Ruview/docs/adr/ADR-050-provisioning-tool-enhancements.md

ADR-050: Provisioning Tool Enhancements

Status: Proposed Date: 2026-03-03 Deciders: @ruvnet Supersedes: None Related: ADR-029, ADR-032, ADR-039, ADR-040

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Context

The ESP32-S3 CSI node provisioning script (firmware/esp32-csi-node/provision.py) is the primary tool for configuring pre-built firmware binaries without recompiling. It writes NVS key-value pairs that the firmware reads at boot.

After #131 added TDM and edge intelligence flags, the script now covers the most-requested NVS keys. However, there remain gaps between what the firmware reads from NVS (nvs_config.c, 20 keys) and what the provisioning script can write (13 keys). Additionally, the script lacks usability features that would help field operators deploying multi-node meshes.

Gap 1: Missing NVS Keys (7 keys)

The firmware reads these NVS keys at boot but the provisioning script has no corresponding CLI flags:

NVS Key	Type	Firmware Default	Purpose
hop_count	u8	1 (no hop)	Number of channels to hop through
chan_list	blob (u8[6])	{1,6,11}	Channel numbers for hopping sequence
dwell_ms	u32	100	Time to dwell on each channel before hopping (ms)
power_duty	u8	100	Power duty cycle percentage (10-100%) for battery life
wasm_max	u8	4	Max concurrent WASM modules (ADR-040)
wasm_verify	u8	0	Require Ed25519 signature for WASM uploads (0/1)
wasm_pubkey	blob (32B)	zeros	Ed25519 public key for WASM signature verification

Gap 2: No Read-Back

There is no way to read the current NVS configuration from a device. Field operators must remember what was provisioned or reflash everything. This is especially problematic for multi-node meshes where each node has different TDM slots.

Gap 3: No Verification

After flashing, there is no automated check that the device booted successfully with the new configuration. Operators must manually run a serial monitor and inspect logs.

Gap 4: No Config File Support

Provisioning a 6-node mesh requires running the script 6 times with largely overlapping flags (same SSID, password, target IP) and only TDM slot varying. There is no way to define a mesh configuration in a file.

Gap 5: No Presets

Common deployment scenarios (single-node basic, 3-node mesh, 6-node mesh with vitals) require operators to know which flags to combine. Named presets would lower the barrier to entry.

Gap 6: No Auto-Detect

The --port flag is required even though the script could auto-detect connected ESP32-S3 devices via esptool.py.

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Decision

Enhance provision.py with the following capabilities, implemented incrementally.

Phase 1: Complete NVS Coverage

Add flags for all remaining firmware NVS keys:

--hop-count N          Channel hop count (1=no hop, default: 1)
--channels 1,6,11      Comma-separated channel list for hopping
--dwell-ms N           Dwell time per channel in ms (default: 100)
--power-duty N         Power duty cycle 10-100% (default: 100)
--wasm-max N           Max concurrent WASM modules 1-8 (default: 4)
--wasm-verify          Require Ed25519 signature for WASM uploads
--wasm-pubkey FILE     Path to Ed25519 public key file (32 bytes raw or PEM)

Validation:

• --channels length must match --hop-count
• --power-duty clamped to 10-100
• --wasm-pubkey implies --wasm-verify

Phase 2: Config File and Mesh Provisioning

Add --config FILE to load settings from a JSON or TOML file:

{
  "common": {
    "ssid": "SensorNet",
    "password": "secret",
    "target_ip": "192.168.1.20",
    "target_port": 5005,
    "edge_tier": 2
  },
  "nodes": [
    { "port": "COM7", "node_id": 0, "tdm_slot": 0 },
    { "port": "COM8", "node_id": 1, "tdm_slot": 1 },
    { "port": "COM9", "node_id": 2, "tdm_slot": 2 }
  ]
}

--config mesh.json provisions all listed nodes in sequence, computing tdm_total automatically from the nodes array length.

Phase 3: Presets

Add --preset NAME for common deployment profiles:

Preset	What It Sets
basic	Single node, edge_tier=0, no TDM, no hopping
vitals	Single node, edge_tier=2, vital_int=1000, subk_count=32
mesh-3	3-node TDM, edge_tier=1, hop_count=3, channels=1,6,11
mesh-6-vitals	6-node TDM, edge_tier=2, hop_count=3, channels=1,6,11, vital_int=500

Presets set defaults that can be overridden by explicit flags.

Phase 4: Read-Back and Verify

Add --read to dump the current NVS configuration from a connected device:

python provision.py --port COM7 --read
# Output:
#   ssid:         SensorNet
#   target_ip:    192.168.1.20
#   tdm_slot:     0
#   tdm_nodes:    3
#   edge_tier:    2
#   ...

Implementation: use esptool.py read_flash to read the NVS partition, then parse the NVS binary format to extract key-value pairs.

Add --verify to provision and then confirm the device booted:

python provision.py --port COM7 --ssid "Net" --password "pass" --target-ip 192.168.1.20 --verify
# After flash, opens serial monitor for 5 seconds
# Checks for "CSI streaming active" log line
# Reports PASS or FAIL

Phase 5: Auto-Detect Port

When --port is omitted, scan for connected ESP32-S3 devices:

python provision.py --ssid "Net" --password "pass" --target-ip 192.168.1.20
# Auto-detected ESP32-S3 on COM7 (Silicon Labs CP210x)
# Proceed? [Y/n]

Implementation: use esptool.py or serial.tools.list_ports to enumerate ports.

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Rationale

Why incremental phases?

Phase 1 is a small diff that closes the NVS coverage gap immediately. Phases 2-5 add progressively more UX polish. Each phase is independently useful and can be shipped separately.

Why JSON config over YAML/TOML?

JSON requires no additional Python dependencies (stdlib json module). TOML requires tomllib (Python 3.11+) or tomli. JSON is sufficient for this use case.

Why not a GUI?

The target users are embedded developers and field operators who are already running esptool from the command line. A TUI/GUI would add dependencies and complexity for minimal benefit.

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Consequences

Positive

• Complete NVS coverage: Every firmware-readable key can be set from the provisioning tool
• Mesh provisioning in one command: --config mesh.json replaces 6 separate invocations
• Lower barrier to entry: Presets eliminate the need to know which flags to combine
• Auditability: --read lets operators inspect and verify deployed configurations
• Fewer mis-provisions: --verify catches flashing failures before the operator walks away

Negative

• NVS binary parsing (Phase 4) requires understanding the ESP-IDF NVS binary format, which is not officially documented as a stable API
• Auto-detect (Phase 5) may produce false positives if other ESP32 variants are connected

Risks

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
NVS binary format changes in ESP-IDF v6	Low	Medium	Pin to known ESP-IDF NVS page format; add format version check
--verify serial parsing is fragile	Medium	Low	Match on stable log tag [CSI_MAIN]; timeout after 10s
Config file credentials in plaintext	Medium	Medium	Document that config files should not be committed; add .gitignore pattern

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Implementation Priority

Phase	Effort	Impact	Priority
Phase 1: Complete NVS coverage	Small (1 file, ~50 lines)	High — closes feature gap	P0
Phase 2: Config file + mesh	Medium (~100 lines)	High — biggest UX win	P1
Phase 3: Presets	Small (~40 lines)	Medium — convenience	P2
Phase 4: Read-back + verify	Medium (~150 lines)	Medium — debugging aid	P2
Phase 5: Auto-detect	Small (~30 lines)	Low — minor convenience	P3

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References

• firmware/esp32-csi-node/main/nvs_config.h — NVS config struct (20 fields)
• firmware/esp32-csi-node/main/nvs_config.c — NVS read logic (20 keys)
• firmware/esp32-csi-node/provision.py — Current provisioning script (13 of 20 keys)
• ADR-029: RuvSense multistatic sensing mode (TDM, channel hopping)
• ADR-032: Multistatic mesh security hardening (mesh keys)
• ADR-039: ESP32-S3 edge intelligence (edge tiers, vitals)
• ADR-040: WASM programmable sensing (WASM modules, signature verification)
• Issue #130: Provisioning script doesn't support TDM