fix(internal): run system work as a QSystemUserSession

Db.asSystem built an anonymous QSession subclass with every permission
but no token. Token-based authentication modules (OAuth2, Auth0) accept a
QSystemUserSession without a token and reject any other tokenless session,
so on such hosts every system read and write failed in session validation
(JWTDecodeException: The token is null). ConfigSync never mirrored the
code-defined connections and buckets, and the operation log, object index,
capabilities and protection/header rule scoping silently did nothing.

Use core QSystemUserSession(instance), which carries the same permissions
and all-access keys.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.circleci/config.yml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 version: 2.1
 
 orbs:
-   qqq-orb: kingsrook/qqq-orb@0.6.8
+   qqq-orb: kingsrook/qqq-orb@0.6.9
 
 commands:
    configure-package-install:
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ workflows:
               context: [qqq-maven-registry-credentials]
               filters:
                  branches:
-                    ignore: /(develop|release\/.*|hotfix\/.*)/
+                    ignore: /(develop|release\/.*)/
 
    publish_snapshot:
       jobs:
@@ -58,14 +58,3 @@ workflows:
                     ignore: /.*/
                  tags:
                     only: [/^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/]
-
-   publish_hotfix_release:
-      jobs:
-         - qqq-orb/mvn_publish:
-              pre-steps:
-                 - configure-package-install
-              context: [qqq-maven-registry-credentials]
-              branch_type: hotfix
-              filters:
-                 branches:
-                    only: [/hotfix\/.*/]

.github/workflows/release-rc.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Cut the next release candidate (QRun-IO/qqq docs/QRUN-QBIT-REPO-STANDARD.md, C6):
+# run this workflow by hand, or merge a develop PR labelled `release:rc`. It merges develop into
+# the release line and the release/* push runs CircleCI publish_release_candidate.
+name: Release candidate
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      dry_run:
+        description: Print the plan without merging or creating branches
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+  pull_request:
+    types: [closed]
+    branches: [develop]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  release-rc:
+    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || (github.event.pull_request.merged == true && contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'release:rc'))
+    uses: QRun-IO/.github/.github/workflows/qbit-release-rc.yml@main
+    with:
+      dry_run: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.dry_run }}

AGENTS.md

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ This file provides guidance to Codex when working with code in this repository.
 ## Dependencies
 
 - Java 21.
-- Parent `com.kingsrook:qbit-build-parent:2.0.0` (qqq 4.0.0). The default-active `qqq-snapshot` profile imports `qqq-bom-pom:4.1.0-RC.4` ahead of it, as in qbit-quick-search (ADR-0007). Remove that activation when the parent moves to 4.1.
+- Parent `com.kingsrook:qbit-build-parent:2.0.0` (qqq 4.0.0). The default-active `qqq-snapshot` profile imports `qqq-bom-pom:4.1.0-RC.5` ahead of it, as in qbit-quick-search (ADR-0007). Remove that activation when the parent moves to 4.1.
 - Tests: JUnit 5, AssertJ.
 
 ## Release

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ All notable changes to this project are documented here. The format follows Keep
 ## [0.1.0] - Unreleased
 
 ### Added
+- `StorageBucket.maxUploadBytes()` in the `api` package: the bucket's upload limit in bytes (null when none), so other qbits need not call `config()`, which returns an internal type.
 - **The service (P1).** `ObjectStorage.bucket(alias)` and `ObjectStorage.asSystem(caller, runId)`: put (multipart above the part size), get with ranges, head, copy (in parts for very large objects), header and metadata changes, delete (delete marker, private trash, or permanent), restore, list, presigned GET, PUT and POST, public URLs, tags. Key building and URL encoding, the header policy (`object_storage_header_rule`), `PublicUrlResolver`, `StorageChangeListener`, `StorageReferenceProvider`, `StorageAlertSink`.
 - Configuration in code, upserted into visible `object_storage_*` tables; secret references with an allow-list; per-connection rate limits; per-bucket and per-connection record security locks.
 - The capability model and the Test connection probe (read-only by default, write tests on request, clock skew, presign host), with seeded provider defaults.
@@ -15,6 +16,11 @@ All notable changes to this project are documented here. The format follows Keep
 - `ObjectStorageSchema`: PostgreSQL DDL generated from the table metadata.
 - Conformance suite against MinIO and Garage (Testcontainers), service, index and action tests, and the index and actions on PostgreSQL.
 
+### Changed
+- Raised the QQQ BOM baseline to released `4.1.0-RC.5` and delegated S3 client construction to core `S3ClientFactory.buildClient`. Removed local HTTP client and trust-manager implementations; existing endpoint, region, addressing, checksum, TLS/CA, credentials and timeout settings remain supported.
+- Clients remain owned by each connection runtime and are rebuilt on reset/reinstall. Retry behavior now follows core/SDK defaults instead of forcing `ADAPTIVE_V2`; hosts can select the SDK retry mode through `AWS_RETRY_MODE` or `aws.retryMode`.
+- Retained local presigning (including a separate endpoint/key). A request-credentials bridge preserves static session tokens because RC.5 core metadata/factory has no session-token field or credentials-provider hook. This bridge and the existing `${file.PATH}` resolver are marked for removal by RC.7 under issue #10.
+- Added the filesystem module with its unused SFTP/SSH stack excluded. Resolved dependencies otherwise only change QQQ RC.4 to RC.5 and jsoup 1.23.1 to 1.23.2; see [dependency details](docs/S3-FACTORY-MIGRATION.md).
+
 ### Notes
-- Until QQQ core's S3 module on AWS SDK v2 (qqq#1095, RC.5) is released, the qbit uses a small internal SDK v2 client factory.
 - Deliberate differences from the design text: Test connection is two actions (read-only, and with write tests) so the write variant can require `object_storage.admin`; a folder record has no subfolder child list (core does not allow a self join as an exposed join); there is no `withTableNamePrefix` (the `object_storage_` prefix is fixed by the naming rule).

README.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ S3-compatible storage as a capability for any QQQ app, and an admin app to run i
 ## Requirements
 
 - Java 21.
-- QQQ 4.1 (built against `4.1.0-RC.4`). Until QQQ core's S3 module on AWS SDK v2 (qqq#1095, RC.5) is released, the qbit carries a small internal SDK v2 client factory (`ConnectionRuntime`); it will be replaced by core's `S3ClientFactory` without changing the public API.
+- QQQ `4.1.0-RC.5` (released BOM), including `qqq-backend-module-filesystem`. `ConnectionRuntime` maps connection settings to core's `S3BackendMetaData` and uses `S3ClientFactory.buildClient`; core owns HTTP, TLS and checksum setup. The unused SFTP/SSH dependency is excluded. See the [dependency diff](docs/S3-FACTORY-MIGRATION.md).
 - A QQQ backend for the qbit's tables (PostgreSQL is the intended store). `ObjectStorageSchema.postgresScript(config)` generates the DDL from the same metadata the app runs on, for your Liquibase or Flyway migration.
 
 ## Install
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ new ObjectStorageQBitProducer()
 
 Connections and buckets come from this code only. Secrets are **references** (`${env.X}`, `${prop.X}`, `${file.PATH}`) that must match `allowedSecretRefPatterns` (default `env.S3_*`, `env.STORAGE_*`, `file./var/run/secrets/storage/*`); no table stores a secret value. At startup the qbit upserts one `object_storage_connection` and one `object_storage_bucket` row per entry, so the tables always show the real configuration.
 
+Client settings take effect when the qbit configuration is reinstalled or the runtime is reset. Presigning keeps its separate public endpoint and credentials. Retry behavior now follows core/SDK defaults; hosts requiring adaptive retries can set `AWS_RETRY_MODE=adaptive` or `aws.retryMode=adaptive`. Static session tokens remain supported through a small local bridge pending core support.
+
 ## Use
 
 ```java

docs/S3-FACTORY-MIGRATION.md

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# Core S3 factory migration (issue #10, F3)
+
+Core source was inspected at local QRun-IO/qqq tag `v4.1.0-RC.5`:
+`qqq-backend-module-filesystem/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/filesystem/s3/{utils/S3ClientFactory,model/metadata/S3BackendMetaData}.java`.
+
+## Ownership and host behavior
+
+`ConnectionRuntime` resolves secret/setting references and maps endpoint, region,
+path style, checksum mode, TLS verification, extra CA PEM, static keys, and both
+HTTP timeouts into `S3BackendMetaData`. Default-chain and web-identity modes leave
+keys unset so core uses the SDK default credentials chain. Provider-specific qbit
+defaults and the existing 5-second connect / 60-second read timeouts are preserved.
+Core handles custom CA trust in addition to the JVM trust store.
+
+The qbit calls uncached `buildClient`, because it owns and closes each client.
+`ObjectStorageRuntime` caches by connection name and resets clients on
+configuration install/reset; `settingsHash` is an informational table value,
+not the cache key. This migration keeps that lifecycle and avoids sharing a
+core-cached client that the qbit would later close. Configuration changes take
+effect on reinstall/reset, not through mutation of an already cached client.
+
+Core does not expose retry configuration. Requests now use core/SDK retry
+defaults instead of the former forced `ADAPTIVE_V2`. Hosts needing adaptive
+retries can set the SDK's `AWS_RETRY_MODE=adaptive` or `aws.retryMode=adaptive`.
+The public qbit configuration API is unchanged.
+
+## Remaining local code
+
+- Core RC.5 has no session-token field or credentials-provider customization
+  in `S3BackendMetaData` / `S3ClientFactory.buildClient`. The narrow
+  `SessionCredentialsClient` bridge adds session credentials to requests while
+  retaining their overrides; core still creates the client and HTTP transport.
+  Core needs session-token metadata (including enrichment and cache-key support)
+  and `AwsSessionCredentials` construction, or a caller-provided credentials hook.
+  Marker: `STAND-IN(core=QRun-IO/qqq#1165, removeBy=4.1.0-RC.7)`.
+- Core has no presigner factory. The local presigner retains its separate public
+  endpoint and least-privilege keys, along with existing session-token handling.
+- `SecretRefs` file resolution is unchanged and carries the same RC.7 marker.
+
+## Resolved dependency diff
+
+Captured using the Maven 3.9.11 wrapper's `-B dependency:tree` before and after
+this change. Coordinates below are normalized to omit tree indentation and
+parent ordering. Full raw trees are in `target/dependency-tree-{before,after}.txt`
+for this working session (generated build files, not committed).
+
+```diff
+- com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-core:jar:4.1.0-RC.4:compile
+- com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-module-postgres:jar:4.1.0-RC.4:test
+- com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-module-rdbms:jar:4.1.0-RC.4:test
+- com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-middleware-javalin:jar:4.1.0-RC.4:test
+- com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-openapi:jar:4.1.0-RC.4:test
+- org.jsoup:jsoup:jar:1.23.1:compile
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-core:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:compile
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-module-filesystem:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:compile
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-module-postgres:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:test
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-backend-module-rdbms:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:test
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-middleware-javalin:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:test
++ com.kingsrook.qqq:qqq-openapi:jar:4.1.0-RC.5:test
++ org.jsoup:jsoup:jar:1.23.2:compile
+```
+
+The only new resolved artifact is `qqq-backend-module-filesystem`. It declares
+`org.apache.sshd:sshd-sftp:2.16.0`, which would bring `sshd-core` and `sshd-common`;
+that unused SFTP stack is excluded at the qbit dependency. No SSH libraries or
+AWS SDK v1 artifacts are present in the resulting tree. AWS SDK v2 remains
+`2.41.34`; `commons-lang3:3.20.0` was already present and is unchanged. The
+filesystem module's test dependencies do not become runtime dependencies.
+
+## Verification in this worktree
+
+Java 21.0.12.1, Maven wrapper 3.9.11; `./mvnw.cmd -B verify`:
+
+- Checkstyle: zero violations; production and test compilation succeeded.
+- Surefire: 119 tests reported, 32 passed, 87 skipped, zero failures/errors.
+  All eight new `ConnectionRuntimeTest` tests passed, including actual HTTP
+  signing with a session token on GET, PUT and pagination.
+- Docker Desktop access is denied at `npipe:////./pipe/dockerDesktopLinuxEngine`.
+  MinIO, Garage, standalone-service and PostgreSQL integration coverage could
+  not run. Testcontainers also reported its default `docker_engine` pipe unavailable.
+- The full gate **failed** at JaCoCo: instructions 33.68% (required 70%), classes
+  70.75% (required 90%). Coverage thresholds and Docker test policy are unchanged.
+- No unrelated RC.5 compatibility fixes were needed. `git diff --check` passed.
+
+Rerun the full verification gate in an environment with Docker access before
+merging. No changes were committed or pushed.

pom.xml

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@
 <project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
 
    <properties>
+      <qbit.guardrails.enforce>true</qbit.guardrails.enforce>
+      <qbit.guardrails.strictUiApiRoutes>true</qbit.guardrails.strictUiApiRoutes>
       <revision>0.1.0-SNAPSHOT</revision>
       <maven.compiler.source>21</maven.compiler.source>
       <maven.compiler.target>21</maven.compiler.target>
@@ -27,7 +29,7 @@
    <parent>
       <groupId>com.kingsrook</groupId>
       <artifactId>qbit-build-parent</artifactId>
-      <version>2.0.0</version>
+      <version>2.1.0</version>
    </parent>
 
    <groupId>com.kingsrook.qbits</groupId>
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@
          <dependency>
             <groupId>software.amazon.awssdk</groupId>
             <artifactId>bom</artifactId>
-            <version>2.41.10</version>
+            <version>2.41.34</version>
             <type>pom</type>
             <scope>import</scope>
          </dependency>
@@ -80,6 +82,17 @@
    </dependencyManagement>
 
    <dependencies>
+      <dependency>
+         <groupId>com.kingsrook.qqq</groupId>
+         <artifactId>qqq-backend-module-filesystem</artifactId>
+         <exclusions>
+            <!-- Only the S3 factory is used; do not ship the SFTP backend's SSH stack. -->
+            <exclusion>
+               <groupId>org.apache.sshd</groupId>
+               <artifactId>sshd-sftp</artifactId>
+            </exclusion>
+         </exclusions>
+      </dependency>
       <dependency>
          <groupId>software.amazon.awssdk</groupId>
          <artifactId>s3</artifactId>
@@ -228,14 +241,14 @@
    <profiles>
       <!-- Built against qqq 4.1 (QBitMetaDataProducer). Until qbit-build-parent  -->
       <!-- imports the released 4.1 BOM, this profile is active by default and     -->
-      <!-- imports qqq-bom-pom 4.1.0-RC.4 ahead of the parent's 4.0.0 BOM.         -->
+      <!-- imports qqq-bom-pom 4.1.0-RC.5 ahead of the parent's 4.0.0 BOM.         -->
       <profile>
          <id>qqq-snapshot</id>
          <activation>
             <activeByDefault>true</activeByDefault>
          </activation>
          <properties>
-            <qqq.snapshot.version>4.1.0-RC.4</qqq.snapshot.version>
+            <qqq.snapshot.version>4.1.0-RC.6</qqq.snapshot.version>
          </properties>
          <dependencyManagement>
             <dependencies>

src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/api/StorageBucket.java

@@ -128,6 +128,18 @@ public final class StorageBucket
 
 
 
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The largest object this bucket accepts on upload, in bytes, or null when
+    ** the bucket sets no limit.  Callers outside this qbit use this instead of
+    ** config(), which returns an internal type.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public Long maxUploadBytes()
+   {
+      return (bucket.getMaxUploadBytes());
+   }
+
+
+
    /*******************************************************************************
     ** The bucket configuration.
     *******************************************************************************/

src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/internal/ConnectionRuntime.java

@@ -21,57 +21,38 @@
 package com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.internal;
 
 
-import javax.net.ssl.TrustManager;
-import javax.net.ssl.TrustManagerFactory;
-import javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager;
-import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
 import java.net.URI;
-import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
-import java.security.KeyStore;
-import java.security.cert.Certificate;
-import java.security.cert.CertificateException;
-import java.security.cert.CertificateFactory;
-import java.security.cert.X509Certificate;
-import java.time.Duration;
-import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.function.Function;
 import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.AddressingStyle;
-import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.ChecksumMode;
 import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.CredentialsMode;
 import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.StorageConnectionConfig;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.logging.QLogger;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.StringUtils;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.filesystem.s3.model.metadata.S3BackendMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.filesystem.s3.model.metadata.S3ChecksumMode;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.filesystem.s3.utils.S3ClientFactory;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsBasicCredentials;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsCredentialsProvider;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsSessionCredentials;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.DefaultCredentialsProvider;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.StaticCredentialsProvider;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.RequestChecksumCalculation;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.ResponseChecksumValidation;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.core.retry.RetryMode;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpClient;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.http.SdkHttpConfigurationOption;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.http.apache.ApacheHttpClient;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.awscore.AwsRequestOverrideConfiguration;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.DelegatingS3Client;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3ClientBuilder;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Configuration;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.S3Request;
 import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.presigner.S3Presigner;
-import software.amazon.awssdk.utils.AttributeMap;
-import static com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.logging.LogUtils.logPair;
 
 
 /*******************************************************************************
  ** One connection's live state: the settings, one cached SDK v2 S3Client and
  ** S3Presigner, and the rate limiter.
  **
- ** STAND-IN: this is the small internal client factory used until QQQ core's
- ** S3ClientFactory (qqq #1095, RC.5) is released; replace it then. Nothing
- ** outside this package depends on how the client is built.
+ ** Core owns S3 client construction. This runtime owns its uncached client and
+ ** closes it on reset/reinstall; the presigner remains local.
  *******************************************************************************/
 public class ConnectionRuntime
 {
-   private static final QLogger LOG = QLogger.getLogger(ConnectionRuntime.class);
-
    private final StorageConnectionConfig config;
    private final RateLimiter             rateLimiter;
    private final String                  settingsHash;
@@ -119,7 +100,7 @@ public class ConnectionRuntime
 
 
    /*******************************************************************************
-    ** Hash of the settings that shape the client (clients rebuild when it changes).
+    ** Display hash of connection settings; runtime reset/reinstall rebuilds clients.
     *******************************************************************************/
    public String getSettingsHash()
    {
@@ -217,36 +198,41 @@ public class ConnectionRuntime
     *******************************************************************************/
    private S3Client buildClient()
    {
-      S3ClientBuilder builder = S3Client.builder()
-         .credentialsProvider(credentials(config.getAccessKeyRef(), config.getSecretKeyRef()))
-         .httpClient(httpClient())
-         .forcePathStyle(pathStyle())
-         .overrideConfiguration(o -> o.retryStrategy(RetryMode.ADAPTIVE_V2));
-
-      String endpoint = SecretRefs.resolveSetting(config.getEndpoint());
-      if(StringUtils.hasContent(endpoint))
+      S3BackendMetaData backend = backendMetaData();
+      String token = config.getCredentialsMode() == CredentialsMode.STATIC_REFS ? SecretRefs.resolve(config.getSessionTokenRef()) : null;
+      AwsCredentialsProvider sessionCredentials = null;
+      if(token != null && backend.getAccessKey() != null && backend.getSecretKey() != null)
       {
-         builder.endpointOverride(URI.create(endpoint));
-      }
-      String region = effectiveRegion();
-      if(region != null)
-      {
-         builder.region(Region.of(region));
+         sessionCredentials = StaticCredentialsProvider.create(AwsSessionCredentials.create(backend.getAccessKey(), backend.getSecretKey(), token));
       }
 
-      if(config.effectiveChecksumMode() == ChecksumMode.WHEN_REQUIRED)
-      {
-         builder.requestChecksumCalculation(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
-         builder.responseChecksumValidation(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
-      }
-      else
-      {
-         builder.requestChecksumCalculation(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
-         builder.responseChecksumValidation(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
-      }
+      S3Client coreClient = S3ClientFactory.buildClient(backend);
+      return (sessionCredentials == null ? coreClient : new SessionCredentialsClient(coreClient, sessionCredentials));
+   }
 
-      LOG.debug("Building S3 client", logPair("connection", config.getName()), logPair("endpoint", endpoint), logPair("checksumMode", config.effectiveChecksumMode()));
-      return (builder.build());
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Resolve references before passing the connection settings to core. No bucket
+    ** is mapped: one connection serves multiple buckets. Presigning stays local.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   S3BackendMetaData backendMetaData()
+   {
+      S3BackendMetaData backend = new S3BackendMetaData()
+         .withEndpoint(SecretRefs.resolveSetting(config.getEndpoint()))
+         .withRegion(effectiveRegion())
+         .withPathStyleAccess(pathStyle())
+         .withChecksumMode(S3ChecksumMode.valueOf(config.effectiveChecksumMode().name()))
+         .withTlsVerify(config.getTlsVerify())
+         .withCaCertificatesPem(SecretRefs.resolve(config.getCaBundleRef()))
+         .withConnectTimeoutMillis(config.getConnectTimeoutMs())
+         .withSocketTimeoutMillis(config.getReadTimeoutMs());
+      if(config.getCredentialsMode() == CredentialsMode.STATIC_REFS)
+      {
+         backend.withAccessKey(SecretRefs.resolve(config.getAccessKeyRef()))
+            .withSecretKey(SecretRefs.resolve(config.getSecretKeyRef()));
+      }
+      return (backend);
    }
 
 
@@ -305,139 +291,41 @@ public class ConnectionRuntime
 
 
    /*******************************************************************************
-    ** Apache HTTP client with the connection's timeouts and TLS settings.
+    ** STAND-IN(core=QRun-IO/qqq#1165, removeBy=4.1.0-RC.7)
+    ** RC.5 metadata/factory lacks a session token or credentials-provider hook.
+    ** Override request credentials only; core still owns the client and transport.
     *******************************************************************************/
-   private SdkHttpClient httpClient()
+   private static class SessionCredentialsClient extends DelegatingS3Client
    {
-      ApacheHttpClient.Builder builder = ApacheHttpClient.builder()
-         .connectionTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(config.getConnectTimeoutMs()))
-         .socketTimeout(Duration.ofMillis(config.getReadTimeoutMs()));
-
-      if(Boolean.FALSE.equals(config.getTlsVerify()))
-      {
-         LOG.warn("TLS verification is disabled for a storage connection; use only for development", logPair("connection", config.getName()));
-         return (builder.buildWithDefaults(AttributeMap.builder().put(SdkHttpConfigurationOption.TRUST_ALL_CERTIFICATES, Boolean.TRUE).build()));
-      }
-
-      String caPem = SecretRefs.resolve(config.getCaBundleRef());
-      if(StringUtils.hasContent(caPem))
-      {
-         TrustManager[] trustManagers = trustManagers(caPem);
-         builder.tlsTrustManagersProvider(() -> trustManagers);
-      }
-      return (builder.build());
-   }
+      private final AwsCredentialsProvider credentialsProvider;
 
 
 
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    ** Trust the given PEM bundle in addition to the JVM default trust store.
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   static TrustManager[] trustManagers(String pem)
-   {
-      try
-      {
-         CertificateFactory                certificateFactory = CertificateFactory.getInstance("X.509");
-         Collection<? extends Certificate> certificates       = certificateFactory.generateCertificates(new ByteArrayInputStream(pem.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8)));
-         if(certificates.isEmpty())
-         {
-            throw (new IllegalArgumentException("The CA bundle contains no certificates"));
-         }
-         KeyStore keyStore = KeyStore.getInstance(KeyStore.getDefaultType());
-         keyStore.load(null, null);
-         int index = 0;
-         for(Certificate certificate : certificates)
-         {
-            keyStore.setCertificateEntry("object-storage-ca-" + index++, certificate);
-         }
-         X509TrustManager custom   = x509(keyStore);
-         X509TrustManager fallback = x509(null);
-         return (new TrustManager[] { new Composite(custom, fallback) });
-      }
-      catch(IllegalArgumentException e)
-      {
-         throw (e);
-      }
-      catch(Exception e)
-      {
-         throw (new IllegalArgumentException("Could not load the CA bundle for a storage connection", e));
-      }
-   }
-
-
-
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    ** The X509 trust manager of a key store (null: the JVM default).
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private static X509TrustManager x509(KeyStore keyStore) throws Exception
-   {
-      TrustManagerFactory factory = TrustManagerFactory.getInstance(TrustManagerFactory.getDefaultAlgorithm());
-      factory.init(keyStore);
-      for(TrustManager trustManager : factory.getTrustManagers())
-      {
-         if(trustManager instanceof X509TrustManager x)
-         {
-            return (x);
-         }
-      }
-      throw (new IllegalStateException("No X509TrustManager available"));
-   }
-
-
-
-   /*******************************************************************************
-    ** Trusts a chain if either the private-CA or the default trust manager does.
-    *******************************************************************************/
-   private record Composite(X509TrustManager custom, X509TrustManager fallback) implements X509TrustManager
-   {
       /*******************************************************************************
-       ** Client certs are not used.
+       ** Wrap a core-built client with the connection's session credentials.
        *******************************************************************************/
-      @Override
-      public void checkClientTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType) throws CertificateException
+      private SessionCredentialsClient(S3Client delegate, AwsCredentialsProvider credentialsProvider)
       {
-         try
-         {
-            custom.checkClientTrusted(chain, authType);
-         }
-         catch(CertificateException e)
-         {
-            fallback.checkClientTrusted(chain, authType);
-         }
+         super(delegate);
+         this.credentialsProvider = credentialsProvider;
       }
 
 
 
       /*******************************************************************************
-       ** Server certs.
+       ** Preserve request overrides and the concrete request type while adding the
+       ** session token to signing, including streaming and paginated operations.
        *******************************************************************************/
       @Override
-      public void checkServerTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain, String authType) throws CertificateException
+      @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") // toBuilder().build() retains the concrete request type T.
+      protected <T extends S3Request, ReturnT> ReturnT invokeOperation(T request, Function<T, ReturnT> operation)
       {
-         try
-         {
-            custom.checkServerTrusted(chain, authType);
-         }
-         catch(CertificateException e)
-         {
-            fallback.checkServerTrusted(chain, authType);
-         }
-      }
-
-
-
-      /*******************************************************************************
-       ** Accepted issuers of both.
-       *******************************************************************************/
-      @Override
-      public X509Certificate[] getAcceptedIssuers()
-      {
-         X509Certificate[] a = custom.getAcceptedIssuers();
-         X509Certificate[] b = fallback.getAcceptedIssuers();
-         X509Certificate[] all = new X509Certificate[a.length + b.length];
-         System.arraycopy(a, 0, all, 0, a.length);
-         System.arraycopy(b, 0, all, a.length, b.length);
-         return (all);
+         AwsRequestOverrideConfiguration.Builder overrides = request.overrideConfiguration()
+            .map(AwsRequestOverrideConfiguration::toBuilder).orElseGet(AwsRequestOverrideConfiguration::builder);
+         T signedRequest = (T) request.toBuilder()
+            .overrideConfiguration(overrides.credentialsProvider(credentialsProvider).build())
+            .build();
+         return (operation.apply(signedRequest));
       }
    }
 }

src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/internal/Db.java

@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.query.QueryInput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.update.UpdateInput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.security.QSecurityKeyType;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSystemUserSession;
 
 
 /*******************************************************************************
@@ -131,30 +131,15 @@ public final class Db
 
 
    /*******************************************************************************
-    ** A session that holds every permission and every all-access security key of
-    ** the given instance (computed per instance, never cached across instances).
+    ** The core system-user session (every permission and every all-access
+    ** security key of the given instance, read per instance). It must be a
+    ** QSystemUserSession: token-based authentication modules (OAuth2, Auth0)
+    ** accept that class without a token and reject any other tokenless session,
+    ** which made every system read and write fail on such hosts.
     *******************************************************************************/
    private static QSession systemSession(QInstance instance)
    {
-      QSession session = new QSession()
-      {
-         /*******************************************************************************
-          ** The system user holds every permission.
-          *******************************************************************************/
-         @Override
-         public boolean hasPermission(String permissionName)
-         {
-            return (true);
-         }
-      };
-      for(QSecurityKeyType keyType : instance.getSecurityKeyTypes().values())
-      {
-         if(keyType.getAllAccessKeyName() != null)
-         {
-            session.withSecurityKeyValue(keyType.getAllAccessKeyName(), true);
-         }
-      }
-      return (session);
+      return (new QSystemUserSession(instance));
    }
 
 

src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/internal/SecretRefs.java

@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.StringUtils;
  ** the allow-list. Resolved values live only in memory, never in a record, a log
  ** line or a process value.
  **
- ** STAND-IN: ${file.PATH} moves to QMetaDataVariableInterpreter in QQQ core
+ ** STAND-IN(core=QRun-IO/qqq#1165, removeBy=4.1.0-RC.7)
+ ** ${file.PATH} moves to QMetaDataVariableInterpreter in QQQ core
  ** (spec section 8.2); then this class delegates entirely.
  *******************************************************************************/
 public final class SecretRefs

src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/conformance/StandaloneTest.java

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ class StandaloneTest
       }
       ObjectStorage.bucket("files").delete(DeleteRequest.of(key));
       assertThat(ObjectStorage.bucket("files").head(key)).isEmpty();
+      assertThat(ObjectStorage.bucket("files").maxUploadBytes()).isEqualTo(ObjectStorage.bucket("files").config().getMaxUploadBytes());
    }
 
 

src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/internal/ConnectionRuntimeTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,320 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2025.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.internal;
+
+
+import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.net.URI;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.AddressingStyle;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.ChecksumMode;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.CredentialsMode;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.ProviderType;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.config.StorageConnectionConfig;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.filesystem.s3.model.metadata.S3BackendMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.module.filesystem.s3.model.metadata.S3ChecksumMode;
+import com.sun.net.httpserver.Headers;
+import com.sun.net.httpserver.HttpServer;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.AwsCredentialsProvider;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.auth.credentials.DefaultCredentialsProvider;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.RequestChecksumCalculation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.checksums.ResponseChecksumValidation;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.core.sync.RequestBody;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.regions.Region;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.S3Client;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.GetObjectRequest;
+import software.amazon.awssdk.services.s3.model.ListObjectsV2Request;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Mapping and lifecycle checks plus real SDK signing against a loopback server.
+ *******************************************************************************/
+class ConnectionRuntimeTest
+{
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Every core-supported setting is mapped after resolving references. Session
+    ** tokens and presign settings have no core fields and are exercised below.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testBackendMetaDataCarriesEverySetting(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      StorageConnectionConfig config = new StorageConnectionConfig("mapping")
+         .withEndpoint(reference(dir, "endpoint", "https://storage.example.test"))
+         .withRegion(reference(dir, "region", "eu-west-1"))
+         .withAddressingStyle(AddressingStyle.VIRTUAL_HOST)
+         .withChecksumMode(ChecksumMode.WHEN_SUPPORTED)
+         .withTlsVerify(false)
+         .withCaBundleRef(reference(dir, "ca", "test-pem-bundle"))
+         .withCredentialsMode(CredentialsMode.STATIC_REFS)
+         .withAccessKeyRef(reference(dir, "access", "test-access"))
+         .withSecretKeyRef(reference(dir, "secret", "test-secret"))
+         .withConnectTimeoutMs(1234)
+         .withReadTimeoutMs(5678);
+      S3BackendMetaData backend = new ConnectionRuntime(config).backendMetaData();
+      assertThat(backend.getEndpoint()).isEqualTo("https://storage.example.test");
+      assertThat(backend.getRegion()).isEqualTo("eu-west-1");
+      assertThat(backend.getPathStyleAccess()).isFalse();
+      assertThat(backend.getChecksumMode()).isEqualTo(S3ChecksumMode.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+      assertThat(backend.getTlsVerify()).isFalse();
+      assertThat(backend.getCaCertificatesPem()).isEqualTo("test-pem-bundle");
+      assertThat(backend.getAccessKey()).isEqualTo("test-access");
+      assertThat(backend.getSecretKey()).isEqualTo("test-secret");
+      assertThat(backend.getConnectTimeoutMillis()).isEqualTo(1234);
+      assertThat(backend.getSocketTimeoutMillis()).isEqualTo(5678);
+      assertThat(backend.getBucketName()).isNull();
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Provider defaults remain the qbit's defaults, including its 5s/60s timeouts.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testBackendDefaults()
+   {
+      S3BackendMetaData compatible = new ConnectionRuntime(new StorageConnectionConfig("compatible")
+         .withEndpoint("http://localhost:9000")).backendMetaData();
+      assertThat(compatible.getRegion()).isEqualTo("us-east-1");
+      assertThat(compatible.getPathStyleAccess()).isTrue();
+      assertThat(compatible.getChecksumMode()).isEqualTo(S3ChecksumMode.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+      assertThat(compatible.getTlsVerify()).isTrue();
+      assertThat(compatible.getCaCertificatesPem()).isNull();
+      assertThat(compatible.getConnectTimeoutMillis()).isEqualTo(5000);
+      assertThat(compatible.getSocketTimeoutMillis()).isEqualTo(60000);
+
+      S3BackendMetaData aws = new ConnectionRuntime(new StorageConnectionConfig("aws").withProviderType(ProviderType.AWS_S3)).backendMetaData();
+      assertThat(aws.getEndpoint()).isNull();
+      assertThat(aws.getRegion()).isNull();
+      assertThat(aws.getPathStyleAccess()).isFalse();
+      assertThat(aws.getChecksumMode()).isEqualTo(S3ChecksumMode.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Default-chain and web-identity modes must ignore configured static refs.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testChainCredentialsIgnoreStaticRefs(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      for(CredentialsMode mode : List.of(CredentialsMode.DEFAULT_CHAIN, CredentialsMode.WEB_IDENTITY))
+      {
+         ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config(dir).withCredentialsMode(mode)
+            .withSessionTokenRef(reference(dir, "token", "test-session")));
+         try
+         {
+            assertThat(runtime.backendMetaData().getAccessKey()).isNull();
+            assertThat(runtime.backendMetaData().getSecretKey()).isNull();
+            assertThat(runtime.client().serviceClientConfiguration().credentialsProvider()).isInstanceOf(DefaultCredentialsProvider.class);
+         }
+         finally
+         {
+            runtime.close();
+         }
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Missing static refs preserve the prior fallback to the SDK default chain.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testMissingStaticCredentialsFallBack(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config(dir).withSecretKeyRef(null));
+      try
+      {
+         assertThat(runtime.client().serviceClientConfiguration().credentialsProvider()).isInstanceOf(DefaultCredentialsProvider.class);
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         runtime.close();
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Clients belong to a runtime, never core's shared cache; close rebuilds from
+    ** changed settings and does not affect another connection with equal settings.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testClientOwnershipAndRebuild(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      StorageConnectionConfig config = config(dir);
+      ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config);
+      ConnectionRuntime sibling = new ConnectionRuntime(config);
+      try
+      {
+         S3Client first = runtime.client();
+         assertThat(runtime.client()).isSameAs(first);
+         assertThat(sibling.client()).isNotSameAs(first);
+         assertThat(first.serviceClientConfiguration().endpointOverride()).contains(URI.create("http://localhost:9000"));
+         assertThat(first.serviceClientConfiguration().region()).isEqualTo(Region.US_EAST_1);
+         assertThat(((AwsCredentialsProvider) first.serviceClientConfiguration().credentialsProvider()).resolveCredentials().accessKeyId()).isEqualTo("test-access");
+         assertThat(first.serviceClientConfiguration().requestChecksumCalculation()).isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+         assertThat(first.serviceClientConfiguration().responseChecksumValidation()).isEqualTo(ResponseChecksumValidation.WHEN_REQUIRED);
+         runtime.close();
+         config.withRegion("eu-west-1").withChecksumMode(ChecksumMode.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+         assertThat(runtime.client()).isNotSameAs(first);
+         assertThat(runtime.client().serviceClientConfiguration().region()).isEqualTo(Region.EU_WEST_1);
+         assertThat(runtime.client().serviceClientConfiguration().requestChecksumCalculation()).isEqualTo(RequestChecksumCalculation.WHEN_SUPPORTED);
+         assertThat(sibling.client().serviceClientConfiguration().region()).isEqualTo(Region.US_EAST_1);
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         runtime.close();
+         sibling.close();
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Session credentials sign streaming reads/writes and paginator requests.
+    ** Existing request headers survive the bridge's credentials override.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testSessionSigningAndRequestOverrides(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      List<Headers> requests = new ArrayList<>();
+      HttpServer server = HttpServer.create(new InetSocketAddress("127.0.0.1", 0), 0);
+      server.createContext("/", exchange ->
+      {
+         requests.add(exchange.getRequestHeaders());
+         exchange.getRequestBody().readAllBytes();
+         byte[] response = (exchange.getRequestURI().getQuery() != null && exchange.getRequestURI().getQuery().contains("list-type")
+            ? "<ListBucketResult><IsTruncated>false</IsTruncated></ListBucketResult>" : "data").getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
+         exchange.sendResponseHeaders(200, response.length);
+         exchange.getResponseBody().write(response);
+         exchange.close();
+      });
+      server.start();
+      ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config(dir)
+         .withEndpoint("http://127.0.0.1:" + server.getAddress().getPort())
+         .withSessionTokenRef(reference(dir, "token", "test-session")));
+      try
+      {
+         GetObjectRequest request = GetObjectRequest.builder().bucket("bucket").key("key")
+            .overrideConfiguration(o -> o.putHeader("x-test-preserved", "yes")).build();
+         assertThat(runtime.client().getObjectAsBytes(request).asUtf8String()).isEqualTo("data");
+         runtime.client().putObject(o -> o.bucket("bucket").key("key"), RequestBody.fromString("upload"));
+         assertThat(runtime.client().listObjectsV2Paginator(ListObjectsV2Request.builder().bucket("bucket").build()).stream().count()).isEqualTo(1);
+         assertThat(requests).hasSize(3);
+         for(Headers headers : requests)
+         {
+            assertThat(headers.getFirst("x-amz-security-token")).isEqualTo("test-session");
+            assertThat(headers.getFirst("Authorization")).contains("Credential=test-access/");
+         }
+         assertThat(requests.getFirst().getFirst("x-test-preserved")).isEqualTo("yes");
+         assertThat(request.overrideConfiguration().orElseThrow().credentialsProvider()).isEmpty();
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         runtime.close();
+         server.stop(0);
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Presigning keeps its separate public endpoint/key and session-token support.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testPresignerRemainsLocal(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config(dir)
+         .withPresignEndpoint("https://public.example.test")
+         .withPresignAccessKeyRef(reference(dir, "presign-access", "presign-access"))
+         .withPresignSecretKeyRef(reference(dir, "presign-secret", "presign-secret"))
+         .withSessionTokenRef(reference(dir, "token", "test-session")));
+      try
+      {
+         assertThat(runtime.presigner()).isSameAs(runtime.presigner());
+         String url = runtime.presigner().presignGetObject(p -> p.signatureDuration(Duration.ofMinutes(5))
+            .getObjectRequest(g -> g.bucket("bucket").key("key"))).url().toString();
+         assertThat(url).startsWith("https://public.example.test/bucket/key?")
+            .contains("X-Amz-Credential=presign-access%2F", "X-Amz-Security-Token=test-session");
+         assertThat(runtime.presignCredentials()).containsExactly("presign-access", "presign-secret", "us-east-1", "https://public.example.test");
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         runtime.close();
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Core handles invalid CA bundles and the explicit TLS-verification opt-out.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testTlsSettingsReachCore(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      StorageConnectionConfig config = config(dir).withCaBundleRef(reference(dir, "ca", "invalid-pem"));
+      ConnectionRuntime runtime = new ConnectionRuntime(config);
+      assertThatThrownBy(runtime::client).isInstanceOf(IllegalArgumentException.class).hasMessageContaining("caCertificatesPem");
+      config.withTlsVerify(false);
+      try
+      {
+         assertThat(runtime.client()).isNotNull();
+      }
+      finally
+      {
+         runtime.close();
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Deterministic test connection without any external credentials or service.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private static StorageConnectionConfig config(Path dir) throws Exception
+   {
+      return (new StorageConnectionConfig("test").withEndpoint("http://localhost:9000")
+         .withAccessKeyRef(reference(dir, "access", "test-access"))
+         .withSecretKeyRef(reference(dir, "secret", "test-secret")));
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Mounted-file reference for test data, scoped to JUnit's temporary directory.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private static String reference(Path dir, String name, String value) throws Exception
+   {
+      Path file = dir.resolve(name);
+      Files.writeString(file, value);
+      return ("${file." + file + "}");
+   }
+}

src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/objectstorage/internal/DbSystemSessionTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2025.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.internal;
+
+
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.ObjectStorageQBitConfig;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.objectstorage.testsupport.StorageTestSupport;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.security.QSecurityKeyType;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSystemUserSession;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Db.asSystem runs work as the core system user. Token-based authentication
+ ** modules (OAuth2, Auth0) accept a QSystemUserSession without a token and
+ ** reject any other tokenless session, so the class matters, not just the
+ ** permissions.
+ *******************************************************************************/
+class DbSystemSessionTest
+{
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Reset the runtime and context after each test.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @AfterEach
+   void tearDown()
+   {
+      StorageTestSupport.tearDown();
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The work sees a QSystemUserSession with every all-access key, and the
+    ** caller's session is restored afterwards.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testAsSystemUsesCoreSystemUserSession() throws Exception
+   {
+      ObjectStorageQBitConfig config = new ObjectStorageQBitConfig().withBackendName(StorageTestSupport.MEMORY).withBucketScoping(false);
+      StorageTestSupport.setUp(config, instance -> instance.addSecurityKeyType(new QSecurityKeyType().withName("tenant").withAllAccessKeyName("tenantAllAccess")));
+      QSession caller = QContext.getQSession();
+
+      QSession inside = Db.asSystem(QContext::getQSession);
+
+      assertThat(inside).isInstanceOf(QSystemUserSession.class);
+      assertThat(inside.hasPermission("anything")).isTrue();
+      assertThat(inside.hasSecurityKeyValue("tenantAllAccess", true)).isTrue();
+      assertThat(QContext.getQSession()).isSameAs(caller);
+   }
+}