bugfixes nov2025 pt4 (#7)

* Add mDNS resolution.
* Update the website and documentation

README.md

@@ -9,34 +9,25 @@
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <strong>Modern Kubernetes port-forward manager with interactive terminal UI</strong>
+  <strong>Kubernetes port-forward manager with interactive terminal UI</strong>
 </p>
 
-kportal simplifies managing multiple Kubernetes port-forwards with an elegant, interactive terminal interface. Built with [Bubble Tea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea), it provides real-time status updates, automatic reconnection, and hot-reload configuration support.
+kportal manages multiple Kubernetes port-forwards with an interactive terminal interface. It provides real-time status updates, automatic reconnection, hot-reload configuration, and mDNS hostname publishing.
 
 ![kportal Screenshot](docs/kportal-screenshot.png)
 
 ## ✨ Features
 
-- 🎯 **Interactive TUI** - Beautiful terminal interface with keyboard navigation (↑↓/jk, Space to toggle, q to quit)
+- **Interactive TUI** - Terminal interface with keyboard navigation
-- ➕ **Live Add** - Add new port-forwards on-the-fly without editing config files or restarting
+- **Live management** - Add, edit, and delete port-forwards without restarting
-- ✏️ **Live Edit** - Modify existing port-forwards (ports, resources, aliases) in real-time
+- **Auto-reconnect** - Exponential backoff retry on connection failures
-- 🗑️ **Live Delete** - Remove port-forwards instantly from the running session
+- **Hot-reload** - Configuration changes applied automatically
-- 🔄 **Auto-Reconnect** - Automatic retry with exponential backoff on connection failures (max 10s)
+- **Health monitoring** - Multiple check methods with stale connection detection
-- ⚡ **Hot-Reload** - Update configuration without restarting - changes applied automatically
+- **Multi-context** - Support for multiple Kubernetes contexts and namespaces
-- 🏥 **Advanced Health Checks** - Multiple check methods (tcp-dial, data-transfer) with stale connection detection
+- **Pod restart handling** - Automatic reconnection when pods restart
-- 🛡️ **Goroutine Watchdog** - Detects and recovers from completely hung workers
+- **Label selectors** - Dynamic pod targeting using label selectors
-- 🎨 **Multi-Context** - Support for multiple Kubernetes contexts and namespaces
+- **Port conflict detection** - Validates port availability with PID information
-- 📦 **Batch Management** - Manage all port-forwards from a single configuration file
+- **mDNS hostnames** - Access forwards via `.local` hostnames
-- 🔌 **Toggle Forwards** - Enable/disable individual port-forwards on the fly with Space key
-- 🚀 **Grace Period** - Smart 10-second grace period to avoid false "Error" status on startup
-- 📊 **Status Display** - Clear visual indicators: Active (●), Starting (○), Reconnecting (◐), Error (✗)
-- 🔍 **Error Reporting** - Detailed error messages displayed below the table
-- 🔄 **Pod Restart Handling** - Detects and reconnects to pods when they restart
-- 🏷️ **Label Selector Support** - Dynamically target pods using label selectors
-- 📋 **Prefix Matching** - Automatically find and reconnect to pods with name prefixes
-- 🚫 **Port Conflict Detection** - Validates port availability before starting with detailed PID info
-- 🎭 **Alias Support** - Cleaner, more readable display names for your forwards
 
 ## 📦 Installation
 
@@ -46,7 +37,7 @@ kportal simplifies managing multiple Kubernetes port-forwards with an elegant, i
 brew install lukaszraczylo/brew-taps/kportal
 ```
 
-### Quick Install Script
+### Quick Install
 
 ```bash
 curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/main/install.sh | bash
@@ -54,24 +45,19 @@ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/main/install.
 
 ### Manual Download
 
-Download the latest binary for your platform from the [releases page](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/releases):
+Download binaries from the [releases page](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/releases).
-
-- **macOS**: `kportal-{version}-darwin-{amd64|arm64}.tar.gz`
-- **Linux**: `kportal-{version}-linux-{amd64|arm64}.tar.gz`
-- **Windows**: `kportal-{version}-windows-{amd64|arm64}.zip`
 
 ### Build from Source
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal.git
 cd kportal
-make build
+make build && make install
-make install
 ```
 
 ## 🚀 Quick Start
 
-1. **Create a configuration file** (`.kportal.yaml`):
+Create `.kportal.yaml`:
 
 ```yaml
 contexts:
@@ -85,32 +71,32 @@ contexts:
             localPort: 5432
             alias: prod-db
 
-      - name: frontend
-        forwards:
           - resource: service/redis
             protocol: tcp
             port: 6379
-            localPort: 6380
+            localPort: 6379
-            alias: prod-redis
 ```
 
-2. **Run kportal**:
+Run:
 
 ```bash
 kportal
 ```
 
-3. **Navigate the interface**:
+### Keyboard Controls
-   - `↑↓` or `j/k` - Navigate through forwards
+
-   - `Space` or `Enter` - Toggle forward on/off
+| Key | Action |
-   - `a` - Add new port-forward interactively
+|-----|--------|
-   - `e` - Edit selected port-forward
+| `↑↓` / `j/k` | Navigate |
-   - `d` - Delete selected port-forward
+| `Space` / `Enter` | Toggle forward |
-   - `q` - Quit application
+| `a` | Add forward |
+| `e` | Edit forward |
+| `d` | Delete forward |
+| `q` | Quit |
 
 ## 📖 Configuration
 
-### Simple Configuration
+### Basic Structure
 
 ```yaml
 contexts:
@@ -118,592 +104,207 @@ contexts:
     namespaces:
       - name: <namespace-name>
         forwards:
-          - resource: <resource-type>/<resource-name>
+          - resource: <type>/<name>
             protocol: tcp
             port: <remote-port>
             localPort: <local-port>
-            alias: <friendly-name>  # Optional
+            alias: <display-name>      # optional
+            selector: <label-selector> # optional
 ```
 
-### Advanced Configuration
+### Forward Options
 
-```yaml
+| Field | Required | Description |
-contexts:
+|-------|----------|-------------|
-  # Production cluster
+| `resource` | Yes | Resource type and name (e.g., `service/postgres`, `pod/my-app`) |
-  - name: prod-us-west
+| `protocol` | Yes | Protocol (`tcp`) |
-    namespaces:
+| `port` | Yes | Remote port |
-      - name: databases
+| `localPort` | Yes | Local port |
-        forwards:
+| `alias` | No | Display name and mDNS hostname |
-          # Direct pod connection with prefix matching
+| `selector` | No | Label selector for pod resolution |
-          - resource: pod/postgres-primary
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 5432
-            localPort: 5432
-            alias: prod-postgres
-
-          # Service connection
-          - resource: service/redis-master
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 6379
-            localPort: 6379
-            alias: prod-redis
-
-          # Pod with label selector
-          - resource: pod
-            selector: app=mongodb
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 27017
-            localPort: 27017
-            alias: mongo
-
-      - name: applications
-        forwards:
-          - resource: deployment/api-server
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 8080
-            localPort: 8080
-            alias: api
-
-  # Development cluster
-  - name: dev-local
-    namespaces:
-      - name: default
-        forwards:
-          - resource: service/grafana
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 3000
-            localPort: 3000
-            alias: grafana-dashboard
-```
-
-### Configuration Options
-
-| Field | Type | Required | Description |
-|-------|------|----------|-------------|
-| `resource` | string | Yes | Kubernetes resource with type prefix (e.g., `service/name`, `pod/name`) |
-| `protocol` | string | Yes | Connection protocol (typically `tcp`) |
-| `port` | int | Yes | Remote port on the Kubernetes resource |
-| `localPort` | int | Yes | Local port to forward to |
-| `alias` | string | No | Friendly name for display (defaults to resource name) |
-| `selector` | string | No | Label selector for dynamic pod selection (e.g., `app=nginx,env=prod`) |
 
 ### Resource Formats
 
-- **Pod by name**: `pod/pod-name` or just `pod-name`
+| Format | Description |
-- **Pod by prefix**: `pod/my-app` (matches `my-app-xyz789`, `my-app-abc123`, etc.)
+|--------|-------------|
-- **Pod by selector**: Set `resource: pod` and use `selector: app=nginx`
+| `service/name` | Service forwarding |
-- **Service**: `service/service-name` or `svc/service-name`
+| `pod/name` | Direct pod by name |
-- **Deployment**: `deployment/deployment-name` or `deploy/deployment-name`
+| `pod/prefix` | Pod by prefix (matches `prefix-*`) |
+| `pod` + `selector` | Pod by label selector |
+| `deployment/name` | Deployment |
 
-### Health Check & Reliability (Advanced)
+### Health Check Configuration
-
-kportal includes advanced health checking to prevent stale connections during long-running operations like database dumps:
 
 ```yaml
 healthCheck:
-  interval: "3s"              # Health check frequency (default: 3s)
+  interval: "3s"           # Check frequency
-  timeout: "2s"               # Health check timeout (default: 2s)
+  timeout: "2s"            # Check timeout
-  method: "data-transfer"     # Check method: "tcp-dial" or "data-transfer" (default: data-transfer)
+  method: "data-transfer"  # tcp-dial or data-transfer
-  maxConnectionAge: "25m"     # Proactive reconnect before k8s timeout (default: 25m)
+  maxConnectionAge: "25m"  # Reconnect before k8s timeout
-  maxIdleTime: "10m"          # Detect hung connections (default: 10m)
+  maxIdleTime: "10m"       # Detect idle connections
-
-reliability:
-  tcpKeepalive: "30s"         # TCP keepalive interval (default: 30s)
-  dialTimeout: "30s"          # Connection dial timeout (default: 30s)
-  retryOnStale: true          # Auto-reconnect stale connections (default: true)
-```
-
-**Health Check Methods:**
-- **`tcp-dial`**: Fast TCP connection test - verifies local port is listening
-- **`data-transfer`**: More reliable - attempts to read data to verify tunnel is functional
-
-**Stale Detection:**
-- **Max Connection Age**: Kubernetes API typically has 30-minute timeout. kportal reconnects at 25 minutes by default to avoid hitting this limit. **Important**: Age-based reconnection only occurs when the connection is ALSO idle - active transfers (like database dumps) are never interrupted.
-- **Max Idle Time**: Detects connections with no data transfer, common when intermediate firewalls drop idle TCP connections
-
-**Use Case Example - Database Dumps:**
-```yaml
-# Optimized for long-running pg_dump
-healthCheck:
-  method: "data-transfer"
-  maxConnectionAge: "20m"  # Only applies when idle - won't interrupt active dumps
-  maxIdleTime: "5m"        # Detects truly stale connections
 
 reliability:
   tcpKeepalive: "30s"
+  dialTimeout: "30s"
   retryOnStale: true
 ```
 
-This configuration ensures multi-hour database dumps complete without interruption. The `maxConnectionAge` will only trigger reconnection if the connection has been idle for more than `maxIdleTime`, preventing interruption of active data transfers.
+Health check methods:
+- `tcp-dial` - Fast TCP connection test
+- `data-transfer` - Verifies tunnel functionality by attempting data read
 
-## 🎮 Usage
+Connection age reconnection only triggers when the connection is also idle, preventing interruption of active transfers like database dumps.
 
-### Interactive Mode (Default)
+### mDNS Hostnames
+
+Enable mDNS to access forwards via `.local` hostnames:
+
+```yaml
+mdns:
+  enabled: true
+
+contexts:
+  - name: production
+    namespaces:
+      - name: default
+        forwards:
+          - resource: service/postgres
+            port: 5432
+            localPort: 5432
+            alias: prod-db  # Accessible via prod-db.local:5432
+```
+
+- Explicit `alias` becomes `<alias>.local`
+- Without alias, hostname is generated from resource name (`service/redis` → `redis.local`)
+- Works on macOS (Bonjour) and Linux (avahi-daemon)
+
+Verify registration:
+```bash
+dns-sd -B _kportal._tcp local       # macOS
+avahi-browse -t _kportal._tcp       # Linux
+```
+
+## Usage
+
+### Interactive Mode
 
 ```bash
 kportal
 ```
 
-Starts the interactive TUI where you can:
-- View all configured port-forwards in a table
-- See real-time status updates (Active, Starting, Reconnecting, Error)
-- Toggle forwards on/off with Space key
-- View detailed error messages at the bottom of the screen
-
 ### Verbose Mode
 
 ```bash
 kportal -v
 ```
 
-Runs in verbose mode with:
-- Detailed logging to stdout
-- Periodic status table updates every 2 seconds
-- Full error traces
-- No interactive controls (for automation/debugging)
-
 ### Validate Configuration
 
 ```bash
 kportal --check
 ```
 
-Validates your configuration file without starting any forwards:
+### Custom Config File
-- Checks YAML syntax
-- Validates all required fields
-- Detects duplicate local ports
-- Shows validation errors with line numbers
-
-### Custom Configuration File
 
 ```bash
 kportal -c /path/to/config.yaml
 ```
 
-### Version Information
+## Status Indicators
+
+| Indicator | Description |
+|-----------|-------------|
+| `● Active` | Connection healthy |
+| `○ Starting` | Initial connection (10s grace period) |
+| `◐ Reconnecting` | Reconnecting after failure |
+| `✗ Error` | Connection failed |
+| `○ Disabled` | Manually disabled |
+
+## Advanced Features
+
+### Hot-Reload
+
+Configuration changes are applied automatically. Manual reload:
 
 ```bash
-kportal --version
+kill -HUP $(pgrep kportal)
-# Output: kportal version 0.1.5
 ```
 
-## 🔄 kftray Migration
+### Port Conflict Detection
 
-Migrate from kftray JSON configuration:
+kportal validates port availability at startup and during hot-reload, showing which process is using conflicting ports.
+
+### Retry Strategy
+
+Exponential backoff: 1s → 2s → 4s → 8s → 10s (max). Retries continue indefinitely until connection succeeds.
+
+## Migration from kftray
 
 ```bash
 kportal --convert configs.json --convert-output .kportal.yaml
 ```
 
-**Example conversion:**
+## Signal Handling
 
-kftray JSON:
+- `Ctrl+C` / `SIGTERM` - Graceful shutdown
-```json
+- `SIGHUP` - Reload configuration
-[
-  {
-    "service": "postgres",
-    "namespace": "default",
-    "local_port": 5432,
-    "remote_port": 5432,
-    "context": "production",
-    "workload_type": "service",
-    "protocol": "tcp",
-    "alias": "prod-db"
-  }
-]
-```
-
-Converts to kportal YAML:
-```yaml
-contexts:
-  - name: production
-    namespaces:
-      - name: default
-        forwards:
-          - resource: service/postgres
-            protocol: tcp
-            port: 5432
-            localPort: 5432
-            alias: prod-db
-```
-
-## 🎨 Status Indicators
-
-| Indicator | Status | Description |
-|-----------|--------|-------------|
-| `● Active` | 🟢 Green | Port-forward is active and healthy |
-| `○ Starting` | 🟡 Yellow | Initial connection in progress (10s grace period) |
-| `◐ Reconnecting` | 🟡 Yellow | Attempting to reconnect after failure |
-| `✗ Error` | 🔴 Red | Connection failed - see error details below table |
-| `○ Disabled` | ⚪ Gray | Port-forward manually disabled via Space key |
-
-## 🛠️ Advanced Features
-
-### Hot-Reload
-
-kportal automatically watches for configuration file changes and reloads:
-
-```bash
-# Edit your config while kportal is running
-vim .kportal.yaml
-
-# Changes are applied automatically within seconds:
-# - New forwards are started
-# - Removed forwards are stopped
-# - Existing forwards continue running unchanged
-```
-
-Supports manual reload via `SIGHUP`:
-```bash
-kill -HUP $(pgrep kportal)
-```
-
-### Health Checks
-
-Built-in health monitoring system:
-- **Check interval**: Every 5 seconds
-- **Timeout**: 2 seconds per check
-- **Grace period**: 10 seconds for new connections
-- **Automatic updates**: Real-time status changes in UI
-- **Error tracking**: Detailed error messages for failed connections
-
-### Error Display
-
-When connections fail, errors are displayed below the table:
-
-```
-Errors:
-  • prod-postgres: dial tcp 127.0.0.1:5432: connect: connection refused
-  • prod-redis: i/o timeout after 2.0s
-```
-
-Errors automatically clear when:
-- Connection becomes healthy
-- Forward is disabled
-- Forward is removed
-
-### Port Conflict Detection
-
-kportal checks for port conflicts at multiple stages:
-
-**At startup:**
-```
-Port conflicts detected:
-  Port 8080:
-    • Requested by: api-server (context: prod, namespace: default)
-    • Currently used by: PID 1234 (chrome)
-```
-
-**During hot-reload:**
-- Only validates new ports being added
-- Skips currently managed ports
-- Rejects configuration if conflicts found
-
-### Pod Restart Handling
-
-When a pod restarts:
-1. Port-forward connection breaks
-2. kportal immediately re-resolves the resource:
-   - For prefix matches: Finds newest pod with matching prefix
-   - For selectors: Re-queries pods with matching labels
-3. Reconnects to new pod
-4. Logs the switch: `Switched to new pod: old-pod-abc → new-pod-xyz`
-
-### Retry Strategy
-
-Exponential backoff with maximum interval:
-- **Intervals**: 1s → 2s → 4s → 8s → 10s (max)
-- **Infinite retries**: Continues until connection succeeds
-- **Independent**: Each forward has its own retry logic
-- **Grace period**: First 10 seconds show "Starting" instead of "Error"
-
-## 🔧 Development
-
-### Prerequisites
-
-- Go 1.23 or higher
-- Access to a Kubernetes cluster
-- kubectl configured with contexts
-
-### Building
-
-```bash
-# Build binary
-make build
-
-# Run tests
-make test
-
-# Run all checks (fmt, vet, staticcheck, test)
-make all
-
-# Check current version
-make version
-
-# Install locally
-make install
-
-# Install system-wide
-sudo make install-system
-
-# Clean build artifacts
-make clean
-```
-
-### Project Structure
-
-```
-kportal/
-├── cmd/kportal/              # Main application entry point
-├── internal/
-│   ├── config/               # Configuration parsing and validation
-│   ├── forward/              # Port-forward manager and workers
-│   │   ├── manager.go        # Orchestrates all forwards
-│   │   ├── worker.go         # Individual forward worker
-│   │   └── port_checker.go   # Port conflict detection
-│   ├── healthcheck/          # Health monitoring system
-│   │   └── checker.go        # Port health checking
-│   ├── k8s/                  # Kubernetes client wrapper
-│   │   ├── client.go         # K8s client management
-│   │   ├── port_forward.go   # Port-forward implementation
-│   │   └── resolver.go       # Resource resolution
-│   ├── retry/                # Retry logic with backoff
-│   │   └── backoff.go        # Exponential backoff
-│   ├── ui/                   # Terminal UI implementations
-│   │   ├── bubbletea_ui.go   # Interactive TUI (Bubble Tea)
-│   │   └── table_ui.go       # Simple table for verbose mode
-│   └── converter/            # kftray JSON converter
-├── Formula/                  # Homebrew formula
-├── .github/workflows/        # CI/CD pipelines
-│   └── release.yml           # Release automation
-├── install.sh                # Installation script
-├── semver.yaml               # Semantic version config
-├── Makefile                  # Build automation
-└── README.md                 # This file
-```
-
-## 📝 Examples
-
-### Database Access
-
-```yaml
-contexts:
-  production:
-    namespaces:
-      databases:
-        - resource: postgres-primary
-          port: 5432
-          local_port: 5432
-          alias: prod-db
-```
-
-Connect with:
-```bash
-kportal  # Start in another terminal
-psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres
-```
-
-### Multiple Services
-
-```yaml
-contexts:
-  dev:
-    namespaces:
-      default:
-        - resource: api
-          port: 8080
-          local_port: 8080
-        - resource: frontend
-          port: 3000
-          local_port: 3000
-        - resource: redis
-          port: 6379
-          local_port: 6379
-```
-
-Access:
-- API: `http://localhost:8080`
-- Frontend: `http://localhost:3000`
-- Redis: `redis-cli -p 6379`
-
-### Cross-Context Setup
-
-```yaml
-contexts:
-  prod-us:
-    namespaces:
-      backend:
-        - resource: api
-          port: 8080
-          local_port: 8080
-          alias: prod-us-api
-
-  prod-eu:
-    namespaces:
-      backend:
-        - resource: api
-          port: 8080
-          local_port: 8081  # Different local port
-          alias: prod-eu-api
-```
-
-Compare APIs across regions simultaneously.
-
-### Debug Multiple Pod Versions
-
-```yaml
-contexts:
-  production:
-    namespaces:
-      default:
-        # Version 1
-        - resource: pod
-          selector: app=myapp,version=v1
-          port: 8080
-          local_port: 8080
-          alias: app-v1
-
-        # Version 2
-        - resource: pod
-          selector: app=myapp,version=v2
-          port: 8080
-          local_port: 8081
-          alias: app-v2
-
-        # Debug port for v2
-        - resource: pod
-          selector: app=myapp,version=v2
-          port: 6060
-          local_port: 6060
-          alias: app-v2-pprof
-```
 
 ## 🐛 Troubleshooting
 
 ### Port Already in Use
 
-**Problem**: `Port 8080: already in use by PID 1234 (chrome)`
-
-**Solutions**:
 ```bash
-# Find the process
+lsof -i :<port>
-lsof -i :8080
+kill <pid>
-
-# Kill the process
-kill 1234
-
-# Or use a different local port in config
-local_port: 8081
 ```
 
 ### Connection Refused
 
-**Problem**: `dial tcp 127.0.0.1:8080: connect: connection refused`
+1. Verify pod is running: `kubectl get pods -n <namespace>`
-
+2. Verify port is correct: `kubectl describe pod <pod>`
-**Common causes**:
+3. Check service endpoints: `kubectl get endpoints <service>`
-1. **Pod not ready yet** - Wait for status to change from "Starting" → "Active" (10s grace period)
-2. **Wrong port number** - Verify the pod/service actually exposes that port
-3. **Service not exposed** - Check with `kubectl get svc` and `kubectl describe svc <name>`
-
-**Debug**:
-```bash
-# Check pod status
-kubectl get pods -n <namespace>
-
-# Check if port is exposed
-kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
-
-# Check service endpoints
-kubectl get endpoints <service-name> -n <namespace>
-```
 
 ### Context Not Found
 
-**Problem**: `context "prod" not found in kubeconfig`
-
-**Solution**:
 ```bash
-# List available contexts
 kubectl config get-contexts
-
-# Verify context name matches
-kubectl config current-context
-
-# Update your config to use the correct context name
 ```
 
-### Health Check Errors During Startup
+## 🔧 Development
 
-**Problem**: Seeing "Error" status immediately after starting
+### Prerequisites
 
-**This is normal!** kportal has a 10-second grace period. If the connection is still failing after 10 seconds, check:
+- Go 1.23+
-- Pod is running: `kubectl get pods`
+- Kubernetes cluster access
-- Port is correct in config
+- kubectl configured
-- Network connectivity to cluster
 
-### Logs Covering UI
+### Build
 
-**Problem**: Kubernetes client logs appearing over the interactive UI
-
-**This is fixed in v0.1.5+**. The interactive mode now completely suppresses all logs including:
-- Standard Go `log` package
-- Kubernetes `klog` output
-- Any stderr/stdout leakage
-
-If you still see logs, please file an issue!
-
-## 🤝 Contributing
-
-Contributions are welcome! Please see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
-
-1. Fork the repository
-2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
-3. Make your changes and add tests
-4. Run checks: `make all`
-5. Commit your changes (follow [semantic commit messages](#semantic-versioning))
-6. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
-7. Open a Pull Request
-
-### Semantic Versioning
-
-This project uses [semver-gen](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/semver-generator) for automatic semantic version generation based on git commit messages.
-
-**Version Keywords:**
-- **Patch** (0.0.X): `fix`, `bugfix`, `hotfix`, `patch`, `docs`, `test`, `refactor`
-- **Minor** (0.X.0): `feat`, `feature`, `add`, `enhance`, `update`, `improve`
-- **Major** (X.0.0): `breaking`, `major`, `BREAKING CHANGE`
-
-Example commits:
 ```bash
-git commit -m "feat: add health check grace period"  # Bumps minor version
+make build    # Build binary
-git commit -m "fix: resolve port conflict detection" # Bumps patch version
+make test     # Run tests
-git commit -m "breaking: change config file format"  # Bumps major version
+make all      # fmt, vet, staticcheck, test
+make install  # Install locally
 ```
 
-## 📄 License
+## Contributing
 
-This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
+See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
 
-## 🙏 Acknowledgments
+## License
 
-- Built with [Bubble Tea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea) by Charm - An awesome framework for building terminal UIs
+MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
-- Styled with [Lipgloss](https://github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss) - Terminal styling library
-- Inspired by [kftray](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray) - Original GUI port-forward manager
-- Uses [client-go](https://github.com/kubernetes/client-go) for Kubernetes integration
-- Version management by [semver-gen](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/semver-generator)
 
-## 📚 Documentation
+## Acknowledgments
+
+- [Bubble Tea](https://github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea) - Terminal UI framework
+- [Lipgloss](https://github.com/charmbracelet/lipgloss) - Terminal styling
+- [client-go](https://github.com/kubernetes/client-go) - Kubernetes client
+- [kftray](https://github.com/hcavarsan/kftray) - Inspiration
+
+## Links
 
 - [Website](https://lukaszraczylo.github.io/kportal)
-- [Issue Tracker](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/issues)
+- [Issues](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/issues)
 - [Releases](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/releases)
 - [Changelog](CHANGELOG.md)
-
-## Signal Handling
-
-- `Ctrl+C` / `SIGTERM`: Graceful shutdown (closes all forwards)
-- `SIGHUP`: Reload configuration file
-
----
-
-Made with ❤️ by [Lukasz Raczylo](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo)

RELEASE_SETUP.md

@@ -1,320 +1,126 @@
-# Release Infrastructure Setup Summary
+# Release Infrastructure
 
-This document summarizes all the release infrastructure that has been set up for kportal.
+Documentation for kportal's release automation and distribution.
 
-## ✅ Completed Setup
+## 🔄 CI/CD Pipeline
-
-### 1. GitHub Actions CI/CD Pipeline
 
 **File**: `.github/workflows/release.yml`
 
-**Features**:
+The pipeline builds multi-platform binaries, creates GitHub releases, and updates Homebrew on version tags.
-- Multi-platform binary builds (Linux, macOS, Windows - amd64 & arm64)
+
-- Automatic release creation on version tags
+### Trigger a Release
-- Binary archiving (tar.gz for Unix, zip for Windows)
-- SHA256 checksum generation
-- Automated Homebrew formula updates
-- Release notes generation
 
-**How to trigger**:
 ```bash
-# Commit with semantic versioning keywords
-git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
-
-# Tag the release
 git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "Release v0.2.0"
-
-# Push tags
 git push origin v0.2.0
 ```
 
-The pipeline will automatically:
+The pipeline will:
 1. Build binaries for all platforms
-2. Create GitHub release with binaries
+2. Create GitHub release with binaries and checksums
 3. Update Homebrew tap formula
-4. Generate release notes
 
-### 2. Installation Methods
+## 📦 Installation Methods
 
-#### A. Homebrew Formula
+### Homebrew
 
 **File**: `Formula/kportal.rb`
 
-**Installation command**:
 ```bash
 brew install lukaszraczylo/tap/kportal
 ```
 
-**Note**: Formula is automatically updated by CI/CD pipeline. You'll need to create a separate tap repository:
+Formula is automatically updated by CI/CD. Requires:
-1. Create repo: `https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/brew-taps`
+- Tap repository: `https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/brew-taps`
-2. Add Formula/kportal.rb to that repo
+- Secret: `HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN` with `repo` scope
-3. Set `HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN` secret in GitHub repository settings
 
-#### B. Quick Install Script
+### Install Script
 
 **File**: `install.sh`
 
-**Features**:
-- Auto-detects OS and architecture
-- Downloads appropriate binary
-- Extracts and installs to /usr/local/bin
-- Verifies installation
-- Colorful output with emoji indicators
-
-**Installation command**:
 ```bash
 curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/main/install.sh | bash
 ```
 
-#### C. Manual Download
+Auto-detects OS/architecture and installs to `/usr/local/bin`.
 
-Users can download binaries directly from GitHub releases:
+### Manual Download
-```
-https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/releases
-```
 
-### 3. Documentation
+Download from [releases page](https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/releases).
 
-#### A. Comprehensive README.md
+## Platform Support
 
-**File**: `README.md`
+| OS | Architecture | Format |
+|----|--------------|--------|
+| Linux | amd64, arm64 | tar.gz |
+| macOS | amd64, arm64 | tar.gz |
+| Windows | amd64, arm64 | zip |
 
-**Contents**:
+## 🚀 Release Process
-- Feature showcase with emojis
-- Multiple installation methods
-- Quick start guide
-- Configuration examples
-- Usage instructions
-- Advanced features documentation
-- Troubleshooting guide
-- Contributing guidelines
 
-#### B. GitHub Pages Website
+1. **Make changes and test**
-
-**File**: `docs/index.html`
-
-**Features**:
-- Modern, responsive design with TailwindCSS
-- Hero section with clear CTA
-- Feature showcase cards
-- Installation guide
-- Configuration examples with syntax highlighting
-- Documentation links
-- Mobile-friendly
-
-**URL** (once enabled): `https://lukaszraczylo.github.io/kportal`
-
-**To enable**:
-1. Go to GitHub repository settings
-2. Pages section
-3. Source: Deploy from a branch
-4. Branch: main
-5. Folder: /docs
-
-### 4. Supporting Files
-
-#### CHANGELOG.md
-**File**: `CHANGELOG.md`
-
-Tracks all changes following Keep a Changelog format. Update this file with each release.
-
-#### CONTRIBUTING.md
-**File**: `CONTRIBUTING.md`
-
-Guidelines for:
-- Bug reporting
-- Feature requests
-- Pull request process
-- Commit message format
-- Development setup
-- Testing guidelines
-
-## 🚀 Release Workflow
-
-### Standard Release Process
-
-1. **Develop features**
    ```bash
-   git checkout -b feature/my-feature
+   make test && make all
-   # Make changes
-   make test
-   make all
    ```
 
-2. **Commit with semantic messages**
+2. **Update CHANGELOG.md**
-   ```bash
-   git commit -m "feat: add amazing feature"
-   git commit -m "fix: resolve bug in health check"
-   ```
 
-3. **Update CHANGELOG.md**
+3. **Tag and push**
-   ```markdown
-   ## [0.2.0] - 2025-11-24
-   
-   ### Added
-   - Amazing new feature
-   
-   ### Fixed
-   - Bug in health check
-   ```
-
-4. **Tag the release**
    ```bash
    git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "Release v0.2.0"
    git push origin main
    git push origin v0.2.0
    ```
 
-5. **CI/CD automatically**:
+## Version Bumping
-   - Builds all binaries
-   - Creates GitHub release
-   - Updates Homebrew formula
-   - Attaches binaries and checksums
 
-### Version Bumping (Semantic Versioning)
+Version determined by commit message keywords:
 
-Version is automatically determined by semver-gen from commit messages:
+| Bump | Keywords |
+|------|----------|
+| Patch (0.0.X) | `fix`, `bugfix`, `docs`, `test`, `refactor` |
+| Minor (0.X.0) | `feat`, `feature`, `add`, `enhance`, `update` |
+| Major (X.0.0) | `breaking`, `major`, `BREAKING CHANGE` |
 
-- **Patch** (0.0.X): `fix`, `bugfix`, `hotfix`, `patch`, `docs`, `test`, `refactor`
+## Required Secrets
-- **Minor** (0.X.0): `feat`, `feature`, `add`, `enhance`, `update`, `improve`
-- **Major** (X.0.0): `breaking`, `major`, `BREAKING CHANGE`
 
-## 📦 Platform Support
+| Secret | Purpose |
+|--------|---------|
+| `GITHUB_TOKEN` | Provided by GitHub Actions |
+| `HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN` | Personal access token with `repo` scope |
 
-### Supported Platforms
+## ⚙️ Initial Setup
-
-| OS      | Architecture | Archive Format |
-|---------|-------------|----------------|
-| Linux   | amd64       | tar.gz         |
-| Linux   | arm64       | tar.gz         |
-| macOS   | amd64       | tar.gz         |
-| macOS   | arm64       | tar.gz         |
-| Windows | amd64       | zip            |
-| Windows | arm64       | zip            |
-
-## 🔒 Required GitHub Secrets
-
-For full automation, set these secrets in your GitHub repository:
-
-1. **GITHUB_TOKEN** - Automatically provided by GitHub Actions
-2. **HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN** - Personal access token for updating Homebrew tap
-   - Create at: https://github.com/settings/tokens
-   - Permissions needed: `repo` scope
-   - Add to repository secrets
-
-## 📝 Next Steps
 
 ### 1. Enable GitHub Pages
-- Repository Settings → Pages → Source: main branch, /docs folder
 
-### 2. Create Homebrew Tap Repository
+Repository Settings → Pages → Source: main branch, /docs folder
+
+### 2. Create Homebrew Tap
+
 ```bash
-# Create new repository
 gh repo create lukaszraczylo/brew-taps --public
-
-# Clone and set up
-git clone https://github.com/lukaszraczylo/brew-taps
 cd brew-taps
-cp ../kportal/Formula/kportal.rb ./Formula/
+mkdir Formula
-git add Formula/kportal.rb
+# Formula will be auto-updated by CI
-git commit -m "Initial formula for kportal"
-git push origin main
 ```
 
-### 3. Add GitHub Token to Secrets
+### 3. Add Token Secret
-- Repository Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
+
-- New repository secret
+Repository Settings → Secrets → Actions → New secret:
 - Name: `HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN`
-- Value: Your personal access token
+- Value: Personal access token with `repo` scope
-
-### 4. Create First Release
-```bash
-cd kportal
-git add .
-git commit -m "feat: initial release setup"
-git push origin main
-git tag -a v0.1.5 -m "Release v0.1.5"
-git push origin v0.1.5
-```
-
-### 5. Test Installation Methods
-
-After first release, test:
-```bash
-# Homebrew (once tap is set up)
-brew install lukaszraczylo/tap/kportal
-
-# Quick install script
-curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lukaszraczylo/kportal/main/install.sh | bash
-
-# Manual download
-# Visit releases page and download binary
-```
-
-## 🎨 Customization
-
-### Update Website Colors
-
-Edit `docs/index.html`:
-```javascript
-tailwind.config = {
-    theme: {
-        extend: {
-            colors: {
-                primary: '#3b82f6',    // Blue
-                secondary: '#8b5cf6',   // Purple
-                dark: '#0f172a',        // Dark slate
-            }
-        }
-    }
-}
-```
-
-### Update Release Notes Template
-
-Edit `.github/workflows/release.yml` in the "Generate release notes" step.
-
-## 📊 Monitoring
-
-After releases, monitor:
-- GitHub Actions workflow runs
-- GitHub Releases page
-- Homebrew tap repository commits
-- Download statistics on releases page
 
 ## 🐛 Troubleshooting
 
 ### Release workflow fails
 - Check GitHub Actions logs
-- Verify all required secrets are set
+- Verify secrets are configured
-- Ensure tag follows v\d+.\d+.\d+ format
+- Ensure tag follows `v\d+.\d+.\d+` format
 
-### Homebrew formula not updating
+### Homebrew not updating
-- Verify HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN is valid
+- Verify `HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN` is valid
 - Check tap repository permissions
-- Review release workflow logs
 
 ### Install script fails
-- Test locally with different OS/arch combinations
+- Verify release binaries are attached
-- Check release binary naming matches script expectations
+- Check binary naming matches script expectations
-- Verify binaries are attached to release
-
-## ✅ Checklist for First Release
-
-- [ ] All code committed and pushed
-- [ ] GitHub Pages enabled
-- [ ] Homebrew tap repository created
-- [ ] HOMEBREW_TAP_TOKEN secret set
-- [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated
-- [ ] Version tag created and pushed
-- [ ] Release workflow completed successfully
-- [ ] Binaries attached to release
-- [ ] Homebrew formula updated
-- [ ] Install script tested
-- [ ] Documentation website live
-- [ ] README.md installation links work
-
----
-
-**Documentation last updated**: 2025-11-23
-**Setup completed for**: kportal v0.1.5

WIZARD_USAGE.md

@@ -1,171 +1,104 @@
-# Interactive Add/Remove Wizards
+# Interactive Wizards
 
-kportal now includes interactive wizards for adding and removing port forwards directly from the running UI!
+kportal includes wizards for adding and removing port forwards from the running UI.
 
-## Quick Start
+## ⌨️ Quick Reference
 
-Run kportal normally:
+| Key | Action |
-```bash
+|-----|--------|
-./kportal
+| `a` | Add new forward |
-```
+| `d` | Delete forwards |
 
-From the main view:
+## ➕ Add Forward Wizard
-- Press **`n`** to add a new port forward
-- Press **`d`** to delete existing port forwards
 
-## Add Forward Wizard (`n` key)
+Press `a` from the main view to start the wizard.
 
-The wizard guides you through 7 steps to add a new forward:
+### Steps
 
-### Step 1: Select Context
+1. **Context** - Select Kubernetes context
-Choose from available Kubernetes contexts in your kubeconfig.
+2. **Namespace** - Select namespace
+3. **Resource Type** - Choose pod (prefix), pod (selector), or service
+4. **Resource** - Enter prefix, selector, or select service
+5. **Remote Port** - Enter port on the resource
+6. **Local Port** - Enter local port (validates availability)
+7. **Confirm** - Review and optionally add an alias
 
-### Step 2: Select Namespace
+### Navigation
-Pick the namespace where your resource lives.
 
-### Step 3: Select Resource Type
+| Key | Action |
-Three options:
+|-----|--------|
-- **Pod (by name prefix)** - Forward to a specific pod by prefix matching
+| `↑↓` / `j/k` | Navigate options |
-- **Pod (by label selector)** - Forward to pods matching labels (survives restarts)
+| `Enter` | Confirm and proceed |
-- **Service** - Most stable, load-balanced option
+| `Esc` | Go back / Cancel |
+| `Ctrl+C` | Cancel immediately |
 
-### Step 4: Enter Resource
+## 🗑️ Delete Forward Wizard
-- **Pod prefix**: Type a prefix like `nginx-` to match pods
-- **Label selector**: Enter labels like `app=nginx,env=prod`
-- **Service**: Select from a list of services
 
-The wizard shows real-time validation and matching resources!
+Press `d` from the main view.
 
-### Step 5: Remote Port
+### Navigation
-Enter the port number on the remote resource. The wizard displays detected ports from running containers.
 
-### Step 6: Local Port
+| Key | Action |
-Enter the local port to bind to. The wizard checks availability in real-time.
+|-----|--------|
+| `↑↓` / `j/k` | Navigate |
+| `Space` | Toggle selection |
+| `a` | Select all |
+| `n` | Deselect all |
+| `Enter` | Confirm deletion |
+| `Esc` | Cancel |
 
-### Step 7: Confirmation
+## 🎯 Resource Selection
-Review your configuration and optionally add an alias (friendly name). Confirm to save!
 
-### Navigation Keys
+### Pod by Prefix
 
-- **`↑`/`↓`** or **`j`/`k`** - Navigate options
+Enter app name prefix to match pods:
-- **`Enter`** - Confirm and proceed to next step
-- **`Esc`** - Go back one step (or cancel on first step)
-- **`Ctrl+C`** - Hard cancel and return to main view
-- **`Backspace`** - Delete characters in text fields
-
-## Remove Forward Wizard (`d` key)
-
-Multi-select interface for removing forwards:
-
-1. **Select forwards**: Use arrow keys to navigate, `Space` to toggle selection
-2. **Confirm removal**: Press `Enter` and confirm your choice
-
-### Navigation Keys
-
-- **`↑`/`↓`** or **`j`/`k`** - Navigate forwards
-- **`Space`** - Toggle selection of current forward
-- **`a`** - Select all forwards
-- **`n`** - Deselect all forwards
-- **`Enter`** - Proceed to confirmation
-- **`Esc`** - Cancel and return to main view
-- **`Ctrl+C`** - Hard cancel
-
-## Auto Hot-Reload
-
-When you save a forward via the wizard:
-1. The wizard writes to `.kportal.yaml` atomically
-2. The file watcher detects the change (~100ms)
-3. The manager reloads and starts the new forward
-4. The UI updates automatically
-
-No restart needed!
-
-## Error Handling
-
-The wizards handle errors gracefully:
-
-- **Cluster unreachable**: Shows error but allows manual entry
-- **Port conflicts**: Displays which process is using the port
-- **Invalid selectors**: Shows validation errors in real-time
-- **Duplicate ports**: Prevents adding forwards with conflicting ports
-
-## Tips
-
-### Pod Prefix Matching
-When using pod prefix, you can type just the app name:
 - `nginx` matches `nginx-deployment-abc123`
 - `postgres` matches `postgres-statefulset-0`
 
-### Label Selectors
+### Pod by Selector
-Use standard Kubernetes label syntax:
-- `app=nginx` - Single label
-- `app=nginx,env=prod` - Multiple labels (comma-separated)
-- Real-time validation shows matching pods as you type!
 
-### Aliases
+Use Kubernetes label syntax:
-Use aliases for cleaner UI display:
+- `app=nginx`
-- Instead of: `production/default/pod/nginx-deployment-abc123:80→8080`
+- `app=nginx,env=prod`
-- Shows as: `my-nginx:80→8080`
 
-### Quick Selection
+Matching pods are shown in real-time.
-In list views, you can use `j`/`k` (Vim-style) or arrow keys for navigation.
 
-## Example Workflow
+### Service
 
-Adding a forward for a PostgreSQL database:
+Select from discovered services in the namespace.
 
-1. Press `n` in main view
+## 🔄 Auto Hot-Reload
-2. Select context: `production` (arrow keys + Enter)
-3. Select namespace: `default` (arrow keys + Enter)
-4. Select type: `Service` (arrow keys + Enter)
-5. Select service: `postgres` (arrow keys + Enter)
-6. Enter remote port: `5432` (type + Enter)
-7. Enter local port: `5432` (type + Enter)
-8. Add alias: `prod-db` (optional, type + Enter)
-9. Confirm: Select "Add to .kportal.yaml" (Enter)
 
-Done! The forward starts automatically within seconds.
+Changes are applied automatically:
+1. Wizard writes to `.kportal.yaml` atomically
+2. File watcher detects change (~100ms)
+3. Manager reloads and starts forward
+4. UI updates
 
-## Architecture
+## Error Handling
 
-The wizards use:
+The wizards handle:
-- **Config Mutator**: Safe, atomic YAML writes (temp file + rename)
+- Cluster unreachable - allows manual entry
-- **K8s Discovery**: Lists contexts, namespaces, pods, services
+- Port conflicts - shows which process is using the port
-- **Modal Overlays**: Wizards appear centered over the main view
+- Invalid selectors - real-time validation
-- **Async Validation**: Port checks and selector validation run in background
+- Duplicate ports - prevents conflicts
-- **Hot-Reload Integration**: File watcher picks up changes automatically
 
-## Troubleshooting
+## 🐛 Troubleshooting
 
-### Wizards not appearing?
+### Wizard not appearing
-Check that kportal can connect to your Kubernetes cluster:
+
+Verify cluster connectivity:
 ```bash
 kubectl cluster-info
 ```
 
-### Port check showing wrong status?
+### Port validation delayed
-The port check happens asynchronously. Wait a moment after typing for validation.
 
-### Changes not appearing?
+Port checks run asynchronously. Wait briefly after typing.
-The file watcher triggers within 100ms. If changes aren't visible, check:
+
+### Changes not visible
+
+Check:
 1. `.kportal.yaml` was written correctly
-2. No validation errors in the file
+2. No validation errors in file
-3. kportal process is still running
+3. kportal process is running
-
----
-
-**Navigation Summary**
-
-Main View:
-- `n` - New forward wizard
-- `d` - Delete forward wizard
-- `Space` - Toggle forward on/off
-- `↑↓/jk` - Navigate forwards
-- `q` - Quit
-
-Wizards:
-- `Enter` - Next step / Confirm
-- `Esc` - Previous step / Cancel
-- `Ctrl+C` - Hard cancel
-- `↑↓/jk` - Navigate
-- `Space` - Toggle (in delete wizard)

cmd/kportal/main.go

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/forward"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/k8s"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/logger"
+	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/mdns"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/ui"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/version"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
@@ -209,6 +210,14 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// Create mDNS publisher if enabled in config
+	mdnsPublisher := mdns.NewPublisher(cfg.IsMDNSEnabled())
+	manager.SetMDNSPublisher(mdnsPublisher)
+
+	if cfg.IsMDNSEnabled() && *verbose {
+		log.Printf("mDNS hostname publishing enabled - aliases will be accessible via <alias>.local")
+	}
+
 	// Create UI (bubbletea for interactive, simple table for verbose)
 	var bubbleTeaUI *ui.BubbleTeaUI
 	var tableUI *ui.TableUI
@@ -318,7 +327,23 @@ func main() {
 
 			case os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTERM:
 				log.Printf("Received shutdown signal, stopping...")
-				manager.Stop()
+
+				// Graceful shutdown with timeout - force exit if it takes too long
+				shutdownDone := make(chan struct{})
+				go func() {
+					manager.Stop()
+					close(shutdownDone)
+				}()
+
+				select {
+				case <-shutdownDone:
+					log.Printf("Graceful shutdown complete")
+				case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+					log.Printf("Shutdown timed out, forcing exit...")
+				case sig := <-sigChan:
+					// Second signal received - force exit immediately
+					log.Printf("Received second signal (%v), forcing exit...", sig)
+				}
 				os.Exit(0)
 			}
 		}

go.mod

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ require (
 
 require (
 	github.com/aymanbagabas/go-osc52/v2 v2.0.1 // indirect
+	github.com/cenkalti/backoff v2.2.1+incompatible // indirect
 	github.com/charmbracelet/colorprofile v0.3.3 // indirect
 	github.com/charmbracelet/x/ansi v0.11.1 // indirect
 	github.com/charmbracelet/x/cellbuf v0.0.14 // indirect
@@ -48,11 +49,13 @@ require (
 	github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.7.1 // indirect
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.4-0.20250319132907-e064f32e3674 // indirect
+	github.com/grandcat/zeroconf v1.0.0 // indirect
 	github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 // indirect
 	github.com/lucasb-eyer/go-colorful v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/mattn/go-isatty v0.0.20 // indirect
 	github.com/mattn/go-localereader v0.0.1 // indirect
 	github.com/mattn/go-runewidth v0.0.19 // indirect
+	github.com/miekg/dns v1.1.27 // indirect
 	github.com/moby/spdystream v0.5.0 // indirect
 	github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180306012644-bacd9c7ef1dd // indirect
 	github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.3-0.20250322232337-35a7c28c31ee // indirect
@@ -68,6 +71,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/xo/terminfo v0.0.0-20220910002029-abceb7e1c41e // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.3 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.44.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/net v0.47.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.33.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.38.0 // indirect

go.sum

@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ github.com/armon/go-socks5 v0.0.0-20160902184237-e75332964ef5 h1:0CwZNZbxp69SHPd
 github.com/armon/go-socks5 v0.0.0-20160902184237-e75332964ef5/go.mod h1:wHh0iHkYZB8zMSxRWpUBQtwG5a7fFgvEO+odwuTv2gs=
 github.com/aymanbagabas/go-osc52/v2 v2.0.1 h1:HwpRHbFMcZLEVr42D4p7XBqjyuxQH5SMiErDT4WkJ2k=
 github.com/aymanbagabas/go-osc52/v2 v2.0.1/go.mod h1:uYgXzlJ7ZpABp8OJ+exZzJJhRNQ2ASbcXHWsFqH8hp8=
+github.com/cenkalti/backoff v2.2.1+incompatible h1:tNowT99t7UNflLxfYYSlKYsBpXdEet03Pg2g16Swow4=
+github.com/cenkalti/backoff v2.2.1+incompatible/go.mod h1:90ReRw6GdpyfrHakVjL/QHaoyV4aDUVVkXQJJJ3NXXM=
 github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea v1.3.10 h1:otUDHWMMzQSB0Pkc87rm691KZ3SWa4KUlvF9nRvCICw=
 github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea v1.3.10/go.mod h1:ORQfo0fk8U+po9VaNvnV95UPWA1BitP1E0N6xJPlHr4=
 github.com/charmbracelet/colorprofile v0.3.3 h1:DjJzJtLP6/NZ8p7Cgjno0CKGr7wwRJGxWUwh2IyhfAI=
@@ -84,6 +86,8 @@ github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 h1:NIvaJDMOsjHA8n1jAhLSgzrAzy1Hgr+hNrb57e+94F0=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
 github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.4-0.20250319132907-e064f32e3674 h1:JeSE6pjso5THxAzdVpqr6/geYxZytqFMBCOtn/ujyeo=
 github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.4-0.20250319132907-e064f32e3674/go.mod h1:r4w70xmWCQKmi1ONH4KIaBptdivuRPyosB9RmPlGEwA=
+github.com/grandcat/zeroconf v1.0.0 h1:uHhahLBKqwWBV6WZUDAT71044vwOTL+McW0mBJvo6kE=
+github.com/grandcat/zeroconf v1.0.0/go.mod h1:lTKmG1zh86XyCoUeIHSA4FJMBwCJiQmGfcP2PdzytEs=
 github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 h1:PV8peI4a0ysnczrg+LtxykD8LfKY9ML6u2jnxaEnrnM=
 github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12/go.mod h1:e30LSqwooZae/UwlEbR2852Gd8hjQvJoHmT4TnhNGBo=
 github.com/kisielk/errcheck v1.5.0/go.mod h1:pFxgyoBC7bSaBwPgfKdkLd5X25qrDl4LWUI2bnpBCr8=
@@ -100,6 +104,8 @@ github.com/mattn/go-localereader v0.0.1 h1:ygSAOl7ZXTx4RdPYinUpg6W99U8jWvWi9Ye2J
 github.com/mattn/go-localereader v0.0.1/go.mod h1:8fBrzywKY7BI3czFoHkuzRoWE9C+EiG4R1k4Cjx5p88=
 github.com/mattn/go-runewidth v0.0.19 h1:v++JhqYnZuu5jSKrk9RbgF5v4CGUjqRfBm05byFGLdw=
 github.com/mattn/go-runewidth v0.0.19/go.mod h1:XBkDxAl56ILZc9knddidhrOlY5R/pDhgLpndooCuJAs=
+github.com/miekg/dns v1.1.27 h1:aEH/kqUzUxGJ/UHcEKdJY+ugH6WEzsEBBSPa8zuy1aM=
+github.com/miekg/dns v1.1.27/go.mod h1:KNUDUusw/aVsxyTYZM1oqvCicbwhgbNgztCETuNZ7xM=
 github.com/moby/spdystream v0.5.0 h1:7r0J1Si3QO/kjRitvSLVVFUjxMEb/YLj6S9FF62JBCU=
 github.com/moby/spdystream v0.5.0/go.mod h1:xBAYlnt/ay+11ShkdFKNAG7LsyK/tmNBVvVOwrfMgdI=
 github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180228061459-e0a39a4cb421/go.mod h1:6dJC0mAP4ikYIbvyc7fijjWJddQyLn8Ig3JB5CqoB9Q=
@@ -122,6 +128,7 @@ github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.21.0 h1:7rg/4f3rB88pb5obDgNZrNHrQ4e6WpjonchcpuBRnZM
 github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.21.0/go.mod h1:7Du3c42kxCUegi0IImZ1wUQzMBVecgIHjR1C+NkhLQo=
 github.com/onsi/gomega v1.35.1 h1:Cwbd75ZBPxFSuZ6T+rN/WCb/gOc6YgFBXLlZLhC7Ds4=
 github.com/onsi/gomega v1.35.1/go.mod h1:PvZbdDc8J6XJEpDK4HCuRBm8a6Fzp9/DmhC9C7yFlog=
+github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1/go.mod h1:bwawxfHBFNV+L2hUp1rHADufV3IMtnDRdf1r5NINEl0=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZbAQM=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0/go.mod h1:iKH77koFhYxTK1pcRnkKkqfTogsbg7gZNVY4sRDYZ/4=
 github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7 h1:WUdvkW8uEhrYfLC4ZzdpI2ztxP1I582+49Oc5Mq64VQ=
@@ -149,12 +156,17 @@ go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4/go.mod h1:DhzuOOF2ATzADvBadXxruRBLzYTpT36CKvDb3+aBEFg=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20190308221718-c2843e01d9a2/go.mod h1:djNgcEr1/C05ACkg1iLfiJU5Ep61QUkGW8qpdssI0+w=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20191011191535-87dc89f01550/go.mod h1:yigFU9vqHzYiE8UmvKecakEJjdnWj3jj499lnFckfCI=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20200622213623-75b288015ac9/go.mod h1:LzIPMQfyMNhhGPhUkYOs5KpL4U8rLKemX1yGLhDgUto=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.44.0 h1:A97SsFvM3AIwEEmTBiaxPPTYpDC47w720rdiiUvgoAU=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.44.0/go.mod h1:013i+Nw79BMiQiMsOPcVCB5ZIJbYkerPrGnOa00tvmc=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20231006140011-7918f672742d h1:jtJma62tbqLibJ5sFQz8bKtEM8rJBtfilJ2qTU199MI=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20231006140011-7918f672742d/go.mod h1:ldy0pHrwJyGW56pPQzzkH36rKxoZW1tw7ZJpeKx+hdo=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.1.1-0.20191105210325-c90efee705ee/go.mod h1:QqPTAvyqsEbceGzBzNggFXnrqF1CaUcvgkdR5Ot7KZg=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.2.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/mod v0.3.0/go.mod h1:s0Qsj1ACt9ePp/hMypM3fl4fZqREWJwdYDEqhRiZZUA=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190404232315-eb5bcb51f2a3/go.mod h1:t9HGtf8HONx5eT2rtn7q6eTqICYqUVnKs3thJo3Qplg=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190620200207-3b0461eec859/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
+golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20190923162816-aa69164e4478/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
+golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200114155413-6afb5195e5aa/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20200226121028-0de0cce0169b/go.mod h1:z5CRVTTTmAJ677TzLLGU+0bjPO0LkuOLi4/5GtJWs/s=
 golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20201021035429-f5854403a974/go.mod h1:sp8m0HH+o8qH0wwXwYZr8TS3Oi6o0r6Gce1SSxlDquU=
 golang.org/x/net v0.47.0 h1:Mx+4dIFzqraBXUugkia1OOvlD6LemFo1ALMHjrXDOhY=
@@ -166,6 +178,7 @@ golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190911185100-cd5d95a43a6e/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJ
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20201020160332-67f06af15bc9/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190412213103-97732733099d/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190924154521-2837fb4f24fe/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200930185726-fdedc70b468f/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20210809222454-d867a43fc93e/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.6.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
@@ -181,6 +194,7 @@ golang.org/x/time v0.14.0 h1:MRx4UaLrDotUKUdCIqzPC48t1Y9hANFKIRpNx+Te8PI=
 golang.org/x/time v0.14.0/go.mod h1:eL/Oa2bBBK0TkX57Fyni+NgnyQQN4LitPmob2Hjnqw4=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20180917221912-90fa682c2a6e/go.mod h1:n7NCudcB/nEzxVGmLbDWY5pfWTLqBcC2KZ6jyYvM4mQ=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20191119224855-298f0cb1881e/go.mod h1:b+2E5dAYhXwXZwtnZ6UAqBI28+e2cm9otk0dWdXHAEo=
+golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20191216052735-49a3e744a425/go.mod h1:TB2adYChydJhpapKDTa4BR/hXlZSLoq2Wpct/0txZ28=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20200619180055-7c47624df98f/go.mod h1:EkVYQZoAsY45+roYkvgYkIh4xh/qjgUK9TdY2XT94GE=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.0.0-20210106214847-113979e3529a/go.mod h1:emZCQorbCU4vsT4fOWvOPXz4eW1wZW4PmDk9uLelYpA=
 golang.org/x/tools v0.38.0 h1:Hx2Xv8hISq8Lm16jvBZ2VQf+RLmbd7wVUsALibYI/IQ=

internal/config/config.go

@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
@@ -31,6 +32,13 @@ type Config struct {
 	Contexts    []Context        `yaml:"contexts"`
 	HealthCheck *HealthCheckSpec `yaml:"healthCheck,omitempty"`
 	Reliability *ReliabilitySpec `yaml:"reliability,omitempty"`
+	MDNS        *MDNSSpec        `yaml:"mdns,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// MDNSSpec configures mDNS (multicast DNS) hostname publishing
+// When enabled, forwards with aliases can be accessed via <alias>.local hostnames
+type MDNSSpec struct {
+	Enabled bool `yaml:"enabled"` // Enable mDNS hostname publishing
 }
 
 // HealthCheckSpec configures health check behavior
@@ -133,6 +141,11 @@ func (c *Config) GetDialTimeout() time.Duration {
 	return parseDurationOrDefault(c.Reliability.DialTimeout, DefaultDialTimeout)
 }
 
+// IsMDNSEnabled returns whether mDNS hostname publishing is enabled
+func (c *Config) IsMDNSEnabled() bool {
+	return c.MDNS != nil && c.MDNS.Enabled
+}
+
 // Context represents a Kubernetes context with its namespaces
 type Context struct {
 	Name       string      `yaml:"name"`
@@ -199,6 +212,25 @@ func (f *Forward) GetNamespace() string {
 	return f.namespaceName
 }
 
+// GetMDNSAlias returns the alias to use for mDNS hostname registration.
+// If an explicit alias is set, it returns that.
+// Otherwise, it generates one from the resource name (e.g., "service/logto" -> "logto").
+func (f *Forward) GetMDNSAlias() string {
+	if f.Alias != "" {
+		return f.Alias
+	}
+
+	// Generate alias from resource name
+	// Format is "type/name" (e.g., "service/logto", "pod/my-app")
+	parts := strings.SplitN(f.Resource, "/", 2)
+	if len(parts) == 2 && parts[1] != "" {
+		return parts[1]
+	}
+
+	// Fallback: can't generate a valid alias (e.g., "pod" with selector)
+	return ""
+}
+
 // LoadConfig loads and parses the configuration file from the given path.
 func LoadConfig(path string) (*Config, error) {
 	// Validate file size before reading

internal/config/validator.go

@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ func (v *Validator) ValidateConfig(cfg *Config) []ValidationError {
 	// Check for duplicate local ports
 	errs = append(errs, v.validateDuplicatePorts(cfg)...)
 
+	// Validate mDNS configuration
+	if cfg.IsMDNSEnabled() {
+		errs = append(errs, v.validateMDNS(cfg)...)
+	}
+
 	return errs
 }
 
@@ -270,3 +275,85 @@ func FormatValidationErrors(errs []ValidationError) string {
 
 	return sb.String()
 }
+
+// validateMDNS validates mDNS configuration when enabled.
+// It checks that aliases used for mDNS hostnames are valid and unique.
+// This includes both explicit aliases and auto-generated ones from resource names.
+func (v *Validator) validateMDNS(cfg *Config) []ValidationError {
+	var errs []ValidationError
+
+	aliasMap := make(map[string][]string) // alias -> list of forward IDs using it
+
+	for _, ctx := range cfg.Contexts {
+		for _, ns := range ctx.Namespaces {
+			for _, fwd := range ns.Forwards {
+				// Get the mDNS alias (explicit or generated from resource name)
+				mdnsAlias := fwd.GetMDNSAlias()
+				if mdnsAlias == "" {
+					// No alias available (e.g., "pod" with selector only)
+					continue
+				}
+
+				// Validate alias is a valid hostname (RFC 1123)
+				if !isValidHostname(mdnsAlias) {
+					errs = append(errs, ValidationError{
+						Field:   "alias",
+						Message: fmt.Sprintf("Forward %s has invalid mDNS hostname '%s' (must be a valid RFC 1123 hostname)", fwd.ID(), mdnsAlias),
+					})
+				}
+
+				aliasMap[mdnsAlias] = append(aliasMap[mdnsAlias], fwd.ID())
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Check for duplicate aliases (would cause mDNS conflicts)
+	for alias, forwards := range aliasMap {
+		if len(forwards) > 1 {
+			errs = append(errs, ValidationError{
+				Field:   "alias",
+				Message: fmt.Sprintf("Duplicate mDNS hostname '%s' used by multiple forwards (would cause conflict)", alias),
+				Context: map[string]string{
+					"alias":    alias,
+					"forwards": strings.Join(forwards, ", "),
+				},
+			})
+		}
+	}
+
+	return errs
+}
+
+// isValidHostname checks if a string is a valid RFC 1123 hostname.
+// Hostnames must start with alphanumeric, contain only alphanumeric and hyphens,
+// and be 1-63 characters long.
+func isValidHostname(name string) bool {
+	if len(name) == 0 || len(name) > 63 {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// Must start with alphanumeric
+	if !isAlphanumeric(name[0]) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// Must end with alphanumeric
+	if !isAlphanumeric(name[len(name)-1]) {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	// Check all characters
+	for i := 0; i < len(name); i++ {
+		c := name[i]
+		if !isAlphanumeric(c) && c != '-' {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true
+}
+
+// isAlphanumeric returns true if the character is a letter or digit.
+func isAlphanumeric(c byte) bool {
+	return (c >= 'a' && c <= 'z') || (c >= 'A' && c <= 'Z') || (c >= '0' && c <= '9')
+}

internal/config/validator_test.go

@@ -701,3 +701,274 @@ func TestValidator_ValidateStructure(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestValidator_ValidateMDNS(t *testing.T) {
+	validator := NewValidator()
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name          string
+		config        *Config
+		expectErrors  bool
+		errorContains []string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "mDNS disabled - no validation",
+			config: &Config{
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "invalid_alias", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - valid aliases",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app1", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "my-app", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+									{Resource: "pod/app2", Port: 8081, LocalPort: 8081, Alias: "my-service", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - no alias (allowed)",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - invalid alias with underscore",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "my_app", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors:  true,
+			errorContains: []string{"invalid mDNS hostname", "RFC 1123"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - alias starts with hyphen",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "-myapp", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors:  true,
+			errorContains: []string{"invalid mDNS hostname"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - alias ends with hyphen",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "myapp-", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors:  true,
+			errorContains: []string{"invalid mDNS hostname"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - duplicate aliases",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "dev",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app1", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "myapp", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+									{Resource: "pod/app2", Port: 8081, LocalPort: 8081, Alias: "myapp", contextName: "dev", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors:  true,
+			errorContains: []string{"Duplicate mDNS hostname", "conflict"},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "mDNS enabled - duplicate aliases across contexts",
+			config: &Config{
+				MDNS: &MDNSSpec{Enabled: true},
+				Contexts: []Context{
+					{
+						Name: "cluster1",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app1", Port: 8080, LocalPort: 8080, Alias: "shared-name", contextName: "cluster1", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+					{
+						Name: "cluster2",
+						Namespaces: []Namespace{
+							{
+								Name: "default",
+								Forwards: []Forward{
+									{Resource: "pod/app2", Port: 8081, LocalPort: 8081, Alias: "shared-name", contextName: "cluster2", namespaceName: "default"},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErrors:  true,
+			errorContains: []string{"Duplicate mDNS hostname", "shared-name"},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			errs := validator.ValidateConfig(tt.config)
+
+			if tt.expectErrors {
+				assert.NotEmpty(t, errs, "expected validation errors")
+
+				// Check that expected error messages are present
+				for _, expectedMsg := range tt.errorContains {
+					found := false
+					for _, err := range errs {
+						if strings.Contains(err.Message, expectedMsg) {
+							found = true
+							break
+						}
+					}
+					assert.True(t, found, "expected error message '%s' not found in errors: %v", expectedMsg, errs)
+				}
+			} else {
+				assert.Empty(t, errs, "expected no validation errors, got: %v", errs)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsValidHostname(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		hostname string
+		valid    bool
+	}{
+		{"valid simple", "myservice", true},
+		{"valid with hyphen", "my-service", true},
+		{"valid with numbers", "service123", true},
+		{"valid mixed", "my-service-123", true},
+		{"valid uppercase", "MyService", true},
+		{"valid single char", "a", true},
+		{"valid single digit", "1", true},
+		{"valid max length (63)", "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa", true},
+		{"invalid empty", "", false},
+		{"invalid too long (64)", "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa", false},
+		{"invalid starts with hyphen", "-myservice", false},
+		{"invalid ends with hyphen", "myservice-", false},
+		{"invalid underscore", "my_service", false},
+		{"invalid dot", "my.service", false},
+		{"invalid space", "my service", false},
+		{"invalid special char", "my@service", false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := isValidHostname(tt.hostname)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.valid, result, "isValidHostname(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.hostname, result, tt.valid)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsAlphanumeric(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		char  byte
+		valid bool
+	}{
+		{'a', true},
+		{'z', true},
+		{'A', true},
+		{'Z', true},
+		{'0', true},
+		{'9', true},
+		{'-', false},
+		{'_', false},
+		{'.', false},
+		{' ', false},
+		{'@', false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(string(tt.char), func(t *testing.T) {
+			result := isAlphanumeric(tt.char)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.valid, result, "isAlphanumeric(%q) = %v, want %v", tt.char, result, tt.valid)
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/forward/manager.go

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/healthcheck"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/k8s"
 	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/logger"
+	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/mdns"
 )
 
 // StatusUpdater is an interface for updating forward status
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ type Manager struct {
 	portChecker   *PortChecker
 	healthChecker *healthcheck.Checker
 	watchdog      *Watchdog
+	mdnsPublisher *mdns.Publisher
 	verbose       bool
 	currentConfig *config.Config
 	statusUI      StatusUpdater
@@ -117,6 +119,11 @@ func (m *Manager) SetStatusUI(ui StatusUpdater) {
 	m.statusUI = ui
 }
 
+// SetMDNSPublisher sets the mDNS publisher for the manager
+func (m *Manager) SetMDNSPublisher(publisher *mdns.Publisher) {
+	m.mdnsPublisher = publisher
+}
+
 // Start initializes and starts all port-forwards from the configuration.
 func (m *Manager) Start(cfg *config.Config) error {
 	if cfg == nil {
@@ -186,6 +193,11 @@ func (m *Manager) Stop() {
 	m.healthChecker.Stop()
 	m.watchdog.Stop()
 
+	// Stop mDNS publisher
+	if m.mdnsPublisher != nil {
+		m.mdnsPublisher.Stop()
+	}
+
 	m.workersMu.Lock()
 	workers := make([]*ForwardWorker, 0, len(m.workers))
 	for _, worker := range m.workers {
@@ -391,6 +403,22 @@ func (m *Manager) startWorker(fwd config.Forward) error {
 	// Store worker
 	m.workers[fwd.ID()] = worker
 
+	// Register mDNS hostname if enabled
+	// Uses explicit alias if set, otherwise generates from resource name
+	if m.mdnsPublisher != nil {
+		mdnsAlias := fwd.GetMDNSAlias()
+		if mdnsAlias != "" {
+			if err := m.mdnsPublisher.Register(fwd.ID(), mdnsAlias, fwd.LocalPort); err != nil {
+				logger.Warn("Failed to register mDNS hostname", map[string]interface{}{
+					"forward_id": fwd.ID(),
+					"alias":      mdnsAlias,
+					"error":      err.Error(),
+				})
+				// Don't fail the forward start - mDNS is optional
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -414,6 +442,11 @@ func (m *Manager) stopWorkerInternal(id string, removeFromUI bool) error {
 	m.healthChecker.Unregister(id)
 	m.watchdog.UnregisterWorker(id)
 
+	// Unregister mDNS hostname
+	if m.mdnsPublisher != nil {
+		m.mdnsPublisher.Unregister(id)
+	}
+
 	// Notify UI - either remove or update to disabled status
 	if m.statusUI != nil {
 		if removeFromUI {

internal/forward/worker.go

@@ -85,7 +85,16 @@ func (w *ForwardWorker) Start() {
 func (w *ForwardWorker) Stop() {
 	w.cancel()
 	close(w.stopChan)
-	<-w.doneChan // Wait for worker to finish
+
+	// Wait for worker to finish with timeout to prevent blocking forever
+	select {
+	case <-w.doneChan:
+		// Worker finished gracefully
+	case <-time.After(3 * time.Second):
+		// Worker didn't finish in time, but we've cancelled its context
+		// so it will clean up eventually
+		log.Printf("[%s] Worker stop timed out, continuing...", w.forward.ID())
+	}
 }
 
 // run is the main worker loop that handles retries.

internal/mdns/publisher.go

@@ -0,0 +1,220 @@
+package mdns
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/grandcat/zeroconf"
+	"github.com/nvm/kportal/internal/logger"
+)
+
+const (
+	// shutdownTimeout is the maximum time to wait for mDNS server shutdown
+	shutdownTimeout = 2 * time.Second
+
+	// mdnsDomain is the standard mDNS domain (RFC 6762)
+	// This is always ".local" for multicast DNS - it's not configurable
+	// and is different from your network's DNS search domain
+	mdnsDomain = "local"
+)
+
+// Publisher manages mDNS hostname registrations for port forwards.
+// It allows forwards with aliases to be accessible via <alias>.local hostnames.
+type Publisher struct {
+	mu       sync.RWMutex
+	servers  map[string]*zeroconf.Server // forwardID -> server
+	aliases  map[string]string           // forwardID -> alias (for logging)
+	enabled  bool
+	localIPs []string
+}
+
+// NewPublisher creates a new mDNS Publisher.
+// If enabled is false, all registration calls will be no-ops.
+func NewPublisher(enabled bool) *Publisher {
+	p := &Publisher{
+		servers:  make(map[string]*zeroconf.Server),
+		aliases:  make(map[string]string),
+		enabled:  enabled,
+		localIPs: getLocalIPs(),
+	}
+
+	if enabled {
+		logger.Info("mDNS publisher initialized", map[string]interface{}{
+			"domain":    mdnsDomain,
+			"local_ips": p.localIPs,
+		})
+	}
+
+	return p
+}
+
+// Register publishes an mDNS hostname for a forward.
+// The hostname will be <alias>.local and will resolve to 127.0.0.1.
+// If the forward has no alias or mDNS is disabled, this is a no-op.
+func (p *Publisher) Register(forwardID, alias string, localPort int) error {
+	if !p.enabled || alias == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+
+	// Check if already registered
+	if _, exists := p.servers[forwardID]; exists {
+		logger.Debug("mDNS hostname already registered", map[string]interface{}{
+			"forward_id": forwardID,
+			"alias":      alias,
+		})
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Register the mDNS service
+	// We use a generic service type and rely on the hostname registration
+	server, err := zeroconf.RegisterProxy(
+		alias,                 // Instance name (shown in service discovery)
+		"_kportal._tcp",       // Service type (custom for kportal)
+		"local.",              // Domain
+		localPort,             // Port
+		alias,                 // Hostname (will be <alias>.local)
+		[]string{"127.0.0.1"}, // IPs to resolve to
+		[]string{fmt.Sprintf("forward=%s", forwardID)}, // TXT records
+		nil, // interfaces (nil = all)
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to register mDNS for %s: %w", alias, err)
+	}
+
+	p.servers[forwardID] = server
+	p.aliases[forwardID] = alias
+
+	logger.Info("mDNS hostname registered", map[string]interface{}{
+		"forward_id": forwardID,
+		"hostname":   GetHostname(alias),
+		"port":       localPort,
+	})
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Unregister removes the mDNS hostname for a forward.
+func (p *Publisher) Unregister(forwardID string) {
+	if !p.enabled {
+		return
+	}
+
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+
+	server, exists := p.servers[forwardID]
+	if !exists {
+		return
+	}
+
+	alias := p.aliases[forwardID]
+	shutdownWithTimeout(server, forwardID)
+	delete(p.servers, forwardID)
+	delete(p.aliases, forwardID)
+
+	logger.Info("mDNS hostname unregistered", map[string]interface{}{
+		"forward_id": forwardID,
+		"hostname":   GetHostname(alias),
+	})
+}
+
+// Stop shuts down all mDNS registrations.
+func (p *Publisher) Stop() {
+	if !p.enabled {
+		return
+	}
+
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+
+	// Shutdown all servers concurrently with timeout
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for forwardID, server := range p.servers {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(id string, srv *zeroconf.Server) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			shutdownWithTimeout(srv, id)
+		}(forwardID, server)
+	}
+
+	// Wait for all shutdowns to complete (or timeout)
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	p.servers = make(map[string]*zeroconf.Server)
+	p.aliases = make(map[string]string)
+
+	logger.Info("mDNS publisher stopped", nil)
+}
+
+// shutdownWithTimeout attempts to shutdown a zeroconf server with a timeout.
+// If shutdown hangs, it logs a warning and returns anyway.
+func shutdownWithTimeout(server *zeroconf.Server, forwardID string) {
+	done := make(chan struct{})
+
+	go func() {
+		server.Shutdown()
+		close(done)
+	}()
+
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+		// Shutdown completed successfully
+	case <-time.After(shutdownTimeout):
+		logger.Warn("mDNS shutdown timed out, continuing anyway", map[string]interface{}{
+			"forward_id": forwardID,
+			"timeout":    shutdownTimeout.String(),
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// IsEnabled returns whether mDNS publishing is enabled.
+func (p *Publisher) IsEnabled() bool {
+	return p.enabled
+}
+
+// GetDomain returns the mDNS domain being used (always "local" per RFC 6762).
+func (p *Publisher) GetDomain() string {
+	return mdnsDomain
+}
+
+// GetHostname returns the full mDNS hostname for an alias.
+// Example: GetHostname("myapp") returns "myapp.local"
+func GetHostname(alias string) string {
+	return alias + "." + mdnsDomain
+}
+
+// GetRegisteredCount returns the number of currently registered hostnames.
+func (p *Publisher) GetRegisteredCount() int {
+	p.mu.RLock()
+	defer p.mu.RUnlock()
+	return len(p.servers)
+}
+
+// getLocalIPs returns the local IP addresses for logging purposes.
+func getLocalIPs() []string {
+	var ips []string
+
+	addrs, err := net.InterfaceAddrs()
+	if err != nil {
+		return []string{"127.0.0.1"}
+	}
+
+	for _, addr := range addrs {
+		if ipnet, ok := addr.(*net.IPNet); ok && !ipnet.IP.IsLoopback() {
+			if ipnet.IP.To4() != nil {
+				ips = append(ips, ipnet.IP.String())
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	if len(ips) == 0 {
+		return []string{"127.0.0.1"}
+	}
+
+	return ips
+}

internal/mdns/publisher_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,154 @@
+package mdns
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+// Note: Tests that actually register mDNS services require network I/O
+// and can be slow or hang in CI environments. We test the logic paths
+// without actually calling zeroconf for most tests.
+
+func TestNewPublisher_Disabled(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(false)
+
+	assert.False(t, p.IsEnabled())
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestNewPublisher_Enabled(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+
+	assert.True(t, p.IsEnabled())
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestRegister_WhenDisabled_NoOp(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(false)
+
+	err := p.Register("forward-1", "test-alias", 8080)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestRegister_EmptyAlias_NoOp(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+
+	err := p.Register("forward-1", "", 8080)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestUnregister_WhenDisabled_NoOp(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(false)
+
+	// Should not panic
+	p.Unregister("forward-1")
+}
+
+func TestUnregister_NotRegistered_NoOp(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+
+	// Should not panic
+	p.Unregister("non-existent")
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestStop_WhenDisabled_NoOp(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(false)
+
+	// Should not panic
+	p.Stop()
+}
+
+func TestStop_WhenNoRegistrations(t *testing.T) {
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+
+	// Should not panic
+	p.Stop()
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestGetLocalIPs(t *testing.T) {
+	ips := getLocalIPs()
+
+	// Should return at least one IP
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, ips, "getLocalIPs should return at least one IP")
+
+	// All IPs should be non-empty strings
+	for _, ip := range ips {
+		assert.NotEmpty(t, ip, "IP address should not be empty")
+	}
+}
+
+// Integration tests - only run when explicitly requested
+// These tests actually register mDNS services and require network access
+
+func TestRegister_Integration(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("Skipping mDNS integration test in short mode")
+	}
+
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+	defer p.Stop()
+
+	err := p.Register("forward-1", "test-service", 8080)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestRegister_Duplicate_Idempotent_Integration(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("Skipping mDNS integration test in short mode")
+	}
+
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+	defer p.Stop()
+
+	// First registration
+	err := p.Register("forward-1", "test-service", 8080)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+
+	// Second registration with same ID should be idempotent
+	err = p.Register("forward-1", "test-service", 8080)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestRegister_MultipleForwards_Integration(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("Skipping mDNS integration test in short mode")
+	}
+
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+	defer p.Stop()
+
+	err1 := p.Register("forward-1", "service-a", 8080)
+	err2 := p.Register("forward-2", "service-b", 8081)
+	err3 := p.Register("forward-3", "service-c", 8082)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err1)
+	assert.NoError(t, err2)
+	assert.NoError(t, err3)
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}
+
+func TestUnregister_Success_Integration(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip("Skipping mDNS integration test in short mode")
+	}
+
+	p := NewPublisher(true)
+	defer p.Stop()
+
+	p.Register("forward-1", "test-service", 8080)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+
+	p.Unregister("forward-1")
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, p.GetRegisteredCount())
+}