# SkyCache Nexus — Full Software Design & Scaffold Prompt

> **Status (2026):** SkyCache Nexus **v0.3.2** is implemented at https://github.com/Pitchfork-and-Torch/SkyCache  
> Multi-node mesh fabric, DTN, opportunistic open gateway, PWA request portal, cinematic promo.  
> Honest scope: **store-and-forward knowledge + unlicensed community mesh** — not free Starlink.

Use this prompt with a coding agent to extend or re-scaffold **SkyCache Nexus**.

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Use this prompt with a coding agent to design and scaffold the **SkyCache** open-source system.

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You are an expert systems engineer, RF/SDR specialist, open-source developer, and humanitarian technologist. Design and fully scaffold an open-source software system called **SkyCache**.

## Core Vision

SkyCache is a practical, deployable community satellite content hub that enables villages, schools, and underserved communities to receive free-to-air or publicly available satellite signals using ultra-low-cost Software Defined Radio (SDR) hardware and turn those signals into a useful local “internet-like” experience.

The system receives open satellite data, stores and organizes it, prioritizes high-value content (education, health, agriculture, weather, emergency information), and redistributes it locally via WiFi hotspot (and optionally mesh networking) so ordinary phones can access the content without commercial internet.

This is **not** free Starlink-style broadband. It is a realistic, legal, receive-oriented, store-and-forward information access system for bandwidth-starved, power-constrained environments.

## Non-Negotiable Constraints

- **Legal & Ethical**: Only process unencrypted, publicly available, free-to-air, or openly licensed satellite signals. Do **not** decode, reverse-engineer, decrypt, or access commercial encrypted services (Starlink, OneWeb, commercial VSAT, etc.). Comply with ITU regulations and local spectrum laws. Receive-only by default. Operators must check local regulations for satellite reception and WiFi hotspot operation.
- **Hardware target**: Ultra-low-cost — primarily RTL-SDR (or SoapySDR-compatible), Raspberry Pi / Orange Pi / similar SBCs, simple antennas or modified free-to-air TV dishes. Solar- and battery-friendly.
- **Software**: Fully open-source (prefer MIT or Apache 2.0). Prefer Python + GNU Radio / gr-satellites / SoapySDR. Wrap SatDump for weather rather than reimplementing demodulators.
- **Offline-first, low-power, resilient**.
- **Usable by non-experts** after clear documentation and training materials for local maintainers.

## Primary Use Cases

1. Village or school hub continuously receiving and caching satellite-delivered content packages.
2. Local WiFi hotspot serving a simple, mobile-first, icon-driven offline web portal.
3. Optional store-and-forward messaging or lightweight DTN for delayed connectivity.
4. Prioritized distribution of education (Kiwix/ZIM-style), health, agriculture, weather imagery, maps, and emergency alerts.
5. Mesh redistribution among nearby community devices when available.

## Required Deliverables

1. High-level system architecture with Mermaid diagrams (SDR → decode → ingest → storage → web/mesh; power resilience).
2. Detailed component breakdown and data flow.
3. Recommended tech stack with justification (Python, GNU Radio, gr-satellites, SoapySDR, FastAPI, SQLite, hostapd/dnsmasq, optional mesh, lightweight PWA).
4. MVP definition and phased roadmap:
   - Phase 0: Simulation/demo with recorded IQ or packages (no live satellite).
   - Phase 1: Recorded files → browsable library + WiFi portal.
   - Phase 2: Live reception of at least one proven free signal type (e.g. NOAA/GOES/Meteor weather or open amateur telemetry).
   - Phase 3: Full prioritization, multi-language, mesh, power hooks, deployment playbook.
5. Complete repository structure for a new open-source project.
6. Core code scaffolding: modular decoder plugins, content manager with prioritization, local web + PWA, captive portal, optional mesh agent, simulation mode out of the box.
7. Hardware BOM with approximate costs for developing regions.
8. Installation & deployment guide (sim mode, Pi/Debian scripts, solar notes, one-page Community Deployment Playbook).
9. UX: icon-driven mobile-first PWA, large touch targets, language switcher (en, fr, es, ar, sw, hi, pt), TTS where feasible, offline/freshness indicators, simple admin view.
10. Content prioritization & packaging (education, health, agriculture, weather, emergency, maps first; ZIM/RACHEL-style; sample packages).
11. Prominent legal, safety, sustainability, and ethics section.
12. Testing strategy (unit, simulation, hardware checklist, signal/power monitoring).
13. Suggestions for real open sources: NOAA/GOES/Meteor, gr-satellites/SatNOGS, historical Outernet/Othernet (inspirational only — service defunct), open DVB-S2 carousels where lawful, CubeSat open telemetry. Build upon SatDump, Kiwix, Internet-in-a-Box/RACHEL rather than reinventing.

## Additional Requirements

- Start with architecture, Mermaid, MVP roadmap, and tech decisions; then scaffold the full repository.
- Modular decoder plugins as open sources evolve.
- Power-efficiency and battery/solar monitoring hooks with graceful degradation.
- Production-oriented, well-commented code.
- Documentation understandable by non-experts after training.
- Prioritize real-world deployability, legal safety, low cost, and genuine usefulness over theoretical bidirectional broadband claims.

## Explicit non-goals

- Free commercial satellite internet clients
- Encrypted service reverse engineering
- Heavy always-on cloud dependencies for the hub to serve local users

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*This prompt is part of the SkyCache project. Site: https://skycache.jonbailey.xyz — Contact: skycache@jonbailey.xyz*


## SkyCache Nexus (Phase 4) requirements

Implement (or extend) under skycache/nexus/:

1. **MeshFabric** — sim + batman-adv hooks, topology, power-prefer routes, spectrum validators (unlicensed Wi-Fi/ISM only).
2. **DtnQueue** — priority bundles (Emergency > Health > Education > …), USB mule import/export.
3. **ContentFabric** — manifest gossip, prioritized replication, disaster mode flood.
4. **GatewayManager** — legal uplink detect, fair-share open pulls, daily quotas (no commercial decrypt).
5. **NexusSimulator** — multi-node in-process fabric for CI without RF.
6. CLI: skycache mesh|gateway|nexus doctor|sim|status
7. API: /api/nexus/*, admin disaster + gateway pull
8. Docs: mesh-deployment.md, village-nexus-playbook.md, honest non-Starlink banners everywhere
9. Legal rails: receive-only satellite; no commercial decrypt; mesh unlicensed only; Apache-2.0