meshcore-analyzer/docs/user-guide/channels.md

Channels

The Channels page shows decrypted MeshCore channel messages — like a group chat viewer for your mesh.

[Screenshot: channels page with message list]

What are channels?

MeshCore nodes can send messages on named channels (like #LongFast or #test). These are group messages broadcast through the mesh. Any observer that hears the packet captures it.

CoreScope can decrypt and display these messages if you provide the channel encryption key.

How it works

1. Observers capture encrypted channel packets from the mesh
2. CoreScope matches the packet's channel hash to a known channel name
3. If a decryption key is configured, the message content is decrypted and displayed
4. Without a key, you'll see the packet metadata but not the message text

Viewing messages

Select a channel from the list on the left. Messages appear in chronological order on the right.

Each message shows:

• Sender — node name or hash
• Text — decrypted message content
• Observer — which observer captured it
• Time — when it was received

The message list auto-scrolls to show new messages as they arrive via WebSocket.

Channel keys

To decrypt messages, add channel keys to your config.json:

{
  "channelKeys": {
    "public": "8b3387e9c5cdea6ac9e5edbaa115cd72"
  }
}

The key name (e.g., "public") is a label for your reference. The value is the 16-byte hex encryption key for that channel.

See Configuration for details on channelKeys and hashChannels.

Hash channels

The hashChannels config lists channel names that CoreScope should try to match by hash:

{
  "hashChannels": ["#LongFast", "#test", "#sf"]
}

CoreScope computes the hash of each name and matches incoming packets to identify which channel they belong to.

Region filter

Channels respect the region filter. Select a region to see only messages captured by observers in that area.

Tips

• The default MeshCore "public" channel key is well-known — most community meshes use it
• If messages appear but show garbled text, your key may be wrong
• Not all packets are channel messages — only type "Channel Msg" (GRP_TXT) appears here