Satellite Events System - DeployStack - Enterprise Control Plane for MCP

The Satellite Events System provides real-time communication from satellites to the backend for operational visibility, audit trails, and user feedback. Events are processed through a convention-based dispatcher that routes them to handlers updating existing business tables.

Architecture Overview

Event Flow

Satellite → EventBus (3s batching) → POST /api/satellites/{id}/events → Backend Dispatcher → Handler → Business Table

Key Principle: Events are routing triggers that update existing business tables, not raw event storage. Each handler performs meaningful business logic rather than storing JSON blobs.

Why Events vs Heartbeat?

DeployStack uses three distinct communication channels: Heartbeat (Every 30 seconds):

Aggregate metrics and system health
Resource monitoring and capacity planning
Process counts grouped by team

Events (Immediate with 3s batching):

Point-in-time occurrences with precise timestamps
Real-time UI updates and user notifications
Audit trails for compliance

Commands (Polling):

Backend-initiated tasks
Configuration updates and process management

Backend Implementation

Directory Structure

services/backend/src/events/satellite/
├── index.ts                    # Event dispatcher (auto-discovers handlers)
├── types.ts                    # Shared TypeScript interfaces
├── mcp-server-started.ts       # Updates satelliteProcesses status
├── mcp-server-crashed.ts       # Updates satelliteProcesses with error
├── mcp-tool-executed.ts        # Logs to satelliteUsageLogs
└── [future-event-types].ts     # Additional handlers as needed

Convention-Based Handler Discovery

The dispatcher automatically discovers and registers handlers from the handlerModules array in index.ts:

const handlerModules = [
  () => import('./mcp-server-started'),
  () => import('./mcp-tool-executed'),
  () => import('./mcp-server-crashed'),
  // Add new handlers here - they will be automatically registered
];

Each handler must export three components:

EVENT_TYPE: String constant identifying the event
SCHEMA: JSON Schema for AJV validation
handle(): Async function that updates business tables

Handler Interface

All event handlers must implement this interface:

export interface EventHandler {
  EVENT_TYPE: string;
  SCHEMA: Record<string, unknown>;
  handle: (
    satelliteId: string,
    eventData: Record<string, unknown>,
    db: PostgresJsDatabase,
    eventTimestamp: Date
  ) => Promise<void>;
}

Event Processing

Batch Endpoint

Route: POST /api/satellites/{satelliteId}/events Authentication: Satellite API key (Bearer token via requireSatelliteAuth() middleware) Request Schema (uses snake_case for all fields):

{
  "events": [
    {
      "type": "mcp.server.started",
      "timestamp": "2025-01-10T10:30:45.123Z",
      "data": {
        "process_id": "proc-123",
        "server_id": "filesystem-team-xyz",
        "server_slug": "filesystem",
        "team_id": "team-xyz",
        "pid": 12345,
        "transport": "stdio",
        "tool_count": 0,
        "spawn_duration_ms": 234
      }
    }
  ]
}

Response Schema:

{
  "success": true,
  "processed": 45,
  "failed": 0,
  "event_ids": ["evt_1736512345_abc123", "evt_1736512346_def456"]
}

Batch Processing Strategy

The dispatcher processes batched events with isolated error handling:

Validate request structure (events array present)
Validate batch size (1-100 events)
Process each event individually:
- Check event type exists in registry
- Validate event data against handler schema using AJV
- Parse and validate timestamp
- Call handler.handle() for valid events
- Track successful and failed events
Return aggregated results

Error Isolation: Invalid events are logged and skipped without failing the entire batch. Valid events in the same batch are still processed.

Partial Success Handling

When some events fail validation, the endpoint returns partial success:

{
  "success": true,
  "processed": 43,
  "failed": 2,
  "event_ids": ["evt_001", "evt_002", "..."],
  "failures": [
    {
      "index": 5,
      "type": "mcp.unknown.event",
      "error": "Unknown event type"
    },
    {
      "index": 12,
      "type": "mcp.tool.executed",
      "error": "Missing required field: toolName"
    }
  ]
}

Implemented Event Types

MCP Server Lifecycle

mcp.server.started

Updates satelliteProcesses table when server successfully spawns. Business Logic: Sets status=‘running’, records start time and process PID. Required Fields (snake_case): process_id, server_id, server_slug, team_id, transport, tool_count, spawn_duration_ms Optional Fields: pid (OS process ID)

mcp.server.crashed

Updates satelliteProcesses table when server exits unexpectedly. Business Logic: Sets status=‘failed’, logs error details and exit code. Required Fields (snake_case): process_id, server_id, server_slug, team_id, exit_code, signal, uptime_seconds, crash_count, will_restart Optional Fields: None (all fields required for proper crash tracking)

Tool Execution

mcp.tool.executed

Inserts record into satelliteUsageLogs for analytics and audit trails. Business Logic: Logs tool execution with metrics, user context, and performance data. Required Fields (snake_case): tool_name, server_id, team_id, duration_ms, success Optional Fields: error_message (string, only present when success=false)

Creating New Event Handlers

Handler Template

CRITICAL: All event data fields MUST use snake_case naming convention to match satellite event emission and backend API standards. Create a new file in services/backend/src/events/satellite/:

import type { PostgresJsDatabase } from 'drizzle-orm/postgres-js';
import { yourTable } from '../../db/schema.ts';
import { eq } from 'drizzle-orm';

export const EVENT_TYPE = 'your.event.type';

export const SCHEMA = {
  type: 'object',
  properties: {
    required_field: {
      type: 'string',
      minLength: 1,
      description: 'Description of this field'
    },
    optional_field: {
      type: 'number',
      description: 'Optional numeric field'
    }
  },
  required: ['required_field'],
  additionalProperties: true
} as const;

// TypeScript interface can use camelCase internally
interface YourEventData {
  required_field: string;
  optional_field?: number;
}

export async function handle(
  satelliteId: string,
  eventData: Record<string, unknown>,
  db: PostgresJsDatabase,
  eventTimestamp: Date
): Promise<void> {
  const data = eventData as unknown as YourEventData;
  
  // Update existing business table
  await db.update(yourTable)
    .set({ 
      status: 'updated',
      updated_at: eventTimestamp
    })
    .where(eq(yourTable.id, data.required_field));
}

Registration Steps

Create handler file in services/backend/src/events/satellite/
Export EVENT_TYPE, SCHEMA, and handle() function
Add import to handlerModules array in index.ts:

const handlerModules = [
  () => import('./mcp-server-started'),
  () => import('./mcp-tool-executed'),
  () => import('./mcp-server-crashed'),
  () => import('./your-new-handler'), // Add here
];

Handler is automatically registered and ready to process events

Schema Validation

AJV Configuration

The dispatcher uses AJV with specific configuration for compatibility:

const ajv = new Ajv({ 
  allErrors: true,        // Report all validation errors
  strict: false,          // Allow unknown keywords
  strictTypes: false      // Disable strict type checking
});
addFormats(ajv);          // Add format validators (email, date-time, etc.)

Validation Process

For each event:

Compile handler SCHEMA with AJV
Validate event.data against compiled schema
Log validation errors with instance path details
Skip invalid events (don’t fail entire batch)

Schema Best Practices

Use minLength: 1 for required string fields
Include descriptive description fields for documentation
Set additionalProperties: true to allow future extensibility
Use required array for mandatory fields
Leverage AJV formats: email, date-time, uri, uuid

Database Integration

Event-to-Table Mapping

Events route to existing business tables based on their purpose:

Event Type	Business Table	Action
`mcp.server.started`	`satelliteProcesses`	Update status=‘running’, set start time
`mcp.server.crashed`	`satelliteProcesses`	Update status=‘failed’, log error details
`mcp.tool.executed`	`satelliteUsageLogs`	Insert usage record with metrics

Transaction Strategy

Each event is processed in a separate database transaction:

Failed events don’t rollback other events
Maintains data consistency per event
Isolated error handling prevents cascade failures

Performance Considerations

Batch Processing Efficiency

Target: < 100ms per 100-event batch
Isolation: Each event in separate transaction
Logging: Structured logging with batch metrics
Monitoring: Track processing duration and success rates

Database Performance

Updates use indexed lookups (processId, satelliteId)
Inserts optimized for high-volume logging
No generic JSON storage overhead
Leverages existing optimized table schemas

Memory Usage

Batch size limited to 100 events (backend validation)
Event processing is sequential (simple implementation)
No long-lived memory allocations
Efficient JSON parsing with TypeScript interfaces

Error Handling

Invalid Event Type

Response: Partial success with failure details Logging: Warn level with event type Action: Skip event, continue batch processing

Schema Validation Failure

Response: Partial success with validation errors Logging: Warn level with instance path details Action: Skip event, log validation errors

Handler Execution Error

Response: Partial success with error message Logging: Error level with stack trace Action: Catch error, track failure, continue batch

Database Transaction Failure

Response: Partial success with database error Logging: Error level with query details Action: Rollback transaction, track failure, continue batch

Testing

Unit Testing

Test individual event handlers in isolation:

// Test handler validation
const validData = { processId: 'proc-123', serverId: 'server-xyz', ... };
await handler.handle('satellite-id', validData, mockDb, new Date());

// Test schema validation
const validate = ajv.compile(handler.SCHEMA);
expect(validate(validData)).toBe(true);

Integration Testing

Test full endpoint with satellite authentication:

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/satellites/{satelliteId}/events \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {satellite_api_key}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "events": [
      {
        "type": "mcp.server.started",
        "timestamp": "2025-01-10T10:30:45.123Z",
        "data": {
          "processId": "proc-123",
          "serverId": "filesystem-test",
          "serverName": "Filesystem MCP",
          "teamId": "test-team"
        }
      }
    ]
  }'

Batch Processing Tests

Single event batch (1 event)
Normal batch (50 events)
Maximum batch (100 events)
Oversized batch (> 100 events, should reject)
Mixed success/failure batch
Unknown event type handling
Invalid timestamp handling
Schema validation failures

Monitoring and Debugging

Structured Logging

All event operations are logged with structured data:

# Event processing started
{"level":"info","satelliteId":"sat-123","batchSize":45}

# Successful processing
{"level":"info","satelliteId":"sat-123","eventType":"mcp.server.started","msg":"Event processed"}

# Validation failure
{"level":"warn","eventType":"unknown.type","msg":"Unknown event type"}

# Batch complete
{"level":"info","satelliteId":"sat-123","processed":43,"failed":2,"msg":"Batch complete"}

Debug Queries

Check registered event types:

import { getRegisteredEventTypes } from '../events/satellite';

const types = await getRegisteredEventTypes();
console.log('Registered event types:', types);

Verify database updates:

-- Check process status after mcp.server.started
SELECT status, started_at, process_pid 
FROM satelliteProcesses 
WHERE id = 'proc-123';

-- Check tool execution logs
SELECT tool_name, duration_ms, status_code, timestamp
FROM satelliteUsageLogs
WHERE satellite_id = 'sat-123'
ORDER BY timestamp DESC
LIMIT 10;

Best Practices

Event Handler Design

DO:

Update existing business tables with structured data
Use TypeScript interfaces for type safety
Include comprehensive field descriptions in schemas
Log important state changes
Handle optional fields gracefully

DON’T:

Store raw JSON in generic events tables
Assume all optional fields are present
Skip error handling in database operations
Use blocking operations (keep handlers async)
Duplicate business logic across handlers

Schema Design

DO:

Use descriptive field names matching domain concepts
Include description for documentation
Set appropriate minLength and format constraints
Use additionalProperties: true for extensibility
Mark truly required fields in required array

DON’T:

Over-constrain with excessive validation
Use generic field names like data or info
Forget to set as const on schema objects
Validate business logic in schemas (do that in handlers)
Create schemas with circular references

Database Operations

DO:

Use parameterized queries via Drizzle ORM
Use PostgreSQL-specific features when needed
Include timestamps for all state changes
Use transactions for multi-step operations
Index frequently queried fields

DON’T:

Concatenate SQL strings manually
Assume specific driver properties exist
Skip error handling for database operations
Create N+1 query patterns
Store large BLOBs in event data

Future Enhancements

Planned Event Types

Client Connections: mcp.client.connected, mcp.client.disconnected
Tool Discovery: mcp.tools.discovered, mcp.tools.updated
Configuration: config.refreshed, config.error
Satellite Lifecycle: satellite.registered, satellite.deregistered
Process Management: mcp.server.restarted, mcp.server.permanently_failed

Performance Optimizations

Batch database insertions for high-volume events
Async event processing with job queue
Event sampling for high-frequency events
Compression for large event payloads

Analytics Features

Real-time event aggregation
Custom alert rules based on events
Event replay for debugging
Historical event analysis dashboards

Satellite Event System - Satellite-side event emission
Satellite Communication - Full satellite communication architecture
API Documentation - OpenAPI specification generation
Database Management - Schema and migrations

Basics

Advanced

API

Database

Auth

Satellite

​Architecture Overview

​Event Flow

​Why Events vs Heartbeat?

​Backend Implementation

​Directory Structure

​Convention-Based Handler Discovery

​Handler Interface

​Event Processing

​Batch Endpoint

​Batch Processing Strategy

​Partial Success Handling

​Implemented Event Types

​MCP Server Lifecycle

​mcp.server.started

​mcp.server.crashed

​Tool Execution

​mcp.tool.executed

​Creating New Event Handlers

​Handler Template

​Registration Steps

​Schema Validation

​AJV Configuration

​Validation Process

​Schema Best Practices

​Database Integration

​Event-to-Table Mapping

​Transaction Strategy

​Performance Considerations

​Batch Processing Efficiency

​Database Performance

​Memory Usage

​Error Handling

​Invalid Event Type

​Schema Validation Failure

​Handler Execution Error

​Database Transaction Failure

​Testing

​Unit Testing

​Integration Testing

​Batch Processing Tests

​Monitoring and Debugging

​Structured Logging

​Debug Queries

​Best Practices

​Event Handler Design

​Schema Design

​Database Operations

​Future Enhancements

​Planned Event Types

​Performance Optimizations

​Analytics Features

​Related Documentation

Architecture Overview

Event Flow

Why Events vs Heartbeat?

Backend Implementation

Directory Structure

Convention-Based Handler Discovery

Handler Interface

Event Processing

Batch Endpoint

Batch Processing Strategy

Partial Success Handling

Implemented Event Types

MCP Server Lifecycle

mcp.server.started

mcp.server.crashed

Tool Execution

mcp.tool.executed

Creating New Event Handlers

Handler Template

Registration Steps

Schema Validation

AJV Configuration

Validation Process

Schema Best Practices

Database Integration

Event-to-Table Mapping

Transaction Strategy

Performance Considerations

Batch Processing Efficiency

Database Performance

Memory Usage

Error Handling

Invalid Event Type

Schema Validation Failure

Handler Execution Error

Database Transaction Failure

Testing

Unit Testing

Integration Testing

Batch Processing Tests

Monitoring and Debugging

Structured Logging

Debug Queries

Best Practices

Event Handler Design

Schema Design

Database Operations

Future Enhancements

Planned Event Types

Performance Optimizations

Analytics Features

Related Documentation