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Firmware picker

Firmware role
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Optional: chip family

Skip this if you know your board. Picking hardware selects its chip family automatically. Choose Any to clear this filter.

Install operation
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Logging / MQTT
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Firmware profile

Each button combines OTA support with the feature, sensor, and storage choices for that image. Reduced optional sensors means fewer environmental/ranging drivers; I2C and supported board peripherals remain available.

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Connection / bridge mode
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Current release set

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Picker help

Pick in any order. Use Any to clear one choice, or Clear all choices to start over. Use Copy link to settings to share your selection.

Choices stay limited to compatible builds. Picking hardware selects its chip family automatically. Filters disappear when they select the same file; runtime options appear under Restore your settings after flashing instead. Installation instructions and board-specific guidance follow your download.

The picker reads public release metadata from GitHub. It does not upload device information. Hardware names, targets, and download links come from the published firmware assets.

Advanced: search current release filenames

Use this for uncommon board suffixes or expert recovery. A filename match is not a board-identity check.

What the choices mean

Pick the choices in any order. The controls stay limited to compatible firmware combinations that were actually built in the current release set. The result count stays visible while you scroll through the filters on a phone. Once the exact board and role are selected, the picker skips logging, connection, and profile choices that all select the same firmware. Logging settings move into Restore your settings after flashing beneath the files. Choices that select different images remain visible. The optional chip-family filter (ESP32, nRF52, RP2040, or STM32) can narrow the hardware list first. You can skip it: picking hardware fills it in automatically. Chip family and hardware are the only dropdowns. All remaining choices use buttons. Firmware profile combines OTA support, Full/standard, and sensor or storage differences when a choice between different images is needed.

Use Any to clear one choice, or Clear all choices to start over. The address bar updates with your choices; use Copy link to settings for a shorter link to the same selection.

Each result includes Restore your settings after flashing. Its commands follow the selected logging mode and the exact image's verified role/hardware controls. Click On, Off, or Check to view and copy the commands; Companion MQTT and GPS show their app/WebConfig steps instead. See feature switches by role for the full reference. The USB web console works with the default ASCII terminal on USB Companion and infrastructure roles.

The picker reads public release metadata from GitHub. It does not upload device information. Hardware names, target names, and download links come directly from the published firmware assets.

Choice Use
Companion A phone, computer, or host application controls the radio
Repeater Standalone mesh relay
Room Server Hosts room conversations and history
Sensor / telemetry Publishes supported sensor data
Terminal Chat Standalone serial-terminal interface
USB logging / USB-connected MQTT Node remains attached to a computer over a data-capable USB cable
Wi-Fi MQTT observer Firmware connects directly to MQTT over Wi-Fi; this is not USB logging
USB logging + Wi-Fi MQTT Unified FULL image sends to both paths; avoid two publishers aimed at the same broker unless messages are deduplicated
No logging Normal standalone operation with external logging output disabled
Receives LoRa OTA Repeater, room server, or sensor image that can stage an exact matching update received over LoRa; any sensor/storage tradeoff appears on the same Firmware profile button
Receives LoRa OTA - Reduced optional sensors Compact OTA image that omits selected optional environmental/ranging drivers while retaining generic I2C and supported board peripherals
Reduced sensors + LoRa OTA Qualified nRF52 repeater, room server, or sensor build with the reduced optional sensor recipe and LoRa OTA retained
Full supported sensors + LoRa OTA Qualified nRF52 build with all sensor drivers supported by that board's full recipe and LoRa OTA retained; does not add support for every possible attached sensor
LoRa OTA source only Full Companion serving a host-supplied update to another node without self-installing it

Connection and bridge choices depend on the selected role. Companion firmware may offer Full, combined USB + Bluetooth, Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi, serial, or Ethernet transports. Normal repeater firmware includes runtime-controlled RS-232 support where the board has room; use the selected image's runtime directions to configure it. Choose Wi-Fi MQTT in the result's saved logging settings when it shares the Full image; separate MQTT images retain a Logging / MQTT filter. Full ESP32 LoRa repeaters include runtime ESP-NOW when capacity permits; dedicated ESP-NOW images remain for measured capacity exceptions. Ethernet still needs its exact hardware recipe.

For commands and option explanations, follow the ESP-NOW bridge setup guide.

An ESP-NOW bridge target keeps LoRa as its primary mesh radio. Expanded ESP32 Full LoRa repeaters include ESP-NOW, including boards without an MQTT recipe. Existing MQTT-backed Full repeater and room-server images combine both transports. Use set espnow.enabled on|off for ESP-NOW and, where supported, set mqtt.enabled on|off for MQTT. Newly combined ordinary repeaters start with ESP-NOW off until explicitly enabled, including the first upgrade from unmarked legacy preferences. Later reboots preserve that setting. On combined RS-232 boards without MQTT, bridge.enabled controls the UART. Use the selected download's board notes and runtime controls for images with independent UART, MQTT, and ESP-NOW services. MQTT and ESP-NOW use one 2.4 GHz radio, so when both are enabled the ESP-NOW bridge channel must match the connected WiFi access point's fixed channel. ESP-NOW-only mode does not require WiFi credentials. Its runtime bridge.format setting chooses the peer protocol: wrapped (the backward-compatible bridge-to-bridge default using bridge.secret) or raw (direct MeshCore ESP-NOW LR frames for Generic_ESPNOW, SenseCapIndicator-ESPNow, and other primary-ESP-NOW nodes). This is one firmware choice, not two board images. Match bridge.channel to the primary nodes' espnow.channel before selecting set bridge.format raw.

Share a selection

Select any combination of choices, then use Copy link to settings for a short URL under https://mikecarper.github.io/MeshCore/p/. Opening the link restores those choices after the release catalog loads. Partial selections work too, so you can share a board and role while leaving other choices open. Clear all choices removes the picker parameters from the URL. Changes update the current browser-history entry without reloading the page or adding a Back-button entry for every click.

For example, RAK3401 unified Full repeater preselects that board, role, OTA capability, and Full sensor policy. Supported internal or external storage is detected by the unified image.

Short links encode only the selected choices in a versioned s parameter. Hardware identifiers stay readable, and the link omits redundant hardware-family and automatically selected chip-family values. It keeps profile and install choices explicitly rather than relying on the current catalog's defaults. The address bar also uses the compact selection format; copying it works too.

Existing long links still work. Their query parameters are chipFamily, hardwareFamily, hardware, role, logging, ota, mode, feature, variant, and install. Values use the picker's internal identifiers rather than the displayed labels. One Firmware profile button sets ota, feature, and variant together. Existing links with only some of those choices still work and show their partial selection. The selection also records when chip-family filtering was chosen manually so automatic chip-family selection or an explicit Any choice behaves the same after reopening. Existing section anchors and unrelated query parameters are preserved.

Links use the current release catalog. If a linked choice is no longer available or conflicts with another choice, the picker identifies it and asks you to review the remaining selections. The downloadable HTML's Copy link to settings button creates a short public website link that other people can open.

FULL versus standard

Current ESP32 ordinary releases use one Full / complete image per exact board and role. Full keeps the supported feature set and CLI; runtime switches select USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, logging, and other qualified features. Separate portable, minimal, and single-transport ESP32 images are installation/recovery recipes, not additional ordinary release choices. Board-specific capacity exceptions are shown with the selected download. Other chip families retain their qualified capacity and sensor-profile choices.

Moving an older ESP32 installation to an expanded Full layout requires a partition migration. Use the exact-board merged image over USB, or a supported exact board and role staged migration ZIP from the utility release. Read that ZIP's README before choosing the Wi-Fi or LoRa route. Do not send a loose app-only Full .bin directly to an older layout: the running application cannot move its own active and inactive partitions. Run get storage.layout on the installed firmware if available. It reports the live partition table; a version-based guess cannot confirm the installed layout. See the partition lookup guide when the old firmware lacks that command.

Current full-usb-wifi profiles use one binary for no external output, USB packet logging/USB-connected MQTT, direct WiFi MQTT, or both. The picker skips the logging filter when these modes use the same file; select the saved runtime mode with set logging.output off|usb|wifi|both. A FULL logging-fallback profile is listed only when no WiFi MQTT sibling exists; it supports both the no-output and USB settings because set usb.logging off|on is persistent. On a fresh unified FULL install with no saved SSID, the setup AP and WiFi radio remain available for 30 minutes per boot, then turn off automatically until the next reboot or power cycle. An explicit administrator start webconfig remains available as an override. A saved SSID switches to the normal indefinite reconnect behavior instead.

Fresh ESP32 Full infrastructure defaults to USB logging off. Existing saved logging and device power-saving settings survive an update. Automatic unconfigured boot setup also pauses network-bridge retries until an explicit bridge start, allowing its radio to turn off when the AP closes. Manual WebConfig/WiFi starts preserve an explicitly enabled ESP-NOW bridge, including when the master radio switch restores the selected services. Compact OTA images scan before raising a new AP and verify live driver readiness before reporting the update URL.

Full Companion profiles use one binary for USB, BLE, ordinary Wi-Fi on ESP32, source-only LoRa OTA, Terminal Chat, optional USB packet logging, and any board-qualified serial or Ethernet Companion transport. Bulk builds therefore omit separate attached-transport, Terminal Chat, and USB-logging artifacts whenever the exact Full recipe exists. RAK4631 repeater and room-server Ethernet images remain separate roles. Fresh installs default to logging off. Heltec V3 and base OLED V4 Full images also contain the former direct Wi-Fi MQTT Companion capability, configured at runtime through WebConfig, so their separate companion_radio_wifi_mqtt artifacts are omitted from canonical builds as well.

When Full Companion does not fit but a matching USB Companion does, that USB artifact also supplies Terminal Chat and replaces its standalone release image. Heltec E290 and T190 now publish one Full USB + BLE + WiFi Companion; their old combined and single-transport names are explicit-build compatibility aliases. SSD1306 Full Companion builds use set display.rotation 90|180|270; 0 restores the board default, so a separate rotated release image is not recommended.

Ordinary non-OTA roles also use one artifact for normal operation and USB logging. On ESP32 1.17.1.5, run set powersaving off before set usb.logging on. Select the saved mode with set usb.logging off|on; no -logging- artifact is emitted. KISS, BLE-only Companion, and constrained LoRa OTA repeater images retain their protocol/partition contracts and do not inherit plaintext USB logging.

nRF52 Full Companion keeps the multi-role primary interface on 00; it starts as an ASCII terminal and automatically hands a complete < frame to Binary Companion. set usb.logging on reboot adds its plaintext interface 02.

Every ESP32 Full Companion instead exposes one USB TTY. Logging is off by default, so the TTY serves the ASCII/Binary Companion switcher. On 1.17.1.5, run these two text commands to enable USB logging:

set powersaving off
set usb.logging on

The second command turns that same TTY into an input-capable plaintext CLI/logging stream; framed Binary Companion is unavailable on USB while logging owns it. set usb.logging off stops the logs and leaves the TTY in the normal ASCII terminal, matching a fresh Full installation. Send +++MESHCORE-TERM-STOP, or let a Companion app send a valid framed probe, to switch from there to Binary Companion. BLE and Wi-Fi Companion remain usable while the USB TTY is logging. ESP32 Full builds use the repository's Arduino-ESP32 2.x base where the board supports it; RC32 and ESP32-C6 retain their board-required Arduino 3.x platform but still expose only one USB TTY. A second ESP32 CDC interface is not part of the release profile.

The picker includes the power-saving workaround when selecting USB or USB + WiFi logging on ESP32 1.17.1.5. WiFi/MQTT-only logging does not need it while the Repeater/Room Server bridge is running; check get mqtt.running. The workaround is not added to nRF52 directions. See logging by role for the saved settings and the original firmware's USB sleep issue.

Companion USB terminal on Linux

Full, USB and USB + Bluetooth Companion results include Companion USB terminal (Linux / Bash) under Restore your settings after flashing, with copyable connection and recovery commands.

Updated 1.17.1.6 USB Companions default to ASCII at boot and after an observable USB session reset. picocom -b 115200 /dev/ttyACM0 is sufficient for a fresh session. A valid framed app command automatically selects Binary Companion. The command below also works with older firmware or a port left in Binary mode.

Run this in Bash on the Linux computer connected to your radio:

picocom -b 115200 --imap spchex \
  --initstring $'\r+++MESHCORE-TERM-START\r' \
  /dev/ttyACM0

Replace /dev/ttyACM0 with your radio's port, such as /dev/ttyACM1 or /dev/ttyUSB0. Use the primary USB data interface (00 when multiple interfaces appear), and close other apps using it. The init string requests the ASCII CLI; its leading carriage return clears an unfinished input line. --imap spchex displays binary control bytes safely during the transition.

If the terminal display is scrambled, exit picocom with Ctrl+A, then Ctrl+X, run reset in your Linux shell, then reconnect with the command above. At the radio prompt, run version and board to identify the node. See the Companion USB mode guide.

Companion tempradio2 transmit settings

LoRa Companion results for 1.17.1.6 and newer include Companion tempradio2: transmit on both under Restore your settings after flashing. After configuring tempradio2 in rxtx mode, choose Transmit on both to copy:

set radio2.cross on

This copies new messages to both radio and tempradio2. The setting is saved, outlasts the temporary session and reboot, and also allows OTA traffic to cross profiles. Default isolation copies set radio2.cross auto; Check shows the temporary profile, crossing policy and per-profile transmit counters. See the two-profile setup guide.

Installation methods

File Use
-merged.bin Erase/fresh install, recovery, role migration, or partition-profile change on ESP32 over USB
Non-merged .bin Update an existing same-board, same-role, same-partition installation
*-migration.zip Exact ESP32 board and role staged partition migration; follow its included README for Wi-Fi or LoRa steps
Other .zip firmware shown by the picker Native nRF52 Serial DFU update package; it is not an extra archive
.uf2 UF2 bootloader drag-and-drop install or update
.hex Erase/recovery flash with a supported wired programmer

Never send a merged ESP32 image through browser OTA or LoRa OTA. Back up the node identity, configuration, keys, and radio settings, and verify every filename suffix before flashing. A staged migration writes the partition table; power loss during that write can require cable recovery. The package README states what each route preserves and which older layouts it accepts.

LoRa OTA and OTAFIX

A LoRa OTA capable build can receive and stage updates for its role. A later LoRa update still needs an exact target identity, compatible partition signature, matching radio settings, and the correct update package.

Selecting an nRF52 board shows its direct Bootloader UF2, Bootloader DFU ZIP, and Bootloader HEX (SWD) downloads, when an exact published profile is available. ESP32 and other chip families do not show this section. The web picker checks the latest stable OTAFIX release; the downloadable picker includes the bootloader release named in its saved catalog. If a board has no verified mapping or a file is missing, the picker explains that instead of offering another board's bootloader. OTAFIX 2.4.11 publishes a combined MeshTower V2 SD/internal image, mapped only to Heltec_tower_v2_sdcard. The historical Heltec_tower_v2 internal-only profile is explicitly retired: move to the normal combined image with a one-time local USB/BLE DFU or SWD installation, not a cross-profile LoRa bootloader update. The picker does not silently substitute its bootloader. RAK3401 and RAK4631 each use their board-specific adaptive storage bootloader. Ikoka Stick, Nano and Handheld plus SolarXiao use the XIAO bootloader; Wio Tracker L1 1W and E-Ink use the L1 bootloader. See the board coverage audit for the source checks and boards still awaiting a dedicated, tested release.

Board mappings and file names, URLs, sizes and SHA-256 hashes come from bootloader-manifest.json in the OTAFIX release. Application UF2 and DFU files do not install a bootloader. Follow the bootloader release's migration instructions if the installed version needs a recovery bridge.

nRF52 LoRa OTA requires an OTAFIX bootloader built for the exact board and storage layout. Select the hardware-matched HEX, Serial DFU ZIP, or bootloader-update UF2 for the application image being installed.

Hardware and variant names

Hardware families with multiple released targets get Hardware variant buttons. They separate revisions, display type, expansion kit, radio/PA layout, pin map, and other physical differences without crowding the Hardware dropdown. Firmware profile buttons combine OTA support, Full/standard, and choices that need a different image or wiring, such as serial port or external storage. The picker skips this step when all available profile choices lead to the same firmware file. The 1.17.1.9 nRF52 repeater, room-server and sensor releases publish two separately qualified choices: Reduced sensors + LoRa OTA and Full supported sensors + LoRa OTA, with -reduced-ota and -full-ota artifact suffixes. Each keeps its exact board/role OTA identity and storage layout; the suffix is not a new radio or partition identity. Labels come from the release's qualified sensor.profile.reduced / sensor.profile.full metadata and verified LoRa receiver, not from the filename alone. Both profiles remain separate in local and published releases, including boards whose optional sensor set is small enough that the images have little or no size difference. Packaging requires both profiles with matching packaged OTA identity and flash geometry, even when a matrix is resumed or partial publication is requested. A failed build is reported, never presented as a supported download. Companion is unchanged.

Normal SolarXiao, XIAO nRF52, Ikoka Nano/Stick/Handheld, T-Echo, T-Echo Lite, ThinkNode M1/M6, Wio Tracker L1 and SenseCAP Solar Room Server builds use onboard QSPI storage through their exact *_room_server_lora_ota targets, with both sensor profiles retained. T-Echo Lite Repeater similarly uses its exact LilyGo_T-Echo-Lite_repeater_lora_ota target. Each requires the board-matched QSPI-capable OTAFIX bootloader; a shared board-family name is not enough to choose a bootloader. Internal-only Room recipes remain available by exact name for explicit compatibility/recovery builds, but are excluded from ordinary build menus and future releases. For newly converted boards, the picker keeps an existing release's internal Room choice until that same release provides its qualified, source-matched QSPI Full/Reduced pair. This preserves working Room links during rollout; SolarXiao's already-retired internal choices stay hidden. Existing downloads remain available through exact filename searches. The legacy and QSPI images have different OTA identities and layouts: a QSPI package is not a cross-target LoRa update for an internal-only installation. Use the matching bootloader and documented local migration path when changing layouts.

T-Echo, SenseCAP Solar, ThinkNode M1/M6 and Wio Tracker L1 already use QSPI in their ordinary Repeater targets. Their older *_repeater_lora_ota_no_external_sensors identities remain explicit compatibility builds, not extra normal Full/Reduced choices. The picker hides these aliases only when a source-matched, qualified ordinary QSPI pair exists. XIAO nRF52 Repeater now also includes its runtime RS232 bridge, disabled by default (set rs232.enabled on|off). The separate bridge recommendation is hidden only after both ordinary sensor profiles prove the linked driver and packaged runtime controls. Existing bridge OTA identities remain unchanged.

Muzi Base Uno/Duo, T-Echo Card and Nano G2 Ultra have explicit *_repeater_lora_ota and *_room_server_lora_ota qualification recipes. Their dedicated bootloader ports still require physical qualification and publication. These experimental recipes reserve raw QSPI for OTA (no shared QSPI filesystem), are excluded from ordinary menus and bulk builds, and carry hardware.qualification.pending in their capability manifests so release packaging refuses them. Their current normal builds and picker choices remain available; do not install another board's bootloader to bypass this gate.

The legacy no_external_sensors profile is labeled Receives LoRa OTA - Reduced optional sensors on the same button. On RAK3401 and RAK4631 this compact profile uses internal storage without an external storage board. The reduction does not disable generic I2C or unrelated board-integrated peripherals. Reduced RAK3401 and RAK4631 targets retain INA219/INA226/INA260/INA3221 as voltage/current entries in the optional sensor table. They are not the only I2C users: the SSD1306 OLED, supported autodiscovered RTCs, and RAK12500 GPS remain separate I2C peripherals in compatible recipes. RAK12501/L76K GPS uses Serial1 instead. The explicit RAK4631 Serial1 bridge omits the combined GPS provider because its bridge owns the RAK12501 UART, so that legacy image does not expose RAK12500 either. The firmware-configured INA3221 and RAK12500 addresses are both 0x42; to install both, keep RAK12500 at 0x42, strap INA3221 A0 to SCL for 0x43, and use a build with -DTELEM_INA3221_ADDRESS=0x43. Companion power saving, controllable FEM receive gain, and radio-chip receive gain are saved settings rather than separate recommended firmware files. Do not substitute a similarly named physical target.

The header-wired RAK19007 W25Q16 LoRa-OTA recipes are also exact hardware variants, labeled External storage board (W25Q16) in the picker. W25Q16 is the flash-memory part on the added storage board; RAK13302 identifies the radio module, not the storage board. Choose this variant for RAK4631 or for RAK3401 + RAK13302 only when that core/radio combination, the EF4015 flash wiring, and its matching OTAFIX bootloader are all present. The common base-board wiring does not make the two firmware or bootloader identities interchangeable.

The picker recommends one Full Companion image instead of separate USB, BLE, ordinary WiFi, and USB-logging images. On ESP32, logging is off by default so the one USB TTY starts in ASCII and automatically changes to framed Companion when a complete < frame arrives. Enabling logging gives that TTY to the plaintext CLI/logger and disables framed USB Companion until logging is turned off and the normal ASCII-to-binary mode switch occurs. nRF52 Full Companion retains its optional dedicated interface 02. Exact filename search finds compatibility images included in the selected release family. For older releases, open their GitHub release pages.

The current public matrix keeps one ESP32 Full image per board and role. Some richer images, including Station G2 Full, retain an observer-named OTA identity. Exact older identities needed by a partition migration are packaged inside that board and role's migration ZIP instead of adding a second ordinary Full download. A deliberate target-ID override does not make a different partition layout or physical board compatible.

Some normal ESP32 roles begin in the legacy 1.25 MiB dual-OTA layout but have a Full image with larger slots. The utility release lists the exact board and role migration ZIPs available for that release. Each package checks its source layout and target identity, contains the bridge and Full application files for its supported routes, and documents what saved data it preserves. Use the package's own Full application after the bridge; do not substitute a loose Full image with a different target ID. If no exact package exists, use the matching merged USB image. Once migrated, routine app-only updates still need the same target and partition signature.

Maintaining the runtime directions

The online picker and downloadable HTML use the same command renderer. Hardware-specific controls are enabled only when _data/firmware_controls.json matches the selected release family and exact target. If that metadata is missing or belongs to another release, the picker retains basic role/logging directions and links the complete guide without inventing hardware support. For 1.17.1.6, that JSON also records the verified LoRa OTA role of each image and USB logging modes where the packaged application was checked. Logging metadata is tied to the source hash of its firmware file. The normal iKoka 30 dBm repeater has USB logging and LoRa OTA; its compact no-external-sensors image has LoRa OTA without logging. Capacity directions come from each qualified profile's recorded reductions and are tied to the source hash of the selected download. The older 1.17.1.5 USB sleep workaround stays limited to that release.

After qualifying a new release, resolve its PlatformIO configuration with no other PlatformIO process running, then generate the controls from that source revision and its staged manifests:

pio project config --json-output > /tmp/meshcore-picker-pio-config.json
python3 scripts/generate_picker_controls.py \
  --stage /path/to/staged-release \
  --pio-config /tmp/meshcore-picker-pio-config.json

Refresh the data-controls-url version query when publishing the generated metadata so browsers fetch the new release's controls.

The generated partitionMigrations lookup comes from BOARDS in scripts/package_esp32_partition_migration.py, the same exact board/role table used to build the migration packages. Expanded ESP32 Full results use this lookup (including canonical board/role recipes for Observer profiles), then require one matching published ZIP in the same release family's utility page. Hardware variants and roles remain distinct. Unlisted targets, missing or ambiguous assets, and stale metadata never produce a guessed download link.

For the downloadable version, save the release family's public GitHub release objects as a JSON array, then package the same picker UI and controls:

python3 scripts/package_firmware_picker.py \
  --releases-json /path/to/releases.json \
  --output /path/to/FIRMWARE-PICKER.html

This HTML embeds its catalog and directions, so selections work without an internet connection. Firmware downloads and the USB web console still need network access. When replacing the downloadable picker on release pages, update its entry in each page's SHA256SUMS.txt as well.

Memory-corrected 1.17.1.5 downloads

Corrected downloads retain the 1.17.1.5 release page and use source suffix aa20e927, with 1e4d1e16 for Wireless Paper Full's 350-contact follow-up. The picker accepts replacement source hashes within that exact release version. Its installation directions identify the nRF52 queue-sharing behavior, Wireless Paper Full's 350 contacts with a shared 256/128-slot queue, and the 150-contact limit on the other six affected ESP32 Full profiles. Those notices apply only to the corrected files. See the memory correction details and each replacement's .memory.json report before updating.