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System Views

Frontend Guide settings node config plugins radio config protobuf slot multi-radio config save restart plugin lifecycle

Settings, Node Config, and Plugins views — how to configure the server, the radio hardware, and manage extensions.

Settings View

The Settings view maps directly to the System Config API. It reads the current config from /api/system/config on load and writes changes back via POST /api/system/config/update.

Connected Radios (Multi-Slot)

The top section shows all active radio slots. Each slot row displays the slot ID, label, connection status, and a disconnect/remove button. The ADD RADIO button opens a modal to create a new slot by specifying connection type, host/port/serial/BLE as needed. The primary slot (node_0) cannot be removed.

Switching which slot the dashboard is viewing is done by clicking a slot's radio button in the connected radios list — this calls window._sseSetSlot(slotId) to reconnect the SSE stream to that slot.

Primary Radio Connection

The Protocol dropdown sets MESHTASTIC_CONNECTION_TYPE. Selecting a type shows/hides the relevant input fields:

SERIAL

Shows Serial Port input (MESHTASTIC_SERIAL_PORT)

TCP

Shows Host IP and Port inputs

BLE

Shows MAC Address input

WEB SERIAL ⚡

Shows compatibility banner, how-it-works explanation, and (when connected) a live session stats box. See Web Serial Connection.

Web Server & Auth

Edit bind host, port, session timeout, and the Auth Secret Key. Changing AUTH_SECRET_KEY invalidates all active sessions — all logged-in users will need to log in again.

Privacy & Location

Toggle controls for SEND_LOCAL_NODE_LOCATION, SEND_OTHER_NODES_LOCATION, and LOCATION_OFFSET_ENABLED. When location obfuscation is enabled, a max offset (metres) input appears.

Saving & Restarting

SAVE CONFIG calls POST /api/system/config/update. Some settings take effect immediately (log level, auth secret, packet memory size). Others require a restart. RESTART SERVICE calls POST /api/system/restart — the server process restarts via os.execv() and the browser reconnects via SSE auto-reconnect.

Node Config View

The Node Config view reads the connected radio's full protobuf configuration and renders it as editable fields, grouped by section. Changes are written directly to the radio's flash memory.

How It Works

On load, GET /api/node/config returns a snapshot of all localConfig, moduleConfig, and channels settings, flattened into field objects with path, name, type, and current value.

The view generates a tab for each top-level config section (lora, device, position, network, bluetooth, mqtt, etc.). Clicking a tab renders all fields for that section as appropriate input types:

Field type	Rendered as
`bool`	Toggle switch
`enum`	Select dropdown with all enum value names
`int`	Number input
`float`	Number input with step
`string`	Text input
`ip`	Text input with IP format (stored as uint32)
`bytes`	Text input (base64-encoded)
`repeated`	Read-only display (repeated fields cannot be set via this UI)

Identity Fields

A special "Identity" tab lets you change the node's long name and short name. These map to identity.long_name and identity.short_name paths, which the backend dispatches to localNode.setOwner().

Pending Changes & Save

Edited fields are tracked client-side. The N PENDING pill shows how many fields have been changed. RESET reverts all pending changes. SAVE CHANGES calls POST /api/node/config/save with the list of changed field paths and new values.

If REBOOT AFTER SAVE is checked (the default), the radio reboots 1.5 seconds after saving. The view shows a polling banner: NODE REBOOTING — AWAITING RECONNECT with a progress bar and elapsed time counter. Once the radio reconnects and /api/status reports is_system_ready: true, the view reloads the config automatically.

Do not disconnect the radio while saving. Changes are written to flash memory. Interrupting mid-write can leave the radio in an undefined state.

Plugins View

The Plugins view manages installed plugins and the plugin marketplace. See also the Plugin API and Plugin Development guides.

Summary Bar

Clickable filter pills at the top: ALL, RUNNING, STOPPED, CRASHED, HUNG, AVAILABLE (marketplace). Clicking a pill filters the card grid.

Plugin Cards

Each installed plugin has a card with a coloured left-stripe indicating status:

Status	Stripe colour	Meaning
`running`	Green	Plugin loaded and active. API routes accessible.
`stopped`	Amber	Manually stopped. `.disabled` marker file present. Routes return 503.
`crashed`	Red	Exception during load or `init_plugin()`. Error message shown in card.
`hung`	Red	Background task stopped heartbeating (watchdog=true plugins only). Routes return 503.
`pending_restart`	Purple	Start requested for a crashed/stopped plugin. Will be fully loaded on next service restart.
`invalid_manifest`	Red	Manifest missing required `watchdog` field or invalid format.

Plugin Start / Stop Lifecycle

The card footer shows context-appropriate action buttons:

STOP (running plugin):

Calls POST /api/system/plugins/{id}/toggle?action=stop
Backend creates plugins/{id}/.disabled marker file
Backend sets status to stopped
SSE plugin_update event fires → card stripe turns amber, STOP becomes START
Plugin API routes immediately return 503

START (stopped plugin):

Calls POST /api/system/plugins/{id}/toggle?action=start
Backend deletes the .disabled marker file
If the plugin was previously running and is still in memory: status → running, watchdog re-registered, routes immediately re-enabled
If the plugin was crashed, stopped, or hung: the Python module cannot be re-imported without a restart. Status → pending_restart. The APPLY & RESTART button appears in the header

APPLY & RESTART button: Appears whenever any action returns requires_restart: true (install, uninstall, or start after crash). Calls POST /api/system/restart. After restart, newly installed plugins load fully and previously crashed plugins that were re-enabled will be in running state.

Logs Viewer

Every plugin card has a terminal icon button that opens the log viewer modal. It shows the last 250 log lines from that plugin's plugin.{id} Python logger, auto-refreshing every 3 seconds. Lines are colour-coded by level: DEBUG (grey), INFO (cyan), WARN (amber), ERROR (red bold). A CLEAR button wipes the in-memory buffer.

Installing Plugins

The INSTALL PLUGIN button opens a modal with two tabs:

UPLOAD .ZIP

Click or drag-drop a .zip file. The file is uploaded to POST /api/system/plugins/install. Progress and success/error is shown in the log area below the drop zone.

FROM URL

Paste a direct URL to a .zip file. Calls POST /api/system/plugins/install-remote. The server downloads and installs server-side (SSRF-protected).

Marketplace (AVAILABLE filter)

When the AVAILABLE filter is active, the grid shows plugins from GET /api/plugins/available (fetched from meshdash.co.uk/plugins.php). Each card shows an INSTALL button that calls the remote install endpoint with the plugin's download URL. After installation, the APPLY & RESTART button appears.

Search & Sort

The search box filters cards by plugin ID, name, or author. The sort dropdown orders by Name A–Z, Status, or Author.

Overview View Web Serial Connection