rospkg
ROS package library
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need ROS package introspection in Python outside a full ROS environment. The low install friction, permissive license, and active repository make it a safe choice. No known vulnerabilities. Install it if your workflow involves ROS packages and you want programmatic access to their metadata.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python >=3.6
- Low friction install with three runtime dependencies.
- Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2025-12-18 and the package has been released since 2011-08-18, but the repository remains active and not archived.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD (permissive) — BSD license is permissive; you can use this package in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions, provided you retain the license notice.
last release 2025-12-19 (238 days) · last repo commit 2025-12-18 · 35 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 514,004 downloads/mo, #6,241 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install rospkg
import rospkg
rospack = rospkg.RosPack()
package_path = rospack.get_path('package_name')- Whether this package works standalone or requires a ROS environment to be present on the system
- Scope of ROS package operations supported (e.g., dependency resolution, manifest parsing, package discovery limits)
What it is and what it does
rospkg is a standalone Python library that lets you interact with the ROS package system without needing a full ROS installation. It handles ROS package metadata, filesystem lookups, and package discovery by parsing package.xml files and navigating the ROS package directory structure. The library depends on catkin-pkg for core package handling, PyYAML for manifest parsing, and distro for system information.
Typical use is in tools, scripts, or applications that need to query ROS package information, locate packages on disk, or inspect package metadata programmatically. It's useful when you want ROS package introspection capabilities in a lightweight, standalone context rather than within a full ROS environment.
Use it for
- Query ROS package metadata and dependencies from Python without a full ROS installation
- Locate ROS packages on the filesystem and inspect their package.xml manifests
- Build tools or scripts that need to understand ROS package structure and organization
- Integrate ROS package discovery into CI/CD pipelines or build systems
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need ROS package introspection in Python outside a full ROS environment.
The low install friction, permissive license, and active repository make it a safe choice. No known vulnerabilities. Install it if your workflow involves ROS packages and you want programmatic access to their metadata.
Install
rospkg on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with three runtime dependencies. Maintenance status is aging—last commit was 2025-12-18 and the package has been released since 2011-08-18, but the repository remains active and not archived.
Requires Python >=3.6
License in practice
BSD license is permissive; you can use this package in commercial and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions, provided you retain the license notice.
Quickstart
pip install rospkg
import rospkg
rospack = rospkg.RosPack()
package_path = rospack.get_path('package_name')Verify before relying
- Whether this package works standalone or requires a ROS environment to be present on the system
- Scope of ROS package operations supported (e.g., dependency resolution, manifest parsing, package discovery limits)
Package facts
| License | BSD permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagescatkin-pkgPyYAMLdistro |
| Maintenance | Aging 238 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 514,004 / month, #6,241 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseProgramming Language :: Python |
Evidence: rospkg-1.6.1-py3-none-any.whl
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “ROS package metadata”
- rospkgProvides Python access to ROS package metadata and filesystem…
- catkin-pkgParses and manages Catkin package metadata and configuration files…
- rosdistroParses and manipulates ROS distribution metadata files in YAML…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Software Development packages
Provides backported and experimental type hints for Python 3.9+, allowing use of newer typing features on older Python versions and enabling early experimentation with type system PEPs before they enter the standard library.
NumPy provides an N-dimensional array object and a comprehensive suite of mathematical, linear algebra, Fourier transform, and random number functions for scientific computing in Python.
FastAPI is a Python web framework for building REST APIs using type hints, with automatic request validation, serialization, and interactive API documentation.
Provides a way to document function parameters, class attributes, return types, and variables inline using Python's `Annotated` type hint syntax instead of traditional docstrings.
Typer builds command-line applications from Python functions using type hints, automatically generating help text, argument parsing, and shell completion.
Install it if you are building CLIs in Python.
Distlib provides low-level packaging utilities for building, distributing, and managing Python software—including metadata handling, version specifiers, wheel support, script installation, and dependency resolution.
See also rosbags · rosdistro · colcon-ros · catkin-pkg · pyros-genmsg · resolve-robotics-uri-py · pkgconf · cmeel-console-bridge · colcon-common-extensions