SDK Reference
droneos CLI
Command-line interface for DroneOS flight and fleet operations.
droneos is the command-line interface for issuing commands to DroneOS-connected aircraft.
It is useful when you want a fast terminal workflow without writing code.
What It Is For
Use the CLI to:
- inspect fleet status
- query a specific drone
- send direct control commands
- test workflows quickly from the terminal
- integrate simple shell-based automations
If you want a programmable interface in Python, use drone_control.py.
Common Commands
# Fleet overview
droneos --fleet-status
# Query a single drone
droneos --drone drone1 --get-state
# Basic control
droneos --drone drone1 --set-offboard
droneos --drone drone1 --arm
droneos --drone drone1 --set-position 20 0 -10
droneos --drone drone1 --land
droneos --drone drone1 --rtlTypical Workflow
A basic terminal-driven workflow usually looks like this:
- inspect the fleet
- select a drone
- query its current state
- send the next command
- monitor state again as needed
That makes the CLI useful both for manual testing and for learning how DroneOS control flows work.
Main Command Categories
Fleet commands
--fleet-status— inspect available drones and their status
State queries
--get-state— read the state of a selected drone
Flight commands
--set-offboard--arm--takeoff--set-position--land--rtl--disarm
Output and Conventions
The CLI is designed to be easy to use interactively and easy to call from scripts.
State output gives you the fields you need to understand whether a drone is:
- armed or disarmed
- in offboard or another navigation state
- at the expected position
- healthy enough for the next step
When to Use the CLI vs Python
Use the CLI when you want:
- quick manual control
- debugging from a shell
- lightweight automation
- a simple interface for demos or experiments
Use Python when you want:
- reusable application logic
- custom workflows
- deeper integration with other software
- an orchestration layer above direct commands