[GSoC 2026]Project #4 discussion: dora-studio — GUI for Dataflow Management

[DGHX12345]

Hello dora-rs team,

I am very interested in Project #4: dora-studio — GUI for Dataflow Management for GSoC.

I am currently involved in an open-source robotics project using Dora, where I have worked on data collection and inference-related workflows. From this experience, I feel that Dora’s CLI-based workflow is powerful, but a lightweight GUI could make it much easier to understand existing dataflows, iterate on them, and monitor runtime status in one place.

My current understanding of the project is that the goal is not to replace the CLI, but to build a simple and practical graphical layer on top of it.

My current direction is roughly:

build a small Rust control layer for listing, starting, stopping, and inspecting dataflows

build a web UI for viewing dataflows, running them, and checking live status

support a simple visual editor for basic node/edge editing as part of the MVP

To keep the scope realistic, I think the first version should focus on a complete but small workflow:

inspect a dataflow

visualize its structure

make simple edits

observe live runtime state

A few questions I would like to ask before preparing the proposal:

Does this project direction match your expectations for dora-studio?

For the MVP, which part matters most: run/stop control, visual editing, or live monitoring?

Would you recommend focusing first on existing local dataflow files rather than a broader workspace/project management view?

Is there already a preferred path in the repo for exposing runtime status/events that a GUI should build on?

I have already started reviewing the Dora docs and repository structure to better understand how dataflows are currently defined and executed, and I would be happy to refine the direction based on feedback here.

Thank you,

DGH

[LeonRust]

The core purpose of DoraStudio is to replace the CLI (cli-based) approach for developing DORA nodes and to provide visual debugging. I believe that designing DoraStudio's functionality with this goal in mind is quite appropriate.

[DGHX12345]

Thank you for the clarification — that makes the goal much clearer.

I will align the design of dora-studio with replacing the CLI workflow and emphasizing visual debugging. I will keep the initial version focused on a simple but complete workflow: viewing, editing, running, and monitoring dataflows.

I’ll refine the proposal accordingly and submit a more detailed plan soon. Looking forward to further feedback.