---
schema: foundry-doc-v1
title: "Sovereign Mesh"
slug: sovereign-mesh
short_description: "The sovereign mesh is the application-level WireGuard overlay that connects every PointSav Private Network fleet node, carrying signed binary commands without relying on a centralised message broker."
category: infrastructure
type: topic
content_type: topic
status: active
bcsc_class: public-disclosure-safe
language: en
paired_with: sovereign-mesh.es.md
last_edited: 2026-05-30
editor: editorial
---

The **sovereign mesh** is the application-level network overlay that connects every PointSav Private Network (PPN) fleet node. It runs over WireGuard cryptographic tunnels on a dedicated `ppn0` interface and carries signed binary commands without relying on a centralised message broker. Each node communicates directly with its authorised peers; the mesh layer enforces the same authority hierarchy as the [[diode-standard|Diode Standard]] as a structural property, not a configuration option.

## Hub-and-spoke topology

The mesh uses a hub-and-spoke arrangement. The cloud relay node sits at the centre and relays packets between spoke nodes that may not have a direct path to each other.

| Role | Node | Planned address | Crate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hub | Cloud relay (GCP) | `10.8.0.1` | `app-infrastructure-cloud` |
| Spoke | On-premises node | `10.8.0.2` | `app-infrastructure-onprem` |
| Spoke | Leased node | `10.8.0.3` | `app-infrastructure-leased` |

The `10.8.0.0/24` subnet is the intended PPN address range. All mesh traffic is encapsulated inside WireGuard before leaving a node; the underlying transport — public internet, private LAN, or GCP internal network — is irrelevant to the mesh layer.

## WireGuard overlay

Each node brings up a `ppn0` WireGuard interface as part of its boot sequence. WireGuard provides:

- **Key agreement** — Noise Protocol IK handshake; each node's long-term keypair is generated and stored at first mesh join by `os-network-admin` for the control-plane node, or via the Genesis Protocol for bare-metal edge nodes
- **Encryption and integrity** — ChaCha20-Poly1305 per packet; no plaintext mesh traffic ever leaves a node
- **Peer reachability** — the cloud relay is the only statically-addressed peer; on-premises and leased nodes resolve each other through the relay until a direct routed path becomes available

WireGuard configuration for each node is held in the deployment instance directory (local-only, gitignored). Keypairs are never stored in any repository.

## Command protocol

All mesh commands use a 16-byte binary packet format delivered over UDP on port 8090. The compact size is deliberate: the packet carries an intent token, a target selector, a nonce, and a truncated authority signature — sufficient to identify the command, verify its provenance, and detect replay attacks without requiring a full TLS session per command.

The command flow from operator to target node is:

```
Operator intent (plain language)
      ↓
F8 Terminal  —  os-network-admin  HTTP :8085
      ↓
service-slm semantic router
      ↓
16-byte binary command (authorised and signed)
      ↓
service-udp broadcast  →  ppn0  →  WireGuard tunnel
      ↓
Target node  —  UDP port 8090
```

Commands flow in one direction only — from `os-network-admin` outward to the mesh — a constraint enforced by `service-pointsav-link` at the application layer. See [[diode-standard]] for the full authority hierarchy.

## Node roles in the mesh

### os-infrastructure — edge anchor

The bare-metal `os-infrastructure` node is a mesh peer, not a mesh controller. It listens on port 8090 for signed binary commands addressed to it and executes them; it does not initiate commands. The node's Broadcom 14e4:16b4 NIC carries mesh traffic via the `ppn0` interface once the Genesis Protocol join sequence completes.

### os-network-admin — control plane

`os-network-admin` owns command authority for the mesh. The F8 Terminal — a plain-language command surface on HTTP port 8085 — accepts operator intent and routes it through `service-slm` to produce a signed 16-byte binary command. The command is then broadcast over `service-udp` on port 8090 to one or more mesh peers. `os-network-admin` also hosts the pairing registry and manages new-node admission via the [[machine-based-auth|machine-based auth]] handshake.

### Cloud relay — hub

The GCP cloud relay node relays WireGuard-encapsulated packets between spoke nodes. It does not interpret mesh commands; it is a transport layer only. The relay's fixed public IP and static WireGuard configuration make it the anchor point that allows on-premises and leased nodes to find each other without DNS or DHCP dependency.

## Genesis Protocol integration

A bare-metal node joins the mesh through the [[genesis-protocol|Genesis Protocol]] rather than manual WireGuard provisioning. At first boot:

1. seL4 generates an entropy-seeded keypair from hardware sources
2. The node enters blind-boot mode — ignoring all DHCP and DNS — and scans for the `os-network-admin` beacon on port 8090
3. If the beacon is found, `os-network-admin` guides the node through the mesh-join handshake: WireGuard peer registration, IP assignment, and keypair binding to the pairing registry
4. If no beacon is found within the scan window, the node self-geneses: it writes its keypair to UEFI Secure Variable storage and enters a holding pattern on port 9443, awaiting an admin claim

This mechanism ensures that no node ever joins the mesh without a verified authority handshake. Manual `wg genkey` workflows apply during initial fleet provisioning only; they are not the runtime join path for production nodes.

## Relationship to the Diode Standard

The [[diode-standard]] defines three mesh traffic categories: authority commands, telemetry, and inter-node sync. All three flow through the sovereign mesh, but only authority commands use the 16-byte binary format on port 8090. Telemetry and sync traffic use WireGuard-encapsulated TCP or UDP on other ports.

The Diode Standard's unidirectionality constraint — authority commands flow from `os-network-admin` to nodes, never the reverse — is implemented at the mesh layer by `service-pointsav-link`, a hot-pluggable adapter that enforces the flow direction without requiring WireGuard policy changes.

## See also

- [[infrastructure-os]] — deployment postures, Genesis Protocol sequence, Broadcom NIC substrate
- [[os-network-admin]] — F8 Terminal, service-slm integration, mesh policy ownership
- [[diode-standard]] — authority hierarchy and traffic category definitions
- [[machine-based-auth]] — Noise Protocol keypair management and pairing types