, set agent.display_name in the configuration file.