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Remote-Terminal-for-MeshCore/app/AGENTS.md
2026-03-01 14:53:18 -08:00

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# Backend AGENTS.md
This document is the backend working guide for agents and developers.
Keep it aligned with `app/` source files and router behavior.
## Stack
- FastAPI
- aiosqlite
- Pydantic
- MeshCore Python library (`meshcore` from PyPI)
- PyCryptodome
## Backend Map
```text
app/
├── main.py # App startup/lifespan, router registration, static frontend mounting
├── config.py # Env-driven runtime settings
├── database.py # SQLite connection + base schema + migration runner
├── migrations.py # Schema migrations (SQLite user_version)
├── models.py # Pydantic request/response models
├── repository/ # Data access layer (contacts, channels, messages, raw_packets, settings)
├── radio.py # RadioManager + auto-reconnect monitor
├── radio_sync.py # Polling, sync, periodic advertisement loop
├── decoder.py # Packet parsing/decryption
├── packet_processor.py # Raw packet pipeline, dedup, path handling
├── event_handlers.py # MeshCore event subscriptions and ACK tracking
├── websocket.py # WS manager + broadcast helpers
├── mqtt.py # Optional MQTT publisher (fire-and-forget forwarding)
├── bot.py # Bot execution and outbound bot sends
├── dependencies.py # Shared FastAPI dependency providers
├── keystore.py # Ephemeral private/public key storage for DM decryption
├── frontend_static.py # Mount/serve built frontend (production)
└── routers/
├── health.py
├── radio.py
├── contacts.py
├── channels.py
├── messages.py
├── packets.py
├── read_state.py
├── settings.py
├── repeaters.py
├── statistics.py
└── ws.py
```
## Core Runtime Flows
### Incoming data
1. Radio emits events.
2. `on_rx_log_data` stores raw packet and tries decrypt/pipeline handling.
3. Decrypted messages are inserted into `messages` and broadcast over WS.
4. `CONTACT_MSG_RECV` is a fallback DM path when packet pipeline cannot decrypt.
### Outgoing messages
1. Send endpoints in `routers/messages.py` call MeshCore commands.
2. Message is persisted as outgoing.
3. Endpoint broadcasts WS `message` event so all live clients update.
4. ACK/repeat updates arrive later as `message_acked` events.
5. Channel resend (`POST /messages/channel/{id}/resend`) strips the sender name prefix by exact match against the current radio name. This assumes the radio name hasn't changed between the original send and the resend — a safe assumption since name changes require a radio config update and are not something that happens mid-conversation.
### Connection lifecycle
- `RadioManager.start_connection_monitor()` checks health every 5s.
- Monitor reconnect path runs `post_connect_setup()` before broadcasting healthy state.
- Manual reconnect/reboot endpoints call `reconnect()` then `post_connect_setup()`.
- Setup includes handler registration, key export, time sync, contact/channel sync, polling/advert tasks.
## Important Behaviors
### Read/unread state
- Server is source of truth (`contacts.last_read_at`, `channels.last_read_at`).
- `GET /api/read-state/unreads` returns counts, mention flags, and `last_message_times`.
### Echo/repeat dedup
- Message uniqueness: `(type, conversation_key, text, sender_timestamp)`.
- Duplicate insert is treated as an echo/repeat: the new path (if any) is appended, and the ACK count is incremented **only for outgoing messages**. Incoming repeats add path data but do not change the ACK count.
### Raw packet dedup policy
- Raw packet storage deduplicates by payload hash (`RawPacketRepository.create`), excluding routing/path bytes.
- Stored packet `id` is therefore a payload identity, not a per-arrival identity.
- Realtime raw-packet WS broadcasts include `observation_id` (unique per RF arrival) in addition to `id`.
- Frontend packet-feed features should key/dedupe by `observation_id`; use `id` only as the storage reference.
- Message-layer repeat handling (`_handle_duplicate_message` + `MessageRepository.add_path`) is separate from raw-packet storage dedup.
### Contact sync throttle
- `sync_recent_contacts_to_radio()` sets `_last_contact_sync = now` before the sync completes.
- This is intentional: if sync fails, the next attempt is still throttled to prevent a retry-storm against a flaky radio. Contacts will resync on the next scheduled cycle or on reconnect.
### Periodic advertisement
- Controlled by `app_settings.advert_interval` (seconds).
- `0` means disabled.
- Last send time tracked in `app_settings.last_advert_time`.
### MQTT publishing
- Optional forwarding of mesh events to an external MQTT broker.
- All config in `app_settings` (not env vars): `mqtt_broker_host`, `mqtt_broker_port`, `mqtt_username`, `mqtt_password`, `mqtt_use_tls`, `mqtt_topic_prefix`, `mqtt_publish_messages`, `mqtt_publish_raw_packets`.
- Disabled when `mqtt_broker_host` is empty.
- `broadcast_event()` in `websocket.py` calls `mqtt_broadcast()` — single hook covers all message and raw_packet events.
- `MqttPublisher` (`app/mqtt.py`) runs a background connection loop with auto-reconnect and exponential backoff (5s → 30s).
- Publishes are fire-and-forget; individual publish failures logged but not surfaced to users.
- Connection state changes surface via `broadcast_error`/`broadcast_success` toasts.
- Health endpoint includes `mqtt_status` field (`connected`, `disconnected`, `disabled`).
- Settings changes trigger `mqtt_publisher.restart()` — no server restart needed.
- Topics: `{prefix}/dm:{key}`, `{prefix}/gm:{key}`, `{prefix}/raw/dm:{key}`, `{prefix}/raw/gm:{key}`, `{prefix}/raw/unrouted`.
## API Surface (all under `/api`)
### Health
- `GET /health`
### Radio
- `GET /radio/config`
- `PATCH /radio/config`
- `PUT /radio/private-key`
- `POST /radio/advertise`
- `POST /radio/reboot`
- `POST /radio/reconnect`
### Contacts
- `GET /contacts`
- `GET /contacts/repeaters/advert-paths` — recent advert paths for all contacts
- `GET /contacts/{public_key}`
- `GET /contacts/{public_key}/detail` — comprehensive contact profile (stats, name history, paths, nearest repeaters)
- `GET /contacts/{public_key}/advert-paths` — recent advert paths for one contact
- `POST /contacts`
- `DELETE /contacts/{public_key}`
- `POST /contacts/sync`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/add-to-radio`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/remove-from-radio`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/mark-read`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/command`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/reset-path`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/trace`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/login`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/status`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/lpp-telemetry`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/neighbors`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/acl`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/radio-settings`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/advert-intervals`
- `POST /contacts/{public_key}/repeater/owner-info`
### Channels
- `GET /channels`
- `GET /channels/{key}`
- `POST /channels`
- `DELETE /channels/{key}`
- `POST /channels/sync`
- `POST /channels/{key}/mark-read`
### Messages
- `GET /messages`
- `POST /messages/direct`
- `POST /messages/channel`
- `POST /messages/channel/{message_id}/resend`
### Packets
- `GET /packets/undecrypted/count`
- `POST /packets/decrypt/historical`
- `POST /packets/maintenance`
### Read state
- `GET /read-state/unreads`
- `POST /read-state/mark-all-read`
### Settings
- `GET /settings`
- `PATCH /settings`
- `POST /settings/favorites/toggle`
- `POST /settings/migrate`
### Statistics
- `GET /statistics` — aggregated mesh network stats (entity counts, message/packet splits, activity windows, busiest channels)
### WebSocket
- `WS /ws`
## WebSocket Events
- `health` — radio connection status (broadcast on change, personal on connect)
- `contact` — single contact upsert (from advertisements and radio sync)
- `message` — new message (channel or DM, from packet processor or send endpoints)
- `message_acked` — ACK/echo update for existing message (ack count + paths)
- `raw_packet` — every incoming RF packet (for real-time packet feed UI)
- `error` — toast notification (reconnect failure, missing private key, etc.)
- `success` — toast notification (historical decrypt complete, etc.)
Initial WS connect sends `health` only. Contacts/channels are loaded by REST.
Client sends `"ping"` text; server replies `{"type":"pong"}`.
## Data Model Notes
Main tables:
- `contacts` (includes `first_seen` for contact age tracking)
- `channels`
- `messages` (includes `sender_name`, `sender_key` for per-contact channel message attribution)
- `raw_packets`
- `contact_advert_paths` (recent unique advertisement paths per contact)
- `contact_name_history` (tracks name changes over time)
- `app_settings`
`app_settings` fields in active model:
- `max_radio_contacts`
- `favorites`
- `auto_decrypt_dm_on_advert`
- `sidebar_sort_order`
- `last_message_times`
- `preferences_migrated`
- `advert_interval`
- `last_advert_time`
- `bots`
- `mqtt_broker_host`, `mqtt_broker_port`, `mqtt_username`, `mqtt_password`
- `mqtt_use_tls`, `mqtt_tls_insecure`, `mqtt_topic_prefix`, `mqtt_publish_messages`, `mqtt_publish_raw_packets`
## Security Posture (intentional)
- No authn/authz.
- No CORS restriction (`*`).
- Bot code executes user-provided Python via `exec()`.
These are product decisions for trusted-network deployments; do not flag as accidental vulnerabilities.
## Testing
Run backend tests:
```bash
PYTHONPATH=. uv run pytest tests/ -v
```
Test suites:
```text
tests/
├── conftest.py # Shared fixtures
├── test_ack_tracking_wiring.py # DM ACK tracking extraction and wiring
├── test_api.py # REST endpoint integration tests
├── test_bot.py # Bot execution and sandboxing
├── test_channels_router.py # Channels router endpoints
├── test_config.py # Configuration validation
├── test_contacts_router.py # Contacts router endpoints
├── test_decoder.py # Packet parsing/decryption
├── test_echo_dedup.py # Echo/repeat deduplication (incl. concurrent)
├── test_event_handlers.py # ACK tracking, event registration, cleanup
├── test_frontend_static.py # Frontend static file serving
├── test_health_mqtt_status.py # Health endpoint MQTT status field
├── test_key_normalization.py # Public key normalization
├── test_keystore.py # Ephemeral keystore
├── test_message_pagination.py # Cursor-based message pagination
├── test_message_prefix_claim.py # Message prefix claim logic
├── test_migrations.py # Schema migration system
├── test_mqtt.py # MQTT publisher topic routing and lifecycle
├── test_packet_pipeline.py # End-to-end packet processing
├── test_packets_router.py # Packets router endpoints (decrypt, maintenance)
├── test_radio.py # RadioManager, serial detection
├── test_radio_operation.py # radio_operation() context manager
├── test_radio_router.py # Radio router endpoints
├── test_radio_sync.py # Polling, sync, advertisement
├── test_repeater_routes.py # Repeater command/telemetry/trace + granular pane endpoints
├── test_repository.py # Data access layer
├── test_rx_log_data.py # on_rx_log_data event handler integration
├── test_send_messages.py # Outgoing messages, bot triggers, concurrent sends
├── test_settings_router.py # Settings endpoints, advert validation
├── test_statistics.py # Statistics aggregation
├── test_websocket.py # WS manager broadcast/cleanup
└── test_websocket_route.py # WS endpoint lifecycle
```
## Errata & Known Non-Issues
### Sender timestamps are 1-second resolution (protocol constraint)
The MeshCore radio protocol encodes `sender_timestamp` as a 4-byte little-endian integer (Unix seconds). This is a firmware-level wire format — the radio, the Python library (`commands/messaging.py`), and the decoder (`decoder.py`) all read/write exactly 4 bytes. Millisecond Unix timestamps would overflow 4 bytes, so higher resolution is not possible without a firmware change.
**Consequence:** The dedup index `(type, conversation_key, text, COALESCE(sender_timestamp, 0))` operates at 1-second granularity. Sending identical text to the same conversation twice within one second will hit the UNIQUE constraint on the second insert, returning HTTP 500 *after* the radio has already transmitted. The message is sent over the air but not stored in the database. Do not attempt to fix this by switching to millisecond timestamps — it will break echo dedup (the echo's 4-byte timestamp won't match the stored value) and overflow `to_bytes(4, "little")`.
### Outgoing DM echoes remain undecrypted
When our own outgoing DM is heard back via `RX_LOG_DATA` (self-echo, loopback), `_process_direct_message` passes `our_public_key=None` for the outgoing direction, disabling the outbound hash check in the decoder. The decoder's inbound check (`src_hash == their_first_byte`) fails because the source is us, not the contact — so decryption returns `None`. This is by design: outgoing DMs are stored directly by the send endpoint, so no message is lost.
### Infinite setup retry on connection monitor
When `post_connect_setup()` fails (e.g. `export_and_store_private_key` raises `RuntimeError` because the radio didn't respond), `_setup_complete` is never set to `True`. The connection monitor sees `connected and not setup_complete` and retries every 5 seconds — indefinitely. This is intentional: the radio may be rebooting, waking from sleep, or otherwise temporarily unresponsive. We keep retrying so that setup completes automatically once the radio becomes available, without requiring manual intervention.
### DELETE channel returns 200 for non-existent keys
`DELETE /api/channels/{key}` returns `{"status": "ok"}` even if the key didn't exist. This is intentional — the postcondition is "channel doesn't exist," which is satisfied regardless of whether it existed before. No 404 needed.
### Contact lat/lon 0.0 vs NULL
MeshCore uses `0.0` as the sentinel for "no GPS coordinates" (see `models.py` `to_radio_dict`). The upsert SQL uses `COALESCE(excluded.lat, contacts.lat)`, which preserves existing values when the new value is `NULL` — but `0.0` is not `NULL`, so it overwrites previously valid coordinates. This is intentional: we always want the most recent location data. If a device stops broadcasting GPS, the old coordinates are presumably stale/wrong, so overwriting with "not available" (`0.0`) is the correct behavior.
## Editing Checklist
When changing backend behavior:
1. Update/add router and repository tests.
2. Confirm WS event contracts when payload shape changes.
3. Run `PYTHONPATH=. uv run pytest tests/ -v`.
4. If API contract changed, update frontend types and AGENTS docs.