# MAVLink Message Codec (§7.7 Surface)

**Task**: AZ-642_mavlink_codec
**Name**: MAVLink v2 encode/decode for the §7.7 surface
**Description**: Encode and decode the ~10–15 MAVLink v2 messages this codebase needs (the §7.7 surface only) with strict validation.
**Complexity**: 5 points
**Dependencies**: AZ-640_initial_structure
**Component**: mavlink_layer
**Tracker**: AZ-642
**Epic**: AZ-637

## Problem

Autopilot speaks a deliberately narrow MAVLink command surface (per `architecture.md §7.7` — ~10–15 messages). Adding messages outside that list requires explicit design review. A hand-rolled MAVLink v2 codec must encode outbound messages with correct sequence numbers, system / component IDs, and (when enabled) signing, and decode inbound messages with strict validation — rejecting malformed frames, unknown IDs, and signing failures.

## Outcome

- Outbound encoder produces wire-correct MAVLink v2 frames for the message surface in §7.7 with monotonically incrementing per-link sequence numbers.
- Inbound decoder parses the same surface, rejecting malformed frames, unknown message IDs, and frames with sequence-number gaps (logged, not hard-failed).
- Decoded messages are exposed as a typed `MavlinkMessage` enum (one variant per supported message kind) on the inbound channel.
- Per-message-kind parse error counters are exposed via `health()`.

## Scope

### Included
- Encode + decode for `HEARTBEAT` (bidir), `COMMAND_LONG` outbound subset (arm/disarm, takeoff, set-mode, change-speed, change-alt, land, RTL), `COMMAND_ACK` inbound, `MISSION_COUNT`, `MISSION_REQUEST_INT`, `MISSION_ITEM_INT`, `MISSION_ACK`, `MISSION_SET_CURRENT`, `MISSION_CURRENT`, `MISSION_ITEM_REACHED`, `MISSION_CLEAR_ALL`, `GLOBAL_POSITION_INT`, `ATTITUDE`, `SYS_STATUS`, `EXTENDED_SYS_STATE`, `STATUSTEXT`, `SET_MODE`.
- Per-link outbound `tx_seq` counter with wrap-around handling.
- Strict size + CRC validation; reject malformed frames.
- Unknown message IDs counted and dropped (not hard-failed).
- Sequence-number gap detection (logged, not fatal).

### Excluded
- Transport and reconnect (task 02).
- Heartbeat scheduling (task 02).
- Ack demultiplexing to callers (task 04).
- MAVLink-2 signing (task 04).
- Any message not in the §7.7 surface — adding new messages requires design review.

## Acceptance Criteria

**AC-1: Round-trip every supported message**
Given the encoder produces a frame for each message kind in the §7.7 surface with deterministic field values
When the same frame is fed back through the decoder
Then the typed `MavlinkMessage` matches the original fields and `parse_errors_total` does not increment.

**AC-2: Malformed frame is rejected**
Given a byte buffer with a truncated payload or a wrong CRC
When the decoder consumes it
Then the frame is dropped, `parse_errors_total{kind="crc" | "truncated"}` increments by 1, and the codec continues processing subsequent bytes.

**AC-3: Unknown message ID is counted, not fatal**
Given an inbound frame with a message ID outside the §7.7 surface
When the decoder consumes it
Then the frame is dropped, `parse_errors_total{kind="unknown_id"}` increments by 1, and decoding continues.

**AC-4: SITL round-trip**
Given an ArduPilot SITL instance configured for `udp://127.0.0.1:14550`
When `mavlink_layer` emits a `COMMAND_LONG` for `MAV_CMD_NAV_RETURN_TO_LAUNCH`
Then SITL receives the command and replies with a matching `COMMAND_ACK`; the decoder emits a `MavlinkMessage::CommandAck` with `result = MAV_RESULT_ACCEPTED`.

## Non-Functional Requirements

**Performance**
- Per-message encode + decode round-trip: ≤50 ms p99 on a healthy link (per `description.md §8`).

**Reliability**
- No silent acceptance of malformed or signed-mismatch frames.

## Constraints

- Hand-rolled — no third-party MAVLink SDK.
- Adding any message outside the §7.7 surface requires an explicit design review noted in the PR description.

## Runtime Completeness

- **Named capability**: MAVLink v2 wire-correct encode/decode for the §7.7 command surface.
- **Production code that must exist**: real byte-level encoder + decoder; CRC computation; sequence number handling.
- **Allowed external stubs**: ArduPilot SITL is the conformance reference for the SITL round-trip AC.
- **Unacceptable substitutes**: a JSON or human-readable "MAVLink-like" envelope is not acceptable — the wire format must be MAVLink v2.
