MeshMonitor v3.8.5 introduces a dedicated Packet Monitor permission resource and granular packet filtering based on channel and message permissions.

New Packet Monitor Permission

The Packet Monitor now has its own packetmonitor:read permission, replacing the previous requirement for channel_0:read + messages:read. This gives administrators more precise control over who can access the packet monitoring feature.

Action Required

Administrators should review their user permissions:

1. Navigate to Settings > Users and select each user
2. Verify the Packet Monitor read permission is set appropriately
3. New users and the Anonymous user receive Packet Monitor: Read by default
4. The Packet Monitor permission is read-only — there is no write mode

Channel-Based Packet Filtering

Packet Monitor now filters packets based on your channel permissions:

• Encrypted packets are always visible (content is unreadable anyway)
• Decrypted channel packets require Read permission on the corresponding channel (channel_0 through channel_7)
• Direct Message packets (TEXT_MESSAGE_APP to a specific node) require Direct Messages: Read permission
• Admin users bypass all filtering and see all packets

This means non-admin users will only see packets from channels they have access to, while still being able to see encrypted traffic for signal analysis.

Other Changes

• Packet Monitor sidebar tab — Packet Monitor is now accessible as a dedicated sidebar tab in addition to the map panel (#2180)
• Virtual Node config loop fix — Prevents reconnect loops caused by cached rebooted messages (#2182)
• Debug cleanup — Removed stale debug logging and backup file (#2183)
• Dependency updates — Updated mysql2, express-rate-limit, pg, recharts, and GitHub Actions