General
Does Drift need internet access?
Yes. Drift’s agent sends your prompts to an external API to generate plans and code. Your local files, workspace, and simulation data stay on your machine — only the text of your prompt is sent. If you’re working in an air-gapped environment, Drift will not function. Offline support is not on the roadmap.Does Drift support MuJoCo?
Yes. Drift authors MJCF, runs headless or interactive simulations, and debugs MuJoCo-specific failure modes (NaN inqacc, chassis-z spawn issues, cylinder vs hinge axis mismatch, contact tuning). See Building a MuJoCo Scene. Recommended version: MuJoCo 3.8.1+.
Does Drift support Gazebo Harmonic?
Yes — Gazebo Harmonic is the recommended Gazebo version. Drift authors SDF worlds, configures standard plugins (cameras, LiDAR, IMU, etc.), and bridges topics throughros_gz_bridge. See Your First Simulation.
Does Drift work with MoveIt?
Not directly. Drift creates the robot description (URDF), Gazebo or MuJoCo world / scene, and launch files, but does not currently configure MoveIt2 motion planning. You can use Drift to scaffold the robot and simulation, then set up MoveIt2 separately on top of the generated workspace. MoveIt2 integration is on the roadmap.Can I use my own URDF / MJCF files?
Yes. Reference your file in the prompt (e.g. “use my existing robot.urdf and add a camera sensor”). Drift will parse and extend it. Highly customized or non-standard files may require manual adjustment — Drift works best when files follow standard conventions or when it generates them from scratch.Can I use custom Gazebo plugins?
Drift configures standard Gazebo Harmonic plugins automatically (cameras, LiDAR, IMU, etc.). For third-party or custom.so plugins, mention them explicitly in your prompt — Drift will add the plugin block to the SDF. You may need to manually verify plugin parameters and build paths.
Does Drift work with ROS1?
No. Drift supports ROS2 only. ROS1 is not on the roadmap.Project Context & Skills
What’s DRIFT.md and why should I write one?
DRIFT.md is a markdown file at your project root that captures the project’s facts — robot specs, topic names, frame_ids, build conventions, naming rules, your team’s quirks. Drift reads it before every prompt. You write it once, the agent stops asking.
Run /init from the drift> prompt and Drift will scan your workspace and write a starter DRIFT.md for you. Edit it to taste. See Project Context for the full walkthrough.
Does Drift read CLAUDE.md too?
Yes. CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, and DRIFT.md are all picked up. If you already keep a CLAUDE.md for Claude Code / Cursor, you don’t need to migrate.
What’s a “skill” in Drift?
A markdown file that captures how your team does something — tuning an EKF, calibrating an IMU, writing a launch file, picking MJCF damping values. Drop it at.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md (per-workspace) or ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md (machine-wide), or run /skill add <path>. Drift uses it automatically on relevant prompts. See Custom Skills.
Where do skills live on disk?
/skill add <path> copies your file to the right location for you.
Installation & Setup
What ROS2 versions are supported?
ROS2 Humble (LTS) and ROS2 Jazzy are the recommended and tested distributions. ROS2 Foxy reached end-of-life in June 2023 and is not supported. It may work in some cases but is not tested and you won’t get help for Foxy-specific issues.What MuJoCo versions are supported?
MuJoCo 3.8.1 and above. Install withpip install mujoco.
Does Drift work on macOS or Windows?
Not natively. Drift CLI requires Ubuntu 20.04+ (Debian-based Linux). macOS users can run Drift inside a Ubuntu virtual machine using VMware Fusion — see the Quickstart. Windows is not supported.Does Drift work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)?
Yes, via VMware Fusion. When creating the VM, select an x86_64 Ubuntu image (not ARM) so Drift’s binary is compatible. Raspberry Pi and other ARM devices are not supported.Does Drift work on ARM (Raspberry Pi)?
Not yet. Only x86_64 (amd64) is supported.Can I use Drift in VS Code or Cursor?
Yes. Drift CLI runs in any terminal, including the integrated terminal in VS Code or Cursor. Open the integrated terminal (View → Terminal orCtrl+`) and run drift as you would in a system terminal. No additional setup.
Using Drift
What kinds of prompts work best?
Specific, descriptive prompts work better than short ones. Instead of:Can I use Drift with an existing ROS2 workspace?
Yes. Point Drift at your workspace directory and describe what you want to modify. Results are best when the workspace follows standard ROS2 conventions. ADRIFT.md explaining your conventions makes a huge difference here — see Project Context.
What happens if a build fails?
Drift catches build errors and attempts automatic recovery — checking for missing dependencies, fixing commoncolcon issues, retrying. If auto-fix fails, Drift will show you the error and suggest next steps. You can also ask:
How do I stop a running simulation?
Where can I see what each query cost?
Per-query token and dollar tracking is on your account dashboard at platform.godrift.ai. You can also set per-workspace budgets there.Beta & Access
How do I get access?
Drift CLI is in public beta. Run:How do I report a bug?
Open an issue on the GitHub Releases repository, describe the problem in the Discord community, or just describe it at thedrift> prompt — the agent can often diagnose live.