Metadata-Version: 2.4
Name: topicforge
Version: 0.2.0
Summary: ROS Topic Inspector & Bag Analyzer MCP server for AI agents
Project-URL: Homepage, https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge
Project-URL: Repository, https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge
Project-URL: Issues, https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge/issues
Project-URL: Changelog, https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
Author-email: Yanis ETHVIGNOT <ethvignot.yanis@gmail.com>
License: MIT License
        
        Copyright (c) 2026 Yanis ETHVIGNOT
        
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        SOFTWARE.
License-File: LICENSE
Keywords: ai,claude,mcp,model-context-protocol,robotics,ros2
Classifier: Development Status :: 3 - Alpha
Classifier: Intended Audience :: Developers
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12
Requires-Python: >=3.11
Requires-Dist: mcp>=1.0.0
Requires-Dist: pydantic>=2.6
Provides-Extra: all
Requires-Dist: cyclonedds>=0.10; extra == 'all'
Provides-Extra: dds
Requires-Dist: cyclonedds>=0.10; extra == 'dds'
Provides-Extra: dev
Requires-Dist: pytest>=8.0; extra == 'dev'
Requires-Dist: ruff>=0.4; extra == 'dev'
Description-Content-Type: text/markdown

# TopicForge

[![PyPI version](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/topicforge.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/topicforge/)
[![Python versions](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/topicforge.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/topicforge/)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge/blob/main/LICENSE)
[![Read-only by architecture](https://img.shields.io/badge/safety-read--only_by_architecture-2563eb)](https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge#security-model)

> **The safety-first read-only MCP for ROS2 robotics — now with a DDS observability module (v0.2.0).** TopicForge lets AI agents inspect your ROS2 graph, ROS bag files, and (since v0.2.0) the raw DDS layer beneath ROS, without ever publishing back to the bus. The MCP client can see the stack ; it cannot touch it.

TopicForge is a production-minded MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets AI agents — such as Claude — inspect ROS2 topics, analyze ROS bag files, and (since v0.2.0) observe the raw DDS layer through a clean, structured tool interface. It is read-only by **architecture**, not by configuration: there is no write path to misconfigure, no permission system to audit, no liability conversation to have. The MCP client can see the robot stack; it cannot touch it.

This stance matters because the ROS-MCP space is no longer empty — general-purpose ROS-MCP servers exist that let an LLM publish topics, call services, and command robots. That shape is fine for demos; it is untenable for production fleets, defense systems, automotive AUTOSAR Adaptive surfaces, or anything safety-certified. TopicForge is the read-only alternative for those audiences, plus the robotics developers, ML/CV engineers, and teams that want their AI tooling to *understand* their robotics stack without commanding it.

## Why it exists

LLM agents are good at reasoning over text, but ROS2 introspection lives in a CLI + DDS world they cannot directly reach. Without grounding, an LLM will hallucinate topic names, message types, and bag contents. TopicForge bridges that gap with a small, well-typed set of MCP tools — all read-only, all returning frozen Pydantic schemas that a downstream agent can parse without ambiguity:

| Tool              | Purpose                                                |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| `health_check`    | Environment & mode introspection                       |
| `list_topics`     | Discover the ROS graph                                 |
| `get_topic_info`  | Structured info for a single topic                     |
| `sample_messages` | Peek recent messages on a topic (publish-time timestamps for `Header`-stamped types) |
| `analyze_bag`     | Summarize a `.mcap` / `.db3` / `.bag` recording        |

Outputs are structured, JSON-serializable, and stable across runtime modes - they look the same whether the server is talking to a real robot or to its built-in mock fixtures. Every response carries a `mode_effective` field (`"live"` or `"mock"`) so a downstream LLM can tell a real graph from the demo fixtures without re-reading `health_check`.

## 30-second demo without ROS2

The mock adapter ships deterministic fixtures for a small differential robot (LIDAR + RGB camera). You do not need ROS2 installed to try the full tool surface - a clean Python 3.11 venv is enough.

```bash
pip install topicforge
TOPICFORGE_MODE=mock python -m topicforge
# Windows PowerShell: $env:TOPICFORGE_MODE="mock"; python -m topicforge
```

Point any MCP client (Claude Desktop, see below) at this server and ask it to *list the topics* or *analyze `/tmp/demo.mcap`* - every tool returns realistic, typed payloads.

## Quickstart

```bash
pip install topicforge
python -m topicforge --help
TOPICFORGE_MODE=mock python -m topicforge
```

## Architecture

```
+----------------------+
|   MCP client (LLM)   |
+----------+-----------+
           |  (stdio, MCP protocol)
           v
+----------+-----------+
|  topicforge.server   |   FastMCP entrypoint, lifecycle, tool registration
+----------+-----------+
           |
           v
+----------+-----------+
|  topicforge.tools    |   Thin handlers - validate, delegate, serialize
+----------+-----------+
           |
           v
+----------+-----------+
| topicforge.services  |   Inspector / Health - orchestration & validation
+----------+-----------+
           |
           v
+----------+-----------+
| topicforge.adapters  |   ros2_live  - subprocess wrappers over `ros2` CLI
|                      |   ros2_mock  - deterministic fixtures
+----------------------+
```

Layers are strictly separated:

- **`server/`** wires the whole graph and exposes `build_app(settings)`.
- **`tools/`** registers MCP tools on FastMCP. Handlers never call ROS directly.
- **`services/`** validate inputs and orchestrate calls.
- **`adapters/`** are the *only* code that knows how to talk to a specific backend. New backends (e.g. an `rclpy`-based adapter) plug in by implementing the `RosAdapter` protocol.
- **`models/`** holds Pydantic schemas - the contract with MCP clients.
- **`config/`** resolves runtime settings from the environment.

## Runtime modes

| Mode    | When to use                                         | Backend                       |
| ------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| `mock`  | Local development, demos, CI, screencasts           | Deterministic fixtures        |
| `live`  | A machine with ROS2 installed and sourced           | `ros2` CLI wrappers           |
| `auto`  | Detect ROS2; fall back to mock if not present       | Best available (default)      |

Mode is selected via the `TOPICFORGE_MODE` environment variable.

## Install from source

Requires Python 3.11+.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/yaniswav/TopicForge.git
cd TopicForge
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate          # Linux / macOS
# .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1       # Windows PowerShell
pip install -e ".[dev]"
```

Or, if you have `make`:

```bash
make dev
```

## Run

### Mock mode (no ROS2 required)

```bash
TOPICFORGE_MODE=mock python -m topicforge
```

Or:

```bash
make run-mock
```

### Live mode (requires ROS2)

Source your ROS2 distribution first, then:

```bash
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
TOPICFORGE_MODE=live python -m topicforge
```

TopicForge invokes the `ros2` CLI under the hood, so it does **not** require `rclpy` to be importable. This keeps the live adapter portable across ROS2 distros.

### DDS support (v0.2.0+)

Beyond ROS2 graph introspection, TopicForge can also observe a raw DDS bus directly — useful for non-ROS DDS stacks (defense, aerospace, automotive AUTOSAR Adaptive, industrial integration) and for diagnosing why a ROS2 subscriber isn't receiving when the graph says it should. Same safety-first contract : read-only by **architecture**, never publishes back to the bus.

Install the optional DDS extras and select a backend :

```bash
pip install topicforge[dds]
TOPICFORGE_MODE=live TOPICFORGE_DDS_BACKEND=cyclone python -m topicforge
```

Three new MCP tools (in addition to the five ROS2 tools above) :

| Tool                    | Purpose                                                                          |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `list_participants`     | DDS participants discovered on a domain, with vendor and hostname                |
| `detect_qos_mismatches` | Reader/writer QoS incompatibilities preventing communication on a topic          |
| `peek_dds_samples`      | Recent samples on a raw DDS topic (distinct from `sample_messages` on ROS2 graph)|

**v0.2.0 limitation.** TopicForge selects one adapter at a time. With `TOPICFORGE_DDS_BACKEND=cyclone`, the 3 DDS tools work and the 5 ROS2 tools raise a clear `AdapterError` — and vice versa with the default `TOPICFORGE_DDS_BACKEND=mock`. The mock backend exposes all 8 tools against deterministic fixtures for local development and tests. Real CycloneDDS discovery (builtin topics, QoS pair extraction, typed reader for samples) ships as a v0.2.x patch ; the v0.2.0 `CycloneDdsAdapter` is a protocol-compliant stub that raises a clear roadmap message. A composite adapter delegating per-tool is a v0.2.x roadmap item.

`RTI Connext` and additional vendors will be available in the Pro tier (see `docs/pro.md`).

**Full 5-minute walkthrough** — including the canonical QoS-mismatch debugging scenario, the single-adapter limitation matrix, and troubleshooting — lives in [`docs/DDS_QUICKSTART.md`](docs/DDS_QUICKSTART.md).

### Configure with Claude Desktop

Add to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "topicforge": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "topicforge"],
      "env": { "TOPICFORGE_MODE": "auto" }
    }
  }
}
```

## Test

```bash
pytest
# or
make test
```

Tests run entirely against the mock adapter and the live adapter's pure parsers - they never require a running ROS graph. The full suite completes in well under a second.

## Lint & format

```bash
make lint     # ruff check
make fmt      # ruff format
make check    # both, plus tests (CI bundle)
```

> **Windows note.** The `Makefile` uses POSIX shell syntax (`VAR=value cmd`,
> `find … -exec`). Run it from Git Bash, WSL, or MSYS2. From a plain
> PowerShell session, invoke the underlying commands directly:
>
> ```powershell
> python -m ruff check src tests
> python -m ruff format src tests
> python -m pytest
> $env:TOPICFORGE_MODE = "mock"; python -m topicforge   # equivalent of `make run-mock`
> ```

## Configuration reference

| Variable                    | Default | Description                                                                   |
| --------------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `TOPICFORGE_MODE`           | `auto`  | `mock`, `live`, or `auto`                                                     |
| `TOPICFORGE_LOG_LEVEL`      | `INFO`  | `DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARNING`, `ERROR`                                           |
| `TOPICFORGE_ROS2_BIN`       | `ros2`  | Name (or path) of the ROS2 CLI binary                                         |
| `TOPICFORGE_TELEMETRY`      | `off`   | Opt-in anonymous usage telemetry. See [Telemetry](#telemetry).                |
| `TOPICFORGE_DDS_BACKEND`    | `mock`  | DDS module backend: `mock`, `cyclone`, `rti`, or `auto`. See [DDS support](#dds-support-v020). |
| `TOPICFORGE_DDS_DOMAIN_ID`  | `0`     | DDS domain id observed (0..232) when a DDS backend is active.                 |

See [`.env.example`](.env.example).

## Telemetry

TopicForge ships an **opt-in, anonymous, minimal** telemetry hook. It is **off by default** and the OFF code path performs **zero network calls** — pinned by a unit test (`tests/test_telemetry.py::test_build_app_off_makes_no_transport_calls`).

### How to opt in

```bash
TOPICFORGE_TELEMETRY=on python -m topicforge
# Windows PowerShell: $env:TOPICFORGE_TELEMETRY="on"; python -m topicforge
```

Accepted on-values: `on`, `1`, `true`, `yes`, `enabled` (case-insensitive). Anything else — including unset — keeps telemetry off.

### How to opt out

Unset the variable, set it to `off`, or just don't touch it. Opt-out is the default.

### Exactly what is sent

When telemetry is on, each MCP tool call emits a single event with **only** these six fields:

| Field             | Example          | Notes                                                                  |
| ----------------- | ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `tool_name`       | `"list_topics"`  | One of the five MVP tools — never argument values.                     |
| `latency_ms`      | `12.34`          | Wall-clock duration of the handler, rounded to 2 decimals.             |
| `mode`            | `"mock"`         | Effective runtime mode: `mock` or `live`.                              |
| `version`         | `"0.1.2"`        | TopicForge server version.                                             |
| `session_id`      | `"a1b2c3…"`      | Random UUID generated per process. Never persisted, never re-used.     |
| `success`         | `true`           | Whether the handler returned (true) or raised (false).                 |

### What is **never** sent

- Topic names, message types, message payloads
- Bag file paths or bag contents
- Hostnames, usernames, IP addresses, ROS distro, environment variables
- Stack traces, error messages, or any free-form text
- Any persistent identifier — `session_id` is regenerated on every server start

The payload shape is fenced by `tests/test_telemetry.py::test_payload_contains_only_whitelisted_keys`. Adding a field there requires a matching change in this section.

### Where the code lives

The complete telemetry implementation is in [`src/topicforge/telemetry/`](src/topicforge/telemetry/) — read it in under five minutes. The default transport is a structured log line (no HTTP endpoint yet); a future S3-backed endpoint will plug into the same `Transport` callable without touching tool handlers.

## Security model

TopicForge is designed for **local trust**: it runs as a subprocess of your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code) on a machine you control, and inspects your own ROS2 graph or your own bag files. It is not hardened for adversarial inputs.

- `TOPICFORGE_ROS2_BIN` accepts an arbitrary path - if you point it at a malicious binary, TopicForge will execute it. Treat the variable the way you treat `PATH`.
- `analyze_bag` opens whatever path the MCP client passes (no workspace isolation, no symlink restriction). The threat model assumes the client is your trusted agent acting on your behalf.
- All `ros2` CLI invocations use `subprocess.run` with an argument list - never `shell=True`. Topic names are validated against a strict allowlist (`^/[A-Za-z0-9_/]+$`) before being passed to the CLI.
- No outbound network calls by default. Since v0.1.1, opt-in anonymous usage telemetry is available behind `TOPICFORGE_TELEMETRY=on` — see [Telemetry](#telemetry) for the exact payload and opt-out instructions. When off (the default), the OFF code path is a verified no-op.

Before exposing TopicForge to *untrusted* MCP clients (hosted endpoints, shared environments), add path isolation and revisit the `TOPICFORGE_ROS2_BIN` policy.

## MVP limitations

- `sample_messages` in live mode uses `ros2 topic echo --csv --once` with a short timeout; topics with no current publisher will return an empty sample. `MessageSample.timestamp_ns` is the message's `header.stamp` (publish time) for `Header`-stamped messages and `0` for headerless types (`std_msgs/String`, `geometry_msgs/Twist`, …); surfacing the rmw receive timestamp for arbitrary types waits on the future `rclpy`-backed adapter.
- `sample_messages` silently clamps `count` to 50 to keep tool output bounded; requests for more than 50 messages return at most 50 (the `SampleResult.count` field reflects what was actually returned).
- `analyze_bag` in live mode shells out to `ros2 bag info` and parses its text output. Deep anomaly detection is mock-only for now.
- No streaming / push subscriptions in the MVP. Tools are strictly request/response.
- Live adapter is CLI-based, not `rclpy`-based - by design, for portability.

## Roadmap

See [`docs/product-plan.md`](docs/product-plan.md) for the full product trajectory.

Near-term additions on the bench:

- `rclpy`-backed live adapter for faster & richer sampling
- DDS observability module (Cyclone DDS first as an `extras` install — `pip install topicforge[dds]` —, RTI Connext later in the Pro tier). Generalizes the existing `RosAdapter` to a `MiddlewareAdapter` protocol. Same safety-first read-only contract.
- URDF inspector / validator MCP tools
- Bag anomaly detection (clock jumps, gaps, dropped frames, TF tree health)
- Dataset export helpers (rosbag → COCO / HF Datasets)
- Synthetic data pipeline controller (Blender, Gazebo, Isaac Sim)
- Hosted MCP endpoint with auth

## Project layout

```
topicforge-mcp/
├── README.md                  # You are here
├── Makefile                   # Common developer tasks
├── pyproject.toml             # Build & tooling config
├── .env.example               # Example runtime configuration
├── docs/
│   └── product-plan.md        # Product strategy & roadmap
├── src/topicforge/
│   ├── __main__.py            # `python -m topicforge`
│   ├── server/                # MCP bootstrap & lifecycle
│   ├── tools/                 # MCP tool definitions
│   ├── services/              # Domain orchestration
│   ├── adapters/
│   │   ├── ros2_live/         # `ros2` CLI wrappers
│   │   └── ros2_mock/         # Deterministic fixtures
│   ├── models/                # Pydantic schemas
│   └── config/                # Settings & mode resolution
└── tests/                     # Pytest suite (mock-only, no ROS2 required)
```

## License

MIT - see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
