Valetudo: a cloud replacement for vacuum robots that keeps the vendor firmware

What Valetudo replaces, and who it is actually for

Valetudo is a cloud replacement for vacuum robots, built for local-only operation. It does not replace the robot's firmware. The README calls it a brain parasite for the vendor firmware, and that metaphor is the whole design: the vendor's own code keeps running the motors and the navigation, while Valetudo takes over the role the vendor cloud used to play. You keep the R&D the vendor put into the firmware and drop the account, the app, the ads and the subscriptions.

The intended user is a robot owner who is willing to root the device and wants it off the internet. Valetudo provides a responsive web interface that works on phones, tablets and desktop, and it exposes a REST interface with an inbuilt Swagger UI for documentation. It also integrates with Home Assistant and other smarthome systems through MQTT.

The author is direct about scope. Valetudo aims to be a generic abstraction, and the README states it will not be a feature-complete reimplementation of the vendor apps, because that would mean inheriting their technical debt. If you expect every vendor feature to be present, this is not the project for that.

The brain parasite model: how Valetudo sits on top of vendor firmware

The core operation principle is documented as a diagram rather than a long text description: Valetudo runs alongside the stock firmware on the robot and answers the requests that would otherwise go to the vendor's servers. Because it is not a custom firmware, the vendor's navigation and cleaning logic is untouched. What changes is where commands come from and where data goes.

On the software side, the repository is a Node.js workspace project. The package.json declares workspaces for backend, frontend and docs, and requires Node.js 20 or newer. The build script runs the frontend build and then the backend build. That layout matters if you intend to build from source rather than use a release: you are building a web application and a backend service, not flashing a firmware image.

For integration, the REST interface and MQTT are the two supported paths. The README points to the docs site for the full picture, and the repository includes utility scripts for generating robot documentation and MQTT documentation, which suggests the API surface is generated from the code rather than maintained by hand.

Installing Valetudo and getting to a first local control session

Valetudo does not have a single cross-platform install command, because installation depends on the robot model. The README directs readers to the newcomer guide and the getting started guide on valetudo.cloud, and to the supported robots list. Start there and identify your exact model before touching anything.

If you are building from source, the repository is a Node.js workspace. The package.json requires Node.js 20 or newer, and dependencies are installed at the repository root:

npm install

The postinstall step runs patch-package, so expect patches in the patches/ directory to be applied during install. After that, the documented build script compiles the frontend first and the backend second:

npm run build

If you only want to check that your checkout is consistent before building, the repository provides separate lint and type-check scripts for both workspaces:

npm run lint_all
npm run ts-check_all

Once Valetudo is running on the robot, the web interface is the first thing to open. The README describes it as responsive and usable from a phone, tablet or desktop. From there, the REST interface with its inbuilt Swagger UI is how you inspect or drive the API directly, and MQTT is how you connect Home Assistant or another smarthome system. The README does not document a rollback procedure for the rooting step, so treat the model-specific guides as the authority on that.

Where Valetudo stops: supported robots, missing features and the governance model

The first hard limit is hardware. Valetudo only works on supported robots, and the README links to a supported robots page rather than claiming broad compatibility. If your model is not listed, nothing else in this article applies to you.

The second limit is feature coverage. The README is explicit that Valetudo will not be a feature-complete reimplementation of the vendor apps. That is a deliberate trade-off, not a backlog item. Some vendor-specific behaviour will simply not exist.

The third limit is governance, and it is the one most likely to surprise people who arrive expecting a typical open source community. Valetudo is published under Apache-2.0, but the README describes its development model as Freeware with source available. The author states there is no intent to commercialize, grow or expand the target audience, and compares the project to a privately-owned public garden: you can visit, take inspiration and make suggestions, but you have no power over it and no standing to demand change. Interaction happens in a Telegram announcement channel and a Telegram group, and the README warns that other channels such as IRC, Matrix or Reddit are unofficial and may contain outdated information.

Valetudo compared with Roborock Local Server

The README itself names an alternative: Roborock Local Server by Luke Lashley, described as something less opinionated that also achieves a cloud-free modern vacuum robot connected to Home Assistant. The difference in approach is the level of abstraction. Valetudo installs on the robot and acts as a generic layer over the vendor firmware, with its own web interface and its own opinion about what a cloud-free vacuum should look like. Roborock Local Server is positioned around the local server role for Roborock hardware rather than as a general abstraction across vendors.

That distinction decides the choice more than any feature list. If you want a single interface that behaves the same way across several supported robot families, Valetudo's abstraction is the point. If you want the minimum intervention needed to get a Roborock talking to Home Assistant without the cloud, the README points you at the other project. Note that Valetudo's own documentation does not attempt a detailed comparison, so the README's one-line description is the only characterisation available here.

Maintenance, releases and what the Apache-2.0 licence does and does not give you

The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-09-18. Releases follow a date-based scheme: 2026.08.0 was published on 2026-08-03, 2026.07.0 on 2026-07-23, and 2026.05.0 on 2026-05-22. The version field in package.json matches the 2026.08.0 release, so the release tag and the package version move together.

The upgrade path is not a simple package update, because Valetudo runs on the robot. The repository contains utility scripts for building a release manifest and generating changelogs, which indicates the project treats releases as build artifacts with metadata rather than as a rolling branch. The README does not describe an in-place upgrade procedure for an already-rooted robot, so the docs site is where that has to be confirmed for your model.

The licence is Apache-2.0, which is a permissive licence with an explicit patent grant. The README adds a caveat that is not a legal term but does affect expectations: despite the licence, the author describes the governance and development model as Freeware with source available, and states plainly that it is not the community-driven FOSS some readers expect. In practice that means you can use, modify and redistribute the code under the licence terms, but you should not expect the project to accept direction from users. Nothing here is legal advice; read the LICENSE file for the actual terms.

Editorial conclusion

Valetudo suits owners of a supported robot who want local control and are willing to follow the rooting and installation documentation for their exact model. It is the wrong choice if your robot is not on the supported list, if you need a feature-complete copy of the vendor app, or if you want a project where you can demand changes. Before installing, check the supported robots page for your model, read the newcomer and getting started guides, and confirm your robot can be rooted. Also read the garden section of the README first, because it defines the terms on which contributions and requests are received.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Hypfer/Valetudo on GitHub
2. License: Apache-2.0
3. Project website
4. README
5. Releases