The limit is what the send leaves of MAX_TEXT_LEN: a channel post carries
"<node name>: ", a direct message resent more than three times keeps two
bytes spare, and placeholders count as they expand (msgtext::limit/sentLen).
Bytes, not characters. The path and packet header sit outside the payload;
static_asserts keep a full message within the radio frame on the longest path.
From 40 bytes left the count shows: on the L2 as a tag on the field's top
edge, on OLED/e-ink at the right of the preview's last line with the text
wrapped short of it. Input stops at the limit; a send still over (a
placeholder grew) is held. Sim hooks to open a compose with text.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
JakubandClaude Opus 5.5
6c9186dc54