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* Originate v2 source routes and wire fragmentIdFilter targeted resync Part A — source-route origination policy: - Gate route application (BLESourceRouteOriginationPolicy): only packets we author, directed at a single peer, with TTL headroom, whose recipient is not directly connected. Relays no longer attach routes to (and re-sign) packets they merely forward. - Version-gate paths: MeshTopologyTracker records the highest protocol version observed per peer; BFS routes require every intermediate hop and the recipient to be v2-observed, capped at 4 intermediate hops. - Degrade on failure: BLESourceRouteFailureCache marks a routed send that sees no inbound traffic from the recipient within 10s as failed and floods for 60s before retrying routes. Part B — REQUEST_SYNC fragmentIdFilter (TLV 0x06): - Requester: BLEFragmentAssemblyBuffer reports stalled broadcast reassemblies (no new fragment for 5s, retried at most every 10s); the maintenance pass sends a types=fragment REQUEST_SYNC naming the stalled 8-byte fragment stream IDs to each connected peer. - Responder: GossipSyncManager restricts the fragment diff to exactly the named streams, bypassing the since-cursor while the GCS filter still excludes pieces the requester holds; RSR/TTL-0/rate-limit semantics unchanged and REQUEST_SYNC stays link-local. - Bounds: at most 60 IDs per request (60*17-1 = 1019 bytes <= the 1024-byte decoder cap); oversized 0x06 values are ignored, not fatal. Docs: SOURCE_ROUTING.md gains the iOS origination policy (§8); REQUEST_SYNC_MANAGER.md documents 0x05/0x06 as implemented. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> * Fix stall-clock refresh on duplicates and overflow suppression in fragment resync Two fixes to stalledBroadcastFragmentIDs bookkeeping in BLEFragmentAssemblyBuffer: - Duplicate fragments no longer reset the stall clock. Fragment packets bypass the packet deduplicator, so relayed duplicates of an already-held index arriving every few seconds kept lastFragmentAt fresh and suppressed the targeted REQUEST_SYNC indefinitely. Now lastFragmentAt only updates when the index is new (actual progress). - Only the streams that will actually be encoded on the wire are rate-limited. Previously every stalled candidate got lastResyncRequestAt set, but encodeFragmentIdFilter serializes at most RequestSyncPacket.maxFragmentIdFilterCount (60) IDs, so overflow streams were suppressed for retryAfter without ever being requested. Selection now caps at that shared constant, oldest stall first, so overflow stays eligible and rotates fairly on the next pass. Tests: duplicates arriving periodically still trigger the stall report; 70 stalled streams yield the 60 oldest on the first pass and the remaining 10 on the next. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> --------- Co-authored-by: jack <jackjackbits@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
bitchat
A decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app with dual transport architecture: local Bluetooth mesh networks for offline communication and internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach. No accounts, no phone numbers, no central servers. It's the side-groupchat.
License
This project is released into the public domain. See the LICENSE file for details.
Features
- Dual Transport Architecture: Bluetooth mesh for offline + Nostr protocol for internet-based messaging
- Location-Based Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates over global Nostr relays
- Intelligent Message Routing: Automatically chooses best transport (Bluetooth → Nostr fallback)
- Decentralized Mesh Network: Automatic peer discovery and multi-hop message relay over Bluetooth LE
- Privacy First: No accounts, no phone numbers, no persistent identifiers
- Private Message End-to-End Encryption: Noise Protocol for mesh, NIP-17 for Nostr
- IRC-Style Commands: Familiar
/slap,/msg,/whostyle interface - Universal App: Native support for iOS and macOS
- Emergency Wipe: Triple-tap to instantly clear all data
- Performance Optimizations: LZ4 message compression, adaptive battery modes, and optimized networking
Technical Architecture
BitChat uses a hybrid messaging architecture with two complementary transport layers:
Bluetooth Mesh Network (Offline)
- Local Communication: Direct peer-to-peer within Bluetooth range
- Multi-hop Relay: Messages route through nearby devices (max 7 hops)
- No Internet Required: Works completely offline in disaster scenarios
- Noise Protocol Encryption: End-to-end encryption with forward secrecy
- Binary Protocol: Compact packet format optimized for Bluetooth LE constraints
- Automatic Discovery: Peer discovery and connection management
- Adaptive Power: Battery-optimized duty cycling
Nostr Protocol (Internet)
- Global Reach: Connect with users worldwide via internet relays
- Location Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates
- 290+ Relay Network: Distributed across the globe for reliability
- NIP-17 Encryption: Gift-wrapped private messages for internet privacy
- Ephemeral Keys: Fresh cryptographic identity per geohash area
Channel Types
mesh #bluetooth
- Transport: Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network
- Scope: Local devices within multi-hop range
- Internet: Not required
- Use Case: Offline communication, protests, disasters, remote areas
Location Channels (block #dr5rsj7, neighborhood #dr5rs, country #dr)
- Transport: Nostr protocol over internet
- Scope: Geographic areas defined by geohash precision
block(7 chars): City block levelneighborhood(6 chars): District/neighborhoodcity(5 chars): City levelprovince(4 chars): State/provinceregion(2 chars): Country/large region
- Internet: Required (connects to Nostr relays)
- Use Case: Location-based community chat, local events, regional discussions
Direct Message Routing
Private messages use intelligent transport selection:
-
Bluetooth First (preferred when available)
- Direct connection with established Noise session
- Fastest and most private option
-
Nostr Fallback (when Bluetooth unavailable)
- Uses recipient's Nostr public key
- NIP-17 gift-wrapping for privacy
- Routes through global relay network
-
Smart Queuing (when neither available)
- Messages queued until transport becomes available
- Automatic delivery when connection established
For detailed protocol documentation, see the Technical Whitepaper.
Setup
Option 1: Using Xcode
cd bitchat
open bitchat.xcodeproj
To run on a device there're a few steps to prepare the code:
- Clone the local configs:
cp Configs/Local.xcconfig.example Configs/Local.xcconfig - Add your Developer Team ID into the newly created
Configs/Local.xcconfig- Bundle ID would be set to
chat.bitchat.<team_id>(unless you set to something else)
- Bundle ID would be set to
- Entitlements need to be updated manually (TODO: Automate):
- Search and replace
group.chat.bitchatwithgroup.<your_bundle_id>(e.g.group.chat.bitchat.ABC123)
- Search and replace
Option 2: Using just
brew install just
Want to try this on macos: just run will set it up and run from source.
Run just clean afterwards to restore things to original state for mobile app building and development.
Localization
- Base app resources live under
bitchat/Localization/Base.lproj/. Add new copy toLocalizable.stringsand plural rules toLocalizable.stringsdict. - Share extension strings are separate in
bitchatShareExtension/Localization/Base.lproj/Localizable.strings. - Prefer keys that describe intent (
app_info.features.offline.title) and reuse existing ones where possible. - Run
xcodebuild -project bitchat.xcodeproj -scheme "bitchat (macOS)" -configuration Debug CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO buildto compile-check any localization updates.