rosrustext_lifecycle_proxy

ROS 2 lifecycle service and event proxy for non-native Rust transports.

rosrustext_lifecycle_proxy is a small tool crate used by the rosrustext project to expose canonical ROS 2 lifecycle behavior in environments where the underlying Rust transport does not natively provide the full lifecycle service surface.

It exists to support tooling and ecosystem parity, not as a general-purpose node framework.

What this proxy does

The proxy provides a ROS-facing lifecycle surface compatible with standard tools and managers, including:

• /<node>/change_state
• /<node>/get_state
• /<node>/get_available_states
• /<node>/get_available_transitions
• /<node>/transition_event
• Optional /bond heartbeats for Nav2 compatibility (feature: bond)

It forwards lifecycle intent and state between ROS tools and a Rust-managed lifecycle state machine implemented elsewhere (typically in rosrustext_core + an adapter).

Why this exists

Some Rust ROS transports (notably rosbridge-based stacks) do not expose:

• lifecycle services as first-class primitives
• lifecycle event topics
• Nav2-compatible /bond behavior

Rather than re-implement lifecycle semantics in every adapter or lesson, the proxy allows:

• one canonical lifecycle surface
• one place to satisfy ROS tooling expectations
• reuse across transports that lack native lifecycle support

This keeps lifecycle semantics centralized, testable, and observable.

Intended usage

This crate is:

• ✅ Used internally by rosrustext_roslibrust
• ✅ Used in system-level tests that exercise ROS tooling
• ❌ Not intended as a general user-facing library
• ❌ Not a replacement for native lifecycle support when available

End users typically do not depend on this crate directly.

Features

• bond (disabled by default): include bond/msg/Status support and publish /bond heartbeats for Nav2. Disable at runtime with --no-bond or ROSRUSTEXT_BOND=0.

Stability and scope

This proxy:

• Implements ROS-facing lifecycle behavior only
• Does not define lifecycle semantics (those live in rosrustext_core)
• Avoids graph introspection or rosapi dependencies
• Is deliberately minimal and explicit

The exact scope of this proxy (lifecycle-only vs more general management proxy) is under active review.

Relationship to other crates

• rosrustext_core
  Defines lifecycle semantics and state machine.

• rosrustext_roslibrust
  Uses this proxy to project lifecycle behavior into rosbridge-based systems.

• rosrustext_rosrs
  Does not use this proxy; lifecycle is implemented natively via rclrs.

Future direction

As Rust ROS transports mature, this crate may:

• remain lifecycle-only,
• evolve into a more generic ROS management proxy, or
• be retired where native lifecycle parity is available.

Any such change will be driven by observable parity requirements, not API convenience.

License

Apache-2.0