Installation & first launch
Embedded Files
Install the Pathfinder Copilot desktop app, configure your Google Map Tiles API key, and verify the local backend is healthy. Once you've done this once, subsequent launches just open the app — everything else is remembered.
System Requirements
macOS on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, or newer).
~500 MB free disk space for the app bundle.
Network access to the drone (the Jetson must be reachable from your laptop over SSH on port 22).
Internet access during initial setup (for tile downloads from API). The app runs without internet during a mission as long as you've cached the tiles you need.
Install the app
Verify the app launched cleanly
When the app opens, the bottom status bar should show three small dots labelled SSH, UDP, and CoT. All three start grey because nothing's connected yet — that's expected. The brand mark in the top-left corner reads Pathfinder Copilot; clicking it does nothing.
You'll also see two top-bar tabs: 01 Single and 02 Swarm. The default selection is whichever you last used (Single on first launch).
Open the diagnostics drawer
Click the gear icon in the top-right of the title bar. This opens the Diagnostics drawer, which is the operator's primary tool for understanding what the backend is doing.
The drawer shows:
The build version and branch (e.g. v8f6f175 · pfaedge-user) — quote this when reporting bugs.
A live tail of the structured server log, filterable by level and request ID.
Buttons to clear the logs (between repro attempts), download a debug bundle (a zip with all logs and a runtime snapshot, for handing to support), and open the raw log in a new tab.
Get a Google Maps API Key
Pathfinder Copilot uses Google's 2D Map Tiles API for satellite imagery. The key is also used by the on-drone reference (.pt) builder, so you need it whether or not you're working offline.
(Optional) Pre-cache tiles for your operating area
If you'll be flying somewhere without reliable internet, draw a region and pre-download the tiles before you head into the field. See Offline tile cache for the full procedure.
You're ready
With the app installed, the diagnostics drawer reachable, and an API key configured, the next step is connecting to a drone. The drone itself doesn't need any per-laptop setup — it just needs to be reachable on the network.
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