enhancement(mesh): remove late packets from tx queue when full#9779
Merged
thebentern merged 3 commits intomeshtastic:developfrom Feb 28, 2026
Merged
enhancement(mesh): remove late packets from tx queue when full#9779thebentern merged 3 commits intomeshtastic:developfrom
thebentern merged 3 commits intomeshtastic:developfrom
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In busy environments, especially for ROUTER_LATE role, tx queue fills very quickly. Delayed packets became late but new packets to be retransmitted won't be put into the tx queue as old ones stay there for a very long time (even a minute or more). This change makes meshtastic prioritize new packets over late packets from tx queue and allows to remove late packet from back of tx queue when there is no space for a new one.
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Pull request overview
Improves TX queue behavior under heavy mesh load (notably for ROUTER_LATE) by evicting stale delayed packets so newly received packets can be queued and retransmitted promptly.
Changes:
- Update TX queue eviction logic to drop a late packet from the back of the queue when full and enqueuing a newer packet.
GUVWAF
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Feb 28, 2026
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GUVWAF
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GUVWAF
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Sounds like a good optimization to me.
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In busy environments, especially when operating in the
ROUTER_LATErole, the TX queue fills up very quickly. As a result, delayed packets become stale, while newly received packets that require retransmission cannot be added to the TX queue because older packets remain there for an extended period (sometimes a minute or more).This change modifies the queue handling logic to prioritize new packets over stale ones. If the TX queue is full, a late packet from the back of the queue will be removed to make room for a new packet. This ensures that fresh transmissions are not blocked by outdated packets and improves overall network responsiveness in busy environments - especially when node holds
ROUTER_LATErole.A more aggressive approach would be to remove a packet even if it is not yet late, but has a higher TX delay than the packet being enqueued. I successfully tested this behavior on my own node. However, the currently proposed implementation appears to be a reasonable compromise between improving responsiveness and avoiding overly aggressive packet drops.