STM32 One-Click Program

Program STM32 MCUs directly from VS Code using STM32CubeProgrammer CLI.

This extension provides one-click programming, interactive firmware file selection, optional CMake build integration, and a configurable reset-after-program behavior.

Features

• Firmware file picker — when multiple .elf/.hex/.bin files exist, choose which one to flash.
• One-click programming — flash firmware to STM32 from VS Code.
• Build & Program — CMake configure + build + flash in one step.
• Toggle reset-after-program — quickly switch reset behavior.
• Status bar button — fast access from the editor.
• Configurable search — limit firmware scanning to specific directories and file extensions.

Requirements

• STM32CubeProgrammer installed.
• CMake Tools extension (ms-vscode.cmake-tools) for Build & Program.
• A workspace that contains generated .elf or .hex outputs.

Commands

Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:

Configuration

Settings namespace: STM32-Program-1-Click

Typical Workflow

Program only

1. Build your project using your existing flow.
2. Run STM32-Program-1-Click: Program (No Build) or press Ctrl+Alt+F.
3. If multiple firmware files are found, pick one from the list.

Build and program

1. Ensure CMake project is available (CMakeLists.txt exists).
2. Run STM32-Program-1-Click: Build & Program or press Ctrl+Alt+B.
3. Extension runs:
   • cmake.configure
   • cmake.build
   • Auto-detects firmware → STM32CubeProgrammer CLI flash

Firmware search behavior

The extension searches for firmware files in this order:

1. User-configured paths (elfSearchPaths setting) — fastest.
2. Common build directories — build/, out/, Debug/, Release/, bin/.
3. Full workspace scan — last resort, limited to 200 results.

Results are cached and kept up-to-date by a file watcher. Duplicates (same base name, different format) are deduplicated — the highest-priority format (by firmwareExtensions order) wins.

Troubleshooting

STM32CubeProgrammer not found

• Run STM32-Program-1-Click: Select CubeProgrammer Path.
• Or install STM32CubeProgrammer from ST website.

Build & Program fails before programming

• Confirm CMake Tools is installed and enabled.
• Confirm CMakeLists.txt exists in workspace.
• Try running CMake: Configure and CMake: Build manually once.

No firmware files found

• Build the project first.
• Check firmwareExtensions setting matches your output format.
• Add your build output directory to elfSearchPaths for faster detection.

Program command returns success but progress characters look strange

• This is usually a terminal encoding/font display issue.
• If verification passes, programming is still valid.

Repository

• Home: https://github.com/COITSILLE/stm32-program-extension
• Issues: https://github.com/COITSILLE/stm32-program-extension/issues