v0.9.6: InfoNet hashchain, Wormhole gate encryption, mesh reputation, 16 community contributors

Gate messages now propagate via the Infonet hashchain as encrypted blobs — every node syncs them
through normal chain sync while only Gate members with MLS keys can decrypt. Added mesh reputation
system, peer push workers, voluntary Wormhole opt-in for node participation, fork recovery,
killwormhole scripts, obfuscated terminology, and hardened the self-updater to protect encryption
keys and chain state during updates.

New features: Shodan search, train tracking, Sentinel Hub imagery, 8 new intelligence layers,
CCTV expansion to 11,000+ cameras across 6 countries, Mesh Terminal CLI, prediction markets,
desktop-shell scaffold, and comprehensive mesh test suite (215 frontend + backend tests passing).

Community contributors: @wa1id, @AlborzNazari, @adust09, @Xpirix, @imqdcr, @csysp, @suranyami,
@chr0n1x, @johan-martensson, @singularfailure, @smithbh, @OrfeoTerkuci, @deuza, @tm-const,
@Elhard1, @ttulttul

backend/services/node_settings.py

@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+DATA_DIR = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "data"
+NODE_FILE = DATA_DIR / "node.json"
+_cache: dict | None = None
+_cache_ts: float = 0.0
+_CACHE_TTL = 5.0
+_DEFAULTS = {
+    "enabled": False,
+}
+
+
+def _safe_int(value: object, default: int = 0) -> int:
+    try:
+        return int(value)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return default
+
+
+def read_node_settings() -> dict:
+    global _cache, _cache_ts
+    now = time.monotonic()
+    if _cache is not None and (now - _cache_ts) < _CACHE_TTL:
+        return _cache
+    if not NODE_FILE.exists():
+        result = {**_DEFAULTS, "updated_at": 0}
+    else:
+        try:
+            data = json.loads(NODE_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+        except Exception:
+            result = {**_DEFAULTS, "updated_at": 0}
+        else:
+            result = {
+                "enabled": bool(data.get("enabled", _DEFAULTS["enabled"])),
+                "updated_at": _safe_int(data.get("updated_at", 0) or 0),
+            }
+    _cache = result
+    _cache_ts = now
+    return result
+
+
+def write_node_settings(*, enabled: bool | None = None) -> dict:
+    DATA_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    existing = read_node_settings()
+    payload = {
+        "enabled": bool(existing.get("enabled", _DEFAULTS["enabled"])) if enabled is None else bool(enabled),
+        "updated_at": int(time.time()),
+    }
+    NODE_FILE.write_text(json.dumps(payload, indent=2), encoding="utf-8")
+    global _cache, _cache_ts
+    _cache = payload
+    _cache_ts = time.monotonic()
+    return payload