IMesh

Operate an IMesh Python mesh for discovering trusted peers, starting a local node, calling remote skills, and checking mesh health.

Use this skill to operate the IMesh local-first AI-agent mesh from a shell. IMesh uses an asynchronous WebSocket node, signed task requests, optional mDNS discovery, and a FastAPI gateway.

Safety rules

• Keep WAN disabled unless the operator explicitly requests it.
• Never expose a remote skill unless it is registered with expose_remote=True and the peer is trusted.
• Set OPENCLAW_PSK to a long random shared secret before connecting peers.
• Do not print, copy, or commit private keys, API keys, .env files, or the gateway database.
• Prefer 127.0.0.1 while testing. Ask for explicit confirmation before using 0.0.0.0 or a public address.

Common operations

Start a local node:

bash

IMesh start --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8765

Discover peers on the local network:

bash

IMesh discover

Call a skill on a trusted peer:

bash

IMesh call local echo \
  --url ws://127.0.0.1:8765 \
  --payload '{"message":"hello"}'

Start the HTTP gateway locally:

bash

IMesh gateway --host 127.0.0.1 --port 8000

Check the gateway:

bash

curl http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/v1/health

Configuration

Configuration is read from environment variables with the OPENCLAW_ prefix:

bash

export OPENCLAW_PSK='replace-with-a-long-random-secret'
export OPENCLAW_DEFAULT_PORT=8765
export OPENCLAW_MDNS_ENABLED=true
export OPENCLAW_WAN_ENABLED=false

Troubleshooting

• If no peers are returned, check that mDNS is enabled and that the local firewall permits the service.
• If a call is rejected, check that both peers use the same OPENCLAW_PSK.
• If a skill is unknown, inspect /api/v1/skills or the node registry.
• Run python -m pytest -q after changing the installation or runtime.