RAI Debug Assistant

A direct Python-based package for the ROS2 Debugging Assistant from the RAI framework.

Requirements

• Node.js and npm
• Python 3.8+
• ROS 2 (Humble or later)

Installation

From npm Registry

If the package has been published to npm:

# Install globally from npm
npm install -g rai-debug-assistant

From Local Package

# Pack the package
cd /path/to/rai-debug-npm
npm pack
# Creates rai-debug-assistant-1.1.2.tgz

# Install from the tarball
npm install -g ./rai-debug-assistant-1.1.2.tgz

Direct Installation

# Or install directly from the source directory
cd /path/to/rai-debug-npm
npm install -g .

Publishing to npm (For Maintainers)

# Login to npm
npm login

# Publish the package
npm publish
# Or for scoped packages
npm publish --access public

NOTE: For security information about API keys, review the SECURITY.md file.

Usage

# Start with API key passed as argument
rai-debug --api-key YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY

# Start with API key from environment variable
export OPENAI_API_KEY=YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY
rai-debug

# Install required dependencies
rai-debug --install-deps

# Specify a different port (default is 8501)
rai-debug --port 8502

# Debug mode for more verbose output
rai-debug --debug

If no API key is provided via arguments or environment variables, you will be prompted to enter one.

How It Works

This package:

1. Creates a Python virtual environment in your home directory (~/.rai-debug-assistant/venv)
2. Uses Streamlit to run the debugging assistant in this environment
3. Integrates directly with your local ROS 2 environment
4. Provides a web interface to interact with the assistant

The assistant:

• Shows active ROS 2 nodes, topics, and services in the sidebar
• Allows you to ask questions about your ROS 2 system
• Provides contextual help based on your ROS 2 setup
• Allows direct execution of ROS2 commands from the chat
• Includes tools for inspecting nodes, topics, and services
• Shows command history and execution results
• Displays detailed system information and resource usage
• Auto-detects and suggests ROS2 commands
• Provides a comprehensive dashboard for ROS2 debugging

Troubleshooting

• Missing Python dependencies: Run rai-debug --install-deps to set up the virtual environment and install all required packages
• "Python not found": Make sure you have Python 3.8+ installed and available in your PATH
• "venv module not found": Install the venv module for your Python version
• "ROS 2 integration not available": Make sure ROS 2 is installed and properly set up in your environment
• "Error initializing ROS commands": Check that you have properly sourced your ROS 2 setup file
• Integration with ROS: Source your ROS 2 environment before running: source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash && rai-debug

Options

• -k, --api-key <key>: OpenAI API key
• -p, --port <port>: Port to run the server on (default: 8501)
• -i, --install-deps: Install required Python dependencies
• -d, --debug: Enable debug mode with more verbose output
• -v, --version: Show version
• -h, --help: Show help

License

Apache-2.0