Stabilize multi-peer UI and fix container start API body

Keep the containers table scoped to the active peer with a merge store,
restore the last active server on boot with a restoring screen, start
containers without a Docker API body (v1.24+), and stop ⋮ menus from
sticking to the viewport bottom after refreshes.

server/handlers/containers.js

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * Container RPC handlers.
  */
 import { PassThrough } from 'stream'
-import { docker, extractIpAddress } from '../services/docker.js'
+import { docker, startContainerNoBody, containerLifecycleNoBody } from '../services/docker.js'
 import * as validation from '../utils/validation.js'
 import { Pushes } from '../../shared/protocol.js'
 import { peers } from '../core/peer-registry.js'
@@ -47,7 +47,8 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
     const container = await docker.createContainer(createOpts)
     if (args.start) {
       try {
-        await container.start()
+        // Empty-body start (Engine API ≥1.24 rejects non-empty start body)
+        await startContainerNoBody(container.id)
       } catch (startErr) {
         // Rollback: remove container if start failed after create
         try {
@@ -89,17 +90,12 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
     const limit = args.limit != null ? Math.min(Number(args.limit) || 50, 1000) : null
     const page = limit != null ? containers.slice(offset, offset + limit) : containers.slice(offset)
 
-    const detailed = await Promise.all(
-      page.map(async (container) => {
-        try {
-          const details = await docker.getContainer(container.Id).inspect()
-          return { ...container, ipAddress: extractIpAddress(details) }
-        } catch (error) {
-          logger.error('Failed to inspect container', { id: container.Id, error: error.message })
-          return { ...container, ipAddress: 'Error Retrieving IP' }
-        }
-      })
-    )
+    // IP comes from list payload NetworkSettings — no N× inspect on every refresh
+    // (inspect was slow, raced with event pushes, and caused client list flicker).
+    const detailed = page.map((container) => ({
+      ...container,
+      ipAddress: ipFromListContainer(container),
+    }))
     return {
       type: 'containers',
       data: detailed,
@@ -116,7 +112,8 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
   })
 
   session.respond('startContainer', async (args) => {
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).start()
+    // Must not send a JSON body — Docker API ≥1.24 rejects non-empty start body
+    await startContainerNoBody(args.id)
     return { success: true, message: `Container ${args.id} started` }
   })
 
@@ -125,7 +122,12 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
     if (args.t != null || args.timeout != null) {
       opts.t = Number(args.t ?? args.timeout)
     }
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).stop(opts)
+    // Only pass opts when we have real stop parameters (avoid empty-body quirks)
+    if (Object.keys(opts).length) {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).stop(opts)
+    } else {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).stop()
+    }
     return { success: true, message: `Container ${args.id} stopped` }
   })
 
@@ -134,27 +136,33 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
     if (args.t != null || args.timeout != null) {
       opts.t = Number(args.t ?? args.timeout)
     }
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).restart(opts)
+    if (Object.keys(opts).length) {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).restart(opts)
+    } else {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).restart()
+    }
     return { success: true, message: `Container ${args.id} restarted` }
   })
 
   session.respond('killContainer', async (args) => {
-    const opts = {}
-    if (args.signal) opts.signal = String(args.signal)
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).kill(opts)
+    if (args.signal) {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).kill({ signal: String(args.signal) })
+    } else {
+      await docker.getContainer(args.id).kill()
+    }
     return {
       success: true,
-      message: `Container ${args.id} killed${opts.signal ? ` (${opts.signal})` : ''}`,
+      message: `Container ${args.id} killed${args.signal ? ` (${args.signal})` : ''}`,
     }
   })
 
   session.respond('pauseContainer', async (args) => {
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).pause()
+    await containerLifecycleNoBody(args.id, 'pause')
     return { success: true, message: `Container ${args.id} paused` }
   })
 
   session.respond('unpauseContainer', async (args) => {
-    await docker.getContainer(args.id).unpause()
+    await containerLifecycleNoBody(args.id, 'unpause')
     return { success: true, message: `Container ${args.id} unpaused` }
   })
 
@@ -503,7 +511,7 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
         const container = docker.getContainer(containerId)
         switch (operation) {
           case 'start':
-            await container.start()
+            await startContainerNoBody(containerId)
             break
           case 'stop':
             await container.stop()
@@ -512,13 +520,14 @@ export function registerContainerHandlers(session) {
             await container.restart()
             break
           case 'pause':
-            await container.pause()
+            await containerLifecycleNoBody(containerId, 'pause')
             break
           case 'unpause':
-            await container.unpause()
+            await containerLifecycleNoBody(containerId, 'unpause')
             break
           case 'kill':
-            await container.kill(args.signal ? { signal: args.signal } : {})
+            if (args.signal) await container.kill({ signal: args.signal })
+            else await container.kill()
             break
           case 'remove':
             await container.remove({ force: true })
@@ -635,7 +644,7 @@ async function duplicateContainer(args, session) {
       NetworkMode: String(netmode),
     },
   })
-  await newContainer.start()
+  await startContainerNoBody(newContainer.id)
 
   await broadcastContainers()
   return { success: true, message: `Container '${name}' duplicated and started successfully.` }
@@ -741,7 +750,7 @@ async function recreateContainer(args, session) {
   const created = await docker.createContainer(createOpts)
 
   if (shouldStart) {
-    await created.start()
+    await startContainerNoBody(created.id)
   }
 
   await broadcastContainers()
@@ -756,10 +765,31 @@ async function recreateContainer(args, session) {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Prefer NetworkSettings from docker list; fall back to inspect extract shape.
+ * @param {object} container
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+function ipFromListContainer(container) {
+  const nets = container?.NetworkSettings?.Networks
+  if (nets && typeof nets === 'object') {
+    for (const net of Object.values(nets)) {
+      if (net?.IPAddress) return net.IPAddress
+    }
+  }
+  // Some list responses put IP on NetworkSettings.IPAddress
+  if (container?.NetworkSettings?.IPAddress) return container.NetworkSettings.IPAddress
+  return 'No IP Assigned'
+}
+
 export async function broadcastContainers() {
   try {
     const containers = await docker.listContainers({ all: true })
-    peers.broadcast(Pushes.containers, { type: 'containers', data: containers })
+    const data = containers.map((c) => ({
+      ...c,
+      ipAddress: ipFromListContainer(c),
+    }))
+    peers.broadcast(Pushes.containers, { type: 'containers', data })
   } catch (err) {
     logger.error('Failed to broadcast containers', { error: err.message })
   }

server/handlers/deploy.js

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * Template / container deploy RPC handler.
  */
-import { docker } from '../services/docker.js'
+import { docker, startContainerNoBody } from '../services/docker.js'
 import * as validation from '../utils/validation.js'
 import { broadcastContainers } from './containers.js'
 import logger from '../utils/logger.js'
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ export function registerDeployHandlers(session) {
     }
 
     try {
-      await container.start()
+      await startContainerNoBody(container.id)
     } catch (startErr) {
       const formatted = formatDeployError(startErr, {
         stage: 'start',

server/services/docker.js

@@ -41,6 +41,71 @@ export const docker = new Docker({
 
 export { socketPath as dockerSocketPath }
 
+/**
+ * Promise wrapper around docker-modem dial.
+ * @param {object} optsf
+ * @returns {Promise<any>}
+ */
+function modemDial(optsf) {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    docker.modem.dial(optsf, (err, data) => {
+      if (err) reject(err)
+      else resolve(data)
+    })
+  })
+}
+
+/**
+ * Start a container with an empty POST body.
+ *
+ * dockerode always passes `options: {}` into modem.dial for `.start()`.
+ * Some Engine/API combinations (and proxies) still treat that as a non-empty
+ * JSON body, which Docker rejects since API v1.24:
+ *   "starting container with non-empty request body was deprecated..."
+ *
+ * Dial without an `options` field so no body is serialized.
+ *
+ * @param {string} id container id or name
+ * @returns {Promise<void>}
+ */
+export async function startContainerNoBody(id) {
+  const cid = String(id || '').replace(/^\//, '')
+  if (!cid) throw new Error('Container id required')
+  await modemDial({
+    // No trailing '?' — avoids query/body serialization of empty opts
+    path: `/containers/${encodeURIComponent(cid)}/start`,
+    method: 'POST',
+    statusCodes: {
+      204: true,
+      304: true, // already started
+      404: 'no such container',
+      500: 'server error',
+    },
+  })
+}
+
+/**
+ * Body-less container lifecycle POSTs (pause / unpause).
+ * @param {string} id
+ * @param {'pause'|'unpause'} action
+ */
+export async function containerLifecycleNoBody(id, action) {
+  const cid = String(id || '').replace(/^\//, '')
+  if (!cid) throw new Error('Container id required')
+  if (action !== 'pause' && action !== 'unpause') {
+    throw new Error(`Invalid lifecycle action: ${action}`)
+  }
+  await modemDial({
+    path: `/containers/${encodeURIComponent(cid)}/${action}`,
+    method: 'POST',
+    statusCodes: {
+      204: true,
+      404: 'no such container',
+      500: 'server error',
+    },
+  })
+}
+
 /**
  * Normalize docker.listVolumes() response shapes across API versions.
  * @param {object|Array} volumesResult

server/services/events.js

@@ -5,15 +5,44 @@
 import { docker, extractVolumesList } from './docker.js'
 import { peers } from '../core/peer-registry.js'
 import { Pushes } from '../../shared/protocol.js'
+import { broadcastContainers } from '../handlers/containers.js'
 import logger from '../utils/logger.js'
 
 let dockerEventStream = null
 let reconnectTimer = null
 let stopped = false
 let reconnectAttempt = 0
+/** Coalesce noisy container events into one list broadcast */
+let containerListBroadcastTimer = null
 
 const BASE_DELAY_MS = 2000
 const MAX_DELAY_MS = 30_000
+/** Only these container actions should refresh the fleet list (not exec/health spam) */
+const CONTAINER_LIST_ACTIONS = new Set([
+  'create',
+  'start',
+  'stop',
+  'die',
+  'kill',
+  'destroy',
+  'remove',
+  'pause',
+  'unpause',
+  'restart',
+  'rename',
+  'update',
+  'oom',
+])
+
+function scheduleContainerListBroadcast() {
+  if (containerListBroadcastTimer) return
+  containerListBroadcastTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+    containerListBroadcastTimer = null
+    broadcastContainers().catch((err) => {
+      logger.debug('container list broadcast failed', { error: err.message })
+    })
+  }, 400)
+}
 
 export async function startDockerEventStream() {
   stopped = false
@@ -64,9 +93,13 @@ async function openEventStream() {
             data: event,
           })
 
+          // Do not rebroadcast the full list on every exec_*/health_status event —
+          // that thrashed clients (rows flicker / disappear on each refresh).
           if (event.Type === 'container') {
-            const containers = await docker.listContainers({ all: true })
-            peers.broadcast(Pushes.containers, { type: 'containers', data: containers })
+            const action = String(event.Action || event.status || '').split(':')[0]
+            if (CONTAINER_LIST_ACTIONS.has(action)) {
+              scheduleContainerListBroadcast()
+            }
           }
 
           if (event.Type === 'image') {

server/utils/composeManager.js

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import path from 'path'
 import os from 'os'
 import yaml from 'js-yaml'
 import logger from './logger.js'
+import { startContainerNoBody } from '../services/docker.js'
 
 /**
  * Parse docker-compose YAML with js-yaml and normalize service fields.
@@ -446,7 +447,7 @@ async function deployViaDockerode(docker, parsed, stackName, opts = {}) {
     const container = await docker.createContainer(containerConfig)
     createdIds.push(container.id)
     try {
-      await container.start()
+      await startContainerNoBody(container.id)
     } catch (startErr) {
       if (rollback) {
         for (const id of createdIds) {