Enhance the documentation for the `start ota` command to clarify its
behavior when connected to a Wi-Fi network versus when using the
`start ota ap` option. This provides users with better guidance on
how to initiate OTA updates under different network conditions.
Update commit logic to remove existing destination before renaming
the temporary file on ESP32. This change addresses the SPIFFS_ERR_CONFLICTING_NAME
issue, ensuring that the new preferences are published correctly.
Add tests to validate the new behavior and confirm that the
temporary file is handled appropriately.
Append mqtt_neighbors_enabled(u8) + mqtt_neighbors_interval(u32) to the
observer tail of MQTTPrefs. The layout is kept byte-identical to the flex
neighbors build: the enable flag lands in the old struct's zeroed trailing
padding (offset 2857) and the interval begins exactly at the former baseline
(2860), so sizeof grows 2860 -> 2864 (net +4 bytes). offsetof static_asserts
lock the layout so a mismatch fails the build.
The codec now accepts three v1 payload sizes: register 2860 as a
"pre-neighbors" Current payload so an in-lineage upgrade reads its existing
/mqtt_prefs and defaults the neighbors tail (off / 24h). Because 2864 is the
shared Current baseline, a /mqtt_prefs written by either the flex build or this
firmware is interchangeable.
Add the 12/24/336h interval constants, neighbors defaults, and a load-time
interval clamp that keeps persisted values inside the signed-delta millis()
scheduling window. Extend the host codec suite with a pre-neighbors migration
case and neighbors round-trip coverage.
Saving observer prefs logged an ESP32 error line on every save:
[E][vfs_api.cpp:182] remove(): /mqtt_prefs.tmp does not exists or is directory
MQTTPrefsFileStore::begin() cleared a stale transaction with an unconditional
remove("/mqtt_prefs.tmp"). On the normal path there is no stale tmp - commit()
renames it away - so the remove always failed and the ESP32 VFS layer logged it
at [E] level. The save itself succeeded; the noise just reads as a fault in the
serial log at exactly the moment an operator is watching a config change.
Guard each remove on exists(), at all four sites: begin() and abort() for both
the /mqtt_prefs and /com_prefs stores. Semantics are unchanged - a genuinely
stale tmp is still cleared, and a failure to clear it still aborts the
transaction - it just stops issuing a syscall that can only fail.
Fixed here on webconfig (the 1.16.0-based line that carries the atomic store)
so it flows to flex with the rest of that work. NOT applicable to
mqtt-bridge-implementation-flex today: flex has no .tmp/rename handling at all,
so the code path does not exist there.
Verified: Heltec_v3_repeater_observer_mqtt builds; hardware confirmation of the
silenced log pending.
First upstream merge since the 2026-06-06 base (191 upstream commits). 14 files
conflicted; resolutions below.
Fleet-critical check (Constraint 1): upstream reordered NodePrefs members
(rx_boosted_gain / path_hash_mode moved to the struct tail) but did NOT change
/com_prefs. Persistence is written field-by-field at explicit offsets, so member
order is in-memory only. Verified the fork's writeCommonPrefsImage() is
byte-identical to upstream's inline writer at every offset (79 pad, 121, 122,
290-294). No migration needed.
Resolutions:
- CommonCLI.h: kept the fork's NodePrefs (superset) and adopted upstream's
setRxBoostedGain(bool)->bool signature change, which CommonCLI.cpp now uses to
report unsupported. Corrected a stale comment claiming rx_boosted_gain lives at
offset 79 (it is a pad; the field is at 290).
- CommonCLI.cpp: kept the fork's legacy /com_prefs migration and the extracted
writeCommonPrefsImage() call.
- UITask.cpp: three-way merge - upstream's drawTextCentered + powering-off
screen, plus the fork's WITH_WEBCONFIG portal/reboot screens.
- ESP32Board.cpp, MeshCore.h, platformio.ini: kept both sides (fork OTA additions
alongside upstream powerOff/enterDeepSleep and Packet.cpp).
- MicroNMEALocationProvider.h: took upstream's claim/release and added the
_claims member they depend on.
- MyMesh.cpp/.h (repeater + room server): kept the fork's superset defaults.
- Removed duplicate declarations auto-merge produced: RadioLibWrapper::_cad_enabled
and MyMesh::getCADEnabled().
Verification: native suite 15/15 (incl. upstream's new test_mesh_tables), both
MQTT smoke builds green, ArduinoJson pin check passes. Hardware validation next.
Rework the /mqtt_prefs load/save path so preference migrations are
crash-safe and, for the first time, unit-testable on the host.
Most of this is extraction. The multi-format migration that previously
lived inline in CommonCLI.cpp (and could only run on-device) is moved
into three dependency-free headers so it can be exercised without
Arduino, a filesystem, or the radio stack:
- MQTTPrefsStorage.h frozen layout structs for every /mqtt_prefs
format ever shipped, with static_asserts that
fail the build if any on-flash offset changes.
- MQTTPrefsCodec.h pure format classification, field-copy
migration, and plausibility validation.
- MQTTPrefsAtomicStore.h transactional writer plus the power-cut
upgrade gate, both host-testable.
New behavior, beyond the refactor:
- Atomic writes: /mqtt_prefs is written to /mqtt_prefs.tmp, verified,
then published with an atomic rename; the writer never removes the
existing file. A failed or interrupted save leaves the current
config intact.
- Power-cut ordering: LegacyUpgradeGate guarantees /mqtt_prefs is
durably committed before the legacy /com_prefs (or /node_prefs)
carrying the observer tail is compacted or removed, so an
interrupted two-file upgrade retries on the next boot without
losing settings.
- Corrupt, unsupported-version, and newer-than-known files are
preserved and the device boots on in-RAM defaults, rather than
overwriting a file this firmware cannot fully decode.
- Headerless legacy formats are validated for plausibility before
they are trusted and rewritten (raw prefs carry no checksum).
The full historical format matrix is migrated forward to the versioned
v1 layout: pre-slot (including pre-wifi-power), 3-slot (base and
token/topic tails), and headerless 6-slot (base, audience, rx, ntp).
Scope note: only /mqtt_prefs and the one-time /node_prefs -> /com_prefs
name migration use the atomic path. Ordinary /com_prefs saves remain a
direct rewrite, unchanged by this commit.
Tests: adds two host GoogleTest suites (pio test -e native).
- test_mqtt_prefs_codec: format classification, migration fixtures,
v1 header integrity, downgrade preservation.
- test_mqtt_prefs_atomic_store: transactional writes, short-write
detection, begin/finish/rename failure cleanup, original-file
preservation.
Integrates Mike Carper's transmission-reliability work (direct retries with
SNR-adaptive backoff and CR, flood retry controls, alt-path replies, flood
channel gates) plus its upstream/dev base (as of 2026-07-06) on top of the
observer stack. The flex branch is untouched; this branch is the experimental
integration line.
Conflict-resolution decisions, for future re-syncs (git rerere is enabled and
has recorded these):
- NodePrefs adopts keymind/upstream member order + retry/flood tail. Member
order is in-memory only: /com_prefs stays field-by-field with the same
canonical file order both sides already share through offset 294; keymind
appends the retry tail at 295+ (new canonical size 676). Flex fleet files
load unchanged; retry fields default via direct_retry_prefs_magic.
- loadPrefsInt keeps the fork's legacy MQTT-gap recovery but moves its
detection boundary from 'extra > 5' to 'extra > LEGACY_MQTT_GAP_3SLOT (864)'
so keymind-size tails take the normal read path. COM_PREFS_TAIL_BYTES
retired.
- Dispatcher/RadioLibWrappers: fork watchdog additions + keymind TX overrides
and CAD busy counter are unioned; RxReservePacketManager::queueOutbound
follows upstream's new bool return (false when shedding).
- CommonCLI: fork observer dispatch + versioned /mqtt_prefs machinery kept;
keymind CLI (retry/flood/radioat) taken; duplicate CAD/FEM handlers and
sanitise lines deduped (kept keymind placements to minimize future diff).
- MyMesh (repeater/room): fork alerter/OTA/observer wiring kept; keymind
scheduled-radio system replaces the old pending_* temp-radio members;
applySavedRadioParams() replaces raw setParams at startup.
- ESP32Board: fork manifest-OTA + keymind powerOff/deepSleep and stopOTAUpdate
unioned; startOTAUpdate keeps fork's STA-aware IP with keymind's idempotency
guard.
- build.sh taken wholesale from keymind (fleet builds use GH Actions).
Verified: Heltec_v3_repeater_observer_mqtt, Heltec_v3_repeater,
heltec_v4_repeater_observer_mqtt, Heltec_v3_room_server_observer_mqtt build;
host migration harness (13 MQTT + non-MQTT scenarios) passes with updated
expectations (676-byte /com_prefs; odd-size files normalize on save, not
load); native unit tests 13/13.
performChannelScan was restored as protected non-virtual but upstream declares
it public virtual — match upstream verbatim so the hunk disappears from the
merge surface. Also replace the bare 'extra > 5' tail threshold with
COM_PREFS_TAIL_BYTES, tied by comment to the trailing writes in savePrefs(),
so the next upstream field append updates one named constant.
The unknown-version path kept defaults at boot but any later savePrefs()
(every CLI set command) rewrote /mqtt_prefs as v1 with defaults, destroying
the newer config after a firmware downgrade. Latch _mqtt_prefs_hold when an
unsupported version is seen and refuse to write while it is set — checked
before the NRF52/STM32 open path, which deletes the file first.
Also pin the frozen legacy /mqtt_prefs layouts (472/1464/2904 bytes + 8-byte
header) with static_asserts so every target build re-verifies the deployed
fleet's file offsets, and null-check _obs in AlertReporter::onLoop.
Completes the FEM RX-gain restoration begun in the CAD/prefs change, which
persisted radio_fem_rxgain but didn't yet drive the hardware. Also dropped
by the 22eb9b87 revert; restored to match upstream.
- MainBoard: setLoRaFemLnaEnabled()/canControlLoRaFemLna()/isLoRaFemLnaEnabled()
virtuals (default: can't control — non-FEM boards report unsupported)
- heltec_v4: board overrides driving loRaFEMControl; LoRaFEMControl gains the
isLNAEnabled() getter (it already tracked lna_enabled and drove the FEM)
- CLI: `set radio.fem.rxgain on/off` / `get radio.fem.rxgain` (guarded by
canControlLoRaFemLna, so it reports "unsupported" on non-FEM boards)
- app startup applies the persisted pref: board.setLoRaFemLnaEnabled(
_prefs.radio_fem_rxgain), beside setRxBoostedGainMode
Default is ON (upstream), so on FEM boards the LNA is enabled after upgrade —
a real reception behavior change to confirm on hardware. The other FEM
variants (heltec_t096/tower_v2/tracker_v2) need the same small board-override
addition; until then `radio.fem.rxgain` reports unsupported there (no
regression — status quo).
Builds: heltec_v4 repeater-observer + room-observer (FEM board), Heltec_v3
repeater (non-FEM, base virtuals no-op). NEEDS on-device validation on a
Heltec V4.
Continues restoring features dropped by the 22eb9b87 revert. Both were
upstream-tested code, not intentional fork removals.
CAD (hardware Channel Activity Detection / listen-before-talk before TX),
fully restored and functional:
- NodePrefs.cad_enabled + `set cad on/off` / `get cad` CLI (default off)
- RadioLibWrapper: _cad_enabled + setCADEnabled() + the scanChannel()/CAD
branch in isChannelActive() (Phase 1 already restored the Dispatcher hook)
- getCADEnabled() overrides in the repeater/room/sensor apps (return the
pref) and companion (always on, matching upstream)
radio_fem_rxgain: the NodePrefs field + /com_prefs persistence are restored
here at upstream's exact offsets (293 fem, 294 cad), which makes /com_prefs
byte-identical to upstream through the tail. The field is persisted and
defaults on (upstream default), but the per-board LNA *driving* + the
`radio.fem.rxgain` CLI are deferred to the FEM-hardware change (they depend
on board methods and want per-board bench testing).
The new-format /com_prefs tail grows from 3 to 5 bytes; the old-format
detection threshold and the host migration harness are updated accordingly
(all scenarios pass, incl. the non-MQTT-build variant).
Builds: Heltec_v3 repeater, repeater-observer, room-observer. (sensor /
plain-room / companion fail only on the pre-existing Timezone.h include
issue, unrelated to these changes.)
The /mqtt_prefs format was detected purely by struct size, which is fragile
(size collisions across eras) and forced the vestigial `_legacy_*` fields to
be retained forever to preserve byte offsets. With ~several thousand observer
devices deployed from the rolling `observer-mqtt-latest` flasher, this is the
last safe moment to fix it before the observer-settings split ships.
/mqtt_prefs now leads with an 8-byte MQTTPrefsHeader (magic {0xF5,'M','Q','P'},
version, payload_len) followed by the raw payload. The magic's non-ASCII lead
byte cannot collide with a legacy file (whose payload starts with the
mqtt_origin string), so versioned and headerless files are cleanly separable.
An unrecognized (newer) version leaves the file untouched and falls back to
defaults rather than misreading it.
MQTTPrefs is compacted: the six `_legacy_*` fields are removed. Every deployed
headerless layout — pre-slot (OldMQTTPrefs), 3-slot (ThreeSlotMQTTPrefs), and
the shipped 6-slot flex layout (new Legacy6SlotMQTTPrefs) — is field-copied
into the compact struct and re-saved with the header once, on first boot.
Future fields append to the payload and stay backward compatible.
Verified with a host harness that generates a byte-exact deployed flex
/mqtt_prefs (the flex MQTTPrefs is confirmed identical to Legacy6SlotMQTTPrefs,
2904 bytes) and round-trips it through the new load path, plus pre-slot/3-slot
migration, unknown-version safety, magic/origin collision-safety, and the
combined /com_prefs observer-tail recovery. Observer + room-server + no-MQTT
ESP32 targets build.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The NodePrefs->MQTTPrefs split (2eb41bae) left the promised one-time
migration of the old /com_prefs trailing block unimplemented, so users
upgrading an observer node silently lost SNMP, radio-watchdog, and
fault-alert configuration (alerts reset to off; PSK/hashtag/region wiped).
loadPrefsInt now detects an old-format /com_prefs by its size, skips the
legacy zero-filled MQTT gap (6-slot or 3-slot era), and recovers the
trailing observer block into a LegacyObserverTail (reusing the old
firmware's byte291/292 heuristic and per-field availability guards).
loadMQTTPrefs applies those values when the loaded /mqtt_prefs predates
the appended observer fields, and both files are rewritten once in the
current layout. rx_boosted_gain/flood_max_* are also recovered from the
correct offsets (previously read from inside the old gap and reset).
Verified with a host-side harness that round-trips the real old-firmware
savePrefs (from 2eb41bae^) through the new load path across upgrade,
fresh-install, upstream-format, 3-slot-era, truncated, and legacy-variant
cases, plus a non-MQTT-build variant. Updates the stale migration comments
and documents the CommonCLI_Observer seam in MQTT_IMPLEMENTATION.md.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
mikecarper
agessaman
Kevin Le
Jarosław Domański