What Nodelets does not do
It is not released
Section titled “It is not released”Nodelets is pre-release and runs on staging only. Accounts and data can be reset, there is no password reset, and behaviour can change between builds.
It does not find devices
Section titled “It does not find devices”Nodelets does not scan networks or probe devices. Each kind of device needs a definition, written by hand, and capabilities are never inferred.
It speaks two protocols
Section titled “It speaks two protocols”There are two drivers: HTTP with JSON, including server-sent events for live values, and MQTT 3.1.1. A device that speaks neither cannot be connected yet.
MQTT support is limited:
- properties only, with no actions or events
- no live values, and so no history
- no usernames, passwords or TLS, so it needs a broker that accepts anonymous clients, on a network you trust
- literal topics only, so each device needs its own definition
It is not for control loops or safety functions
Section titled “It is not for control loops or safety functions”Every operation crosses the cloud and the bridge’s connection. Nodelets suits supervision and occasional control. Control loops, interlocks and safety functions belong on the local controller.
It does not work without a route out
Section titled “It does not work without a route out”The bridge has no local API. If it cannot reach the cloud, Nodelets cannot reach its devices. There is no Windows build.
It is not general network access
Section titled “It is not general network access”Clients use the operations a definition declares. They cannot reach other addresses, paths or topics on the network behind the bridge.
It does not keep everything
Section titled “It does not keep everything”History keeps saved readings at the spacing each plan allows, not every value. A short spike between saved readings can be missing. Live values are forwarded and not replayed: a client that was not connected misses them. Readings carry the cloud’s time, not the device’s.
It does not hide values from the cloud
Section titled “It does not hide values from the cloud”Values and commands pass through the cloud in plaintext. Addresses, topics and headers stay on the bridge.
It does not record what happens outside it
Section titled “It does not record what happens outside it”The device record holds writes and actions sent through the cloud. A change made at the device, or through another system, leaves no entry. The record is a report of what was sent and what the bridge said happened, and it is not chained with hashes against tampering.
Its dashboard does not show or control devices
Section titled “Its dashboard does not show or control devices”The Bridges page shows what each Nodelet can do, as a snapshot from when the page loaded. It shows no values, cannot send commands, and has no history view. Reload it to see changes.
It does not register MCP clients by themselves
Section titled “It does not register MCP clients by themselves”An MCP client cannot register itself, and Nodelets does not yet offer readers a way to register one. Clients must speak the 2026 MCP protocol.
Large devices do not fit yet
Section titled “Large devices do not fit yet”A bridge collects history for at most 64 properties, and holds at most 64 commands in flight. A device’s capabilities are published to the cloud in one message of at most 256 KiB, so a definition with a very large number of properties cannot be registered.