Installation - Linux
This guide provides instructions on installing the Cozmo SDK for computers running with an Ubuntu Linux operating system.
Warning
The Cozmo SDK is tested and and supported on Ubuntu 14.04 and 16.04. Anki makes no guarantee the Cozmo SDK will work on other versions of Linux. If you wish to try the Cozmo SDK on versions of Linux other than Ubuntu 14.04 or 16.04, please ensure the following dependencies are installed:
Python 3.5.1 or later
pip for Python 3 (Python package installer)
Android command-line tools (https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html#Other)
usbmuxd for iOS / Android Debug Bridge for Android
Ubuntu 14.04
Python Installation
Type the following into your Terminal window to install Python 3.5:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deadsnakes sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install python3.5 python3.5-tk
Then, install and set up virtualenv:
sudo apt-get install python-pip pip install virtualenv virtualenv -p python3.5 ~/cozmo-env
Last, make sure to activate the virtualenv any time you use cozmo:
source ~/cozmo-env/bin/activate
Note
You’ll need to activate the virtualenv before running any python or pip commands. Learn more about virtualenv here.
SDK Installation
Important: In 2025 and later, the Cozmo SDK requires a local dependency named ``cozmoclad`` that is no longer available from PyPI.
You must install it manually before continuing:
curl -o cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DDLbots/cozmo-python-sdk/refs/heads/master/cozmoclad/cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
pip install --user ./cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
Then install the SDK itself:
pip install --user 'cozmo[camera]'
Note that the [camera] option adds support for processing images from Cozmo’s camera.
SDK Upgrade
To upgrade the SDK from a previous install, follow these steps:
Uninstall the old version of cozmoclad:
pip uninstall cozmoclad
Download and reinstall the latest version:
curl -o cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DDLbots/cozmo-python-sdk/refs/heads/master/cozmoclad/cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl pip install --user ./cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
Upgrade the SDK:
pip install --user --upgrade cozmo
Ubuntu 16.04
Python Installation
Type the following into your Terminal window to install Python:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install python3
Then install pip by typing in the following into the Terminal window:
sudo apt install python3-pip
Last, install Tkinter:
sudo apt-get install python3-pil.imagetk
SDK Installation
Important: In 2025 and later, the Cozmo SDK requires a local dependency named ``cozmoclad`` that is no longer available from PyPI.
You must install it manually before continuing:
curl -o cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DDLbots/cozmo-python-sdk/refs/heads/master/cozmoclad/cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
pip3 install --user ./cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
Then install the SDK itself:
pip3 install --user 'cozmo[camera]'
Note that the [camera] option adds support for processing images from Cozmo’s camera.
SDK Upgrade
To upgrade the SDK from a previous install, follow these steps:
Uninstall the old version of cozmoclad:
pip3 uninstall cozmoclad
Download and reinstall the latest version:
curl -o cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DDLbots/cozmo-python-sdk/refs/heads/master/cozmoclad/cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl pip3 install --user ./cozmoclad-3.6.6-py3-none-any.whl
Upgrade the SDK:
pip3 install --user --upgrade cozmo
Mobile Device Setup
iOS devices require usbmuxd in order to run the Cozmo SDK. Usbmuxd is required for the computer to communicate with the iOS device over a USB cable.
Android devices require installation of Android Debug Bridge (adb) in order to run the Cozmo SDK. This is required for the computer to communicate with the Android mobile device over a USB cable and runs automatically when required.