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MeshBot

A plugin-based Meshtastic bot written in Python. MeshBot connects to a Meshtastic node over Serial or TCP and responds to user commands on the mesh network. It includes an interactive terminal dashboard for administration.

Features

  • Plugin architecture — commands, modules, and services are independently configurable and can be enabled/disabled without restarting
  • Interactive admin dashboard — terminal UI built with Textual with a live log view and admin console
  • Scheduled modules — push NWS weather alerts, firmware update notifications, and app release notifications to mesh channels automatically
  • Node database — tracks nodes heard on the mesh with location, hardware, and activity data
  • DM-only mode — individual modules can be restricted to respond only to direct messages

Requirements

  • Python 3.10+
  • A Meshtastic node with the Serial or TCP interface enabled
  • A Positionstack API key (free tier available) — required for weather and location-based commands
  • A GitHub personal access token — optional, required only for firmware/app update monitoring modules

Installation

git clone https://github.com/adein/MeshBot.git
cd MeshBot
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp config.example.yaml config.yaml

Edit config.yaml with your settings (see Configuration below), then run:

python main.py

Configuration

Copy config.example.yaml to config.yaml and fill in the values. The config.yaml file is excluded from version control by .gitignore — never commit it.

Core settings

core:
  my_node_id: "!your_node_id"       # Your bot node's ID (from the Meshtastic app)
  dedup_window: 10.0                 # Seconds to suppress duplicate messages
  database:
    db_path: "meshbot_data.db"       # Path for the SQLite node database
  channels:
    channel_0_name: "LongFast"       # Display names for each channel index (0–7)
    channel_1_name: "YourChannel1"
    # ...

Meshtastic service

services:
  meshtastic_service:
    node_ip: "127.0.0.1"            # IP address of your Meshtastic node
    node_port: 4403                  # TCP port (default: 4403)
    reconnect_base_delay: 5          # Seconds before first reconnect attempt
    reconnect_max_delay: 300         # Max seconds between reconnect attempts

API keys

services:
  aqicn_service:
    api_key: "your_api_key"
  github_service:
    api_key: "your_github_pat"       # GitHub personal access token
  positionstack_geocode_service:
    api_key: "your_positionstack_key"
    country_limit: "US"              # Optional: restrict geocoding to a country

Modules

Each module can be enabled/disabled and configured to respond only to direct messages:

modules:
  ping:
    enabled: true
    dm_only: true        # Only respond to direct messages
    interval_seconds: 0  # 0 = triggered by command only; >0 = also runs on a schedule

See config.example.yaml for the full list of module options.

Bot Commands

Users interact with MeshBot by sending !command messages either as direct messages to the bot node or on a configured channel.

Command Description Example
!ping Test connectivity. Responds with signal info (SNR, hops). !ping
!about Show bot info and contact details. !about
!aqi <location> Current air quality for a location. !aqi Detroit
!help List available commands. !help
!weather <location> Current weather conditions for a location. !weather Detroit, MI
!forecast <location> 2-day weather forecast for a location. !forecast Ann Arbor
!alerts <location> Active NWS weather alerts for a location. !alerts Michigan
!nodesearch <query> Search the node database by name, ID, or proximity. !nodesearch John / !nodesearch near Ann Arbor, MI
!highnodes List the 5 nodes with the highest reported altitude. !highnodes
!stats [mode] Usage statistics. Modes: commands, users, channels. !stats users
!michmesh Show MichMesh community setup information. (Michigan-specific — see below) !michmesh

Note: Commands that appear in !help are determined by enabled modules. If a module is disabled in config.yaml, its command will not respond.

!michmesh is a community-specific command included as a working example of a simple info command. It responds with a hardcoded message pointing to MichMesh setup documentation. If you're not part of that community, disable it in config.yaml or use it as a template to create your own regional or community info command.

Background Modules

These modules run on a schedule and push messages to configured channels without requiring a user command.

Module Description Default Interval
local_aqi_alerts Polls the AQICN API for AQI alerts at a location and posts them to a channel. Every 30 minutes
local_nws_alerts Polls the NWS API for active alerts in a configured zone and posts them to a channel. Every 30 minutes
meshtastic_firmware_monitor Checks GitHub for new Meshtastic firmware releases and announces them. Every 12 hours
meshtastic_app_monitor Checks for new Meshtastic Android and iOS app releases and announces them. Every 12 hours

Configure the NWS zone in config.yaml:

modules:
  local_nws_alerts:
    enabled: true
    interval_seconds: 1800
    zone: "MIZ075"      # Your NWS public zone ID (e.g. MIZ075 = Washtenaw County, MI)
    channels: [7]        # Channel indices to post alerts to

Find your NWS zone ID at alerts.weather.gov.

Admin Dashboard

MeshBot runs an interactive terminal dashboard. Use the command input at the bottom to manage the bot at runtime.

Command Description
help / ? Show available admin commands
status Show enabled/disabled status of all modules
toggle <module> Enable or disable a module by name
reload Reload config.yaml and restart all modules and scheduled jobs
nodesearch <query> Search the node database (name, ID, or city, state)
rolesearch <role> Search nodes by their configured role
directnodes List nodes with zero hops (directly connected)
neighbornodes List recently heard non-MQTT nodes
highnodes List nodes with the highest reported altitude
stats Show bot and mesh statistics
exit Shut down the bot

Project Structure

MeshBot/
├── commands/       # Command definitions (trigger words and event topics)
├── core/           # Core components: dispatcher, database, event bus, scheduler, plugin manager
├── interfaces/     # Abstract base classes for commands, modules, and services
├── models/         # Data models
├── modules/        # Command handlers and scheduled task implementations
├── services/       # External service integrations (Meshtastic, weather APIs, GitHub)
├── ui/             # Textual terminal dashboard
├── utils/          # Utility functions (geo, time)
├── main.py         # Entry point
├── config.example.yaml
└── requirements.txt

Adding Custom Modules

MeshBot uses a plugin architecture. To add a new command:

  1. Create a command file in commands/ that extends BotCommand and defines a trigger and event_topic.
  2. Create a module file in modules/ that extends BotModule, subscribes to the event topic, and implements the logic.
  3. Add the module configuration to config.yaml under modules:.

The plugin manager discovers and loads all modules automatically at startup and on reload.

See existing commands/modules for examples.

License

GNU General Public License v3.0 — see LICENSE for details.