MeshCore Paths

Ask the mesh for a path.

A MeshCore path server listens to the mesh, works out which repeaters can hear which, and answers a direct message with the best direct path from you to anyone. You stop flooding the whole network to reach one person.

–repeaters mapped
–links published
–observers
–last update

Explore the map and look up a route →

How to use it

Send a direct message to a path server node:

path Example Ridge

It answers with the hops to use, or tells you to flood when it isn't confident:

#path1 5f3c19e0b7a2 w=1 4e,a1,73 c=0.97

#path1 5f3c19e0b7a2 flood

How it works

1. Listen

Each flood packet carries the hash of every repeater that relayed it. A packet that arrives via A → B → C proves B hears A and C hears B. The observer keeps only the path and the adverts. Message contents stay encrypted and are thrown away.

2. Work out who's who

Most repeaters still use a 1-byte hash, so dozens share each value. The resolver rules candidates out (wrong type, too far apart, not heard directly, gone quiet). It then weighs the rest against links already known to be real, and gives every link a confidence score.

3. Answer only when sure

Routes use only high-confidence links. They avoid hops where a second repeater with the same hash would also forward the packet. They use 2- or 3-byte hashes when every repeater on the way supports them. Otherwise the answer is "flood".

Built to grow

observer (radio + computer) ── signed batches ──▶ ingest ──▶ observation store
                                                                │ every ~10 min
                                                                ▼
                                                            resolver
                                                                │
                              graph-<hash>.json (immutable) + latest.json
                                                                │ CDN
                    ┌───────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────┐
              this site (route lookup runs in your browser)     every path server's answers

Visitors only ever load static files from the CDN. Graph files are named by their hash, so they never change and are cached forever. Route lookup runs in your browser. More observers mean a bigger, more accurate map without more load on any one machine: each radio only sees the routes that reach it, so merging what several radios hear fills in the gaps.

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