# vctx

`vctx` is a thin, context-aware wrapper around the real `vault` CLI. It resolves
a context (using the same config file and token cache as [`vcm`](vcm.md)),
sets `VAULT_ADDR`, `VAULT_TOKEN` and `VAULT_NAMESPACE` for that single
invocation only, and execs `vault` with the remaining arguments.

## Synopsis

```
vctx --context <context> [--format <fmt>] [--color auto|always|never] <any vault args...>
vctx version
```

## How it works

```
vctx --context sydney kv put kv/foo/bar secret=baz
```

1. Resolves the `sydney` context from `~/.config/vcm/config.yaml` — the exact file `vcm` uses.
2. Loads the cached token from `~/.cache/vcm/sydney` (errors with a hint to
   run `vcm login sydney` if none exists or it is locked after a reboot).
3. Sets, for this process only:
   - `VAULT_ADDR` = the context's address
   - `VAULT_TOKEN` = the cached token
   - `VAULT_NAMESPACE` = the context's namespace (only if non-empty; falls back
     to the namespace recorded in the cached token)
   - `VAULT_FORMAT` = `--format` if given, else picked from the command (see
     [Output format](#output-format))
4. `exec`s the `vault` binary (found on `PATH`) with everything after the
   context. Because it replaces the process, `vault`'s exit status, signals and
   TTY behaviour pass straight through (json/yaml output on a terminal is
   instead run as a child and colourised; see [Colour](#colour)).

The ambient `VAULT_ADDR` / `VAULT_TOKEN` / `VAULT_NAMESPACE` in your shell are ignored for the call
— `vctx` always targets the chosen context.

## Output format

Without `--format`, `vctx` sets `VAULT_FORMAT` from the vault command:

| Command                                    | `VAULT_FORMAT` |
|--------------------------------------------|----------------|
| `kv list ...`                              | `table`        |
| `kv get ...`                               | `yaml`         |
| any path containing `/creds/` (read/write) | `yaml`         |
| anything else                              | unset (vault default) |

It is left alone when `VAULT_FORMAT` is already set in the environment or the
vault args include `-format` or `-field`. `--format` (`table`, `json`, `yaml`,
`pretty`; `raw` for `vault read` only) always sets it, overriding the environment.

## Colour

When the effective format is `json` or `yaml` (from the table above,
`--format`, a `-format` vault arg, or `VAULT_FORMAT`), `vctx` colourises vault's
output like `jq`/`yq`. To do so it runs `vault` as a child instead of exec'ing
it: stdin and stderr pass straight through, stdout is buffered and re-emitted
coloured, SIGTERM/SIGHUP are forwarded (SIGINT already reaches vault from the
terminal), and vault's exit code is returned
(`128+n` if killed by signal `n`).

`--color` controls this:

| Value    | Behaviour |
|----------|-----------|
| `auto`   | colour only when stdout is a terminal, `NO_COLOR` is unset/empty and `TERM` is not `dumb` (default) |
| `always` | always colour |
| `never`  | never colour |

Without colour (piped output, `NO_COLOR`, `table`/`raw`/`pretty` formats)
`vctx` execs `vault` exactly as before, so scripts see unchanged output.
Streaming or interactive commands (`monitor`, `debug`, `events`, `ssh`,
`agent`, `proxy`, `server`, `login`, `operator`, and `write`/`patch`, which
may prompt for MFA) are always exec'd and never coloured. `JQ_COLORS`
overrides the JSON palette as in `jq`.

## Flags

`--context`, `--format` and `--color` are the only flags `vctx` consumes; they must come
**before** the vault command. Everything from the first non-flag argument onward is handed to `vault`
untouched, so vault's own flags work normally:

```bash
vctx --context sydney kv get -field=password secret/db
vctx --context staging/sydney token lookup
vctx --context sydney -help          # 'vctx --context X' then vault sees -help
```

Context names support slashes (e.g. `staging/sydney`), matching the config and
the on-disk token cache.

## Examples

```bash
# Write a secret to the sydney vault
vctx --context sydney kv put kv/foo/bar secret=baz

# Read a single field
vctx --context sydney kv get -field=secret kv/foo/bar

# Operate against a namespaced, slash-named context
vctx --context staging/sydney kv list kv/

# Inspect the token vctx would use
vctx --context sydney token lookup
```

## Requirements

- The `vault` CLI must be installed and on `PATH`.
- A token must already be cached for the context (`vcm login <context>`).

## Shell completion

```bash
vctx completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/vctx
vctx completion zsh  > ~/.zsh/completions/_vctx
```

The `--context` value completes dynamically from the configured context names,
so `vctx --context <TAB>` lists your vaults (the RPM installs these completions
automatically).