@cmc0619/node-red-contrib-mavlink 0.5.0
MAVLink toolkit for Node-RED — GCS and companion roles, one node set.
node-red-contrib-mavlink
MAVLink toolkit for Node-RED — GCS and companion roles, one node set.
Full design and behaviour are specified in DESIGN.md.
Install
From your Node-RED user directory (usually ~/.node-red, or /data in the official Docker
image):
npm install @cmc0619/node-red-contrib-mavlink
Or through the Node-RED editor: Menu → Manage palette → Install.
Restart Node-RED. The nodes appear under the MAVLink palette (config nodes under
Configuration nodes). Editor dialog screenshots live in
docs/screenshots/.
Requires Node.js 20+ and Node-RED 4.0+.
Nodes
| Node | Role |
|---|---|
mavlink-local-identity |
Source sysid/compid, role preset, heartbeat, signing credential |
mavlink-vehicle |
Dialect selection, bundled or custom XML, default target ids |
mavlink-connection |
UDP / TCP / serial transport, peer table, queue, signing, heartbeats |
mavlink-in |
Subscribe to decoded traffic with filters |
mavlink-out |
Send raw or pre-built messages |
mavlink-build |
Build any dialect message with delivery tiers |
mavlink-command |
MAV_CMD presets and advanced commands |
mavlink-move |
Motion: go to, steer, turn, speed, attitude, manual — acked commands or streamed setpoints per action |
mavlink-param |
Read, set, or list parameters |
mavlink-payload |
Camera, gimbal, servo, release |
mavlink-state |
Peer table reads and transitions |
mavlink-health |
Assert an identity's health with an expiring lease; a fault stops its HEARTBEAT |
mavlink-mission |
Upload, download, or clear mission/fence/rally |
mavlink-fanout |
Fan-out one action across selected vehicles, with optional per-member offsets |
mavlink-formation |
Position a group into a geometric formation around an anchor |
Examples
Importable flows ship with the package — 23 of them, plus 41 more for a live SITL rig. In the Node-RED editor: Import → Examples → @cmc0619/node-red-contrib-mavlink.
A few to start with; every flow is indexed in
examples/CATALOG.md,
which ships in the package too.
| File | Demonstrates |
|---|---|
01-udp-heartbeat.json |
Local Identity + Vehicle + Connection (UDP) + mavlink-in on HEARTBEAT |
02-arm-takeoff-chain.json |
Command arm (confirm) chained to takeoff (await completion) |
03-param-read-set.json |
Param read (MAV_SYSID) and set (FS_GCS_ENABLE) as separate injects |
04-mission-upload-download.json |
Mission upload then download |
05-fanout-arm.json |
Fan-out sequential arm — preview then live |
10-sunday-stroll.json |
A full flight: arm, takeoff, waypoints, return |
24-formation-nudge.json |
Formation node moving a group as one |
27-safety-estop.json |
Flight termination behind a confirmation gate |
sitl/20-completion-takeoff.json |
Arm + completion-tier takeoff against ArduPilot Copter SITL |
sitl/31-fanout-sequential-five.json |
Five ArduPilot SITL sysids 1–5 sequential arm with 200 ms pacing |
sitl/04-param-defs-live.json |
Param read, set, and list — with live definition catalog |
sitl/22-command-mission-basics.json |
Command presets, advanced SET_MESSAGE_INTERVAL, mission upload/download |
The nested sitl/ entries need a live SITL rig; they cover completion timing, mode tables,
PX4 param union, mission/fence/rally gating, fan-out pacing, signing, and companion mode.
Before deploying against a vehicle or SITL, set each example's Connection endpoints (bind is where traffic arrives — typically 127.0.0.1:14550; remote is the vehicle/SITL input — often 14551) and match the Vehicle dialect and default target system id to your link.
Development, SITL lab, and Docker bind-mounts
Building from a checkout, the Docker Compose SITL harness (5× ArduPilot + 5× PX4), and troubleshooting bind-mounted installs are covered in the repository README. Those parts are not in this package — they only apply to a git clone.
License
MIT — see
LICENSE.
