Absorb: ask for the passphrase once the archive starts arriving

With gpg --decrypt x.tar.gpg | vault absorb, vault printed its prompt
while gpg was still writing to the terminal, which buried it, so the
command looked hung. Peek at standard input first: the upstream program
has finished with the terminal by the time data arrives, and an empty
pipe now fails without asking at all.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ vault is a post-quantum encrypted file vault: one `package main` at the repo
 root that builds a single `vault` binary. Module `github.com/andydixon/vault`.
 
 - `main.go` - CLI: `genkey`, `init`, `add` (file, directory
-  or URL), `migrate` (add, then delete originals), `list`, `get`, `mv`, `rm`.
+  or URL), `migrate` (add, then delete originals), `mirror`, `absorb` (tar
+  on stdin, `absorb.go`), `list`, `get`, `mv`, `rm`.
 - `keyfile.go` - key file with two passphrase slots (Argon2id +
   XChaCha20-Poly1305 sealing a suite ID and 32-byte master seed). The second
   slot is either a decoy identity or random bytes; slot order is random.

README.md

@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@ vault add ./photos               # every regular file under photos/
 vault add https://example.com/a.pdf   # download and store a URL
 vault migrate ./photos           # like add, then delete the originals
 vault mirror https://example.com/     # crawl a site into example.com/, links rewritten
+tar -cz photos | vault absorb backup  # every file in a tar (or .tar.gz) under backup/
+vault absorb backup < photos.tar.gz   # same, from an existing archive
 vault list                       # everything
 vault list work                  # everything under work/
 vault get work/2026/report.pdf   # writes ./report.pdf

absorb.go

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+// Copyright 2026 The vault Authors.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"archive/tar"
+	"bufio"
+	"bytes"
+	"compress/gzip"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"path"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// absorb reads a tar archive, gzipped or not, from r and adds every regular
+// file in it beneath dest, streaming each straight into the vault so no
+// plaintext touches the disk. Other entries, and names that would escape
+// dest, are reported and skipped.
+func absorb(s *store, cat map[string][]*record, r io.Reader, dest string) error {
+	br := bufio.NewReader(r)
+	if magic, _ := br.Peek(2); bytes.Equal(magic, []byte{0x1f, 0x8b}) {
+		zr, err := gzip.NewReader(br)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		defer zr.Close()
+		r = zr
+	} else {
+		r = br
+	}
+	tr := tar.NewReader(r)
+	n := 0
+	for {
+		hdr, err := tr.Next()
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("reading archive: %w", err)
+		}
+		if hdr.Typeflag != tar.TypeReg {
+			if hdr.Typeflag != tar.TypeDir {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "skipping %s: not a regular file\n", hdr.Name)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		name := strings.TrimPrefix(path.Clean("/"+hdr.Name), "/")
+		if strings.Contains(hdr.Name, "\\") || name == "" || name != path.Clean(strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimPrefix(hdr.Name, "./"), "/")) {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "skipping %s: unsafe name\n", hdr.Name)
+			continue
+		}
+		name = path.Join(dest, name)
+		replaced, err := s.addReader(cat, tr, hdr.Size, hdr.FileInfo().Mode(), hdr.ModTime, name)
+		if errors.Is(err, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF) || errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			err = fmt.Errorf("%s: archive ends early", hdr.Name)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		verb := "added"
+		if replaced {
+			verb = "replaced"
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "%s %s\n", verb, name)
+		n++
+	}
+	if n == 0 {
+		return errors.New("no files in archive")
+	}
+	return nil
+}

docs/guide/shots.py

@@ -315,6 +315,35 @@ def main():
     t.cmd("ls Scans")
     shoot("migrate", t)
 
+    # absorb: a tar archive piped in, here pulled from a gzipped tarball
+    box.write("Projects/website/index.html", "<h1>hello</h1>\n")
+    box.write("Projects/website/css/site.css", "body{}\n")
+    box.write("Projects/website/img/logo.png", os.urandom(24_311))
+    t = Term(box)
+    t.cmd("tar -czf website.tar.gz -C Projects website")
+    t.cmd("vault absorb backups < website.tar.gz", P)
+    t.cmd("tar -c recipes | vault absorb old", P)
+    t.cmd("vault list backups", P)
+    shoot("absorb", t)
+
+    # mirror: a tiny local site, served on localhost
+    site = os.path.join(box.root, "site")
+    for rel, body in {"index.html": '<a href="/about.html">About</a> <link href="/style.css">',
+                      "about.html": '<a href="/">Home</a> <img src="/img/me.png">',
+                      "style.css": "body{background:url(/img/bg.png)}",
+                      "img/me.png": "png", "img/bg.png": "png"}.items():
+        os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(os.path.join(site, rel)), exist_ok=True)
+        with open(os.path.join(site, rel), "w") as f:
+            f.write(body)
+    srv = subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "-m", "http.server", "8000", "--bind", "127.0.0.1"],
+                           cwd=site, stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)
+    time.sleep(1)
+    t = Term(box)
+    t.cmd("vault mirror http://localhost:8000/ sites", P)
+    t.cmd("vault get sites/localhost:8000/about.html && cat about.html", P)
+    shoot("mirror", t)
+    srv.terminate()
+
     # errors
     t = Term(box)
     t.cmd("vault list", "hunter2", highlight=("incorrect",))

docs/guide/vault-guide.tex

@@ -567,6 +567,30 @@ the whole site, one request at a time, into a folder named after its host.
 Links inside pages and stylesheets are rewritten to relative paths, so the
 copy still browses once you get it out. Only the same host is followed.
 
+\shot{mirror}{Mirroring a small site. The links in each page now point at the copy.}
+
+\subsection{From a tar archive: \texttt{absorb}}
+\cmd{absorb} reads a tar archive, gzipped or not, from standard input and
+stores every plain file in it, optionally under a folder:
+
+\begin{verbatim}
+tar -cz photos | vault absorb backup
+ssh server 'tar -c /etc' | vault absorb server1
+vault absorb old < archive.tar.gz
+\end{verbatim}
+
+Each file is encrypted straight from the stream, so nothing is unpacked to
+disk first. Directories need no entry of their own; links, devices and any
+name that tries to climb out with \file{..} are skipped with a note.
+vault asks for your passphrase only once the archive starts arriving, so
+when it comes out of something that asks first, like
+\cmd{gpg --decrypt secrets.tar.gpg | vault absorb}, gpg's prompt comes
+and goes before vault's appears. If the
+archive stops halfway through a file, that file isn't stored and vault
+stops; everything before it is already safely in.
+
+\shot{absorb}{A gzipped tarball and a plain tar stream, both absorbed.}
+
 \subsection{Moving in: \texttt{migrate}}
 \cmd{migrate} works exactly like \cmd{add}, but deletes each original once
 it's safely stored, then tidies away any folders left empty. It won't take a
@@ -940,7 +964,8 @@ covered.
 
 \section{Locking is automatic}
 
-Commands that change the vault (\cmd{add}, \cmd{mv}, \cmd{rm}) take an
+Commands that change the vault (\cmd{add}, \cmd{migrate}, \cmd{mirror},
+\cmd{absorb}, \cmd{mv}, \cmd{rm}) take an
 \hl{exclusive} lock. Commands that only read (\cmd{list}, \cmd{get}) take a
 \hl{shared} one, so several can read at once. If a command has to wait, it
 says so, then carries on by itself:
@@ -1244,12 +1269,16 @@ passphrase. Nothing in this chapter helps with that. Back up your key.
   enhanced,colback=vmist,colframe=vline,boxrule=0.4pt,arc=4pt,left=9pt,right=9pt,top=7pt,bottom=7pt]
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault genkey}\\[2pt]\small Make a key. Asks for a passphrase and an optional decoy.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault init}\\[2pt]\small Make an empty vault, with filler. \texttt{--filler 2G} for more.\end{tcolorbox}
-\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault add FILE|DIR [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Encrypt in, keeping the name. Replaces an existing name.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault add FILE|DIR|URL [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Encrypt in, keeping the name. Replaces an existing name.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault migrate FILE|DIR [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Like add, then delete the originals. Asks before replacing.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault mirror URL [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Crawl a website in, links rewritten to work offline.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault absorb [FOLDER] < TAR}\\[2pt]\small Every file in a tar or .tar.gz from standard input.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault list [FOLDER]}\\[2pt]\small Size, modified time and name, sorted.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault get NAME [-o OUT]}\\[2pt]\small Decrypt out. Never overwrites. Verifies first.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault mv OLD NEW}\\[2pt]\small Rename, using the full new name. Instant.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault rm NAME}\\[2pt]\small Delete one file. No undo.\end{tcolorbox}
 \begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries vault help}\\[2pt]\small Show the command summary.\end{tcolorbox}
+\begin{tcolorbox}{\ttfamily\color{vtealdeep}\bfseries man vault}\\[2pt]\small A manual page for vault and for every command.\end{tcolorbox}
 \end{tcbraster}
 
 \section*{Options and variables}
@@ -1261,6 +1290,7 @@ passphrase. Nothing in this chapter helps with that. Back up your key.
 \textrm{(genkey prompt)} & VAULT\_DECOY\_PASSPHRASE & asked; empty means none \\
 -o OUT & \textrm{---} & the file's own name, here \\
 --filler SIZE & \textrm{---} & a few tens of MB, for \cmd{init} \\
+--yes & \textrm{---} & ask, for \cmd{migrate} \\
 \end{vtable}
 
 \section*{Numbers worth knowing}

docs/vault-absorb.1

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+.TH VAULT-ABSORB 1 "October 2026" "vault" "User Commands"
+.SH NAME
+vault-absorb \- add the files in a tar archive to an encrypted vault
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+.B vault absorb
+.RB [ \-\-key
+.IR PATH ]
+.RB [ \-\-vault
+.IR DIR ]
+.RI [ FOLDER ]
+.B <
+.I ARCHIVE
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+.B vault absorb
+reads a tar archive from standard input and stores every regular file in
+it, beneath
+.I FOLDER
+if one is given, keeping the paths, permissions and modification times
+recorded in the archive. A gzip-compressed archive is detected and
+unpacked automatically.
+.PP
+Each file is encrypted straight from the stream; nothing is unpacked to
+disk. Anything already stored under the same name is replaced.
+.PP
+Directory entries are not stored (directories exist implicitly). Symbolic
+and hard links, devices and other special entries are reported on standard
+error and skipped, as is any entry whose name would escape
+.I FOLDER
+through
+.BR .. .
+A leading
+.B ./
+or
+.B /
+is dropped.
+.PP
+The passphrase prompt reads from the terminal, not standard input, so
+it still works with an archive piped in. It waits until the archive starts
+arriving, so a program feeding the pipe, such as
+.BR gpg (1)
+asking for its own passphrase, has finished with the terminal first.
+An empty pipe fails without asking at all.
+The vault is locked exclusively for the whole run.
+.SH OPTIONS
+.TP
+.BI \-\-key " PATH"
+Key file. Default: $VAULT_KEY, else ~/.vault/key.
+.TP
+.BI \-\-vault " DIR"
+Vault directory. Default: $VAULT_DIR, else ~/.vault/store.
+.SH ENVIRONMENT
+.TP
+.B VAULT_PASSPHRASE
+Passphrase, instead of prompting on the terminal.
+.SH EXIT STATUS
+0 if at least one file was stored and the archive was read to the end.
+1 if the archive is malformed or ends early, holds no regular files, or
+anything fails; files stored before the failure stay in the vault.
+.SH EXAMPLES
+Unpack an existing archive into the vault under
+.BR backup/ :
+.PP
+.RS
+vault absorb backup < photos.tar.gz
+.RE
+.PP
+Store a directory under
+.BR backup/photos/ :
+.PP
+.RS
+tar \-cz photos | vault absorb backup
+.RE
+.PP
+Pull a remote directory straight into the vault:
+.PP
+.RS
+ssh server 'tar \-C /etc \-c .' | vault absorb server1/etc
+.RE
+.SH SEE ALSO
+.BR vault (1),
+.BR vault\-add (1),
+.BR tar (1)
+.SH AUTHOR
+Andy Dixon <vault@dixon.cx>, https://www.dixon.cx

docs/vault-add.1

@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ vault add https://example.com/paper.pdf papers
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR vault (1),
 .BR vault\-migrate (1),
-.BR vault\-mirror (1)
+.BR vault\-mirror (1),
+.BR vault\-absorb (1)
 .SH AUTHOR
 Andy Dixon <vault@dixon.cx>, https://www.dixon.cx

docs/vault.1

@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ Like add, then delete each original.
 .BR vault\-mirror (1)
 Crawl a website into the vault.
 .TP
+.BR vault\-absorb (1)
+Add every file in a tar archive read from standard input.
+.TP
 .BR vault\-list (1)
 List stored files (alias:
 .BR ls ).

main.go

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"bufio"
 	"errors"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
@@ -35,6 +36,9 @@ const usage = `Usage:
     vault mirror URL [FOLDER]       crawl a website (same host only, one request
                                     at a time) into FOLDER/HOST, rewriting its
                                     links to relative paths
+    vault absorb [FOLDER]           read a tar archive (optionally gzipped) from
+                                    standard input and add every file in it,
+                                    optionally under a folder inside the vault
     vault list [PREFIX]             list stored files
     vault get NAME [-o OUTPUT]      decrypt a stored file (default: its base name)
     vault mv OLD NEW                rename a stored file
@@ -146,6 +150,26 @@ func main() {
 		cat, err := s.catalogue()
 		check(err)
 		check(mirror(s, cat, pos[0], dest))
+	case "absorb":
+		want(0, 1)
+		if fi, err := os.Stdin.Stat(); err == nil && fi.Mode()&os.ModeCharDevice != 0 {
+			fail("absorb reads a tar archive from standard input; pipe one in")
+		}
+		dest := ""
+		if len(pos) == 1 {
+			dest = strings.Trim(pos[0], "/")
+		}
+		// Wait for the archive to start arriving before asking for the
+		// passphrase, so a program feeding the pipe (gpg, ssh) has finished
+		// with the terminal and cannot bury the prompt.
+		in := bufio.NewReader(os.Stdin)
+		if _, err := in.Peek(1); err != nil {
+			fail("nothing to absorb on standard input")
+		}
+		s := open(*keyPath, *vaultDir, true)
+		cat, err := s.catalogue()
+		check(err)
+		check(absorb(s, cat, in, dest))
 	case "list", "ls":
 		want(0, 1)
 		prefix := ""

store.go

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"io/fs"
 	"math"
 	mrand "math/rand/v2"
 	"os"
@@ -382,30 +383,43 @@ func (s *store) add(cat map[string][]*record, src, name string) (bool, error) {
 	if !info.Mode().IsRegular() || info.Size() > fileLimit {
 		return false, fmt.Errorf("%s: not a regular file of at most 1 TiB", src)
 	}
+	replaced, err := s.addReader(cat, f, info.Size(), info.Mode().Perm(), info.ModTime(), name)
+	if errors.Is(err, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF) || errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("%s changed while being added", src)
+	}
+	return replaced, err
+}
+
+// addReader stores size bytes from r as name, like add. Reading fewer than
+// size bytes stores nothing and fails with io.ErrUnexpectedEOF or io.EOF.
+func (s *store) addReader(cat map[string][]*record, r io.Reader, size int64, mode fs.FileMode, mtime time.Time, name string) (bool, error) {
+	if !validName(name) {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("invalid vault path %q", name)
+	}
+	if size < 0 || size > fileLimit {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("%s: larger than 1 TiB", name)
+	}
 	seed, err := randomHex(objectSeedSize)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
-	if err := s.writeObjects(f, seed, info.Size()); err != nil {
+	if err := s.writeObjects(r, seed, size); err != nil {
-		s.dropObjects(seed, info.Size())
+		s.dropObjects(seed, size)
-		if errors.Is(err, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF) || errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("%s changed while being added", src)
-		}
 		return false, err
 	}
-	r := &record{
+	rec := &record{
-		Name: name, Seed: seed, Size: info.Size(), Mode: uint32(info.Mode().Perm()),
+		Name: name, Seed: seed, Size: size, Mode: uint32(mode.Perm()),
-		Modified: info.ModTime().UTC(), Added: time.Now().UTC(),
+		Modified: mtime.UTC(), Added: time.Now().UTC(),
 	}
-	if err := s.writeRecord(r); err != nil {
+	if err := s.writeRecord(rec); err != nil {
-		s.dropObjects(seed, info.Size())
+		s.dropObjects(seed, size)
 		return false, err
 	}
 	replaced := len(cat[name]) > 0
 	if err := s.remove(cat, name, true); err != nil {
 		return replaced, err
 	}
-	cat[name] = []*record{r}
+	cat[name] = []*record{rec}
 	return replaced, nil
 }
 

vault_test.go

@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"archive/tar"
 	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
+	"compress/gzip"
 	"crypto/rand"
 	"io"
 	"io/fs"
@@ -430,3 +432,50 @@ func TestMirror(t *testing.T) {
 		os.Remove(out)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAbsorb(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	keyPath := filepath.Join(dir, "key")
+	if err := writeKeyFile(keyPath, "pass", ""); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := initStore(filepath.Join(dir, "store"), 0); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	s := newTestStore(t, keyPath, "pass")
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	zw := gzip.NewWriter(&buf)
+	tw := tar.NewWriter(zw)
+	mtime := time.Date(2020, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 0, time.UTC)
+	for _, h := range []*tar.Header{
+		{Name: "./d/", Typeflag: tar.TypeDir, Mode: 0o755},
+		{Name: "./d/a.txt", Size: 5, Mode: 0o600, ModTime: mtime},
+		{Name: "../escape", Size: 5, Mode: 0o600},
+		{Name: "./d/link", Typeflag: tar.TypeSymlink, Linkname: "a.txt"},
+	} {
+		tw.WriteHeader(h)
+		if h.Size > 0 {
+			io.WriteString(tw, "hello")
+		}
+	}
+	tw.Close()
+	zw.Close()
+
+	cat, _ := s.catalogue()
+	if err := absorb(s, cat, &buf, "in"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(cat) != 1 || len(cat["in/d/a.txt"]) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("catalogue = %v, want only in/d/a.txt", cat)
+	}
+	if r := cat["in/d/a.txt"][0]; !r.Modified.Equal(mtime) || r.Mode != 0o600 {
+		t.Errorf("record = %v, %o", r.Modified, r.Mode)
+	}
+	out := filepath.Join(dir, "out")
+	if err := s.get("in/d/a.txt", out); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if b, _ := os.ReadFile(out); string(b) != "hello" {
+		t.Errorf("got %q", b)
+	}
+}