agessaman
3afdfe6e01
- Expanded the guidance on running meshcore-bot on Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, detailing two steps to optimize memory usage: disabling the web viewer and tuning the Mesh Graph settings. - Included specific configuration examples to help users effectively manage resource constraints on the device.
3.5 KiB
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about meshcore-bot.
Installation and upgrades
Will using --upgrade on the install script move over the settings file as well as upgrade the bot?
No. The install script never overwrites an existing config.ini in the installation directory. Whether you run it with or without --upgrade, your current config.ini is left as-is. So your settings are preserved when you upgrade.
With --upgrade, the script also updates the service definition (systemd unit or launchd plist) and reloads the service so the new code and any changed paths take effect.
If I don't use --upgrade, is the bot still upgraded after git pull and running the install script?
Partially. The script still copies repo files into the install directory and only overwrites when the source file is newer (and it never overwrites config.ini). So the installed code is upgraded.
Without --upgrade, the script does not update the service file (systemd/launchd) and does not reload the service. So:
- New bot code is on disk.
- The running service may still be using the old code until you restart it (e.g.
sudo systemctl restart meshcore-botor equivalent). - Any changes to the service definition (paths, user, etc.) in the script are not applied.
Recommendation: Use ./install-service.sh --upgrade after git pull when you want to upgrade; that updates files, dependencies, and the service, and reloads the service, while keeping your config.ini intact.
Command reference and website
How can I generate a custom command reference for my bot users?
See Custom command reference website: it explains how to use generate_website.py to build a single-page HTML from your config (with optional styles) and upload it to your site.
Hardware and performance
How do I run meshcore-bot on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W?
The Pi Zero 2 W has 512 MB of RAM. The bot and the web viewer are two separate Python processes; together they use roughly 300 MB on a busy mesh, which leaves little headroom. Follow the two steps below to keep things comfortable.
Step 1 — Run the bot only (saves ~150 MB)
The web viewer is optional. If you don't need the browser-based dashboard on the Pi itself, disable it and access it from another machine instead:
[Web_Viewer]
enabled = false
auto_start = false
The bot continues to work normally; the web viewer just won't start on the Pi. If you still want the dashboard, run the viewer on a desktop or server that shares the same database file (see MeshCore Bot Data Viewer).
Step 2 — Tune the Mesh Graph (saves another 50–100 MB on busy meshes)
Even with the web viewer off, the Mesh Graph can grow large. Add the following
to the [Path_Command] section of your config.ini:
[Path_Command]
# Limit startup memory: only load edges seen in the last 7 days.
# Edges older than this have near-zero path confidence anyway.
graph_startup_load_days = 7
# Evict edges from RAM after 7 days without a new observation.
graph_edge_expiration_days = 7
# Write graph updates in batches rather than on every packet.
graph_write_strategy = batched
# If you don't use the !path command at all, disable graph capture
# entirely to eliminate the background thread and all graph overhead.
# graph_capture_enabled = false
These settings do not affect path prediction accuracy: edges older than a few days carry negligible confidence due to the 48-hour recency half-life used by the scoring algorithm.