MeshCore/Scopes

MeshCore Scopes

Quick start for most users: open the app, go to Experimental Settings, set Default Scope Region to sco. That is all you need for normal Scottish traffic.

Watch out: if you do not have a suitable scope set, repeaters on the Scottish MeshCore network wont forward your traffic. You can end up shouting into the void. Check your default scope and each channel’s scope before you count on messages reaching anyone.

Scope is the single setting that makes or breaks whether your messages go anywhere on ScotMesh. The channel name is for people — the scope is for the mesh. Set your default to sco, then adjust per channel when you need something narrower.

ScotMesh setup: Under Experimental Settings, set the default scope region to sco, and keep ioi available in your scope list as well so you can pick it when you need it. For each channel, set scope to match where the traffic should travel—for example #edinburgh with edi. On #ireland, you may use ioi or sco: use ioi when the message should ride the Island of Ireland scoped path (IOI peering); use sco when you want the same channel but Scotland-wide scoped carriage on the mesh.

🤷 Why scope matters

Without scope, repeaters have no way to know whether to carry your traffic. With it, messages travel through exactly the right part of the network.

• Keep Scottish traffic inside Scotland where appropriate.
• Allow controlled traffic to and from the Island of Ireland (IOI peering).
• Reduce unnecessary flooding.
• Keep the network easier to grow.

For example channel names and typical scopes, see Channels. For repeater region codes, see Regions.

🗺️ What region scope means

Think of scope like a postcode on a letter — it tells the mesh where the message is meant to go.

sco = Scotland-wide
edi = Edinburgh area (example local)
ioi = Island of Ireland (IOI peering)

A message scoped to sco is forwarded by repeaters that carry scoas a region. A message scoped to ioi is forwarded by repeaters that carry ioias a region. If scope is missing or wrong for your path, the message will go nowhere, it is dropped and ceases to exist.

🚫 Wildcard forwarding is not allowed

The wildcard marker is *. Do not rely on it for routing — the Scottish MeshCore setup expects explicit region scopes.

In the Companion App, your channel scope should always be a real region code (sco, gla, ioi, and so on). On repeaters, CLI examples sometimes show * as the parent in a region tree (for example region put sco *); that is a different idea from wildcard forwarding and is covered in Regions.

📋 Documented scope codes

Scope	Typical use
sco	Scotland-wide traffic
sco-admin	Scotland-only, for bots and utilities (never peered out)
cen	Central Scotland
fif	Fife
tay	Tayside
hig	Highlands
gla	Glasgow area
edi	Edinburgh area
fal	Falkirk area
sti	Stirling area
per	Perth area
dun	Dundee area
ioi	Island of Ireland / IOI peering
wls	Wales — peering
eng-ne	North East England — peering

For most day-to-day traffic in Scotland, sco is the right default. Use a local code when traffic should stay in that area, regardless of channel name.

⚙️ Default scope and per-channel scope

On ScotMesh, set your default scope region to sco. In the mobile app this is usually under Experimental Settings. Flood packets from the companion then use sco unless a group channel has its own scope.

Per-channel scope overrides the default. Examples:

• #glasgow with gla keeps traffic in the Glasgow-area part of the mesh.
• #ireland with ioi — message is scoped for the Island of Ireland path (IOI peering repeaters).
• #ireland with sco — same channel name, but the packet is Scotland-wide scoped; repeaters treat it like other sco traffic.

Keep both sco and ioi in your available scopes so you can switch. For background, see MeshCore Default Scope Region.

📱 How to set region scope in the Companion App

Menus vary by app version and platform; the usual flow is:

1. Open the MeshCore Companion App
2. Open the channel you want to use
3. Open the channel options or channel menu
4. Find the region scope option
5. Select or add the region code you need
6. Send with that scope active

Often the channel menu includes something like Set Region Scope, then you pick or type the code (for example sco, edi, or ioi).

💬 Examples

Scotland-wide

Channel: #scotland
Scope:   sco

Local (example)

Channel: #glasgow
Scope:   gla

#ireland with Island of Ireland scope

Channel: #ireland
Scope:   ioi

#ireland with Scotland-wide scope

Channel: #ireland
Scope:   sco

The channel name does not set scope by itself — you still choose ioi or sco (or another code) in the channel settings.

⚡ Quick choices

• Normal Scottish chat: default sco, or #scotland with sco.
• Local-only: local scope such as edi or gla when traffic should stay in that area.
• #ireland: ioi for IOI-scoped path, sco when you want Scotland-wide scoped carriage on that channel.
• Tests: #test with whichever scope you are testing (tay, sco, …).

If you are unsure, sco is the safe general default for Scottish-side traffic.

❌ What to avoid

• Sending traffic with no region scope.
• Relying on wildcard forwarding.
• Assuming the channel name alone chooses routing.

📝 Summary

Default: sco on ScotMesh
Override per channel when needed
#ireland: ioi OR sco
Local: use the local code when traffic should stay local
Check your companion app is scoped before you send your initial messages

Getting scope right keeps mesh traffic logical and the mesh relaible, easier to use and simpler to grow.