option to run meshcore-proxy

[yschimke]

Could there be an option to run

https://github.com/rgregg/meshcore-proxy

Such that this add-on uses a TCP connection to the proxy, and allows remote clients to also connect.

The equivalent meshtastic add-on does this, but also provides a direct web client that connects automatically to the local proxy.

[awolden]

Thanks @yschimke for the suggestion!

This is actually something you can do today with the existing integration. If you run meshcore-proxy as a standalone service (or in a separate container), you can point HA at it using the TCP connection type in the integration config. That gives you shared radio access — HA connects to the proxy, and other clients can connect alongside it.

Embedding the proxy directly into the integration is something we've considered, but it adds a fair amount of complexity. The MeshCore serial protocol is single-consumer — commands and responses aren't tagged, so multiplexing requires careful interleaving to avoid garbled state. The Meshtastic comparison is understandable but their protocol was designed for multi-client from the ground up, which makes that a very different engineering problem.

Given that the standalone proxy + TCP connection already works well as a solution, I'd consider this a nice-to-have / low priority. Happy to revisit if there's enough demand or if the proxy ecosystem matures to the point where tighter integration makes sense.

For now, the recommended setup is:

1. Run meshcore-proxy alongside HA (as a container, add-on, or standalone service)
2. Configure the MeshCore integration with TCP connection type pointed at the proxy