Ros2_info: One Rust terminal UI replaces 5 ROS 2 windows with AI debugging

ros2_info is a terminal workspace lens for ROS 2 that consolidates five typical debugging sessions into one full-screen TUI. Written in Rust, it runs headless over SSH and on resource-constrained hardware like Raspberry Pi or Jetson without Electron overhead. The dashboard shows live nodes, topics, services, actions, workspace and build status, DDS/domain/sourcing state, and more. It includes an integrated PTY terminal for ros2 commands, colcon build, and ros2 launch, plus a multi-tab editor with Neovim keybindings. Additional features include a ROS 2 graph canvas, git/gh integration, a namespaced sandbox mode for experimentation, and an in-process plugin API for extensibility. The tool is distributed as a single static binary and supports ROS 2 distributions Humble through Rolling.

Beyond core monitoring, ros2_info offers an optional local AI assistant powered by Ollama that runs fully offline. Users can invoke ai scan, ai fix, or ai explain for build errors, with every suggested change diff-gated and reviewable before application. An even more advanced autonomous coding mode lets developers set a goal while the AI iterates on code within the same sandbox — though it cannot drive the robot at runtime. The AI features work equally well when disabled, ensuring the tool remains lightweight. By merging graph state, build output, and a terminal into one screen, ros2_info significantly reduces context-switching during bring-up and debugging, making it a practical upgrade for ROS 2 developers.