Version: 2.8

TAK Integration

Meshtastic integrates with the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) ecosystem, enabling interoperability between Meshtastic radios and TAK applications like ATAK and WinTAK.

Overview

The TAK module allows Meshtastic nodes to:

Share position data in TAK-compatible CoT (Cursor on Target) format
Appear as team members on TAK map displays
Receive TAK PLI (Position Location Information) messages

Setup

Prerequisites

ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit), iTAK, or WinTAK installed
Your node's Device Role (Device configuration) set to TAK or TAK Tracker — this is what makes the TAK module appear in Module configuration at all
Firmware 2.8.0 or newer on the radio. Earlier firmware accepts a TAK config write and never stores it, so the app hides the TAK module entry below that version even when the role is set correctly. See Firmware Updates

⚠️ Warning: The old Meshtastic ATAK Plugin is no longer part of this path and cannot work. It bridged through the cross-process AIDL API, which was removed in app 2.8.0; the mesh service is now in-process only. Do not install it. Interop today runs over the app's own local TAK server plus the Mesh to CoT Converter, both described in the following sections, with stock ATAK/iTAK/WinTAK.

Configuration

Navigate to Settings → Module configuration → TAK. The module's own settings are your TAK identity — there is no separate enable switch here, because the Device Role setting in Device configuration is what turns TAK on. Your node broadcasts this identity, which appears on TAK maps.

Setting	Description
Team Color	Your team color on the TAK map (e.g., Blue, Red, Cyan, Green)
Member Role	Your operational role within that team (Team Member, Team Lead, HQ, Medic, RTO, etc.)

Your TAK callsign isn't a separate setting — it's derived automatically from your Meshtastic node name.

💡 Tip: Team/role colors are the standard TAK affiliation colors. Coordinate with your TAK team to use consistent team assignments.

Local TAK Server

The app can also run a local TAK server so ATAK/iTAK on the same phone can connect directly, without a remote TAK server. The server binds to localhost only (127.0.0.1:8089) and uses TLS with mutual certificate authentication (mTLS), so it is not reachable from other devices on the network.

Open Settings → Advanced → TAK Server. These are app settings stored on this phone, which is why they sit next to Firmware Update and Debug Panel rather than under the TAK module config — and why they need neither a TAK role nor firmware 2.8.0:

Local TAK Server settings with enable toggle and export option

Enable Local TAK Server — starts the loopback-only mTLS server on port 8089 for ATAK/iTAK connections from the same phone.
TAK Mesh Channel — selects which Meshtastic channel outgoing TAK traffic is sent on (default: the primary channel, index 0). Incoming TAK traffic is accepted from any channel. Matches the equivalent setting on iOS and in the legacy ATAK plugin.
Mesh to CoT Converter — off by default, and shown under the server toggle. With the server running, this synthesizes a CoT contact for every node in your node database, so ordinary Meshtastic nodes appear on the ATAK map as contacts. This is what replaced the old plugin's node visibility — without it, only TAK-role nodes show up.
Export TAK Data Package — generates a .zip data package that ATAK/iTAK can import to connect to this server.

TAK Roles

Nodes configured with TAK-related roles behave differently from standard clients:

Role	Description
TAK	Full TAK interoperability — sends and receives CoT data, chat messages, and PLI updates. Functions as a standard client plus TAK bridge.
TAK Tracker	Position-only TAK output — automatically broadcasts PLI at regular intervals without user interaction. Optimized for unattended position beacons (vehicles, equipment, waypoints). Does not relay chat messages.

💡 Tip: Use TAK Tracker for devices that only need to report position (e.g., a radio mounted in a vehicle). Use TAK for devices where users actively participate in TAK operations.

CoT (Cursor on Target) Format

TAK messages use the Cursor on Target XML format — a military standard for sharing situational awareness data. Meshtastic converts its internal protobuf messages to CoT format when bridging to TAK systems, so no manual format conversion is needed.

Wire Format (V1 / V2)

Meshtastic supports two TAK wire formats, chosen automatically based on the connected radio's firmware — no manual configuration needed:

Format	Compatibility	Features
V1 (Legacy)	Firmware 2.7.x and older	Bare protobuf encoding on port 72. Supports position sharing (PLI) and chat (GeoChat) only — shapes, markers, routes, and other typed CoT events are dropped
V2 (Current)	Firmware 2.8.0+	Compact, zstd-compressed encoding on port 78. Adds shapes, markers, routes, aircraft, casevac, emergency, and task CoT types on top of everything V1 supports

A node still relays legacy V1 packets from older nodes even while running V2 itself, so mixed-firmware meshes keep working.

Usage with ATAK

Once configured:

Meshtastic nodes appear as markers on the ATAK map with callsign labels
Chat messages can bridge between mesh and TAK networks
Position updates flow bidirectionally between Meshtastic and TAK
TAK Tracker nodes broadcast PLI automatically — their positions appear on ATAK maps without any ATAK-side configuration
Routes received from the mesh are also saved as a data package (.zip) in Downloads; import it in ATAK to add the route. On Android 9 and older the file goes to the app's own folder under Android/data instead

ℹ️ Note: TAK integration requires specific node roles. Standard client nodes don't automatically participate in TAK operations — though with Mesh to CoT Converter enabled they still appear on the ATAK map as contacts.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Solution
Node doesn't appear on ATAK map	Wrong Device Role setting, or Mesh to CoT Converter off	Set the node's Device Role to TAK or TAK Tracker. For ordinary (non-TAK-role) nodes to appear, also enable Mesh to CoT Converter under Settings → Advanced → TAK Server
Position updates are stale	GPS fix lost or interval too long	Check GPS status; reduce position broadcast interval in Position Config
ATAK shows "disconnected"	The local TAK server is off, or ATAK is pointed elsewhere	Check Enable Local TAK Server is on, and that ATAK is connecting to `127.0.0.1:8089` — re-import the exported data package if unsure
Shapes, markers, or routes not bridging	Sending node is on legacy V1 (firmware 2.7.x or older)	Update the sending node's firmware to 2.8.0+ for V2 wire format
CoT data not flowing	Channel mismatch	All TAK nodes must be on the same channel with matching encryption

Security Considerations

🔒 Privacy: TAK data shares your position and callsign information. The TAK module respects the same channel encryption as other Meshtastic messages — in sensitive environments, use a channel with a non-default key.

Settings — Modules & Admin — TAK module configuration
Nodes — TAK and TAK Tracker roles in the node list
Map & Waypoints — node positions on the map

Overview​

Setup​

Prerequisites​

Configuration​

Local TAK Server​

TAK Roles​

CoT (Cursor on Target) Format​

Wire Format (V1 / V2)​

Usage with ATAK​

Troubleshooting​

Security Considerations​

Related Topics​