fix birdseye camera overrides being clobbered by a global mode change

A global birdseye save published only the global object, leaving the output process to infer which cameras were inheriting by comparing against the previous global mode. That cannot tell an inherited value from an explicit one that happens to match, so it overwrote the override until a restart. Publish the per-camera values the config parse already resolved instead.

frigate/api/app.py

@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ from frigate.api.auth import (
     get_allowed_cameras_for_filter,
     require_role,
 )
-from frigate.api.config_util import swap_runtime_config
+from frigate.api.config_util import (
+    publish_camera_section_updates,
+    swap_runtime_config,
+)
 from frigate.api.defs.query.app_query_parameters import AppTimelineHourlyQueryParameters
 from frigate.api.defs.request.app_body import (
     AppConfigSetBody,
@@ -963,6 +966,17 @@ def config_set(request: Request, body: AppConfigSetBody):
                             body.update_topic, settings
                         )
 
+                        # a config/cameras/* topic publishes camera copies, a
+                        # global topic the global object. FrigateConfig.parse
+                        # folds some global sections down into every camera,
+                        # and workers read both objects, so any such section
+                        # needs its camera copies sent alongside the global
+                        # publish above.
+                        if body.update_topic == "config/birdseye":
+                            publish_camera_section_updates(
+                                request.app, config, CameraConfigUpdateEnum.birdseye
+                            )
+
             return JSONResponse(
                 content=(
                     {

frigate/api/config_util.py

@@ -3,6 +3,30 @@
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 
 from frigate.config import FrigateConfig
+from frigate.config.camera.updater import (
+    CameraConfigUpdateEnum,
+    CameraConfigUpdateTopic,
+)
+
+
+def publish_camera_section_updates(
+    app: FastAPI, config: FrigateConfig, update_type: CameraConfigUpdateEnum
+) -> None:
+    """Broadcast every camera's re-resolved value for a global section.
+
+    Global sections are folded into each camera at parse time and the camera
+    copies are what workers read, so send them rather than leave a worker to
+    guess which cameras were inheriting.
+    """
+    for camera_name, camera_config in config.cameras.items():
+        settings = getattr(camera_config, update_type.name, None)
+
+        if settings is None:
+            continue
+
+        app.config_publisher.publish_update(
+            CameraConfigUpdateTopic(update_type, camera_name), settings
+        )
 
 
 def swap_runtime_config(app: FastAPI, config: FrigateConfig) -> None:
@@ -16,6 +40,10 @@ def swap_runtime_config(app: FastAPI, config: FrigateConfig) -> None:
     camera the user turned off would silently come back on.
     """
     app.frigate_config = config
+
+    if app.config_holder is not None:
+        app.config_holder.set(config)
+
     app.genai_manager.update_config(config)
 
     if app.profile_manager is not None:

frigate/api/fastapi_app.py

@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ from frigate.comms.event_metadata_updater import (
 )
 from frigate.config import FrigateConfig
 from frigate.config.camera.updater import CameraConfigUpdatePublisher
+from frigate.config.holder import ConfigHolder
 from frigate.config.profile_manager import ProfileManager
 from frigate.debug_replay import DebugReplayManager, debug_replay_auto_stop_watchdog
 from frigate.embeddings import EmbeddingsContext
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ def create_fastapi_app(
     dispatcher: Dispatcher | None = None,
     profile_manager: ProfileManager | None = None,
     enforce_default_admin: bool = True,
+    config_holder: ConfigHolder | None = None,
 ):
     logger.info("Starting FastAPI app")
     app = FastAPI(
@@ -162,6 +164,7 @@ def create_fastapi_app(
     app.replay_manager = replay_manager
     app.dispatcher = dispatcher
     app.profile_manager = profile_manager
+    app.config_holder = config_holder
 
     if frigate_config.auth.enabled:
         secret = get_jwt_secret()

frigate/app.py

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ from frigate.comms.ws import WebSocketClient
 from frigate.comms.zmq_proxy import ZmqProxy
 from frigate.config.camera.updater import CameraConfigUpdatePublisher
 from frigate.config.config import FrigateConfig
+from frigate.config.holder import ConfigHolder
 from frigate.config.profile_manager import ProfileManager
 from frigate.const import (
     CACHE_DIR,
@@ -122,7 +123,18 @@ class FrigateApp:
         self.processes: dict[str, int] = {}
         self.embeddings: EmbeddingsContext | None = None
         self.profile_manager: ProfileManager | None = None
-        self.config = config
+        self.config_holder = ConfigHolder(config)
+
+    @property
+    def config(self) -> FrigateConfig:
+        """The current config, not the one Frigate booted with.
+
+        Read through the holder so the deferred watchdog factories below build
+        a replacement process from the config as it is now. There is no setter
+        on purpose: a plain attribute would let a caller pin this back to a
+        single object and reintroduce the staleness.
+        """
+        return self.config_holder.config
 
     def ensure_dirs(self) -> None:
         dirs = [
@@ -645,6 +657,7 @@ class FrigateApp:
                     self.replay_manager,
                     self.dispatcher,
                     self.profile_manager,
+                    config_holder=self.config_holder,
                 ),
                 host="127.0.0.1",
                 port=5001,

frigate/config/holder.py

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"""Shared handle on the config object that is current for this instance."""
+
+from .config import FrigateConfig
+
+__all__ = ["ConfigHolder"]
+
+
+class ConfigHolder:
+    """Indirection for the most recently parsed config.
+
+    /api/config/set re-parses yaml into a brand new FrigateConfig instead of
+    mutating the old one, so any reference captured during startup goes stale
+    the first time a user saves. Anything that has to build something after
+    startup, most importantly the watchdog factories that rebuild a crashed
+    process, must read through a holder rather than close over a config
+    object, or the rebuilt process comes back with the config as it was at
+    boot and silently discards every change made since.
+
+    There is deliberately no setter on the read side: the swap runs in exactly
+    one place (frigate.api.config_util.swap_runtime_config) and everyone else
+    only reads.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, config: FrigateConfig) -> None:
+        self._config = config
+
+    @property
+    def config(self) -> FrigateConfig:
+        """The config as of the most recent successful save."""
+        return self._config
+
+    def set(self, config: FrigateConfig) -> None:
+        """Install a freshly parsed config as the current one."""
+        self._config = config

frigate/output/output.py

@@ -178,13 +178,10 @@ class OutputProcess(FrigateProcess):
             )
 
             if update_topic is not None and birdseye_config is not None:
-                previous_global_mode = self.config.birdseye.mode
+                # only the global-only fields are applied here; the per-camera
+                # enabled and mode arrive on config/cameras/<name>/birdseye,
+                # already resolved against yaml by the config parse
                 self.config.birdseye = birdseye_config
-
-                for camera_config in self.config.cameras.values():
-                    if camera_config.birdseye.mode == previous_global_mode:
-                        camera_config.birdseye.mode = birdseye_config.mode
-
                 logger.debug("Applied dynamic birdseye config update")
 
             # check if there is an updated config

frigate/test/http_api/test_http_config_set.py

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ from frigate.config.camera.updater import (
     CameraConfigUpdatePublisher,
     CameraConfigUpdateTopic,
 )
+from frigate.config.holder import ConfigHolder
 from frigate.models import Event, Recordings, ReviewSegment
 from frigate.test.http_api.base_http_test import AuthTestClient, BaseTestHttp
 
@@ -373,6 +374,128 @@ class TestConfigSetWildcardPropagation(BaseTestHttp):
         finally:
             os.unlink(config_path)
 
+    @patch("frigate.api.app.find_config_file")
+    def test_global_birdseye_save_fans_out_resolved_camera_configs(
+        self, mock_find_config
+    ):
+        """A global birdseye save must also publish the per-camera values.
+
+        Global birdseye only seeds enabled and mode; the camera copies are what
+        the output process actually reads. Sending just the global object makes
+        a worker guess which cameras were inheriting, and the only available
+        guess (mode still equals the previous global) wrongly claims a camera
+        whose explicit yaml mode happens to match.
+        """
+        self.minimal_config["birdseye"] = {"enabled": True, "mode": "motion"}
+        # explicit override that matches the global value being replaced
+        self.minimal_config["cameras"]["front_door"]["birdseye"] = {"mode": "motion"}
+
+        config_path = self._write_config_file()
+        mock_find_config.return_value = config_path
+
+        try:
+            app, mock_publisher = self._create_app_with_publisher()
+            with AuthTestClient(app) as client:
+                resp = client.put(
+                    "/config/set",
+                    json={
+                        "config_data": {"birdseye": {"mode": "continuous"}},
+                        "update_topic": "config/birdseye",
+                        "requires_restart": 0,
+                    },
+                )
+
+                self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+
+                # the global object still goes out on its own topic
+                mock_publisher.publisher.publish.assert_called_once()
+                topic, settings = mock_publisher.publisher.publish.call_args[0]
+                self.assertEqual(topic, "config/birdseye")
+                self.assertEqual(settings.mode.value, "continuous")
+
+                published = {
+                    call[0][0].camera: call[0][1]
+                    for call in mock_publisher.publish_update.call_args_list
+                }
+                self.assertEqual(set(published), {"front_door", "back_yard"})
+
+                for call in mock_publisher.publish_update.call_args_list:
+                    self.assertEqual(
+                        call[0][0].update_type, CameraConfigUpdateEnum.birdseye
+                    )
+
+                # the override survives, the inheriting camera follows global
+                self.assertEqual(published["front_door"].mode.value, "motion")
+                self.assertEqual(published["back_yard"].mode.value, "continuous")
+        finally:
+            os.unlink(config_path)
+
+    @patch("frigate.api.app.find_config_file")
+    def test_save_updates_the_config_holder(self, mock_find_config):
+        """A save must move the holder onto the freshly parsed config.
+
+        FrigateApp reads the holder when the watchdog rebuilds a crashed
+        process; if the save leaves it on the boot config, that process comes
+        back having lost every change made since Frigate started.
+        """
+        from fastapi import Request
+
+        from frigate.api.auth import get_allowed_cameras_for_filter, get_current_user
+        from frigate.api.fastapi_app import create_fastapi_app
+
+        config_path = self._write_config_file()
+        mock_find_config.return_value = config_path
+
+        mock_publisher = Mock(spec=CameraConfigUpdatePublisher)
+        mock_publisher.publisher = MagicMock()
+        boot_config = FrigateConfig(**self.minimal_config)
+        holder = ConfigHolder(boot_config)
+
+        try:
+            app = create_fastapi_app(
+                boot_config,
+                self.db,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                None,
+                mock_publisher,
+                None,
+                enforce_default_admin=False,
+                config_holder=holder,
+            )
+
+            async def mock_get_current_user(request: Request):
+                return {"username": "admin", "role": "admin"}
+
+            async def mock_get_allowed_cameras_for_filter(request: Request):
+                return list(self.minimal_config.get("cameras", {}).keys())
+
+            app.dependency_overrides[get_current_user] = mock_get_current_user
+            app.dependency_overrides[get_allowed_cameras_for_filter] = (
+                mock_get_allowed_cameras_for_filter
+            )
+
+            with AuthTestClient(app) as client:
+                resp = client.put(
+                    "/config/set",
+                    json={
+                        "config_data": {"birdseye": {"inactivity_threshold": 5}},
+                        "update_topic": "config/birdseye",
+                        "requires_restart": 0,
+                    },
+                )
+
+                self.assertEqual(resp.status_code, 200)
+
+            self.assertIsNot(holder.config, boot_config)
+            self.assertIs(holder.config, app.frigate_config)
+            self.assertEqual(holder.config.birdseye.inactivity_threshold, 5)
+        finally:
+            os.unlink(config_path)
+
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()

frigate/test/test_config_util.py

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import unittest
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
 from frigate.api.config_util import swap_runtime_config
+from frigate.config.holder import ConfigHolder
 
 
 class TestSwapRuntimeConfig(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ class TestSwapRuntimeConfig(unittest.TestCase):
     def _make_app(self) -> MagicMock:
         app = MagicMock()
         app.dispatcher.comms = [MagicMock(), MagicMock()]
+        app.config_holder = ConfigHolder(MagicMock(name="boot_config"))
         return app
 
     def test_rebinds_all_references(self) -> None:
@@ -37,11 +39,40 @@ class TestSwapRuntimeConfig(unittest.TestCase):
         # the swap rebuilds cameras from yaml, so overrides must be re-layered
         app.dispatcher.reapply_runtime_state_to_config.assert_called_once_with()
 
+    def test_updates_the_config_holder(self) -> None:
+        app = self._make_app()
+        holder = app.config_holder
+        config = MagicMock(name="new_config")
+
+        swap_runtime_config(app, config)
+
+        self.assertIs(holder.config, config)
+
+    def test_deferred_factory_builds_from_the_swapped_config(self) -> None:
+        """A watchdog-style factory must not rebuild from the boot config.
+
+        The factories in FrigateApp are lambdas evaluated when a process is
+        restarted, long after a user may have saved. Reading through the
+        holder is what keeps a rebuilt process from reverting every change
+        made since Frigate started.
+        """
+        app = self._make_app()
+        holder = app.config_holder
+        boot_config = holder.config
+        factory = lambda: holder.config  # noqa: E731
+        self.assertIs(factory(), boot_config)
+
+        config = MagicMock(name="new_config")
+        swap_runtime_config(app, config)
+
+        self.assertIs(factory(), config)
+
     def test_tolerates_missing_optional_collaborators(self) -> None:
         app = MagicMock()
         app.profile_manager = None
         app.stats_emitter = None
         app.dispatcher = None
+        app.config_holder = None
         config = MagicMock(name="new_config")
 
         # must not raise when the optional collaborators are absent