🗃️ refactor: Separate Tool Cache Namespace for Blue/Green Deployments (#11738)

* 🔧 refactor: Introduce TOOL_CACHE for isolated caching of tools

- Added TOOL_CACHE key to CacheKeys enum for managing tool-related cache.
- Updated various services and controllers to utilize TOOL_CACHE instead of CONFIG_STORE for better separation of concerns in caching logic.
- Enhanced .env.example with comments on using in-memory cache for blue/green deployments.

* 🔧 refactor: Update cache configuration for in-memory storage handling

- Enhanced the handling of `FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES` in `cacheConfig.ts` to default to `CONFIG_STORE` and `APP_CONFIG`, ensuring safer blue/green deployments.
- Updated `.env.example` with clearer comments regarding the usage of in-memory cache namespaces.
- Improved unit tests to validate the new default behavior and handling of empty strings for cache namespaces.

.env.example

@@ -748,8 +748,10 @@ HELP_AND_FAQ_URL=https://librechat.ai
 # REDIS_PING_INTERVAL=300
 
 # Force specific cache namespaces to use in-memory storage even when Redis is enabled
-# Comma-separated list of CacheKeys (e.g., ROLES,MESSAGES)
-# FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES=ROLES,MESSAGES
+# Comma-separated list of CacheKeys
+# Defaults to CONFIG_STORE,APP_CONFIG so YAML-derived config stays per-container (safe for blue/green deployments)
+# Set to empty string to force all namespaces through Redis: FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES=
+# FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES=CONFIG_STORE,APP_CONFIG
 
 # Leader Election Configuration (for multi-instance deployments with Redis)
 # Duration in seconds that the leader lease is valid before it expires (default: 25)

api/cache/getLogStores.js

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ const namespaces = {
   [CacheKeys.ROLES]: standardCache(CacheKeys.ROLES),
   [CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG]: standardCache(CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG),
   [CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE]: standardCache(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE),
+  [CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE]: standardCache(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE),
   [CacheKeys.PENDING_REQ]: standardCache(CacheKeys.PENDING_REQ),
   [CacheKeys.ENCODED_DOMAINS]: new Keyv({ store: keyvMongo, namespace: CacheKeys.ENCODED_DOMAINS }),
   [CacheKeys.ABORT_KEYS]: standardCache(CacheKeys.ABORT_KEYS, Time.TEN_MINUTES),

api/server/controllers/PluginController.js

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const { getLogStores } = require('~/cache');
 
 const getAvailablePluginsController = async (req, res) => {
   try {
-    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
     const cachedPlugins = await cache.get(CacheKeys.PLUGINS);
     if (cachedPlugins) {
       res.status(200).json(cachedPlugins);
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ const getAvailableTools = async (req, res) => {
       logger.warn('[getAvailableTools] User ID not found in request');
       return res.status(401).json({ message: 'Unauthorized' });
     }
-    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
     const cachedToolsArray = await cache.get(CacheKeys.TOOLS);
 
     const appConfig = req.config ?? (await getAppConfig({ role: req.user?.role }));

api/server/controllers/PluginController.spec.js

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+const { CacheKeys } = require('librechat-data-provider');
 const { getCachedTools, getAppConfig } = require('~/server/services/Config');
 const { getLogStores } = require('~/cache');
 
@@ -63,6 +64,28 @@ describe('PluginController', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('cache namespace', () => {
+    it('getAvailablePluginsController should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue([]);
+      await getAvailablePluginsController(mockReq, mockRes);
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    });
+
+    it('getAvailableTools should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue([]);
+      await getAvailableTools(mockReq, mockRes);
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    });
+
+    it('should NOT use CONFIG_STORE namespace for tool/plugin operations', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue([]);
+      await getAvailablePluginsController(mockReq, mockRes);
+      await getAvailableTools(mockReq, mockRes);
+      const allCalls = getLogStores.mock.calls.flat();
+      expect(allCalls).not.toContain(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('getAvailablePluginsController', () => {
     it('should use filterUniquePlugins to remove duplicate plugins', async () => {
       // Add plugins with duplicates to availableTools

api/server/services/Config/__tests__/getCachedTools.spec.js

@@ -1,10 +1,92 @@
-const { ToolCacheKeys } = require('../getCachedTools');
+const { CacheKeys } = require('librechat-data-provider');
+
+jest.mock('~/cache/getLogStores');
+const getLogStores = require('~/cache/getLogStores');
+
+const mockCache = { get: jest.fn(), set: jest.fn(), delete: jest.fn() };
+getLogStores.mockReturnValue(mockCache);
+
+const {
+  ToolCacheKeys,
+  getCachedTools,
+  setCachedTools,
+  getMCPServerTools,
+  invalidateCachedTools,
+} = require('../getCachedTools');
+
+describe('getCachedTools', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+    getLogStores.mockReturnValue(mockCache);
+  });
 
-describe('getCachedTools - Cache Isolation Security', () => {
   describe('ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER', () => {
     it('should generate cache keys that include userId', () => {
       const key = ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER('user123', 'github');
       expect(key).toBe('tools:mcp:user123:github');
     });
   });
+
+  describe('TOOL_CACHE namespace usage', () => {
+    it('getCachedTools should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue(null);
+      await getCachedTools();
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    });
+
+    it('getCachedTools with MCP server options should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue({ tool1: {} });
+      await getCachedTools({ userId: 'user1', serverName: 'github' });
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+      expect(mockCache.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith(ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER('user1', 'github'));
+    });
+
+    it('setCachedTools should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.set.mockResolvedValue(true);
+      const tools = { tool1: { type: 'function' } };
+      await setCachedTools(tools);
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+      expect(mockCache.set).toHaveBeenCalledWith(ToolCacheKeys.GLOBAL, tools, expect.any(Number));
+    });
+
+    it('setCachedTools with MCP server options should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.set.mockResolvedValue(true);
+      const tools = { tool1: { type: 'function' } };
+      await setCachedTools(tools, { userId: 'user1', serverName: 'github' });
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+      expect(mockCache.set).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER('user1', 'github'),
+        tools,
+        expect.any(Number),
+      );
+    });
+
+    it('invalidateCachedTools should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.delete.mockResolvedValue(true);
+      await invalidateCachedTools({ invalidateGlobal: true });
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+      expect(mockCache.delete).toHaveBeenCalledWith(ToolCacheKeys.GLOBAL);
+    });
+
+    it('getMCPServerTools should use TOOL_CACHE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue(null);
+      await getMCPServerTools('user1', 'github');
+      expect(getLogStores).toHaveBeenCalledWith(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+      expect(mockCache.get).toHaveBeenCalledWith(ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER('user1', 'github'));
+    });
+
+    it('should NOT use CONFIG_STORE namespace', async () => {
+      mockCache.get.mockResolvedValue(null);
+      await getCachedTools();
+      await getMCPServerTools('user1', 'github');
+      mockCache.set.mockResolvedValue(true);
+      await setCachedTools({ tool1: {} });
+      mockCache.delete.mockResolvedValue(true);
+      await invalidateCachedTools({ invalidateGlobal: true });
+
+      const allCalls = getLogStores.mock.calls.flat();
+      expect(allCalls).not.toContain(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+      expect(allCalls.every((key) => key === CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE)).toBe(true);
+    });
+  });
 });

api/server/services/Config/getCachedTools.js

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ const ToolCacheKeys = {
  * @returns {Promise<LCAvailableTools|null>} The available tools object or null if not cached
  */
 async function getCachedTools(options = {}) {
-  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
   const { userId, serverName } = options;
 
   // Return MCP server-specific tools if requested
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ async function getCachedTools(options = {}) {
  * @returns {Promise<boolean>} Whether the operation was successful
  */
 async function setCachedTools(tools, options = {}) {
-  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
   const { userId, serverName, ttl = Time.TWELVE_HOURS } = options;
 
   // Cache by MCP server if specified (requires userId)
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ async function setCachedTools(tools, options = {}) {
  * @returns {Promise<void>}
  */
 async function invalidateCachedTools(options = {}) {
-  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
   const { userId, serverName, invalidateGlobal = false } = options;
 
   const keysToDelete = [];
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ async function invalidateCachedTools(options = {}) {
  * @returns {Promise<LCAvailableTools|null>} The available tools for the server
  */
 async function getMCPServerTools(userId, serverName) {
-  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+  const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
   const serverTools = await cache.get(ToolCacheKeys.MCP_SERVER(userId, serverName));
 
   if (serverTools) {

api/server/services/Config/mcp.js

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ async function updateMCPServerTools({ userId, serverName, tools }) {
 
     await setCachedTools(serverTools, { userId, serverName });
 
-    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
     await cache.delete(CacheKeys.TOOLS);
     logger.debug(
       `[MCP Cache] Updated ${tools.length} tools for server ${serverName} (user: ${userId})`,
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ async function mergeAppTools(appTools) {
     const cachedTools = await getCachedTools();
     const mergedTools = { ...cachedTools, ...appTools };
     await setCachedTools(mergedTools);
-    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    const cache = getLogStores(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
     await cache.delete(CacheKeys.TOOLS);
     logger.debug(`Merged ${count} app-level tools`);
   } catch (error) {

packages/api/src/cache/__tests__/cacheConfig.spec.ts

@@ -215,16 +215,30 @@ describe('cacheConfig', () => {
       }).rejects.toThrow('Invalid cache keys in FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES: INVALID_KEY');
     });
 
-    test('should handle empty string gracefully', async () => {
+    test('should produce empty array when set to empty string (opt out of defaults)', async () => {
       process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES = '';
 
       const { cacheConfig } = await import('../cacheConfig');
       expect(cacheConfig.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES).toEqual([]);
     });
 
-    test('should handle undefined env var gracefully', async () => {
+    test('should default to CONFIG_STORE and APP_CONFIG when env var is not set', async () => {
       const { cacheConfig } = await import('../cacheConfig');
-      expect(cacheConfig.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES).toEqual([]);
+      expect(cacheConfig.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES).toEqual(['CONFIG_STORE', 'APP_CONFIG']);
+    });
+
+    test('should accept TOOL_CACHE as a valid namespace', async () => {
+      process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES = 'TOOL_CACHE';
+
+      const { cacheConfig } = await import('../cacheConfig');
+      expect(cacheConfig.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES).toEqual(['TOOL_CACHE']);
+    });
+
+    test('should accept CONFIG_STORE and APP_CONFIG together for blue/green deployments', async () => {
+      process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES = 'CONFIG_STORE,APP_CONFIG';
+
+      const { cacheConfig } = await import('../cacheConfig');
+      expect(cacheConfig.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES).toEqual(['CONFIG_STORE', 'APP_CONFIG']);
     });
   });
 });

packages/api/src/cache/__tests__/cacheFactory/standardCache.namespace_isolation.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+import { CacheKeys } from 'librechat-data-provider';
+
+const mockKeyvRedisInstance = {
+  namespace: '',
+  keyPrefixSeparator: '',
+  on: jest.fn(),
+};
+
+const MockKeyvRedis = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(mockKeyvRedisInstance);
+
+jest.mock('@keyv/redis', () => ({
+  default: MockKeyvRedis,
+}));
+
+const mockKeyvRedisClient = { scanIterator: jest.fn() };
+
+jest.mock('../../redisClients', () => ({
+  keyvRedisClient: mockKeyvRedisClient,
+  ioredisClient: null,
+}));
+
+jest.mock('../../redisUtils', () => ({
+  batchDeleteKeys: jest.fn(),
+  scanKeys: jest.fn(),
+}));
+
+jest.mock('@librechat/data-schemas', () => ({
+  logger: {
+    error: jest.fn(),
+    warn: jest.fn(),
+    debug: jest.fn(),
+  },
+}));
+
+describe('standardCache - CONFIG_STORE vs TOOL_CACHE namespace isolation', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    jest.resetModules();
+    MockKeyvRedis.mockClear();
+  });
+
+  /**
+   * Core behavioral test for blue/green deployments:
+   * When CONFIG_STORE and APP_CONFIG are forced in-memory,
+   * TOOL_CACHE should still use Redis for cross-container sharing.
+   */
+  it('should force CONFIG_STORE to in-memory while TOOL_CACHE uses Redis', async () => {
+    jest.doMock('../../cacheConfig', () => ({
+      cacheConfig: {
+        FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES: [CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE, CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG],
+        REDIS_KEY_PREFIX: '',
+        GLOBAL_PREFIX_SEPARATOR: '>>',
+      },
+    }));
+
+    const { standardCache } = await import('../../cacheFactory');
+
+    MockKeyvRedis.mockClear();
+
+    const configCache = standardCache(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(configCache).toBeDefined();
+
+    const appConfigCache = standardCache(CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(appConfigCache).toBeDefined();
+
+    const toolCache = standardCache(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).toHaveBeenCalledWith(mockKeyvRedisClient);
+    expect(toolCache).toBeDefined();
+  });
+
+  it('CONFIG_STORE and TOOL_CACHE should be independent stores', async () => {
+    jest.doMock('../../cacheConfig', () => ({
+      cacheConfig: {
+        FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES: [CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE],
+        REDIS_KEY_PREFIX: '',
+        GLOBAL_PREFIX_SEPARATOR: '>>',
+      },
+    }));
+
+    const { standardCache } = await import('../../cacheFactory');
+
+    const configCache = standardCache(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    const toolCache = standardCache(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+
+    await configCache.set('STARTUP_CONFIG', { version: 'v2-green' });
+    await toolCache.set('tools:global', { myTool: { type: 'function' } });
+
+    expect(await configCache.get('STARTUP_CONFIG')).toEqual({ version: 'v2-green' });
+    expect(await configCache.get('tools:global')).toBeUndefined();
+
+    expect(await toolCache.get('STARTUP_CONFIG')).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it('should use Redis for all namespaces when nothing is forced in-memory', async () => {
+    jest.doMock('../../cacheConfig', () => ({
+      cacheConfig: {
+        FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES: [],
+        REDIS_KEY_PREFIX: '',
+        GLOBAL_PREFIX_SEPARATOR: '>>',
+      },
+    }));
+
+    const { standardCache } = await import('../../cacheFactory');
+
+    MockKeyvRedis.mockClear();
+
+    standardCache(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    standardCache(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    standardCache(CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG);
+
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(3);
+  });
+
+  it('forcing TOOL_CACHE to in-memory should not affect CONFIG_STORE', async () => {
+    jest.doMock('../../cacheConfig', () => ({
+      cacheConfig: {
+        FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES: [CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE],
+        REDIS_KEY_PREFIX: '',
+        GLOBAL_PREFIX_SEPARATOR: '>>',
+      },
+    }));
+
+    const { standardCache } = await import('../../cacheFactory');
+
+    MockKeyvRedis.mockClear();
+
+    standardCache(CacheKeys.TOOL_CACHE);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    standardCache(CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE);
+    expect(MockKeyvRedis).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});

packages/api/src/cache/cacheConfig.ts

@@ -27,9 +27,14 @@ const USE_REDIS_STREAMS =
 
 // Comma-separated list of cache namespaces that should be forced to use in-memory storage
 // even when Redis is enabled. This allows selective performance optimization for specific caches.
-const FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES = process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES
-  ? process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES.split(',').map((key) => key.trim())
-  : [];
+// Defaults to CONFIG_STORE,APP_CONFIG so YAML-derived config stays per-container.
+// Set to empty string to force all namespaces through Redis.
+const FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES =
+  process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES !== undefined
+    ? process.env.FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES.split(',')
+        .map((key) => key.trim())
+        .filter(Boolean)
+    : [CacheKeys.CONFIG_STORE, CacheKeys.APP_CONFIG];
 
 // Validate against CacheKeys enum
 if (FORCED_IN_MEMORY_CACHE_NAMESPACES.length > 0) {

packages/data-provider/src/config.ts

@@ -1364,6 +1364,10 @@ export enum CacheKeys {
    * Key for the config store namespace.
    */
   CONFIG_STORE = 'CONFIG_STORE',
+  /**
+   * Key for the tool cache namespace (plugins, MCP tools, tool definitions).
+   */
+  TOOL_CACHE = 'TOOL_CACHE',
   /**
    * Key for the roles cache.
    */