MeshCore Governance and Community
MeshCore is an open-source project with a distributed community and a governance structure that changed significantly in April 2026. Understanding the project landscape helps you navigate firmware choices and community resources.
The April 2026 governance split
In April 2026, the MeshCore project underwent a governance transition:
- Core team repository: github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore - maintained by the core team. MeshCore was created by Scott (Ripple Radios / ripplebiz), the project founder and lead firmware engineer; the wider core team includes Liam Cottle (app), Recrof (map/flasher), FDLamotte (Python/STM32), and Oltaco (bootloader). This is the canonical firmware for the full hardware range, the source for the official MeshCore app, and what most regional networks (CascadiaMesh, WCMesh, RegionMesh, NoDakMesh) recommend for interoperability.
- Andy Kirby's fork (MeshOS): meshcore.co.uk - a third-party community fork optimized for standalone keyboard devices (T-Deck, T-Deck Plus). Andy Kirby is a former contributor/promoter who controls the original .co.uk domain and Discord, but is not the project founder. Includes the MeshOS firmware and associated tooling.
Which firmware should you use?
| Scenario | Recommended firmware |
|---|---|
| Standard repeater or router node (Heltec, RAK4631, T-Echo, T-Beam) | Core team (github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore) |
| T-Deck or T-Deck Plus standalone keyboard device | MeshOS (meshcore.co.uk) for best feature set; core team firmware also works |
| Joining a regional network (CascadiaMesh, RegionMesh, etc.) | Core team (most regional networks recommend core-team firmware for interoperability; check the specific network's docs) |
| Ultra-low power ESP32 optimization | EasySkyMesh (IoTThinks community fork) for additional ESP32 power-saving options |
Community resources
| Resource | URL | For |
|---|---|---|
| Core firmware source | github.com/meshcore-dev/MeshCore | Source code, issues, releases |
| MeshCore web flasher | flasher.meshcore.io | Flash firmware without local tooling |
| Web configuration | config.meshcore.io | Configure nodes via browser |
| MeshOS (Andy's fork) | meshcore.co.uk | Third-party community T-Deck standalone firmware |
| Python tooling (CLI) | github.com/fdlamotte/meshcore-cli | Python CLI/API for automation |
| CascadiaMesh (PNW) | cascadiamesh.org | Pacific Northwest community |
| WCMesh (West Coast Mesh) | wcmesh.com | West Coast network |
| RegionMesh (Central US) | regionmesh.com | Central US communities |
| NoDakMesh (Northern Plains) | nodakmesh.org | North Dakota & region |
Contributing to MeshCore
The project welcomes contributions in several forms:
- Bug reports: If your device behaves unexpectedly, open an issue on GitHub with firmware version, hardware, and steps to reproduce. Detailed bug reports are the most immediately useful contribution.
- Hardware compatibility: Testing new devices and reporting what works (or doesn't) helps the project support more hardware. Especially valuable for less-common boards.
- Documentation: This wiki is the community's primary documentation resource. See the Contributing section for how to improve it.
- Code: Use the standard GitHub PR workflow. Open an issue first for significant changes to discuss the approach before writing code.
No comments to display
No comments to display