In one embodiment, a method includes determining, at a local node in a network of multiple nodes, a first neighbor node of one or more neighbor nodes with which the local node is in direct communication based on a first number of nodes with which the first neighbor node is in direct communication. The first neighbor node is selected as an aggregation node for information about the local node. The aggregation node outputs data that is a combination of data received from multiple different nodes. The method allows wireless routers in mobile ad hoc networks to automatically determine their own aggregation nodes for routing information and thus automatically enables routing protocols to scale for many thousands of mobile wireless nodes.