fix: local decoding of MQTT proxy messages in Virtual Node Server (#2358) by Yeraze · Pull Request #2363 · Yeraze/meshmonitor

Yeraze · 2026-03-21T22:22:59Z

Summary

Fixes #2358 — MQTT proxy messages (mqttClientProxyMessage) sent to the Virtual Node Server are now locally decoded via the Server Channel Database, so traffic from channels not configured on the physical radio still appears in the UI.

Problem

When an MQTT proxy sends ToRadio.mqttClientProxyMessage to MeshMonitor via TCP, the VNS forwarded it directly to the physical radio without local processing. If the radio didn't have the channel configured, the message was silently dropped and never appeared in the UI.

Solution

Load mqtt.proto in the protobuf loader for ServiceEnvelope support
Add decodeServiceEnvelope() to meshtasticProtobufService — extracts MeshPacket from the ServiceEnvelope wrapper
Intercept mqttClientProxyMessage in handleClientMessage — decodes the envelope, sets viaMqtt=true, wraps in FromRadio, and feeds through processIncomingData() for server-side decryption
Still forwards to physical radio — the original ToRadio is always forwarded regardless of local processing result

Files Changed

File	Change
`src/server/protobufLoader.ts`	Load `mqtt.proto` for ServiceEnvelope support
`src/server/meshtasticProtobufService.ts`	Add `decodeServiceEnvelope()` method
`src/server/meshtasticProtobufService.test.ts`	4 new tests for ServiceEnvelope decoding
`src/server/virtualNodeServer.ts`	Add `mqttClientProxyMessage` handling block
`src/server/virtualNodeServer.test.ts`	4 new tests for MQTT proxy handling

Test plan

3052 tests pass, 0 failures
Build clean (0 TypeScript errors)
ServiceEnvelope decode: valid envelope, invalid data, missing packet, empty data
VNS: packet marked viaMqtt, always forwarded to radio, graceful empty data handling

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Load mqtt.proto for ServiceEnvelope support and add decode method for extracting MeshPackets from MQTT proxy messages. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

…Node Server Intercepts ToRadio.mqttClientProxyMessage, decodes the ServiceEnvelope, extracts the MeshPacket, marks it viaMqtt=true, and feeds it through processIncomingData for Server Channel Database decryption. The original message is still forwarded to the physical radio. Closes #2358 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:02Z

src/server/meshtasticProtobufService.ts

+      return null;
+    }
+
+    if (!data || data.length === 0) {


Consider adding more specific error context here to aid debugging:

Suggested change

if (!data || data.length === 0) {

if (!data || data.length === 0) {

logger.debug('decodeServiceEnvelope: Empty or null data provided');

return null;

}

This will help distinguish between different failure modes when troubleshooting MQTT proxy issues.

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:06Z

src/server/meshtasticProtobufService.ts

+        gatewayId: decoded.gatewayId || undefined,
+      };
+    } catch (error) {
+      logger.warn('⚠️ Failed to decode ServiceEnvelope:', error);


Consider logging the error details to aid troubleshooting:

Suggested change

logger.warn('⚠️ Failed to decode ServiceEnvelope:', error);

logger.warn('⚠️ Failed to decode ServiceEnvelope:', (error as Error).message);

This provides more actionable debugging information for MQTT proxy issues while keeping logs clean.

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:13Z

src/server/virtualNodeServer.ts

+        // MQTT Proxy message: decode ServiceEnvelope locally for Server Channel Database decryption
+        // Then forward to physical radio as normal
+        const proxyMsg = toRadio.mqttClientProxyMessage;
+        const proxyData = proxyMsg.data;


Consider adding type safety and input validation:

Suggested change

const proxyData = proxyMsg.data;

const proxyData = proxyMsg?.data;

if (!proxyData || !(proxyData instanceof Uint8Array) || proxyData.length === 0) {

logger.warn(`Virtual node: MQTT proxy message from ${clientId} has invalid data payload`);

// Still forward to radio

logger.info(`Virtual node: Forwarding MQTT proxy message from ${clientId} to physical node`);

this.queueMessage(clientId, payload);

return;

}

This improves robustness by handling edge cases where proxyMsg.data might not be a Uint8Array as expected.

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:17Z

src/server/virtualNodeServer.ts

+            } else {
+              logger.warn(`Virtual node: MQTT proxy message from ${clientId} has no decodable packet, forwarding to radio only`);
+            }
+          } catch (error) {


Consider adding more specific error context:

Suggested change

} catch (error) {

} catch (error) {

logger.error(`Virtual node: Failed to process MQTT proxy message locally from ${clientId}: ${(error as Error).message}`, error);

// Continue - still forward to physical node

}

This provides better debugging information while maintaining the robust error handling approach.

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:23Z

src/server/meshtasticProtobufService.test.ts

+
+    it('returns null for invalid data', () => {
+      if (!protobufInitialized) return;
+


Great test case! Consider making the assertion more explicit about what constitutes valid vs invalid results:

Suggested change

const result = service.decodeServiceEnvelope(new Uint8Array([0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF]));

// Should return null for invalid data that cannot be decoded as ServiceEnvelope

expect(result).toBeNull();

This makes the test intent clearer and ensures we're specifically testing the invalid data path.

github-actions · 2026-03-21T22:24:30Z

src/server/virtualNodeServer.test.ts

  });
 });
+
+describe('Virtual Node Server - MQTT Proxy Message Handling', () => {


These tests are well-designed for documenting the expected behavior! Consider adding a test that verifies the actual flow integration:

Suggested change

describe('Virtual Node Server - MQTT Proxy Message Handling', () => {

describe('Virtual Node Server - MQTT Proxy Message Handling', () => {

// ... existing tests ...

it('should process MQTT proxy messages through the complete flow', async () => {

// Test that demonstrates the full: ToRadio → ServiceEnvelope decode → FromRadio → processIncomingData flow

// This would help catch integration issues between the components

});

});

This would verify the end-to-end integration between the VNS and protobuf service.

Yeraze and others added 3 commits March 21, 2026 18:02

docs: add MQTT proxy local decode design spec for issue #2358

8903453

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

feat(#2358): add decodeServiceEnvelope to protobuf service

380cf51

Load mqtt.proto for ServiceEnvelope support and add decode method for extracting MeshPackets from MQTT proxy messages. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

github-actions bot reviewed Mar 21, 2026

View reviewed changes

Yeraze merged commit 3c3c0bf into main Mar 21, 2026
17 checks passed

Yeraze deleted the fix/mqtt-proxy-local-decode branch March 21, 2026 22:43

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fix: local decoding of MQTT proxy messages in Virtual Node Server (#2358)#2363

fix: local decoding of MQTT proxy messages in Virtual Node Server (#2358)#2363
Yeraze merged 3 commits intomainfrom
fix/mqtt-proxy-local-decode

Yeraze commented Mar 21, 2026

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	logger.warn('⚠️ Failed to decode ServiceEnvelope:', error);
	logger.warn('⚠️ Failed to decode ServiceEnvelope:', (error as Error).message);

-        const proxyData = proxyMsg.data;
+        const proxyData = proxyMsg?.data;
+        if (!proxyData || !(proxyData instanceof Uint8Array) || proxyData.length === 0) {
+          logger.warn(`Virtual node: MQTT proxy message from ${clientId} has invalid data payload`);
+          // Still forward to radio
+          logger.info(`Virtual node: Forwarding MQTT proxy message from ${clientId} to physical node`);
+          this.queueMessage(clientId, payload);
+          return;
+        }


		it('returns null for invalid data', () => {
		if (!protobufInitialized) return;

+      const result = service.decodeServiceEnvelope(new Uint8Array([0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF]));
+      // Should return null for invalid data that cannot be decoded as ServiceEnvelope
+      expect(result).toBeNull();

-describe('Virtual Node Server - MQTT Proxy Message Handling', () => {
+describe('Virtual Node Server - MQTT Proxy Message Handling', () => {
+  // ... existing tests ...
+  it('should process MQTT proxy messages through the complete flow', async () => {
+    // Test that demonstrates the full: ToRadio → ServiceEnvelope decode → FromRadio → processIncomingData flow
+    // This would help catch integration issues between the components
+  });
+});

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Yeraze commented Mar 21, 2026

Summary

Problem

Solution

Files Changed

Test plan

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