Message Search
MeshMonitor includes a unified message search feature that lets you search across all your channels, direct messages, and MeshCore messages. Results are permission-aware and clicking a result navigates directly to the message in its original context.
Opening Search
There are two ways to open the search panel:
- Click the Search icon (🔍) in the sidebar, located below Channels and Messages
- Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on macOS) from anywhere in the application
Searching Messages
Type at least 2 characters in the search field and press Enter or click Search. Results appear below the filters, showing the most recent matches first.
Each result displays:
- Context label — the channel name (e.g., "Channel 0", "Channel meshmonitor") or "DM with [node name]" or "MeshCore"
- Sender — the node's long name and short name
- Timestamp — when the message was sent
- Message text — with matching terms highlighted in yellow
Filters
You can narrow your search using the following filters:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Case Sensitive | Toggle to match exact letter casing. Off by default (case-insensitive search). |
| Scope | Choose which message types to search: All, Channels, DMs, or MeshCore. |
| Channel | When scope includes channels, filter to a specific channel. |
| Sender | Filter by a specific sender node. |
| Date From / Date To | Restrict results to a date range. |
Click-to-Navigate
Clicking a search result closes the search panel and navigates to the message in its original location:
- Channel messages — switches to the Channels tab, selects the correct channel, and scrolls to the message with a brief highlight
- Direct messages — switches to the Messages tab and opens the conversation with the sender
- MeshCore messages — switches to the MeshCore tab
The target message is highlighted with a yellow pulse animation for a few seconds so you can easily spot it.
Pagination
Search returns up to 25 results at a time. If there are more matches, a Load More button appears at the bottom of the results list to fetch the next page.
Permissions
Search results respect the existing permission system:
- Channel messages — only channels where you have read permission are included
- Direct messages — only visible if you have the
messages:readpermission - Virtual channels (Channel Database entries) — included when you have that entry's read grant
- MeshCore messages — a channel needs
channel_N:readormessages:read; MeshCore DMs needmessages:read - Admin users — see all results across all channels and DMs
In-app search reads stored messages, so MeshCore sources are searchable whether or not they are connected.
API Endpoint
The search feature is also available via the REST API for programmatic access:
GET /api/v1/sources/{sourceId}/messages/search| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
q | string | yes | — | Search text (minimum 2 characters) |
caseSensitive | boolean | no | false | Case-sensitive matching |
scope | string | no | all | all, channels, dms, or meshcore (any other value returns 400) |
channels | string | no | — | Comma-separated channel IDs to filter |
fromNodeId | string | no | — | Filter by sender node ID |
startDate | number | no | — | Earliest message time (epoch milliseconds) |
endDate | number | no | — | Latest message time (epoch milliseconds) |
limit | number | no | 50 | Max results per page (max 100) |
offset | number | no | 0 | Pagination offset |
API Authentication
The /api/v1/sources/{sourceId}/messages/search endpoint requires a valid API token (Bearer authentication) with messages:read on that source. It searches stored messages, so MeshCore history is found whether or not the source is connected, and applies the same channel and DM rules as in-app search. {sourceId} may be default. The frontend uses session-based authentication via /api/messages/search which is not intended for external use.
Exporting Messages (CSV)
The Unified Messages page has an Export button that downloads stored messages as a CSV file, for event logs and after-action reports (for example an ARRL Simulated Emergency Test).
Pick what to include:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Sources | Which sources to export. All are selected by default. |
| Channels | All channels, or only the ones you tick. Channels match by name across sources, as in the channel picker. |
| Include | Channel messages and DMs, channel messages only, or DMs only. |
| Contains any of | Comma-separated words. A message is kept if it contains any of them. Matching ignores case and finds the word anywhere in the text. |
| Leave out messages with | Comma-separated words. A message containing any of them is dropped. |
| From / To | Date and time range, entered in your browser's time zone. |
| Sender ID | One sender: a Meshtastic node ID (!abcd1234), or a MeshCore public key prefix or channel sender name. |
| Time zone | IANA zone (for example America/New_York) for the local_time column. Defaults to your browser's zone. |
| Include emoji reactions | Reactions are left out unless you tick this. Covers Meshtastic tapbacks and MeshCore reactions. |
The file has one row per stored message, oldest first, across all selected sources. A message heard by two sources appears twice, once per source; the source column tells them apart. Traceroute replies are never exported.
| Column | Contents |
|---|---|
timestamp_utc | ISO 8601 time in UTC |
local_time | YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss in the chosen time zone |
network | Meshtastic or MeshCore |
source | Source name |
channel | Channel name, or DM |
sender_name | Node long name (Meshtastic) or sender name (MeshCore) |
sender_id | Node ID or MeshCore public key (blank for MeshCore channel messages, which carry only a name) |
destination | broadcast for channel messages, else the recipient ID |
message | Message text |
message_id | Meshtastic packet ID, or the MeshCore message's row id |
rssi, snr, hops | Reception details where known |
reaction | 1 on an emoji reaction (the emoji is in message), else blank |
reply_to_id | The message_id this row answers: a reply's or reaction's target. Blank when there is none, or when a MeshCore reaction's target was never seen |
The file is UTF-8 with a byte-order mark and CRLF line endings, so Excel opens it with emoji and accented names intact. Cells that start with =, +, - or @ get a leading ' so a message can never run as a spreadsheet formula.
Exports stop at 100,000 rows. When a file is cut short, its last line starts with TRUNCATED:; narrow the date range or filters to get the rest.
Permissions: the export includes exactly what you can read in the message views. Sources and channels you have no read grant on are skipped silently, DMs need messages:read, and a user with no grants gets a file with only the header row. The export reads the database only and sends nothing over the mesh.
The endpoint is GET /api/messages/export (session auth). List filters repeat the key: source, channel, include, exclude. Other parameters: type (all, channels, dms), start / end (UTC epoch milliseconds), sender, includeReactions=true, tz. It is rate limited to 6 exports per minute per client (local network addresses are exempt).
Related Documentation
- Configuration Search — finding a settings section, rather than a message
- Settings — general MeshMonitor settings
- Channel Database — additional channel configurations
- MeshCore — MeshCore messaging
- Security — permissions and access control