Ratspeak

Ratspeak is a native desktop and mobile client for E2EE conversations over Reticulum, a new type of mesh networking. Ratspeak gives you messaging, file/image sharing, LoRa capability, WiFi, BLE, TCP, offline messaging, turn-based games, and more.

Docs | Build from source | rsReticulum | rsLXMF

What It Is

Ratspeak is for private messaging when the normal internet is unavailable, untrusted, or not the path you want to depend on. When your cell tower is down, when natural disaster hits, or when you just want an alternative. When you know the current system is broken.

It runs on Reticulum and LXMF, so conversations can happen over regular internet, LoRa radios, WiFi, Bluetooth, there is no limit - if it can move data it can be a part of the mesh.

There is no Ratspeak account server, no central database, no hub where everything routes through by default. Your Reticulum identity is generated on your device and becomes your address on the mesh, no personal information needed.

Current State

Ratspeak is in experimental/alpha status. That means there are bugs, there are quirks, and things are not perfect. We stand by a strict contribute, don't complain policy. If something isn't working up to your standards, or at all, contribute by opening an issue and providing valuable feedback required to fix the issue. Code does not have emotion, so there's no reason a bug report should either.

Supported app targets are macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS. Public desktop and Android packages will be linked from ratspeak.org/download.html as they are released. iOS does not have a public download yet; and macOS is unsigned, with Window's .MSIX needing signing for BLE Peering support. These will come once LLC formation is complete and I have the patience to deal with Apple and signing-certificates.

What You Get

• Account-free messaging over Reticulum.
• Full offline messaging support.
• Local Network, TCP, RNode/LoRa support, Bluetooth Peering, and more.
• Contacts, discovered peers, path requests, interface status, propagation status, and transport health in the app.
• Chess and Tic-Tac-Toe.
• I'm tired boss, this whole README is going to get a revamp.

Install

Use the download page when public builds are available: ratspeak.org/download.html.

For setup help, see:

• Install and Platform Setup
• Your First Session
• Troubleshooting

Build From Source

The full build guide is here: Building from Source. It covers desktop prerequisites, Android APKs, iOS signing, and the required sibling checkout layout.

After installing the desktop prerequisites, the shortest local path is:

mkdir ratspeak-src
cd ratspeak-src
git clone https://github.com/ratspeak/rsReticulum
git clone https://github.com/ratspeak/rsLXMF
git clone https://github.com/ratspeak/lrgp-rs
git clone https://github.com/ratspeak/Ratspeak

cd Ratspeak
bash dashboard/build-css.sh
cd src-tauri
cargo tauri dev

For a release bundle, run cargo tauri build from Ratspeak/src-tauri. Desktop bundles land under Ratspeak/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Platform Notes

• iOS does not support general USB serial. Local Network, multicast, notifications, and background behavior depend on Apple permissions as well, and currently don't have support at this time.
• Windows Bluetooth Peer advertiser support needs the future signed MSIX lane.
• Linux Bluetooth Peer depends on BlueZ GATT server and LE advertising support.

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. See LICENSE.