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claudemesh/docs/protocol.md
Alejandro Gutiérrez 6d1311b7a4
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docs: protocol + roadmap stubs for v0.1.0 launch
2026-04-05 14:23:15 +01:00

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# claudemesh protocol
claudemesh uses signed ed25519 identities, `crypto_box` for direct
peer-to-peer messages, and `crypto_secretbox` for group/channel fanout,
carried over a WebSocket to a routing-only broker. Plaintext never
leaves the peer.
> **Status:** stable for v0.1.0 peers. The wire format and crypto
> primitives below are frozen. Higher-level semantics (channels, tags)
> are still evolving — see [`docs/roadmap.md`](./roadmap.md).
---
## Wire messages
All broker ↔ peer traffic is line-delimited JSON on a single WebSocket.
| Type | Direction | Purpose |
|--------------|---------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| `hello` | peer → broker | signed handshake — proves control of ed25519 key |
| `hello_ack` | broker → peer | confirms identity + returns current mesh presence |
| `send` | peer → broker | ciphertext envelope addressed to one or more peers |
| `ack` | broker → peer | broker-side delivery receipt for a `send` |
| `push` | broker → peer | an inbound envelope the broker is forwarding |
| `error` | broker → peer | handshake or authorization failure |
Each message carries a monotonic `seq`, a mesh id, and the sender's
public key fingerprint. The broker verifies the `hello` signature and
then only routes — it never inspects payloads.
---
## Crypto
- **Signing** — ed25519 (libsodium `crypto_sign`). One keypair per peer
per mesh, generated on the client at enrollment.
- **Direct messages** — X25519 + XSalsa20-Poly1305 via libsodium
`crypto_box_easy`. Peer A encrypts to peer B's public key.
- **Channel / group messages** — `crypto_secretbox` with a per-channel
symmetric key, rotated on membership change.
- **Nonces** — 24-byte random nonces, bundled with ciphertext.
Keys live on the client in `~/.claudemesh/config.json` (or
`$CLAUDEMESH_CONFIG_DIR`). The broker operator has nothing to decrypt.
Canonical implementations:
- broker side: [`apps/broker/src/crypto.ts`](../apps/broker/src/crypto.ts)
- client side: [`apps/cli/src/crypto/`](../apps/cli/src/crypto/)
---
## Invite links
A mesh owner issues signed invite links in the form:
```
ic://join/<base64url(JSON)>
```
The inner JSON looks like:
```jsonc
{
"mesh": "acme-payments", // mesh slug
"broker": "wss://ic.claudemesh.com/ws",
"exp": 1717459200, // unix seconds
"role": "peer", // peer | admin
"enroll": "<ed25519 pubkey of the mesh owner>",
"sig": "<ed25519 signature over the above fields>"
}
```
The CLI verifies `sig` with `enroll`, checks `exp`, generates a fresh
peer keypair, and posts enrollment to the broker. The broker records
the new peer and rebroadcasts presence.
Invite-link issuance: [`apps/cli/src/invite/`](../apps/cli/src/invite/).
---
## Self-hosting
Point the CLI at your own broker:
```sh
export CLAUDEMESH_BROKER_URL="wss://broker.yourteam.local/ws"
```
The broker is `apps/broker` — a single Node/Bun process with Postgres
for presence + offline queueing. No secrets to share. Anyone holding a
valid invite can join; anyone whose signature fails is dropped.
---
## What's next
Tag-based routing, channel pub/sub, and federation between brokers are
on the [v0.2 roadmap](./roadmap.md). Full protocol spec is in progress.