The default 30s post-failure backoff (300s cap, doubling per
consecutive failure) was set to bound traffic from chatty apps
looking up unreachable targets, but in practice it dominates
cold-start mesh convergence: a single timed-out lookup during
initial bloom-filter propagation suppresses any retry for 30s, and
the existing reset triggers (parent change, new peer, first RTT,
reconnection) don't fire on a stable post-handshake topology. The
suppression window winds up dictating the protocol's effective
time-to-converge instead of bounding repeat traffic.
Replaces the single-lookup-with-internal-retry model
(`timeout_secs`/`retry_interval_secs`/`max_attempts`) with a
per-attempt timeout sequence in `node.discovery.attempt_timeouts_secs`,
defaulting to `[1, 2, 4, 8]`. Each attempt sends a fresh LookupRequest
with a new random request_id so successive attempts can take different
forwarding paths as the bloom and tree state evolve. The destination
is declared unreachable only after the sequence is exhausted (15s
total at the default).
Disables post-failure suppression by default (`backoff_base_secs`/
`backoff_max_secs` now `0`/`0`). The `DiscoveryBackoff` machinery
stays in tree (inert at zero base/cap); operators with chatty apps
generating repeat lookups against unreachable destinations can opt
back in.
`PendingLookup` field shape unchanged so the control-socket
`show_routing` JSON (`pending_lookups[].attempt`/`initiated_ms`/
`last_sent_ms`) keeps the same schema for fipstop and external
consumers; `last_sent_ms` now means "current-attempt start" under
the new state machine.
Protocol design specifications for the Federated Interoperable Peering
System — a self-organizing encrypted mesh network built on Nostr identities.
Reading Order
Start with the introduction, then follow the protocol stack from bottom to
top. After the stack, the mesh operation document explains how all the
pieces work together. Supporting references provide deeper dives into
specific topics.
Johnathan Corgan
f16b837a12
