M-Bus HTTPD API
★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentIOTSensor Datanone7 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Read utility meter data over M-Bus through an HTTP wrapper - power the HAT, scan for meters, and pull single or multi-frame meter readings.
Use for: I need to read the current value from a water meter, Scan the M-Bus for all connected meters, Power on the M-Bus HAT before reading, Get a multi-frame read from a heat meter
Not supported: Does not handle billing, customer management, or wireless meter protocols - use for wired M-Bus meter scanning and frame reading only.
M-Bus HTTPD is a small HTTP server that exposes the wired M-Bus (Meter-Bus) protocol used to read utility meters such as gas, water, heat, and electricity. The seven endpoints let an agent control the M-Bus HAT power, scan a serial bus for connected meter addresses, and read single or multi-frame data records from a specific meter at a chosen baud rate. It targets industrial and building-automation deployments where utility consumption data needs to be polled programmatically rather than read off a physical display.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the M-Bus HTTPD API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the M-Bus HTTPD API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fmbus.local%2Fmbus" | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL "https://jentic.com/install.sh?src=apis&api=%2Fapis%2Fmbus.local%2Fmbus" | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with M-Bus HTTPD API.
Power the M-Bus HAT on or off via HTTP
Scan a serial bus to discover connected meter addresses
Read a single data record from a specific meter at a chosen baud rate
Read multiple frames from a meter for richer historical data
Surface the M-Bus HTTPD service status for health checks
Query the bus at any supported baud rate without manual configuration
Use Cases
Patterns agents use M-Bus HTTPD API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Scheduled Utility Meter Polling
Poll connected gas, water, heat, or electricity meters at a regular interval and write the readings to a time-series database for billing, analytics, or fault detection. The /mbus/get endpoint returns a single frame for a known meter address, which agents can run on a cron-like schedule. This replaces manual meter readings in district heating networks and multi-tenant buildings.
Every hour, call GET /mbus/get/{device}/{baudrate}/{address} for each meter in the configured list and write the parsed value plus timestamp to InfluxDB.
Bus Discovery for New Installations
Discover what meters are physically connected to the M-Bus before configuring polling jobs. The /mbus/scan endpoint walks the bus at a chosen baud rate and returns the addresses of responding devices. Installation engineers and commissioning agents use this once at deployment to capture the device inventory without manually checking each meter.
Call GET /mbus/scan/{device}/2400 and return the list of discovered meter addresses, then write each one to a meters table for later polling.
Multi-Frame Historical Reads
Pull multiple frames from a meter that supports historical records, enabling agents to retrieve consumption history rather than just the latest value. The /mbus/getMulti endpoint accepts a maxframes parameter, returning as many records as the meter exposes. This supports retrospective billing reconciliation and gap-filling after a polling outage.
Call GET /mbus/getMulti/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}/24 to retrieve up to 24 historical frames and store each with its frame index in the readings table.
AI Agent for Building Energy Reporting
Build an agent that aggregates M-Bus readings across all meters in a building and produces a weekly energy report flagging anomalies. The agent searches Jentic for 'read M-Bus meter', loads the meter-read schema, and executes calls in parallel for each known meter address. The output is a summary highlighting unusual consumption patterns without an engineer manually pulling each meter.
For every meter address in the configured inventory, call GET /mbus/get and aggregate readings for the past 7 days, then return a markdown report flagging meters whose consumption is more than 20% above their 4-week average.
Key Endpoints
7 endpoints — m-bus httpd is a small http server that exposes the wired m-bus (meter-bus) protocol used to read utility meters such as gas, water, heat, and electricity.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
GET
/mbus/api
Service status and version
GET
/mbus/hat
Get HAT power state
GET
/mbus/hat/on
Power the HAT on
GET
/mbus/hat/off
Power the HAT off
GET
/mbus/scan/{device}/{baudrate}
Scan the bus for meters
GET
/mbus/get/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}
Single-frame meter read
GET
/mbus/getMulti/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}/{maxframes}
Multi-frame meter read
GET
/mbus/api
Service status and version
GET
/mbus/hat
Get HAT power state
GET
/mbus/hat/on
Power the HAT on
GET
/mbus/hat/off
Power the HAT off
GET
/mbus/scan/{device}/{baudrate}
Scan the bus for meters
GET
/mbus/get/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}
Single-frame meter read
GET
/mbus/getMulti/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}/{maxframes}
Multi-frame meter read
Why Jentic?
What agents get from Jentic-routed access to this vendor.
Setup
Wiring the M-Bus HTTPD API by hand means reaching a local service that has no auth of its own and mapping its scan and frame-read operations yourself. Through Jentic you install once, import the M-Bus HTTPD API from the API Directory, configure the connection once, and your agent calls it without exposing the local service to the public internet.
Permission scoping
M-Bus HTTPD takes device, baud rate, and address as path segments per request rather than as a stored resource you own, so you limit the agent to the operations it needs, such as scanning the bus or reading a meter frame. It calls only the operations you allow, so hat power controls are not included unless you add them.
Credential isolation
M-Bus HTTPD has no credentials of its own, so your own Jentic One instance mediates access and reaches the local service only through signed execution calls. No secret enters the agent's prompt, logs, or context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic by intent such as 'read an M-Bus meter', and Jentic returns the matching M-Bus HTTPD operation with its input schema so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading the protocol documentation.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
Complementary
GraphHopper
Routing engine for dispatching field engineers to meter sites
Use GraphHopper to route a field engineer between physical meter locations after M-Bus scans flag meters that need maintenance.
FAQs
Specific to using M-Bus HTTPD API through Jentic.
What authentication does the M-Bus HTTPD API use?
The M-Bus HTTPD spec defines no authentication scheme; the service is intended to run on a trusted local network behind whatever firewalling the deployment provides. When exposed through Jentic, agents reach the service via Jentic's connection layer rather than over the open internet.
Can I discover connected meters with the M-Bus HTTPD API?
Yes. GET /mbus/scan/{device}/{baudrate} walks the bus and returns the addresses of responding meters. Run this once at commissioning and persist the inventory; subsequent polling uses GET /mbus/get against the discovered addresses.
What are the rate limits for the M-Bus HTTPD API?
There are no published rate limits - the service is bound by serial-port bandwidth at the chosen baud rate (typically 300, 2400, or 9600). Practical limits are one read per meter per second; bus contention is the real constraint, not the HTTP layer.
How do I read a meter with the M-Bus HTTPD API through Jentic?
Search Jentic for 'read an M-Bus meter', load the schema for GET /mbus/get/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}, and execute with the device path (e.g. /dev/ttyAMA0), baud rate, and meter address. Jentic routes the call to the local M-Bus HTTPD service.
Does the M-Bus HTTPD API support multi-frame reads?
Yes. GET /mbus/getMulti/{device}/{baudrate}/{address}/{maxframes} returns up to maxframes historical records from a meter that supports them. Use this to back-fill readings after a polling outage or to capture richer consumption history at commissioning.
Why do I need to power the HAT before reading?
The M-Bus HAT supplies the bus voltage that connected meters draw to communicate. GET /mbus/hat/on energises the bus before reads; GET /mbus/hat/off de-energises it. Agents typically power the HAT once at boot and only toggle it during fault recovery.
Can I limit what my agent is allowed to do with the M-Bus HTTPD API?
Yes. Because you self-host Jentic One, your own rules decide which M-Bus HTTPD operations and connection details the agent may use, and it calls only the operations you allow. You can restrict it to read-only work such as scanning the bus with GET /mbus/scan and pulling single or multi-frame reads with GET /mbus/get and GET /mbus/getMulti, while withholding the HAT power controls (GET /mbus/hat/on and /mbus/hat/off) unless you explicitly add them. Since the device path, baud rate, and meter address are passed per request rather than stored, you keep the agent scoped to exactly the meters and operations it needs.
GET STARTED