From 38a08edbfd70056be2af1bcbef9a2f506501912b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Matt <matt@letsbe.solutions>
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2025 19:05:04 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] FEAT: Add documentation for Keycloak session timeout fix and
 configuration steps

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 docs/keycloak-session-timeout-fix.md | 81 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 create mode 100644 docs/keycloak-session-timeout-fix.md

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+# Keycloak Session Timeout Fix
+
+## Issue Analysis
+Sessions are expiring after 5 minutes instead of the expected 30+ minutes due to Keycloak configuration issues.
+
+## Root Cause
+From your Keycloak settings screenshot, there are two critical issues:
+
+### 1. **Refresh Tokens Are Disabled**
+- **Current Setting**: "Revoke Refresh Token" is set to **DISABLED** 
+- **Problem**: This actually means refresh tokens are disabled (confusing UI naming)
+- **Impact**: Users can't extend their sessions automatically
+
+### 2. **Short User-Initiated Action Lifespan**
+- **Current Setting**: 5 minutes
+- **Problem**: This overrides access token lifespan for certain user actions
+- **Impact**: Forces re-authentication after 5 minutes of activity
+
+## Required Keycloak Configuration Changes
+
+### Step 1: Enable Refresh Tokens
+In your Keycloak realm settings:
+1. Navigate to **Realm Settings → Tokens**
+2. Find "Revoke Refresh Token" 
+3. Set it to **ENABLED** (this enables refresh tokens)
+
+### Step 2: Increase Token Lifespans
+Update these settings in **Realm Settings → Tokens**:
+- **Access Token Lifespan**: 30 minutes ✅ (already correct)
+- **User-Initiated Action Lifespan**: Change from **5 minutes** to **30 minutes**
+- **Client Login Timeout**: Change from **1 minute** to **30 minutes**
+- **Access Token Lifespan For Implicit Flow**: Set to **15 minutes**
+
+### Step 3: Verify Client Settings
+In **Clients → [Your Client] → Settings**:
+- Ensure "Standard Flow Enabled" is **ON**
+- Ensure "Direct Access Grants Enabled" is **ON**
+
+## Expected Results After Changes
+
+1. **Sessions will last 30 minutes** of inactivity
+2. **Active users will have tokens refreshed automatically** 2 minutes before expiry
+3. **No unexpected logouts** during normal use
+
+## Application Status
+
+Your application already has:
+- ✅ Token refresh endpoint (`/api/auth/refresh`)
+- ✅ Automatic refresh plugin (`plugins/01.auth-refresh.client.ts`)
+- ✅ Session caching in authentication middleware
+- ✅ Proper token storage and handling
+
+## Testing After Changes
+
+1. Make the Keycloak configuration changes above
+2. Clear your browser cookies and cache
+3. Log in fresh
+4. Verify you can stay logged in for 30+ minutes
+5. Check that tokens refresh automatically (look for `[AUTH_REFRESH]` logs in browser console)
+
+## Implementation Priority
+
+**HIGH PRIORITY**: 
+1. Enable refresh tokens (Step 1)
+2. Increase User-Initiated Action Lifespan to 30 minutes (Step 2)
+
+**MEDIUM PRIORITY**:
+3. Update other token lifespans
+4. Verify client settings
+
+## Current Workaround
+
+Until you make these Keycloak changes, the authentication middleware has a 30-second cache that reduces the frequency of auth checks, but it won't prevent the underlying 5-minute timeout.
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. **Immediate**: Update your Keycloak configuration as described above
+2. **After changes**: Test thoroughly to ensure 30-minute sessions work
+3. **Monitor**: Check browser console logs for any authentication errors
+
+The good news is your application code is already properly set up for longer sessions - it's just the Keycloak configuration that needs adjustment.