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Mission Control runs fully without a backend. USB, Bluetooth and LAN connections, every configuration panel, mission planning and LAN video work offline. Signing in to a Convex backend adds the features below. The hosted version at command.altnautica.com has a backend; a build from source needs NEXT_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL (see Install Mission Control).

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What signing in adds

Until you sign in, the top bar shows Local only and a banner notes that your data is saved in this browser only.

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Sign in and roles

Mission Control uses Convex Auth with email and password. Click Local only in the top bar to open the sign-in dialog. In a build with no backend the dialog reads Cloud Not Available; choose Continue in local mode. Each account has a profile with one of these roles: No one becomes admin automatically. On a backend you run, set one of these before the first sign-in:
When the first profile is created and its email is on that list, it becomes admin. If the list is empty, ADOS_ALLOW_FIRST_USER_ADMIN=1 makes the first profile admin instead. After that, admins change roles for everyone else.

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Cloud relay

The cloud relay reaches a drone that is not on your network, for example one on a cellular uplink. It is the secondary path: on the same network, pair the agent by hostname or IP and Mission Control talks to it directly with no account (see Connect to a drone). The relay has three layers:
  • Convex: the agent posts status to the backend and polls a command queue. Mission Control subscribes to reactive queries. This needs nothing beyond the backend.
  • MQTT: live telemetry and status over an MQTT broker with WebSocket transport.
  • WebRTC: video peer to peer, with the offer and answer relayed through MQTT (the P2P MQTT transport on Video feed).
Mission Control switches to cloud mode when it is served over HTTPS. Topic names and the message layout are on Cloud infrastructure. The agent side is on Cloud relay. The self-hosted stack also includes a video relay that converts RTSP to WebSocket fMP4. Mission Control’s transport switcher does not use it.

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Flight log sync

When signed in, flight records from the Logs tab sync to your account, so they appear on every device. See Flight logs.

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MCP remote reach

Signed in, you can mint MCP credentials on the MCP tab. A credential lets an AI client reach your fleet through the cloud relay when you are off the drone’s network, with scopes and an audit trail.

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Community

Community in the top bar opens /community: the Changelog of releases, with reactions, and a Contact form. The changelog also drives the “What’s New” notification; turn it off under Settings → Notifications.

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Backend data

The convex/ directory in the Mission Control repository is the complete backend: custom tables plus the auth tables. Key tables:

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Offline behaviour

  • Local connections keep working when the network drops.
  • Settings stay in the browser’s storage.
  • Previously loaded fleet data stays visible and is marked stale.
  • Mission Control retries the backend in the background.
For field work without internet, use USB or LAN connections. The cloud adds remote reach and sync; it is never required to fly.

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Run your own backend

Self-hosting Convex, the MQTT broker and the video relay is covered in Self-hosting, starting with the one-command Deploy tool.

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Next steps

Self-hosting

Run the backend, broker and relay yourself.

MCP tab

Connect an AI client to your fleet.

Cloud infrastructure

Topics, message flow and the relay design.
Last modified on October 11, 2026