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meshcore-spec/versions/v0.1.0/16-packet-hash.md
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swaitsandClaude Opus 4.7 44305a06db release: v0.1.0
First cut release. Snapshots ./src/ as ./versions/v0.1.0/ via
`just cut-version v0.1.0` (22 files: 21 chapter MDs + SUMMARY.md).
Deployed alongside `latest` at:

  https://swaits.github.io/meshcore-spec/v0.1.0/

Also:

- CHANGELOG.md adopts Keep a Changelog-style version sections.
  Future entries land under [Unreleased] and graduate to a version
  heading when cut. The existing date-stamped pass entries stay
  put as a historical record of the work captured in v0.1.0.
- README.md fixes a stale "per vX.Y.Z tag" mention left over from
  the tag-based versioning model, and links the current release
  explicitly.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-05-12 10:04:40 -06:00

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# MeshCore Protocol Specification
## Section 16: Packet Hash
### Overview
MeshCore uses SHA-256 hashing for packet deduplication. Each node maintains a
table of recently seen packet hashes and discards packets it has already
processed. The hash is computed over the payload type and payload contents, with
a special case for TRACE packets.
### Hash Computation
The packet hash is computed as:
```
hash = SHA-256(payload_type_byte || payload_data)[0..MAX_HASH_SIZE-1]
```
Where:
- `payload_type_byte` is a single byte: `(header >> 2) & 0x0F`
- `payload_data` is the raw payload bytes (payload_len bytes)
- The SHA-256 output is truncated to MAX_HASH_SIZE (8) bytes
### TRACE Packet Special Case
For TRACE packets (payload_type = 0x09), the path_len byte is included in the
hash to distinguish trace packets that revisit the same node on their return
path:
```
hash = SHA-256(payload_type_byte || path_len_byte || payload_data)[0..MAX_HASH_SIZE-1]
```
### Algorithm
```
function calculatePacketHash(packet):
sha = SHA256_init()
type_byte = getPayloadType(packet.header) // single byte
SHA256_update(sha, type_byte)
if type_byte == 0x09: // TRACE
SHA256_update(sha, packet.path_len) // 1 byte (as uint8)
SHA256_update(sha, packet.payload, packet.payload_len)
hash = SHA256_finalize(sha)
return hash[0..7] // first MAX_HASH_SIZE bytes
```
### Properties
- The hash does NOT include the header byte, path, or transport codes. This
means the same logical message received via different routes produces the
same hash.
- The hash does NOT include the route type or version. Only the payload type
and payload content determine the hash.
- For TRACE packets, including path_len ensures that the same trace payload
at different stages of traversal produces different hashes.
### Cross-References
- [Section 10: Trace](10-payload-trace.md) — TRACE packet special handling
- Test vectors: `corpus/crypto/sha256/packet-hash.json`
### Reference Implementation
- `Packet::calculatePacketHash()` in `src/Packet.cpp`
- `MeshTables::hasSeen()` — Deduplication table lookup