ros-mcp-server MCP — Use Cases, Install & Live Demo

Why use it

Key features

Publish/subscribe ROS topics
Call services and actions
Set/get ROS parameters
Read sensor data + monitor robot state
Works with ROS 1 and ROS 2 via rosbridge

Live Demo

What it looks like in practice

ros.replay ▶ ready

0/0

Install

Pick your client

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json · Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ros": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ros-mcp-server"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config. Restart after saving.

~/.cursor/mcp.json · .cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ros": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ros-mcp-server"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Cursor uses the same mcpServers schema as Claude Desktop. Project config wins over global.

VS Code → Cline → MCP Servers → Edit

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ros": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ros-mcp-server"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Click the MCP Servers icon in the Cline sidebar, then "Edit Configuration".

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ros": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ros-mcp-server"
      ],
      "_inferred": true
    }
  }
}

Same shape as Claude Desktop. Restart Windsurf to pick up changes.

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "ros",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ros-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Continue uses an array of server objects rather than a map.

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "ros": {
      "command": {
        "path": "uvx",
        "args": [
          "ros-mcp-server"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to context_servers. Zed hot-reloads on save.

claude mcp add ros -- uvx ros-mcp-server

One-liner. Verify with claude mcp list. Remove with claude mcp remove.

Use Cases

Real-world ways to use ros-mcp-server

How to drive a simulated robot from chat

👤 ROS learners, robotics devs prototyping behaviors ⏱ ~30 min intermediate

When to use: You want to test high-level robot behaviors quickly.

Prerequisites

ROS 2 (Humble/Jazzy) or ROS 1 running — Docker containers for Humble work great for quick starts
rosbridge_suite installed + running — ros2 launch rosbridge_server rosbridge_websocket_launch.xml
Python 3.10+ + uvx — brew install [email protected] uv

Flow

Connect to rosbridge

Configure the MCP with ROSBRIDGE_URL=ws://localhost:9090 and verify connection.✓ Copied

→ List of active topics returned
Move the robot

Publish to /cmd_vel a Twist message moving forward at 0.2 m/s for 3 seconds, then stop.✓ Copied

→ Robot moves in sim
Read a sensor

Subscribe to /scan for 2 seconds and report obstacles within 1m.✓ Copied

→ Range data summary

Outcome: A live robot responding to natural-language commands.

Pitfalls

Sending too-fast velocity commands crashes/tips the robot — Rate-limit commands in your prompt; start with small velocities
Unsafe autonomy — no geofence — Always run first in simulation (Gazebo); never wire this to a physical robot without e-stop

How to produce a natural-language robot health summary

👤 Robotics ops teams ⏱ ~15 min beginner

When to use: You want a quick 'what's the robot doing' readout.

Flow

List topics

List all active topics.✓ Copied

→ Topic catalog
Sample key sensors

Subscribe to /battery_state and /odom for 3 seconds each; summarize.✓ Copied

→ Battery % + pose summary
Check parameters

Get the value of /navigation.max_velocity.✓ Copied

→ Parameter value

Outcome: Operator-friendly summary of robot state.

How to call a ROS action (e.g., navigate to pose) from chat

👤 Robotics devs testing nav stacks ⏱ ~15 min intermediate

When to use: You want to trigger a goal without writing a client.

Flow

Send goal

Call action /navigate_to_pose with goal x=2.0 y=1.0 yaw=0.✓ Copied

→ Goal accepted, feedback streamed
Monitor feedback

Stream feedback until goal reached or 30s elapses.✓ Copied

→ Progress + outcome

Outcome: Navigation test without writing a client.

Pitfalls

rosbridge action support varies by version — Use ROS 2 + rosbridge 2.x for best action coverage

Combinations

Pair with other MCPs for X10 leverage

ros + filesystem

Log robot runs to disk for later analysis

Subscribe to /odom for 60 seconds and write the trajectory to /logs/run-2026-04-14.csv.✓ Copied

Tools

What this MCP exposes

Tool	Inputs	When to call	Cost
list_topics		Discover the robot	free
publish_topic	topic: str, type: str, msg: obj	Command the robot	free
subscribe_topic	topic: str, duration_s?: int	Read sensor data	free
call_service	service: str, request: obj	One-shot RPC to the robot	free
send_action_goal	action: str, goal: obj	Long-running tasks (nav, manipulation)	free
get_param	name: str	Inspect config	free
set_param	name, value	Tune at runtime	free

Cost & Limits

What this costs to run

API quota: None — local rosbridge WebSocket
Tokens per call: Topic messages can be large (images, pointclouds); avoid streaming high-bandwidth topics into the LLM
Monetary: Free
Tip: Never subscribe to image or pointcloud topics into an LLM — summarize on the robot side first.

Security

Permissions, secrets, blast radius

Minimum scopes: Network access to the rosbridge WebSocket

Credential storage: None by default; put rosbridge behind auth for non-local use

Data egress: ROS topics flow to the LLM provider — treat sensor data as going to a third party

Never grant: Do not expose rosbridge to the public internet Do not grant autonomy without a hardware e-stop

Robots are physical — a hallucinated command can cause real damage. Simulation first, always.

Troubleshooting

Common errors and fixes

Cannot connect to rosbridge

Ensure rosbridge_server is running and reachable at the URL. For ROS 2: ros2 launch rosbridge_server rosbridge_websocket_launch.xml

Verify: nc -vz localhost 9090

Topic publish rejected — unknown type

Pass the exact message type (e.g., geometry_msgs/msg/Twist). Use list_topics to see registered types.

Action feedback not streaming

Older rosbridge versions have spotty action support. Upgrade to 2.x.

High-bandwidth topic crashes the agent

Do not subscribe to /camera/image_raw or /velodyne_points through the LLM. Summarize on-robot.

Alternatives

ros-mcp-server vs others

Alternative	When to use it instead	Tradeoff
rosa (NASA JPL)	You want a LangChain-based ROS agent, not MCP	Different architecture; not pluggable into Claude Desktop

More

Resources

📖 Read the official README on GitHub

🐙 Browse open issues

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