Autoware Index#

The Autoware Index is a registry of community ROS 2 packages that extend Autoware. It records which packages exist, where their source lives, and whether each one builds and passes tests against the latest Autoware release.

Browse Packages Register Your Packages

A regular source installation does not require the Autoware Index. Use it when you want community or extra packages that are not part of the default workspace: you select packages from the registry, generate a .repos file from your selection, and import it with vcs import like any other repos file.

There are two ways to generate the file:

aw-index-cli: a command line tool that composes it from the registry.
The browse site: its Repos builder composes and downloads the same file in your browser.

Using `aw-index-cli`#

Install the CLI with pipx.

pipx install aw-index-cli   # first install
pipx upgrade aw-index-cli   # update to the latest release

Compose the repos file from your Autoware workspace root (the cloned autoware directory). By default, it writes your selection to repositories/autoware-index.repos.
```
cd autoware
aw-index-cli compose --rosdistro jazzy --packages <package_name>
```
You can also select whole repositories by their registry key, or filter by tags:
```
# Pull in a whole repository entry by its registry key.
aw-index-cli compose --rosdistro jazzy --repository <repository_name>

# Select by tags. A package matches if it carries any of the listed tags.
aw-index-cli compose --rosdistro jazzy --tags sensing perception
```
When combined, the --packages, --repository, and --tags filters are ANDed. Use the --rosdistro value that matches your ROS 2 distribution. The available distributions are listed in the autoware-index repository.
Import the repositories and build your workspace as usual.
```
vcs import src < repositories/autoware-index.repos
rosdep install -y --from-paths src --ignore-src --rosdistro $ROS_DISTRO
colcon build --symlink-install --cmake-args -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
```
⚠️ An imported repository may also contain packages that are not registered in the index. To build only what you selected, scope the build with colcon build --packages-up-to <package_name>.

Note

autoware-index.repos is a generated file. Re-run aw-index-cli compose to update it, and do not edit it by hand. Since the selection is user-specific, the file is ignored by git in the autoware repository.

Checking your workspace#

aw-index-cli check compares a composed autoware-index.repos file against the registry and the latest validation results. Run it from the workspace root; it discovers the file automatically.

aw-index-cli check

It exits with 0 when all selected packages pass validation and match the registry, and with 1 when a package fails validation, has drifted from the registry, or was removed. This makes it suitable as a CI gate after vcs import.

Listing packages#

To see the registered packages and their latest validation status from the terminal:

aw-index-cli list --rosdistro jazzy

Using the browse site#

If you prefer not to install anything:

Pick your packages on the browse site.
Open the Repos builder panel and download your selection as autoware-index.repos.

Move the file into the repositories directory of your workspace and import it:

cd autoware
mv ~/Downloads/autoware-index.repos repositories/
vcs import src < repositories/autoware-index.repos

Registering your packages#

To make your own packages available through the index, register them in the autoware-index repository:

Use the guided register page. It writes the registry entry for you, runs the same checks as the pull request gate, and opens the pull request on your behalf.
Or register by hand: fork the repository, add one entry under repositories: in distributions/<distro>.yaml for each distribution you support, and open a pull request.

After a registration is merged, CI builds and tests each registered package against the latest Autoware release and publishes the results on the browse site. Packages registered with a branch ref are re-validated nightly, while tag and sha refs stay pinned.

For the registry format, tag vocabulary, and validation rules, refer to the contribution guide.