Fix connect-time username prompt never reaching SSH/RDP authentication

The username entered at the connect-time prompt (added for issue #21)
was updating SessionTab's own in-memory Profile copy, but
SshSessionBackend/RdpSessionBackend are constructed with -- and only
ever read from -- their own separate Profile copy on a worker thread,
which never saw that edit. Authentication was still built from the
original (blank) username regardless of what was typed into the
prompt.

SessionConnectOptions gains a username field, populated by SessionTab
on every connect attempt and threaded through the same way password
already is; both backends now prefer options.username over
profile().username. Covered by a new SSH regression test using an
exact-match fixture host that only succeeds for a specific
user@host target.

Bump version to v2026.9.16.5.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CMakeLists.txt

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.21)
 
-project(OrbitHub VERSION 2026.9.16.2 LANGUAGES CXX)
+project(OrbitHub VERSION 2026.9.16.5 LANGUAGES CXX)
 
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
 set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)

docs/PROGRESS.md

@@ -175,6 +175,40 @@ Delivered:
   cleanly rather than sending Apple auth a blank username. The value is
   kept on the tab's in-memory profile copy for its lifetime, not written
   back to the saved profile
+- The blank-username relaxation above initially only covered
+  `ProfileDialog`'s own save-time validation; `ProfileRepository::
+  isProfileValid()` had the identical "username required for SSH/RDP"
+  check independently, called directly by `insertProfile()`/
+  `updateProfile()` -- which is exactly the path mRemoteNG import uses
+  (it builds `Profile` objects and inserts them directly, never going
+  through the dialog), so importing any SSH/RDP entry without a
+  username still failed outright until this second check was found and
+  removed too
+- A third, independent username check was still live even after the two
+  above were removed: `SessionTab::validateProfileForConnect()` (run at
+  the very top of `connectSession()`/`reconnectSession()`, before
+  `requestConnectOptions()` ever gets a chance to run its async prompt)
+  had its own hard-fail "SSH/RDP username is required" `QMessageBox`,
+  so a blank-username profile still couldn't connect at all -- it just
+  told the user to go edit the profile instead of ever prompting inline.
+  Removed; connect-time prompting is now the only username gate for
+  SSH/RDP
+- Even with the three checks above gone, a username entered at the
+  connect-time prompt still never actually reached SSH or RDP
+  authentication: `SshSessionBackend`/`RdpSessionBackend` are constructed
+  with their own `Profile` copy up front (moved to a worker thread) and
+  read `profile().username` directly, which never sees `SessionTab`'s
+  later edit to its own in-memory profile once the user answers the
+  prompt. `SessionConnectOptions` (which already carries `password` the
+  same way) gained a `username` field, populated by `SessionTab` from
+  its profile copy on every connect attempt; both backends now prefer
+  `options.username` over `profile().username` when building the actual
+  connect target/auth call. Covered by a new SSH regression test
+  (`tests/fixtures/fake_ssh.sh`'s `requireuser` host only accepts an
+  exact `prompted-user@requireuser` target, so the test fails unless the
+  option, not the stale profile copy, is actually used) -- RDP has no
+  equivalent fake-server test harness, so that side relies on mirroring
+  the already-tested `m_activeOptions.password` pattern exactly
 - Robustness fix: an unrecognized `FramebufferUpdate` rectangle encoding
   used to abort the connection generically; `kAnnouncedEncodings` is now
   the single source of truth for what `SetEncodings` announces and what

src/profile_repository.cpp

@@ -235,13 +235,6 @@ bool isProfileValid(const Profile& profile, QString* error)
     }
 
     const QString protocol = normalizedProtocol(profile.protocol);
-    if ((protocol == QStringLiteral("SSH") || protocol == QStringLiteral("RDP"))
-        && profile.username.trimmed().isEmpty()) {
-        if (error != nullptr) {
-            *error = QStringLiteral("Username is required for %1 profiles.").arg(protocol);
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
 
     const QString authMode = normalizedAuthMode(protocol, profile.authMode);
     if (protocol == QStringLiteral("SSH") && authMode == QStringLiteral("Private Key")

src/rdp_session_backend.cpp

@@ -1640,7 +1640,13 @@ void RdpSessionBackend::workerMain()
     const Profile& p = profile();
 
     const QString host = p.host.trimmed();
-    QString username = p.username.trimmed();
+    // m_activeOptions.username carries a value prompted for at connect time
+    // (see SessionTab::requestConnectOptions()) when the saved profile's
+    // own username was blank; profile().username never sees that edit
+    // since this backend's Profile copy was captured at construction time.
+    QString username = m_activeOptions.username.trimmed().isEmpty()
+        ? p.username.trimmed()
+        : m_activeOptions.username.trimmed();
     QString domain = p.domain.trimmed();
     if (domain.isEmpty()) {
         const int domainSeparator = username.indexOf(QLatin1Char('\\'));

src/session_backend.h

@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@
 class SessionConnectOptions
 {
 public:
+    // Only set when the profile's own username was blank and SessionTab
+    // prompted for one inline at connect time (see issue #21); empty means
+    // "use the backend's own profile().username" as before. SSH/RDP need
+    // this up front, unlike VNC's Apple auth which discovers the need for
+    // one mid-connection via usernameRequested()/provideUsername() instead.
+    QString username;
     QString password;
     QString privateKeyPath;
     QString knownHostsPolicy;

src/session_tab.cpp

@@ -998,6 +998,10 @@ void SessionTab::requestConnectOptions(
 {
     SessionConnectOptions baseOptions;
     baseOptions.knownHostsPolicy = m_profile.knownHostsPolicy;
+    // The backend's own Profile copy was captured when it was constructed
+    // and never sees later edits to m_profile (e.g. the username prompt
+    // below) -- it has to travel through here instead.
+    baseOptions.username = m_profile.username.trimmed();
 
     const bool isSsh = m_profile.protocol.compare(QStringLiteral("SSH"), Qt::CaseInsensitive) == 0;
     const bool isRdp = m_profile.protocol.compare(QStringLiteral("RDP"), Qt::CaseInsensitive) == 0;
@@ -1181,14 +1185,10 @@ bool SessionTab::validateProfileForConnect()
         return false;
     }
 
-    if ((m_profile.protocol.compare(QStringLiteral("SSH"), Qt::CaseInsensitive) == 0
-         || m_profile.protocol.compare(QStringLiteral("RDP"), Qt::CaseInsensitive) == 0)
-        && m_profile.username.trimmed().isEmpty()) {
-        QMessageBox::warning(this,
-                             QStringLiteral("Connect"),
-                             QStringLiteral("%1 username is required.").arg(m_profile.protocol));
-        return false;
-    }
+    // SSH/RDP no longer hard-require a username here -- a blank one is
+    // handled by requestConnectOptions() prompting for it inline at connect
+    // time (see issue #21). Do not re-add a check here without also
+    // updating that flow.
 
     return true;
 }

src/ssh_session_backend.cpp

@@ -388,9 +388,16 @@ bool SshSessionBackend::startSshProcess(const SessionConnectOptions& options)
              << QStringLiteral("PasswordAuthentication=no");
     }
 
-    const QString target = p.username.trimmed().isEmpty()
+    // options.username carries a value prompted for at connect time (see
+    // SessionTab::requestConnectOptions()) when the saved profile's own
+    // username was blank; profile().username never sees that edit since
+    // the backend's Profile copy was captured at construction time.
+    const QString username = options.username.trimmed().isEmpty()
+        ? p.username.trimmed()
+        : options.username.trimmed();
+    const QString target = username.isEmpty()
         ? p.host.trimmed()
-        : QStringLiteral("%1@%2").arg(p.username.trimmed(), p.host.trimmed());
+        : QStringLiteral("%1@%2").arg(username, p.host.trimmed());
     args << target;
 
     m_process->setProcessEnvironment(environment);

tests/fixtures/fake_ssh.sh

@@ -6,6 +6,22 @@
 # host, optionally as user@host, as the final argument).
 for arg in "$@"; do
     case "$arg" in
+        prompted-user@requireuser)
+            # Only the exact user@host below is accepted -- used to prove a
+            # username supplied via SessionConnectOptions (prompted for at
+            # connect time because the saved profile's own username was
+            # blank) actually reaches the ssh command line, not just that
+            # *some* connection to this host succeeds.
+            echo "Welcome to the fake host."
+            while IFS= read -r line; do
+                echo "$line"
+            done
+            exit 0
+            ;;
+        *@requireuser|requireuser)
+            echo "Permission denied (publickey,password)." >&2
+            exit 255
+            ;;
         *@succeed|succeed)
             echo "Welcome to the fake host."
             # Stay alive echoing stdin back (simulates an interactive

tests/test_profile_repository.cpp

@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ private slots:
     void createProfileRejectsMissingName();
     void createProfileRejectsMissingHost();
     void createProfileRejectsInvalidPort();
-    void createProfileRejectsMissingUsernameForSsh();
+    void createProfileAllowsMissingUsernameForSsh();
     void createProfileRejectsMissingPrivateKeyForKeyAuth();
     void createProfileRejectsDuplicateName();
     void updateProfilePersistsChanges();
@@ -156,11 +156,17 @@ void TestProfileRepository::createProfileRejectsInvalidPort()
     QVERIFY(!m_repo->createProfile(profile).has_value());
 }
 
-void TestProfileRepository::createProfileRejectsMissingUsernameForSsh()
+void TestProfileRepository::createProfileAllowsMissingUsernameForSsh()
 {
+    // SSH/RDP no longer require a username at save time (issue #21) --
+    // among other things, this unblocks importing mRemoteNG entries that
+    // don't have one recorded, which used to fail outright. The user is
+    // asked for it at connect time instead (see SessionTab).
     Profile profile = makeSshProfile();
     profile.username.clear();
-    QVERIFY(!m_repo->createProfile(profile).has_value());
+    const auto created = m_repo->createProfile(profile);
+    QVERIFY(created.has_value());
+    QVERIFY(created->username.isEmpty());
 }
 
 void TestProfileRepository::createProfileRejectsMissingPrivateKeyForKeyAuth()

tests/test_ssh_session_backend.cpp

@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ Profile makeProfile(const QString& fixtureHost)
     return profile;
 }
 
+Profile makeBlankUsernameProfile(const QString& fixtureHost)
+{
+    Profile profile = makeProfile(fixtureHost);
+    profile.username.clear();
+    return profile;
+}
+
 SessionConnectOptions makeOptions()
 {
     SessionConnectOptions options;
@@ -50,10 +57,12 @@ private slots:
     void connectionRefusedReachesFailedState();
     void sendInputEchoesThroughOutputReceived();
     void reconnectRestartsAndReachesConnectedAgain();
+    void connectOptionsUsernameReachesProcessWhenProfileUsernameIsBlank();
 
 private:
     QString fixturePath() const;
     void createBackend(const QString& fixtureHost);
+    void createBackend(const Profile& profile);
 
     std::unique_ptr<SshSessionBackend> m_backend;
     SessionState m_lastState = SessionState::Disconnected;
@@ -69,8 +78,12 @@ QString TestSshSessionBackend::fixturePath() const
 
 void TestSshSessionBackend::createBackend(const QString& fixtureHost)
 {
-    m_backend =
-        std::make_unique<SshSessionBackend>(makeProfile(fixtureHost), fixturePath(), nullptr);
+    createBackend(makeProfile(fixtureHost));
+}
+
+void TestSshSessionBackend::createBackend(const Profile& profile)
+{
+    m_backend = std::make_unique<SshSessionBackend>(profile, fixturePath(), nullptr);
     connect(m_backend.get(),
             &SessionBackend::stateChanged,
             this,
@@ -232,5 +245,24 @@ void TestSshSessionBackend::reconnectRestartsAndReachesConnectedAgain()
     QTRY_COMPARE(m_lastState, SessionState::Connected);
 }
 
+void TestSshSessionBackend::connectOptionsUsernameReachesProcessWhenProfileUsernameIsBlank()
+{
+    // Regression test for a bug where a username entered at the
+    // connect-time prompt (SessionTab::requestConnectOptions(), for a
+    // profile with no saved username -- issue #21) never actually reached
+    // the ssh process: SshSessionBackend built its target purely from
+    // profile().username, which is a separate copy captured when the
+    // backend was constructed and never sees SessionTab's later edit.
+    // fixtures/fake_ssh.sh's "requireuser" host only accepts the exact
+    // target "prompted-user@requireuser", so this fails unless
+    // SessionConnectOptions::username is actually used.
+    createBackend(makeBlankUsernameProfile(QStringLiteral("requireuser")));
+
+    SessionConnectOptions options = makeOptions();
+    options.username = QStringLiteral("prompted-user");
+    m_backend->connectSession(options);
+    QTRY_COMPARE(m_lastState, SessionState::Connected);
+}
+
 QTEST_GUILESS_MAIN(TestSshSessionBackend)
 #include "test_ssh_session_backend.moc"