[esp32_hosted] Add ESP-NOW-over-hosted shim for the ESP32-P4

esp-hosted proxies esp_wifi.h but not esp_now.h, and esp_wifi_remote
injects the esp_now.h header on the P4 host with no implementation, so
the esp_now_* symbols are undefined at link. On a P4 host this defines
them and forwards each call to the co-processor over esp-hosted's
CustomRpc channel, letting the espnow component link and run unchanged.

esphome/components/esp32_hosted/__init__.py

@@ -36,6 +36,25 @@ CONF_SDIO_FREQUENCY = "sdio_frequency"
 CONF_SLOT = "slot"
 CONF_SPI_MODE = "spi_mode"
 
+# ESP-NOW-over-hosted shim (esp_now_hosted.cpp). esp-hosted proxies esp_wifi.h
+# but not esp_now.h (espressif/esp-hosted-mcu#19), and esp_wifi_remote injects
+# the esp_now.h header on the ESP32-P4 host with no implementation, leaving the
+# esp_now_* symbols undefined at link. On a P4 host, esp_now_hosted.cpp DEFINES
+# those symbols and forwards each call to the co-processor over esp-hosted's
+# CustomRpc "peer data transfer" channel, so ESPHome's `espnow` component links
+# and runs unchanged (proven on a Tab5, 2026-07-20). The .cpp is guarded to
+# CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_ESP32P4 so it compiles to nothing on hosts with a native
+# ESP-NOW stack. CustomRpc needs these two host-side Kconfig options. Host
+# registers 3 handlers (RESP, RECV, SEND); the coprocessor registers 1 (REQ);
+# we ask for 8 to leave room for other CustomRpc extensions alongside.
+#
+# The coprocessor must run the matching custom firmware (a parallel effort in
+# esphome/esp-hosted-firmware). esp_now_hosted_rpc.h here is the canonical copy
+# of the wire contract and MUST stay byte-identical to the copy that coprocessor
+# firmware uses — the packed structs are the on-wire layout, so any divergence
+# silently corrupts every ESP-NOW frame.
+_MAX_CUSTOM_MSG_HANDLERS = 8
+
 # Shared fields for both transport modes
 BASE_SCHEMA = cv.Schema(
     {
@@ -246,6 +265,23 @@ async def to_code(config):
     else:
         _configure_spi(config)
 
+    # ESP-NOW-over-hosted shim: only the radio-less ESP32-P4 host needs it (see
+    # the note by _MAX_CUSTOM_MSG_HANDLERS). Enabled for every P4 host, not
+    # gated on the `espnow` component being present: the shim is tiny and the
+    # esp_now_* symbols/CustomRpc calls it defines require these Kconfig options
+    # to link whenever esp_now_hosted.cpp compiles (which is on any P4 host), so
+    # coupling the two keeps the build consistent. When `espnow` is absent the
+    # symbols are simply unused and never register a callback at runtime.
+    if esp32.get_esp32_variant() == esp32.VARIANT_ESP32P4:
+        add_define("USE_ESP_NOW_HOSTED")
+        # esp-hosted's CustomRpc ("peer data transfer") path — off by default.
+        esp32.add_idf_sdkconfig_option(
+            "CONFIG_ESP_HOSTED_ENABLE_PEER_DATA_TRANSFER", True
+        )
+        esp32.add_idf_sdkconfig_option(
+            "CONFIG_ESP_HOSTED_MAX_CUSTOM_MSG_HANDLERS", _MAX_CUSTOM_MSG_HANDLERS
+        )
+
     # Place the transport mempool in PSRAM. Required on memory-tight host
     # configurations (e.g. P4 with a large LVGL UI) where the internal-RAM
     # mempool allocation fails at boot with `sdio_mempool_create` assert.

esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,304 @@
+/*
+ * esp_now_hosted — host-side shim implementing <esp_now.h> over esp-hosted
+ * CustomRpc, so ESPHome's `espnow` component can run on a radio-less host
+ * (e.g. the ESP32-P4) whose radio lives on an esp-hosted co-processor.
+ *
+ * A radio-less host has no native ESP-NOW. esp_wifi_remote INJECTS the full
+ * esp_now.h header (types + declarations) but ships NO implementation, so every
+ * esp_now_* symbol is an undefined reference at link time. This translation
+ * unit provides those definitions; each forwards to the co-processor over
+ * CustomRpc (see esphome/esp-hosted-firmware for the matching coprocessor
+ * handlers). No esp-hosted or esp_wifi_remote source is patched, and there is no
+ * duplicate-symbol clash because nothing else defines these symbols here.
+ *
+ * See esp_now_hosted_rpc.h for the wire protocol.
+ */
+
+#include "sdkconfig.h"
+
+// Only build the shim on the radio-less host. On chips with a native ESP-NOW
+// stack (S3, C6, …) the real symbols exist and this file must stay empty to
+// avoid duplicate definitions.
+#if defined(CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_ESP32P4)
+
+#include <cstring>
+
+#include "freertos/FreeRTOS.h"
+#include "freertos/semphr.h"
+
+#include "esp_idf_version.h"
+#include "esp_log.h"
+#include "esp_timer.h"
+
+#include <esp_now.h>         // injected declarations we are now DEFINING
+#include <esp_wifi_types.h>  // wifi_pkt_rx_ctrl_t, wifi_tx_info_t
+
+// esp_hosted_misc.h (host) ships WITHOUT an extern "C" guard, so including it
+// from C++ would give its declarations C++ linkage and the real C symbols in
+// libesp_hosted would go unresolved at link. Wrap it. (Verified vs
+// esp_hosted 2.12.9.)
+extern "C" {
+#include "esp_hosted_misc.h"  // esp_hosted_{send_custom_data,register_custom_callback}
+}
+
+#include "esp_now_hosted_rpc.h"
+
+namespace {
+
+const char *const TAG = "esp_now_hosted";
+
+// One outstanding request at a time. ESPHome drives esp_now_* from the main
+// loop; the matching response and the async RECV/SEND events all arrive on the
+// single esp-hosted RPC RX thread. Serializing requests keeps the shared
+// response slot race-free; a sequence number stops a late/stale response from
+// being mistaken for ours.
+SemaphoreHandle_t g_req_mutex = nullptr;
+SemaphoreHandle_t g_resp_sem = nullptr;  // given when the matching RESP lands
+uint8_t g_seq = 0;
+volatile uint8_t g_expect_seq = 0;
+volatile int32_t g_resp_status = 0;
+uint8_t g_resp_ret[16];
+volatile uint16_t g_resp_ret_len = 0;
+
+esp_now_recv_cb_t g_recv_cb = nullptr;
+esp_now_send_cb_t g_send_cb = nullptr;
+
+// ── CustomRpc event handlers (run on the esp-hosted RPC RX thread) ──────────
+// Keep them short and non-blocking. In particular they MUST NOT call back into
+// any esp_now_* shim function: that would try to take g_req_mutex / wait on the
+// RX thread that delivers the response, and deadlock.
+
+void on_resp(uint32_t /*msg_id*/, const uint8_t *data, size_t len, void * /*ctx*/) {
+  if (len < sizeof(esp_now_hosted_resp_t))
+    return;
+  const auto *r = reinterpret_cast<const esp_now_hosted_resp_t *>(data);
+  if (r->seq != g_expect_seq)  // stale response from a timed-out request
+    return;
+  g_resp_status = r->status;
+  uint16_t rl = r->ret_len;
+  if (rl > sizeof(g_resp_ret))
+    rl = sizeof(g_resp_ret);
+  if (len >= sizeof(esp_now_hosted_resp_t) + rl)
+    memcpy(g_resp_ret, r->ret, rl);
+  g_resp_ret_len = rl;
+  xSemaphoreGive(g_resp_sem);
+}
+
+void on_recv(uint32_t /*msg_id*/, const uint8_t *data, size_t len, void * /*ctx*/) {
+  if (g_recv_cb == nullptr || len < sizeof(esp_now_hosted_recv_evt_t))
+    return;
+  const auto *e = reinterpret_cast<const esp_now_hosted_recv_evt_t *>(data);
+  if (len < sizeof(esp_now_hosted_recv_evt_t) + e->data_len)
+    return;
+
+  // ESPHome dereferences info->rx_ctrl->{rssi,timestamp}; give it a real one.
+  wifi_pkt_rx_ctrl_t rx_ctrl;
+  memset(&rx_ctrl, 0, sizeof(rx_ctrl));
+  rx_ctrl.rssi = e->rssi;
+  rx_ctrl.channel = e->channel;
+  rx_ctrl.timestamp = static_cast<uint32_t>(esp_timer_get_time());
+
+  esp_now_recv_info_t info;
+  info.src_addr = const_cast<uint8_t *>(e->src_addr);
+  info.des_addr = const_cast<uint8_t *>(e->des_addr);
+  info.rx_ctrl = &rx_ctrl;
+  g_recv_cb(&info, e->data, static_cast<int>(e->data_len));
+}
+
+void on_send(uint32_t /*msg_id*/, const uint8_t *data, size_t len, void * /*ctx*/) {
+  if (g_send_cb == nullptr || len < sizeof(esp_now_hosted_send_evt_t))
+    return;
+  const auto *e = reinterpret_cast<const esp_now_hosted_send_evt_t *>(data);
+#if ESP_IDF_VERSION >= ESP_IDF_VERSION_VAL(5, 5, 0)
+  // IDF >= 5.5: esp_now_send_cb_t takes esp_now_send_info_t (== wifi_tx_info_t),
+  // whose des_addr is a POINTER (not an inline array). Point it at the event's
+  // MAC (valid for this callback) — do NOT memcpy into it (that writes NULL and
+  // faults). ESPHome reads only info->des_addr.
+  esp_now_send_info_t si;
+  memset(&si, 0, sizeof(si));
+  si.des_addr = const_cast<uint8_t *>(e->des_addr);
+  g_send_cb(&si, static_cast<esp_now_send_status_t>(e->status));
+#else
+  g_send_cb(e->des_addr, static_cast<esp_now_send_status_t>(e->status));
+#endif
+}
+
+esp_err_t ensure_setup() {
+  if (g_req_mutex != nullptr)
+    return ESP_OK;
+  g_req_mutex = xSemaphoreCreateMutex();
+  g_resp_sem = xSemaphoreCreateBinary();
+  if (g_req_mutex == nullptr || g_resp_sem == nullptr)
+    return ESP_ERR_NO_MEM;
+  esp_err_t err;
+  if ((err = esp_hosted_register_custom_callback(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_RESP, on_resp, nullptr)) != ESP_OK)
+    return err;
+  if ((err = esp_hosted_register_custom_callback(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_RECV, on_recv, nullptr)) != ESP_OK)
+    return err;
+  if ((err = esp_hosted_register_custom_callback(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_SEND, on_send, nullptr)) != ESP_OK)
+    return err;
+  return ESP_OK;
+}
+
+// Send one request envelope and block until its response (or timeout).
+esp_err_t request(uint8_t opcode, const void *payload, uint16_t plen, void *ret, uint16_t ret_cap, uint16_t *ret_len) {
+  esp_err_t err = ensure_setup();
+  if (err != ESP_OK)
+    return err;
+  if (plen > ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_PAYLOAD)
+    return ESP_ERR_INVALID_SIZE;
+
+  if (xSemaphoreTake(g_req_mutex, portMAX_DELAY) != pdTRUE)
+    return ESP_FAIL;
+
+  static uint8_t buf[sizeof(esp_now_hosted_req_t) + ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_PAYLOAD];  // guarded by g_req_mutex
+  auto *req = reinterpret_cast<esp_now_hosted_req_t *>(buf);
+  req->opcode = opcode;
+  req->seq = ++g_seq;
+  req->payload_len = plen;
+  if (plen != 0)
+    memcpy(req->payload, payload, plen);
+  g_expect_seq = req->seq;
+
+  xSemaphoreTake(g_resp_sem, 0);  // drain any stale signal before sending
+  err = esp_hosted_send_custom_data(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_REQ, buf, sizeof(esp_now_hosted_req_t) + plen);
+  if (err != ESP_OK) {
+    xSemaphoreGive(g_req_mutex);
+    return err;
+  }
+  if (xSemaphoreTake(g_resp_sem, pdMS_TO_TICKS(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_TIMEOUT_MS)) != pdTRUE) {
+    ESP_LOGW(TAG, "opcode %u timed out", opcode);
+    xSemaphoreGive(g_req_mutex);
+    return ESP_ERR_TIMEOUT;
+  }
+
+  const int32_t status = g_resp_status;
+  if (ret != nullptr && ret_cap != 0) {
+    uint16_t n = g_resp_ret_len < ret_cap ? g_resp_ret_len : ret_cap;
+    memcpy(ret, const_cast<const uint8_t *>(g_resp_ret), n);
+    if (ret_len != nullptr)
+      *ret_len = n;
+  }
+  xSemaphoreGive(g_req_mutex);
+  return static_cast<esp_err_t>(status);
+}
+
+}  // namespace
+
+// ── The <esp_now.h> surface, defined for the radio-less host ────────────────
+extern "C" {
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_init(void) { return request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_INIT, nullptr, 0, nullptr, 0, nullptr); }
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_deinit(void) {
+  g_recv_cb = nullptr;
+  g_send_cb = nullptr;
+  return request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_DEINIT, nullptr, 0, nullptr, 0, nullptr);
+}
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_get_version(uint32_t *version) {
+  uint32_t v = 0;
+  uint16_t rl = 0;
+  esp_err_t err = request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_GET_VERSION, nullptr, 0, &v, sizeof(v), &rl);
+  if (version != nullptr)
+    *version = v;
+  return err;
+}
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_register_recv_cb(esp_now_recv_cb_t cb) {
+  g_recv_cb = cb;
+  return ensure_setup();
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_unregister_recv_cb(void) {
+  g_recv_cb = nullptr;
+  return ESP_OK;
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_register_send_cb(esp_now_send_cb_t cb) {
+  g_send_cb = cb;
+  return ensure_setup();
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_unregister_send_cb(void) {
+  g_send_cb = nullptr;
+  return ESP_OK;
+}
+
+static esp_err_t add_or_mod_peer(uint8_t opcode, const esp_now_peer_info_t *peer) {
+  if (peer == nullptr)
+    return ESP_ERR_ESPNOW_ARG;
+  esp_now_hosted_peer_t p;
+  memset(&p, 0, sizeof(p));
+  memcpy(p.peer_addr, peer->peer_addr, 6);
+  memcpy(p.lmk, peer->lmk, 16);
+  p.channel = peer->channel;
+  p.ifidx = static_cast<uint8_t>(peer->ifidx);
+  p.encrypt = peer->encrypt ? 1 : 0;
+  return request(opcode, &p, sizeof(p), nullptr, 0, nullptr);
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_add_peer(const esp_now_peer_info_t *peer) {
+  return add_or_mod_peer(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_ADD_PEER, peer);
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_mod_peer(const esp_now_peer_info_t *peer) {
+  return add_or_mod_peer(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_MOD_PEER, peer);
+}
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_del_peer(const uint8_t *peer_addr) {
+  if (peer_addr == nullptr)
+    return ESP_ERR_ESPNOW_ARG;
+  return request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_DEL_PEER, peer_addr, 6, nullptr, 0, nullptr);
+}
+
+bool esp_now_is_peer_exist(const uint8_t *peer_addr) {
+  if (peer_addr == nullptr)
+    return false;
+  uint8_t exist = 0;
+  uint16_t rl = 0;
+  if (request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_IS_PEER_EXIST, peer_addr, 6, &exist, 1, &rl) != ESP_OK)
+    return false;
+  return exist != 0;
+}
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_send(const uint8_t *peer_addr, const uint8_t *data, size_t len) {
+  if (len > ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_FRAME)
+    return ESP_ERR_ESPNOW_ARG;
+  static uint8_t buf[sizeof(esp_now_hosted_send_req_t) + ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_FRAME];  // guarded below
+  // esp_now_send is only called from the main loop, so a plain static build
+  // buffer is safe; request() then serializes the actual transmit.
+  auto *s = reinterpret_cast<esp_now_hosted_send_req_t *>(buf);
+  s->has_addr = peer_addr != nullptr ? 1 : 0;
+  if (peer_addr != nullptr)
+    memcpy(s->peer_addr, peer_addr, 6);
+  else
+    memset(s->peer_addr, 0, 6);
+  s->data_len = static_cast<uint16_t>(len);
+  if (len != 0)
+    memcpy(s->data, data, len);
+  return request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_SEND, buf, static_cast<uint16_t>(sizeof(esp_now_hosted_send_req_t) + len), nullptr,
+                 0, nullptr);
+}
+
+esp_err_t esp_now_set_pmk(const uint8_t *pmk) {
+  if (pmk == nullptr)
+    return ESP_ERR_ESPNOW_ARG;
+  return request(ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_SET_PMK, pmk, 16, nullptr, 0, nullptr);
+}
+
+// Remainder of the <esp_now.h> surface. Not used by ESPHome's espnow component
+// today; provided so the whole header links and future callers get a defined
+// (if unimplemented) symbol rather than a link error. Wire them through
+// CustomRpc if a use case appears.
+esp_err_t esp_now_get_peer(const uint8_t * /*peer_addr*/, esp_now_peer_info_t * /*peer*/) {
+  return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
+}
+esp_err_t esp_now_fetch_peer(bool /*from_head*/, esp_now_peer_info_t * /*peer*/) { return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED; }
+esp_err_t esp_now_get_peer_num(esp_now_peer_num_t * /*num*/) { return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED; }
+esp_err_t esp_now_set_wake_window(uint16_t /*window*/) { return ESP_OK; }
+esp_err_t esp_now_set_peer_rate_config(const uint8_t * /*peer_addr*/, esp_now_rate_config_t * /*cfg*/) {
+  return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
+}
+esp_err_t esp_wifi_config_espnow_rate(wifi_interface_t /*ifx*/, wifi_phy_rate_t /*rate*/) {
+  return ESP_ERR_NOT_SUPPORTED;
+}
+
+}  // extern "C"
+
+#endif  // CONFIG_IDF_TARGET_ESP32P4

esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted_rpc.h

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+/*
+ * esp_now_hosted — ESP-NOW-over-CustomRpc wire protocol.
+ *
+ * Shared, byte-for-byte-identical contract between:
+ *   - the host shim         (esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted.cpp)
+ *   - the coprocessor firmware (esphome/esp-hosted-firmware)
+ *
+ * It rides esp-hosted's CustomRpc channel (RPC ID 388, "peer data transfer",
+ * available since esp-hosted v2.8.1), teaching the radio-less host <-> radio
+ * co-processor link to carry esp_now.h, which esp-hosted itself does not proxy
+ * (Espressif issue espressif/esp-hosted-mcu#19).
+ *
+ * KEEP THE TWO COPIES IN SYNC. The canonical copy lives here; the coprocessor
+ * firmware uses a verbatim copy. Both sides are little-endian, so these packed
+ * structs are wire-compatible with no byte-swapping.
+ */
+
+#ifndef ESP_NOW_HOSTED_RPC_H
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_RPC_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/* ── CustomRpc message IDs (any uint32_t except 0xFFFFFFFF) ──────────────────
+ * One REQ handler slot on the device; three event handler slots on the host.
+ * The bytes spell "now" + index, a private range unlikely to clash with other
+ * CustomRpc users (e.g. the stock peer_data_transfer example's 1..6).         */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_REQ 0x6E6F7701u  /* host   -> device : request envelope */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_RESP 0x6E6F7702u /* device -> host   : reply to a REQ   */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_RECV 0x6E6F7703u /* device -> host   : async RX frame   */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MSG_SEND 0x6E6F7704u /* device -> host   : async TX status  */
+
+/* ── Request opcodes ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+enum {
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_INIT = 1,          /* esp_now_init + register device recv/send cbs */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_DEINIT = 2,        /* unregister cbs + esp_now_deinit             */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_ADD_PEER = 3,      /* payload: esp_now_hosted_peer_t              */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_DEL_PEER = 4,      /* payload: 6-byte peer MAC                    */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_IS_PEER_EXIST = 5, /* payload: 6-byte MAC; ret: 1 byte bool       */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_SEND = 6,          /* payload: esp_now_hosted_send_req_t          */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_GET_VERSION = 7,   /* ret: uint32 version                        */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_SET_PMK = 8,       /* payload: 16-byte PMK                        */
+  ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_MOD_PEER = 9,      /* payload: esp_now_hosted_peer_t              */
+};
+
+/* Largest ESP-NOW payload we forward. ESP-NOW v2 (IDF >= 5.4) is 1470 B; well
+ * under esp-hosted's 8166 B CustomRpc cap, so the shim never truncates.        */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_FRAME 1470u
+/* Envelope slack for the largest opcode payload (a SEND req wrapping a frame). */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_PAYLOAD (ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_FRAME + 16u)
+/* Host request/response round-trip timeout over the transport. Generous:
+ * normal RTT is sub-millisecond, but Wi-Fi/BLE contention on the co-processor
+ * can stall the RX thread.                                                     */
+#define ESP_NOW_HOSTED_TIMEOUT_MS 2000
+
+/* ── Envelopes ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t opcode;       /* one of ESP_NOW_HOSTED_OP_*                        */
+  uint8_t seq;          /* wraps 0..255; echoed in the response for matching */
+  uint16_t payload_len; /* bytes of opcode-specific payload that follow      */
+  uint8_t payload[];    /* flexible                                          */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_req_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t opcode;   /* echoes the request opcode                         */
+  uint8_t seq;      /* echoes the request seq                            */
+  int32_t status;   /* esp_err_t from the native call on the co-processor */
+  uint16_t ret_len; /* bytes of return payload that follow               */
+  uint8_t ret[];    /* flexible (e.g. version u32, is_peer_exist bool)   */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_resp_t;
+
+/* ── Opcode payloads ────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+/* esp_now_peer_info_t minus the host-only `priv` pointer, which is meaningless
+ * across the transport and never set by ESPHome's espnow component.           */
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t peer_addr[6];
+  uint8_t lmk[16];
+  uint8_t channel; /* 0 = current channel                              */
+  uint8_t ifidx;   /* wifi_interface_t (0=STA, 1=AP)                    */
+  uint8_t encrypt; /* bool                                             */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_peer_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t has_addr; /* 0 => peer_addr is NULL (broadcast to all peers)   */
+  uint8_t peer_addr[6];
+  uint16_t data_len;
+  uint8_t data[]; /* flexible, up to ESP_NOW_HOSTED_MAX_FRAME          */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_send_req_t;
+
+/* ── Async events (device -> host) ──────────────────────────────────────── */
+
+/* Reconstructed on the host into an esp_now_recv_info_t + a minimal
+ * wifi_pkt_rx_ctrl_t. ESPHome's espnow reads info->src_addr, info->des_addr,
+ * info->rx_ctrl->rssi and info->rx_ctrl->timestamp.                           */
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t src_addr[6];
+  uint8_t des_addr[6];
+  int8_t rssi;
+  uint8_t channel;
+  uint16_t data_len;
+  uint8_t data[]; /* flexible                                          */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_recv_evt_t;
+
+typedef struct {
+  uint8_t des_addr[6];
+  uint8_t status; /* esp_now_send_status_t (0 = success)               */
+} __attribute__((packed)) esp_now_hosted_send_evt_t;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* ESP_NOW_HOSTED_RPC_H */

esphome/core/defines.h

@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
 #define USE_ESP32_HOSTED
 #define USE_ESP32_HOSTED_HTTP_UPDATE
 #define USE_ESP32_IMPROV_STATE_CALLBACK
+#define USE_ESP_NOW_HOSTED
 #define USE_EVENT
 #define USE_FAN
 #define USE_GPIO_SWITCH_INTERLOCK

script/ci-custom.py

@@ -292,6 +292,9 @@ def highlight(s):
         "esphome/components/socket/headers.h",
         "esphome/core/defines.h",
         "esphome/components/http_request/httplib.h",
+        # Shared C wire header (byte-identical with the co-processor firmware);
+        # these are protocol constants and constexpr is C++-only.
+        "esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted_rpc.h",
     ],
 )
 def lint_no_defines(fname, match):
@@ -664,6 +667,10 @@ def lint_relative_py_import(fname: Path, line, col, content):
         "esphome/components/host/helpers.cpp",
         "esphome/components/zephyr/helpers.cpp",
         "esphome/components/http_request/httplib.h",
+        # Global extern "C" esp_now_* linker symbols + shared C wire header;
+        # neither can live in a C++ namespace.
+        "esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted.cpp",
+        "esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted_rpc.h",
     ],
 )
 def lint_namespace(fname: Path, content: str) -> str | None:
@@ -689,7 +696,15 @@ def lint_esphome_h(fname, line, col, content):
     )
 
 
-@lint_content_check(include=["*.h"], exclude=["esphome/core/entity_types.h"])
+@lint_content_check(
+    include=["*.h"],
+    exclude=[
+        "esphome/core/entity_types.h",
+        # Shared C wire header; uses a classic #ifndef guard for portability
+        # across the co-processor firmware repo it stays byte-identical with.
+        "esphome/components/esp32_hosted/esp_now_hosted_rpc.h",
+    ],
+)
 def lint_pragma_once(fname, content):
     if "#pragma once" not in content:
         return (