ROS MCP Server 🧠⇄🤖
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<!-- mcp-name: io.github.robotmcp/ros-mcp-server -->
<p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/images/framework.png"/> </p>
ROS-MCP-Server connects large language models (such as Claude, GPT, and Gemini) to robots, enabling bidirectional communication with no changes to existing robot source code.
Why ROS-MCP?
- No robot source code changes → just add the
rosbridgenode to your existing ROS setup. - True two-way communication → LLMs can both control robots and observe everything happening on the Robot.
- Full context → publish & subscribe to topics, call services & actions, set parameters, read sensor data, and monitor robot state in real time.
- Deep ROS understanding → guides the LLM to discover available topics, services, actions, and their types (including custom ones) — enabling it to use them with the right syntax without manual configuration.
- Works with any MCP client → built on the open MCP standard, supporting Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, and more.
- Works across ROS versions → compatible across ROS 2 (Jazzy, Humble, and others) and ROS 1 distros.
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🎥 Examples in Action
<p align="center"> <a href="https://youtu.be/Yy1loJAn9sA"> <img src="https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/images/MCP%20Demos%20Slide%20-%207to12s.gif" alt="ROS MCP demos" /> </a> </p>
--- 🏭 Example - AI Agent diagnosis of Industrial Robot End Effector (Video)
- The MCP server connects Claude to a production industrial robot, with only the technician manuals as reference.
- Claude discovers the robot's custom topic and service types and their syntax on its own.
- From a single prompt to test the gripper, it reads the manuals, runs its own tests, finds an anomaly, and reports the root cause.
<p align="center"> <a href="https://youtu.be/EhZNFULz9P4"> <img src="https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/images/ROS%20MCP%20Gripper%20vacuum%20test.jpg" width="400" alt="Testing and debugging an industrial robot" /> </a> </p>
--- 🤖 Example - Controlling "Wilson" with natural language (video) From a single prompt — "Grab a Coke from the fridge & go to the living room." — Google Gemini uses the MCP server to navigate and manipulate autonomously. Built on ROS 2 with Nav2 (SLAM) for mapping and navigation, and MoveIt to command the manipulator.
<p align="center"> <a href="https://www.traceglarue.com/wilson"> <img src="https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/images/Wilson%20thumbnail.jpg" width="400" alt="Wilson robot controlled with natural language" /> </a> </p>
--- 🐕 Example - Controlling Unitree Go2 in NVIDIA Isaac Sim (video) The MCP server connects Claude to a simulated Unitree Go2 quadruped in NVIDIA Isaac Sim, interpreting natural language commands to navigate and control the robot.
<p align="center"> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9StFx4lnvmc"> <img src="https://img.youtube.com/vi/9StFx4lnvmc/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" alt="Controlling Unitree Go2 in NVIDIA Isaac Sim" /> </a> </p>
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🛠 Getting Started
Follow the installation guide to get started.
ROS-MCP works with Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client.
<p align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/robotmcp/ros-mcp-server/blob/main/docs/images/MCP_topology.png"/> </p>
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📚 More Examples & Tutorials
Browse our examples to see the server in action. We welcome community PRs with new examples and integrations!
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🤝 Contributing
We love contributions of all kinds:
- Bug fixes and documentation updates
- New features (e.g., Action support, permissions)
- Additional examples and tutorials
Check out the contributing guidelines and see issues tagged good first issue to get started.
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📜 License
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
