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feat: Add SovereignRelay Meshtastic-XMPP bridge

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This commit introduces a MVP for the sovereign computing hackathon. It
provides a Python-based bridge between a local Meshtastic node and an
internet-connected XMPP Multi-User Chat room.

Features:
- `bridge.py`: Uses `meshtastic` and `slixmpp` to bridge messages bidirectionally.
- Properly handles asynchronous/synchronous impedance mismatch between XMPP and serial interfaces.
- Avoids infinite loop echo chambers.
- `flake.nix`: Packages the Python script and its dependencies.
- Exposes a NixOS module for configuring the bridge as a persistent systemd service.
- Requires `--password-file` to prevent exposing XMPP passwords in process listings.
- `README.md`: Explains architecture, usage, and how to configure the NixOS module.

Co-authored-by: jamessucla <2191476+jamessucla@users.noreply.github.com>
This commit is contained in:
google-labs-jules[bot]
2026-03-06 01:57:00 +00:00
commit c7ae0f2c4e
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# SovereignRelay
SovereignRelay is an off-grid resilient communication bridge built with NixOS. It connects local Meshtastic LoRa mesh networks to the federated internet via XMPP.
If the internet goes down, locals can communicate over the Meshtastic LoRa mesh. When the internet is up, a NixOS bridge flawlessly forwards local mesh messages to a federated XMPP Multi-User Chat (MUC) and vice versa, keeping the off-grid community connected to the broader world.
## Architecture
* **The Edge:** Local users connected to Meshtastic LoRa radios (e.g., LILYGO T-Beams or RAK WisBlocks).
* **The Bridge Hardware:** A machine (like a laptop or Raspberry Pi) running NixOS. A Meshtastic radio connects to it via USB (Serial).
* **The Bridge Software:** A Python daemon that actively listens to the Meshtastic serial stream and an XMPP connection.
* **The Federated Layer:** XMPP server facilitating connections globally.
## Prerequisites
- A local NixOS installation with flakes enabled.
- A Meshtastic device connected via USB to the NixOS machine.
- An XMPP account that can join MUCs.
## Usage
### Using the Nix Flake directly
You can run the python bridge straight from the flake:
```bash
nix run . -- -j "your_jid@xmpp.org" -p "your_password" -r "your_room@conference.xmpp.org" -n "meshbridge"
```
### Developing
You can drop into a Nix shell with all the required python dependencies:
```bash
nix develop
```
### NixOS Module (Systemd Service)
SovereignRelay provides a NixOS module to seamlessly integrate the bridge as a declarative `systemd` service that will persist, automatically start on boot, and autorestart on failure.
Include the flake in your `flake.nix` inputs:
```nix
{
inputs.sovereign-relay.url = "github:yourusername/sovereign-relay";
# ...
}
```
Then in your NixOS configuration (`configuration.nix` or similar):
```nix
{
imports = [
inputs.sovereign-relay.nixosModules.default
];
services.sovereign-bridge = {
enable = true;
jid = "your_jid@xmpp.org";
passwordFile = "/run/secrets/xmpp_password";
room = "your_room@conference.xmpp.org";
nick = "meshbridge";
};
}
```
The bridge daemon requires the `dialout` group to read the serial interface from the Meshtastic USB connection, which is handled automatically by the module's configuration.

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import sys
import time
import logging
import asyncio
from pubsub import pub
import meshtastic
import meshtastic.serial_interface
import slixmpp
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO, format='%(levelname)-8s %(message)s')
class SovereignBridge(slixmpp.ClientXMPP):
def __init__(self, jid, password, room, nick):
super().__init__(jid, password)
self.room = room
self.nick = nick
self.meshtastic_interface = None
# Plugins for MUC
self.register_plugin('xep_0030') # Service Discovery
self.register_plugin('xep_0045') # Multi-User Chat
self.register_plugin('xep_0199') # XMPP Ping
self.add_event_handler("session_start", self.start)
self.add_event_handler("groupchat_message", self.muc_message)
# Setup Meshtastic pubsub listeners
pub.subscribe(self.on_meshtastic_receive, "meshtastic.receive.text")
async def start(self, event):
self.send_presence()
await self.get_roster()
self.plugin['xep_0045'].join_muc(self.room, self.nick)
logging.info(f"Joined XMPP MUC: {self.room} as {self.nick}")
def muc_message(self, msg):
# Ignore our own messages to avoid loops
if msg['mucnick'] == self.nick:
return
body = msg['body']
sender = msg['mucnick']
logging.info(f"[XMPP -> Meshtastic] {sender}: {body}")
if self.meshtastic_interface:
# Run the synchronous meshtastic call in a thread pool to avoid blocking asyncio
asyncio.ensure_future(
asyncio.to_thread(self._send_to_meshtastic, f"{sender}: {body}")
)
def _send_to_meshtastic(self, msg_text):
try:
self.meshtastic_interface.sendText(msg_text)
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Error sending to Meshtastic: {e}")
def on_meshtastic_receive(self, packet, interface):
try:
if 'decoded' in packet and 'text' in packet['decoded']:
text = packet['decoded']['text']
sender_id = packet.get('fromId', 'Unknown')
logging.info(f"[Meshtastic -> XMPP] {sender_id}: {text}")
# Forward to XMPP MUC safely from the meshtastic pubsub thread
self.loop.call_soon_threadsafe(self._send_xmpp_message, sender_id, text)
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Error processing Meshtastic packet: {e}")
def _send_xmpp_message(self, sender_id, text):
try:
msg = self.make_message(mto=self.room, mbody=f"[{sender_id}] {text}", mtype='groupchat')
msg.send()
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Error sending XMPP message: {e}")
def connect_meshtastic(self):
logging.info("Connecting to Meshtastic node...")
try:
# Connect to the first available serial port
self.meshtastic_interface = meshtastic.serial_interface.SerialInterface()
logging.info("Connected to Meshtastic node.")
except Exception as e:
logging.error(f"Could not connect to Meshtastic node: {e}")
sys.exit(1)
def main():
import argparse
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Meshtastic <-> XMPP Bridge")
parser.add_argument("-j", "--jid", required=True, help="JID to use")
parser.add_argument("-P", "--password-file", required=False, help="File containing password to use")
parser.add_argument("-p", "--password", required=False, help="Password to use")
parser.add_argument("-r", "--room", required=True, help="MUC room to join")
parser.add_argument("-n", "--nick", required=True, help="MUC nickname")
args = parser.parse_args()
password = args.password
if args.password_file:
with open(args.password_file, 'r') as f:
password = f.read().strip()
if not password:
parser.error("Either --password or --password-file is required")
xmpp = SovereignBridge(args.jid, password, args.room, args.nick)
xmpp.connect_meshtastic()
logging.info("Connecting to XMPP server...")
xmpp.connect()
xmpp.process(forever=True)
if __name__ == '__main__':
main()

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{
description = "SovereignRelay - Meshtastic to XMPP Bridge";
inputs = {
nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
flake-utils.url = "github:numtide/flake-utils";
};
outputs = { self, nixpkgs, flake-utils }:
flake-utils.lib.eachDefaultSystem (system:
let
pkgs = import nixpkgs { inherit system; };
# Define the Python environment with required packages
pythonEnv = pkgs.python3.withPackages (ps: with ps; [
meshtastic
slixmpp
]);
# Package the bridge script
sovereign-bridge = pkgs.writeScriptBin "sovereign-bridge" ''
#!${pythonEnv}/bin/python
${builtins.readFile ./bridge.py}
'';
in
{
packages.default = sovereign-bridge;
devShells.default = pkgs.mkShell {
buildInputs = [
pythonEnv
sovereign-bridge
];
};
}
) // {
nixosModules.default = { config, lib, pkgs, ... }:
with lib;
let
cfg = config.services.sovereign-bridge;
in {
options.services.sovereign-bridge = {
enable = mkEnableOption "SovereignRelay Bridge";
jid = mkOption {
type = types.str;
description = "XMPP JID for the bridge bot";
};
passwordFile = mkOption {
type = types.path;
description = "Path to file containing XMPP password";
};
room = mkOption {
type = types.str;
description = "XMPP MUC room to bridge";
};
nick = mkOption {
type = types.str;
default = "meshbridge";
description = "Nickname for the bridge bot in the MUC";
};
};
config = mkIf cfg.enable {
systemd.services.sovereign-bridge = {
description = "SovereignRelay Meshtastic to XMPP Bridge";
after = [ "network.target" ];
wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
serviceConfig = {
ExecStart = let
script = pkgs.writeShellScript "sovereign-bridge-start" ''
# Run the bridge
${self.packages.${pkgs.system}.default}/bin/sovereign-bridge \
-j "${cfg.jid}" \
-P "${cfg.passwordFile}" \
-r "${cfg.room}" \
-n "${cfg.nick}"
'';
in "${script}";
Restart = "always";
RestartSec = "10";
# Required to access serial ports for Meshtastic
SupplementaryGroups = [ "dialout" ];
DynamicUser = true;
};
};
};
};
};
}