Dbochman/crosstown-roomba

Crosstown Roomba Control (Boston)

Control two iRobot Roombas at Crosstown (Boston — 19 Crosstown Ave) via local MQTT through the MacBook Pro.

Robots

| Name | Aliases | Model | Notes | |------|---------|-------|-------| | roomba | 10max, combo, max | Roomba Combo 10 Max | Vacuums + mops, has dock with auto-empty and tank | | scoomba | j5 | Roomba J5 | Vacuum only |

Use all to target both robots.

Commands

Check status (battery, mission, bin)

crosstown-roomba status           # both robots
crosstown-roomba status roomba    # just 10 Max
crosstown-roomba status scoomba   # just J5

Start cleaning

crosstown-roomba start all        # start both
crosstown-roomba start roomba     # just 10 Max

Stop / Pause / Resume

crosstown-roomba stop roomba
crosstown-roomba pause scoomba
crosstown-roomba resume scoomba

Return to dock

crosstown-roomba dock all

The dock command automatically sends stop first, then dock. This is necessary because iRobot's MQTT dock command alone does not interrupt an active cleaning cycle — the robot ignores it while in run phase.

If a robot is already on the dock charging (cleanMissionStatus.phase == "charge"), the CLI skips the stop+dock sequence for that robot and prints Already on dock — skipping.. With dock all, the other robot is still processed normally. This avoids redundant commands on the verify-retry path when only one robot needs a re-dock.

Locate (play sound)

crosstown-roomba find roomba

WiFi info

crosstown-roomba wifi roomba

Full robot state (JSON)

crosstown-roomba state roomba     # requires specific robot name

List robots

crosstown-roomba list

Architecture

Roomba 10 Max ←─MQTT:8883─→ roomba-cmd.js (MacBook Pro) ←─SSH─→ crosstown-roomba CLI (Mac Mini)
Roomba J5     ←─MQTT:8883─→ roomba-cmd.js (MacBook Pro) ←─SSH─→      (same CLI)

• roomba-cmd.js on the MacBook Pro connects to the robot via dorita980 MQTT, runs the command, disconnects
• The CLI SSHs into the MacBook Pro for each command (connect-per-request, no persistent MQTT)
• Each command takes ~5-10s due to SSH + MQTT connect/disconnect

Dog Walk Mode

IMPORTANT: During walk hours (8-10 AM, 11 AM-1 PM, 5-8 PM), ALWAYS use dog-walk-start instead of crosstown-roomba start. This starts Roombas AND activates return monitoring (Fi GPS + WiFi + Ring motion), so they auto-dock when Dylan/Julia return. Without this, Roombas run until battery dies.

dog-walk-start crosstown   # Start Roombas + return monitoring

Use bare crosstown-roomba start ONLY for non-walk cleaning (cleaning day, routine, etc.) where you don't need auto-dock on return.

Disambiguation

• "vacuum", "roomba", "clean" at Crosstown → this skill
• "crosstown roomba", "boston roomba", "house roomba" → this skill
• "cabin roomba", "floomba", "philly" → roomba skill (Google Assistant)
• If location is ambiguous, ask which location

Skill Boundaries

This skill controls Roombas at Crosstown only (Combo 10 Max + J5 via MQTT through MacBook Pro).

For related tasks, switch to:

• roomba: Roomba control at the Cabin (Floomba + Philly via Google Assistant)
• crosstown-routines: Full Crosstown routines (away, welcome home, goodnight) that include Roomba start/dock alongside lights, thermostats, and audio
• dog-walk: Automated dog walk detection auto-starts/docks Roombas at Crosstown via Fi GPS departure
• presence: Check if anyone is home at Crosstown before starting Roombas
• Vacancy automation (com.openclaw.vacancy-actions LaunchAgent) also starts Roombas when Crosstown becomes confirmed_vacant — this is independent of the dog walk system

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" or SSH timeout

MacBook Pro at Crosstown must be reachable via Tailscale:

ssh dylans-macbook-pro "echo ok"

"Robot did not respond within 20s"

• Robot may be off WiFi or powered down
• Check WiFi: crosstown-roomba wifi <name>
• Ensure robot is on the 192.168.165.x network

Command takes too long

Each command needs ~5-10s for SSH + MQTT handshake. This is normal for the connect-per-request architecture.