The invention discloses an autonomous-crawling drilling-riveting system and an operation method thereof. The autonomous-crawling drilling-riveting system comprises a robot adsorption walking device, a robot benchmark detection device, a robot normal direction detection and correction device, an integrated control device and a drilling-riveting device. The adsorption walking device comprises an inner frame, inner legs, an outer frame, outer legs, an X-direction motor and Z-direction motors. The benchmark detection device comprises a plurality of benchmark holes and a main frame body arranged in the middle of the inner frame, wherein the multiple benchmark holes are formed in a workpeice and are not connected into a straight line, and the lower surface of the main frame body is fixedly provided with a rotary camera. The integrated control device comprises a controller, the controller is connected with the X-direction motor, the Z-direction motors and vacuum generators and controls the X-direction motor, the Z-direction motors and the vacuum generators to operate, and the controller is connected with the camera and laser displacement sensors. A robot has the advantages of being high in application flexibility, low in structural weight, sable in assembling quality and the like and meets the requirements of advanced assembling technologies of current airplanes.