---
name: meshtastic
description: "Manage, flash, debug, and configure Meshtastic nodes, custom CA HTTPS firmware, and Web Client integration. USE FOR: Meshtastic radio CLI, Heltec V4, ESP32 NVS TLS certs, OTA/USB flashing, web client connections. DO NOT USE FOR: general networking without Meshtastic, unrelated Bluetooth/LoRa devices. **UTILITY SKILL**"
---

# Meshtastic

Manage Meshtastic radios (Heltec V4 / ESP32-S3), custom CA HTTPS certificates, latency tuning, and web client integration.

## Routing

USE FOR:
- Meshtastic CLI commands over TCP/Wi-Fi (`192.168.20.140`) or USB serial (`/dev/cu.usbmodem1101`).
- Custom local CA TLS certificate provisioning into ESP32 NVS (`MeshtasticHTTPS`).
- Latency optimizations in `WebServer.cpp` for fast TLS handshakes.
- Troubleshooting Web Client connection tests and mixed-content browser restrictions.
- Flashing and recovering firmware/partitions using `esptool`.

DO NOT USE FOR:
- Non-Meshtastic LoRa radios or generic network debugging.

## Common Operations

### CLI Over Wi-Fi & USB
```bash
# Query node status over Wi-Fi
meshtastic --host meshtastic.local --info

# Query over USB serial
meshtastic --port /dev/cu.usbmodem1101 --info

# Inspect device metadata
meshtastic --host 192.168.20.140 --device-metadata
```

### Verify HTTPS & Certificate
```bash
# Verify TLS without -k against trusted local CA
curl -v https://meshtastic.local/api/v1/fromradio

# Inspect cert chain and SAN on port 443
echo | openssl s_client -connect 192.168.20.140:443 -servername meshtastic.local 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -text -noout
```

### Flash Custom Firmware via USB
```bash
# Write custom firmware image to app0 (0x10000)
esptool --port /dev/cu.usbmodem1101 --baud 921600 write_flash 0x10000 firmware-custom/firmware-heltec-v4-2.7.26.54e0d8d.bin
```

### Safety Backup NVS
```bash
# Backup NVS partition (contains Wi-Fi, channels, and node config)
esptool --port /dev/cu.usbmodem1101 read_flash 0x9000 0x5000 backups/nvs_backup.bin
```

## Architecture & References

- [tls-ca-provisioning.md](references/tls-ca-provisioning.md): NVS certificate injection, DER formatting, and root CA trust.
- [flashing-and-hardware.md](references/flashing-and-hardware.md): Heltec V4 partition table, OTA port 3232 limits, and USB flashing.
- [web-client-integration.md](references/web-client-integration.md): Browser mixed-content rules, client 2.5s timeout patch, and 50ms loop interval tuning.