Add flows/ directory with opportunistic-LXMF send sequence
flows/ documents end-to-end chronological narratives for common Reticulum operations, complementing SPEC.md (which is organized by protocol layer). Each step cross-references the SPEC.md section that defines the wire bytes, so the directory introduces no new normative claims. First flow: send-opportunistic-lxmf.md walks the 13-step sequence from LXMRouter.handle_outbound through LXMessage.pack, the path-request preamble, Token encryption, Transport.outbound HEADER_1→HEADER_2 conversion, and per-interface KISS/HDLC framing. Pinned against RNS 1.2.0 / LXMF 0.9.6 with file+line citations for each step. README.md updated to advertise flows/ and tools/ alongside SPEC.md and test-vectors/. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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flows/README.md
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# Flows
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End-to-end chronological narratives for common Reticulum operations. Where [`SPEC.md`](../SPEC.md) is organized by *layer* (identity, header, token crypto, announce, LXMF, link, transport, framing), the documents here are organized by *operation* and walk through what each layer contributes in order — app-call → wire bytes.
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The two views are complementary: SPEC.md tells you what each piece looks like; the flows tell you when each piece runs and what calls what. A flow document should not introduce new normative claims — every byte-level detail should be a cross-reference to the relevant SPEC.md section. If you find yourself describing wire bytes here that aren't in SPEC.md, that's a sign the spec has a gap to fill.
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## Status
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| Flow | Status |
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|---|---|
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| [`send-opportunistic-lxmf.md`](send-opportunistic-lxmf.md) | ✅ |
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| `send-link-lxmf.md` (DIRECT method, over a Reticulum Link) | ⏳ |
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| `send-propagated-lxmf.md` (PROPAGATED method, via a propagation node) | ⏳ |
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| `receive-opportunistic-lxmf.md` (the inverse of the opportunistic-send flow) | ⏳ |
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| `announce.md` (build, sign, transmit, ratchet rotation) | ⏳ |
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| `path-discovery.md` (request, response, path-table population) | ⏳ |
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## Conventions
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- Each flow targets one specific upstream operation. `send-opportunistic-lxmf.md` documents what `LXMRouter.handle_outbound(lxm)` does for an opportunistic message; it does not also cover Link or propagation paths — those get their own docs so the chronology stays linear.
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- Numbered steps are chronological. Each step that produces wire bytes cross-references the SPEC.md section that defines those bytes.
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- Source citations use the standard `pip install rns lxmf` install layout (`RNS/`, `LXMF/`) with file + line. Line numbers are pinned to the RNS / LXMF version named at the top of each flow; out-of-date line numbers should be fixed in a PR.
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- "Verified" claims must be backed by a `tools/` script per [`../agent.md`](../agent.md) §1. Flow docs inherit the verification status of the SPEC.md sections they reference — if a flow step relies on an unverified SPEC.md callout, the flow should mark that step as inheriting the unverified status rather than silently treat it as fact.
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flows/send-opportunistic-lxmf.md
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# Flow: send a single-packet opportunistic LXMF message
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What happens chronologically when an app calls `LXMRouter.handle_outbound(lxm)` for an `LXMessage` whose `desired_method == OPPORTUNISTIC` and whose payload fits in a single Reticulum packet.
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Pinned against **RNS 1.2.0 / LXMF 0.9.6**. Line numbers below are from those versions.
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Out of scope: messages that need a Reticulum Link (`DIRECT` method, larger payloads), propagation-node delivery (`PROPAGATED`), and paper messages (`PAPER`). Each gets its own flow document.
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---
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## Preconditions
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- Sender has an `RNS.Identity` (X25519 + Ed25519 keypair) and a delivery `RNS.Destination` of name `lxmf.delivery` registered with the local `LXMRouter`. See [`../SPEC.md`](../SPEC.md) §1.1.
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- Sender has at some point received a `lxmf.delivery` announce from the recipient, which populated `RNS.Identity.known_destinations` with the recipient's public key (X25519 || Ed25519, 64 bytes total) and possibly a current ratchet pubkey. See SPEC.md §4.
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- Network has a path to the recipient — either present in `Transport.path_table`, or about to be discovered by the path-request preamble in step 4 below.
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---
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## Sequence
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### 1. App constructs `LXMessage` and submits it
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```python
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lxm = LXMF.LXMessage(
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destination = recipient_destination, # RNS.Destination, type SINGLE
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source = my_lxmf_delivery_dest, # my own SINGLE destination
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content = b"hello",
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title = b"",
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fields = {},
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desired_method = LXMF.LXMessage.OPPORTUNISTIC,
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)
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router.handle_outbound(lxm)
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```
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`recipient_destination` does not need to be an `RNS.Destination` instance with the recipient's full identity — `RNS.Destination` accepts a 16-byte identity hash via `RNS.Identity.recall(...)` and looks the public key up from the announce cache. The router/library handles this; the app supplies a hash.
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### 2. `LXMessage.pack()` builds the body and signs it
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`LXMF/LXMessage.py:352-411`. Runs once per message. Constructs the LXMF body that will eventually become the Reticulum packet payload after Token encryption.
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```
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payload = msgpack.packb([timestamp_double, title_bytes, content_bytes, fields_dict])
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hashed_part = dest_hash(16) || src_hash(16) || payload
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message_hash = SHA256(hashed_part) # = self.hash, also used as message_id
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signed_part = hashed_part || message_hash
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signature = Ed25519_sign(signed_part, src_identity.Ed25519_priv)
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self.packed = dest_hash(16) || src_hash(16) || signature(64) || payload
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```
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The dual `payload` packing (once for the hash, then again with optional `stamp` appended) is documented at SPEC.md §5.5. Wire-form layout for opportunistic delivery is SPEC.md §5.1: the dest_hash is **stripped** before transmission because it appears in the outer Reticulum packet header (`__as_packet` slices `self.packed[16:]` at step 6).
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### 3. Method and representation are fixed
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`LXMF/LXMessage.py:394-412`. With `desired_method == OPPORTUNISTIC`:
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- If the payload size exceeds `ENCRYPTED_PACKET_MAX_CONTENT`, the router **silently downgrades** to `DIRECT` (Link) and the rest of this flow does not apply — see `send-link-lxmf.md` (TODO).
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- Otherwise, `self.method = OPPORTUNISTIC`, `self.representation = PACKET`, `self.__delivery_destination = self.__destination`.
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### 4. Path preamble (conditional)
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`LXMF/LXMRouter.py::handle_outbound`, ~line 1672 (verified by [`../tools/verify_path_request.py`](../tools/verify_path_request.py)):
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```python
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if not RNS.Transport.has_path(destination_hash) and lxmessage.method == LXMessage.OPPORTUNISTIC:
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RNS.Transport.request_path(destination_hash)
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lxmessage.next_delivery_attempt = time.time() + LXMRouter.PATH_REQUEST_WAIT
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```
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Only fires when **no entry exists** in `Transport.path_table`. Stale-but-present entries are not refreshed by this preamble — they are evicted by the periodic `stale_paths` accumulator in `RNS/Transport.py:747+`, after which the next outbound attempt rediscovers the unknown-path branch and triggers `request_path`. The path-request packet itself (well-known dest hash `6b9f66014d9853faab220fba47d02761`, payload `target_dest_hash || [transport_id ||] tag`) is described in SPEC.md §7.1.
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When this preamble fires the message is queued, not sent — control returns; sending resumes at step 5 after `PATH_REQUEST_WAIT` elapses or an announce response populates the path table.
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### 5. `LXMessage.send()` chooses the wire path
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`LXMF/LXMessage.py:460-469`. For `OPPORTUNISTIC`:
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```python
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self.determine_transport_encryption()
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self.determine_compression_support()
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lxm_packet = self.__as_packet() # step 6
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lxm_packet.send().set_delivery_callback(self.__mark_delivered)
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self.state = LXMessage.SENT
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```
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`set_delivery_callback` arms the LXMF-level "delivered" notification, which fires when the underlying Reticulum `PacketReceipt` resolves (step 12).
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### 6. `__as_packet()` constructs the `RNS.Packet`
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`LXMF/LXMessage.py:630-631`:
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```python
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RNS.Packet(self.__delivery_destination, self.packed[LXMessage.DESTINATION_LENGTH:])
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```
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Note the slice `[16:]`: the recipient's dest_hash is removed because it is implicit in the outer Reticulum header (SPEC.md §5.1). What remains as the packet's `data` is `src_hash || signature || msgpack_payload` — still in plaintext at this point.
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### 7. `RNS.Packet.pack()` encrypts and frames
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`RNS/Packet.py:176-217`. For a `SINGLE` destination, packet_type `DATA`, context `CTX_NONE`, header_type `HEADER_1`:
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1. **Header bytes**: `flags(1) || hops(1) || dest_hash(16) || context(1)` — SPEC.md §2.1, §2.2.
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2. **Encryption** (line 215): `self.ciphertext = self.destination.encrypt(self.data)` — calls `RNS.Destination.encrypt` which delegates to the Token construction (SPEC.md §3):
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```
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ephemeral_pub(32) || iv(16) || aes_ciphertext(...) || hmac_sha256(32)
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```
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The recipient X25519 public key used for ECDH is the latest announced ratchet pub if known, else the recipient's long-term encPub (first 32 bytes of the 64-byte public_key). HKDF salt is the recipient's 16-byte identity hash, **not** the destination hash and **not** the ratchet hash.
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3. **Final wire packet** = `header(19) || token_ciphertext`.
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`packet.ratchet_id` is set from `destination.latest_ratchet_id` for later forensics if available.
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### 8. `Transport.outbound(packet)` — path-table-aware framing
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`RNS/Transport.py:1031-1113`. Verified by [`../tools/verify_packet_header.py`](../tools/verify_packet_header.py).
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- If `path_table[dest][HOPS] > 1`: convert HEADER_1 → HEADER_2 (SPEC.md §2.3). The originator inserts `path_table[dest][NEXT_HOP]` (16-byte transport_id) at offset 2 and flips the flag bits to `HEADER_2 | TRANSPORT | (orig_low_nibble)`. Resulting wire packet is 35 + ciphertext bytes.
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- If `path_table[dest][HOPS] == 1` AND the local node is connected to a shared instance: same conversion applies (lines 1094-1105).
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- Otherwise (0 hops or destination not in path table): emit HEADER_1 unchanged. The 0-hop case relies on the receiving rnsd auto-filling the transport_id when the destination matches a local client (`for_local_client` branch at line 1451).
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Then `Transport.transmit(interface, raw)` is called for the chosen `outbound_interface`.
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### 9. Interface framing
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The outbound interface wraps the raw packet bytes. SPEC.md §8:
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- **TCP** (`TCPClientInterface` / `TCPServerInterface` / `AutoInterface`): HDLC. `0x7E` start/end, escape `0x7E → 0x7D 0x5E`, `0x7D → 0x7D 0x5D`. No command byte.
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- **Serial / BLE / RNode** (`KISSInterface`, `RNodeInterface`, `LoRaInterface`, etc.): KISS. `0xC0` start/end, escape `0xC0 → 0xDB 0xDC`, `0xDB → 0xDB 0xDD`. Command byte for outbound Reticulum packets is `CMD_DATA = 0x00`.
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For BLE specifically, the framed bytes may be split across multiple BLE notifications by the link-layer MTU; reassembly happens on the peer at the KISS-parser level.
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### 10. Wire bytes leave
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The interface driver writes the framed bytes to the underlying transport (socket, serial port, BLE GATT characteristic, etc.). After this step the sender has no further control over the bytes.
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---
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## What happens after the bytes go out
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Strictly speaking, the flow above ends at step 10. Steps 11-13 are about **what the sender observes back** and are part of the same "send" cycle from the application's point of view.
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### 11. Recipient processes the inbound DATA packet
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Inverse of steps 7-9, in the order: deframe → optional HEADER_2 strip / hop-table lookup → packet enters `Transport.inbound` → handed to the destination → `RNS.Destination.decrypt` reverses the Token (HMAC verified **before** AES decrypt per SPEC.md §3.3) → LXMF body parsed → Ed25519 signature verified, with the dual-msgpack-variant tolerance described in SPEC.md §5.6 → message surfaced to the recipient's app.
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The receive flow is its own document; see `receive-opportunistic-lxmf.md` (TODO) for the detailed step list.
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### 12. PROOF receipt returns
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`RNS/Transport.py:1031-1054`. Because the packet is `DATA` for a non-PLAIN, non-LINK destination with `create_receipt == True`, `Transport.outbound` registered a `PacketReceipt` on the sender side. When the recipient calls `Packet.prove`, a PROOF packet flies back containing `SHA256(packet.hashable_part)`; the sender's `PacketReceipt` matches it, fires the delivery callback registered at step 5, and the LXMessage state advances `SENT → DELIVERED`.
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If no proof arrives within the receipt timeout, `__link_packet_timed_out` runs on the receipt's timeout callback and the LXMessage state can drive a retry (see `LXMRouter.py::process_outbound` retry logic at `:2571+`, which may itself trigger a fresh `request_path` after `MAX_PATHLESS_TRIES`).
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### 13. Background: ratchet rotation and re-announce
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In parallel to the send, two timers run:
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- **Re-announce** every 5-15 min (SPEC.md §7.5, §9.7). Without this, transit nodes' path tables age out and step 4's path preamble starts firing for every send.
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- **Ratchet rotation** on each `sendAnnounce()` if `now > latest_ratchet_time + RATCHET_INTERVAL` (`RNS/Destination.py::rotate_ratchets`, line 227-235; `RATCHET_INTERVAL = 30*60` at line 90). The receiver's ratchet ring (`RATCHET_COUNT = 512` upstream default at line 85) lets it still decrypt in-flight messages encrypted to a recently-rotated-out ratchet.
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Neither timer is part of *this* send, but both are required for the flow to keep working across the next send.
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---
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## Wire-byte summary
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For a 0/1-hop opportunistic LXMF DATA send (`HEADER_1`, no transport_id insertion):
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```
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[ 1B flags ][ 1B hops=0 ][ 16B dest_hash ][ 1B context=0x00 ]
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[ 32B ephemeral_X25519_pub ][ 16B iv ][ N×16B aes_ciphertext ][ 32B hmac_sha256 ]
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└──── Token-encrypted LXMF body ─────────────────┘
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plaintext is: 16B src_hash || 64B Ed25519_sig || msgpack_payload
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```
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After interface framing (KISS or HDLC) the byte sequence above gets escape-encoded and bracketed by the framing delimiters (`0xC0…0xC0` for KISS with a leading `0x00` cmd byte; `0x7E…0x7E` for HDLC).
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For a >1-hop send with a known path the originator emits `HEADER_2` instead, with the 16-byte next-hop transport_id inserted at offset 2 (between the hops byte and the dest_hash). All other bytes are unchanged.
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---
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## Source map for this flow
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| Step | File | Function / line |
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|---|---|---|
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| 1 | (app code) | constructs `LXMF.LXMessage` |
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| 2 | `LXMF/LXMessage.py` | `pack` line 352 |
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| 3 | `LXMF/LXMessage.py` | method/representation gate, line 394-412 |
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| 4 | `LXMF/LXMRouter.py` | `handle_outbound`, line ~1672 |
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| 5 | `LXMF/LXMessage.py` | `send`, line 460 |
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| 6 | `LXMF/LXMessage.py` | `__as_packet`, line 623 |
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| 7 | `RNS/Packet.py` | `pack`, line 176; encrypt at line 215 |
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| 7 | `RNS/Cryptography/Token.py` | Token encrypt |
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| 8 | `RNS/Transport.py` | `outbound`, line 1031; HEADER_1→HEADER_2 at line 1074 |
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| 9 | `RNS/Interfaces/*.py` | per-interface KISS or HDLC framing |
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| 12 | `RNS/Transport.py` | `outbound` receipt setup, line 1031-1054 |
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| 12 | `RNS/Packet.py` | `prove` |
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| 13 | `RNS/Destination.py` | `rotate_ratchets`, line 227 |
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