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Introduction to MeshAgent

MeshAgent is a cross-platform, high-performance remote management agent that powers the Flamingo / OpenFrame platform and MeshCentral-compatible infrastructures. Written in native C/C++ with an embedded JavaScript automation engine, it provides the low-level backbone for secure remote access, device monitoring, and IT automation at scale.

What Is MeshAgent?

MeshAgent runs on managed endpoints — servers, workstations, and embedded devices — and maintains a persistent, encrypted control channel back to a management server. From that channel, operators can:

  • Launch real-time remote desktop sessions (KVM) across Windows, Linux, and macOS
  • Execute JavaScript automation scripts in a sandboxed engine
  • Transfer files, manage services, and run terminal sessions
  • Monitor device identity, hardware info, and connectivity
  • Perform over-the-air self-updates with signature verification

As part of the Flamingo/OpenFrame ecosystem, MeshAgent is the open-source agent component that lets Mingo AI (technician automation) and Fae (client-facing intelligence) operate remotely on managed devices.

Key Features

Feature Description
Secure Control Channel TLS WebSocket connection to the management server with certificate-based mutual authentication
Cross-Platform KVM Remote desktop capture and input injection on Windows (GDI/DXGI), Linux (X11/XShm), and macOS (CoreGraphics)
Embedded JavaScript Engine Duktape-based scripting runtime with Node.js-like APIs for automation, accessible from the server side
WebRTC Data Channels Peer-to-peer connectivity via ICE, DTLS, and SCTP for direct browser-to-agent streaming
High-Performance JPEG Streaming Tile-based differential screen encoding via TurboJPEG with CRC change detection
Self-Update Engine Secure in-place binary updates with digital signature validation
OpenSSL Cryptography Full TLS/DTLS stack, X.509 certificates, RSA/EC key management
Modular Async Networking Non-blocking TCP/UDP, HTTP client/server, WebSocket — all built on the Microstack reactor pattern
OpenFrame Integration AES-256 encrypted token extraction for integration with the Flamingo/OpenFrame platform

Target Audience

MeshAgent is designed for:

  • MSP Engineers deploying remote management infrastructure for client endpoints
  • Platform Integrators embedding MeshAgent within Flamingo/OpenFrame or MeshCentral environments
  • Open-Source Contributors extending agent capabilities or porting to new platforms
  • Security Researchers studying the agent's cryptographic and sandboxing architecture

Architecture Overview

MeshAgent is a layered, event-driven runtime. The core orchestrator (meshcore) drives all subsystems through a single-threaded, non-blocking reactor chain.

flowchart TD
    Server["Management Server"] --> TLS["TLS WebSocket Control Channel"]
    TLS --> AgentCore["Meshcore Agent"]

    subgraph Runtime["MeshAgent Runtime"]
        AgentCore --> Microstack["Microstack Core"]
        AgentCore --> ScriptEngine["Microscript (Duktape)"]
        AgentCore --> KVM["Platform KVM Engine"]
        AgentCore --> DataStore["SimpleDataStore"]
        AgentCore --> Update["Self-Update Engine"]
    end

    Microstack --> WebRTC["WebRTC (ICE / DTLS / SCTP)"]
    Microstack --> HTTP["HTTP / WebSocket"]
    Microstack --> AsyncSockets["Async TCP / UDP"]

    KVM --> JPEG["Jpeg Turbo Core"]
    KVM --> OS["OS Graphics & Input APIs"]

    AgentCore --> OpenSSL["OpenSSL Core"]
    WebRTC --> OpenSSL
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Runtime Flow (Control + KVM)

sequenceDiagram
    participant Agent
    participant Server
    participant Browser

    Agent->>Server: WebSocket Upgrade (TLS)
    Server->>Agent: AuthRequest
    Agent->>Server: AuthVerify (Cert + Signature)
    Server->>Agent: AuthConfirm

    Browser->>Server: Start Remote Desktop
    Server->>Agent: KVM Command

    Agent->>Agent: Capture Screen
    Agent->>Agent: JPEG Compress Tiles
    Agent->>Browser: Stream via WebRTC DataChannel
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Core Modules at a Glance

Module Language Role
meshcore C Agent orchestrator, control channel, cert auth, self-update
microstack C Async networking (TCP, HTTP, WebSocket, WebRTC)
microscript C Embedded Duktape JavaScript runtime
meshcore/KVM C Platform remote desktop engines (Windows/Linux/macOS)
lib-jpeg-turbo C High-speed JPEG tile compression
openssl-1.1.1f C Pinned OpenSSL 1.1.1f cryptographic library
modules/ JavaScript Agent-side automation, installers, utilities
openframe/ C OpenFrame/Flamingo platform integration

Part of the OpenFrame Ecosystem

MeshAgent is one component of the larger OpenFrame platform. OpenFrame unifies multiple MSP tools into a single AI-driven interface — MeshAgent provides the secure, native endpoint presence that makes remote operations possible.

Learn more:

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