Run a robot with ROS from Claude
Yes, with a community MCP server. ros-mcp-server lets Claude publish ROS and ROS 2 topics, call services and read sensors. ros2_mcp and nav2_mcp_server add ROS 2 tools and navigation goals. None comes from the ROS project itself.
| Option | Works today as | Price |
|---|---|---|
| ros-mcp-serverCommand ROS and ROS 2 robots: publish topics, call services and read sensors. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| ros2_mcpSee, understand and operate ROS 2 robots from an agent. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| nav2_mcp_serverSend navigation goals to a mobile robot and monitor it through Nav2. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| isaac-sim-mcpBuild and run robot simulations in NVIDIA Isaac Sim. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| unitree-go2-mcp-serverCommand a Unitree Go2 robot dog through ROS 2. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| MAVLinkMCPFly a drone over MAVLink: arm, take off, go to waypoints and land. | Community MCP server | free (open source) |
| ViamControl robots, arms, rovers and cameras and read their sensors through one cloud API. | API from the vendor | Free to start; usage-based after first $5/month |
Set it up
ros-mcp-server, from its README:
uvx ros-mcp
ros2_mcp's README shows a read-only mode, which is a good first step:
claude mcp add ros2 -- docker run -i --rm -e ROS2_MCP_READONLY=1 wisevision/ros2_mcp:jazzy
Stay safe
Test in a simulator first. Isaac Sim has an MCP server too. On real hardware, keep a person at the stop button and cap speed in the robot's own config, not only in the prompt.
“Live through our connector” runs through Real World MCP today. “Official MCP” is the vendor's own server. “Manual” means you or a browser use the provider's site. Prices are the provider's own and change. Browse every robots & drones entry.
What people have done
- Let Claude Code drive a robot
A commenter said they had Claude Code drive a robot the week before and that it seemed visibly delighted doing it.
- Have Claude set up and drive a robot dog without human help
In the follow-up, Claude Opus 4.7 worked without human assistance and finished the robot dog setup and control tasks about 20 times faster than the fastest human team, though precise ball handling was still hard.
- Drive your robot vacuum with a game controller via Claude Code
A tinkerer used Claude Code to reverse-engineer how his DJI Romo vacuum talks to its servers so he could steer it with a PlayStation controller. The resulting app also exposed about 6,700 other users' vacuums, revealing a DJI security flaw.
- Learn ROS 2 on a cheap robot dog with Claude Code or Codex
A user who bought a Hiwonder PuppyPi used Codex and Claude Code to get going, and within a week was adding features and understood ROS 2 basics.
Questions people ask
Can Claude control a ROS robot?
Yes. Community MCP servers such as ros-mcp-server let Claude publish topics, call services and read sensors on ROS and ROS 2 robots.
Is there an official ROS MCP server?
Not that we found. The ROS servers in our directory are community projects.
Can Claude fly a drone?
Community MCP servers speak MAVLink, the protocol used by ArduPilot and PX4 drones. Test in simulation and follow your local flying rules.