Pluto-IDE is a Visual Studio Code extension built for seamless firmware development and deployment on the Pluto Drone by Drona Aviation. It provides an all-in-one environment for building, flashing (USB/Wi-Fi), monitoring, and configuring STM32-based projects — with automated toolchain setup and C/C++ IntelliSense integration.
⚠️ Platform Support: Currently supported on Windows only. macOS and Linux support coming soon.
✨ Key Features
🆕 New in v2.1.1
🎛️ Interactive Dashboard: Modern webview-based dashboard for project management and board information
🚀 Create New Project Wizard: Guided project setup with board selection and source/library type options
🗑️ Delete Project Functionality: Remove existing projects directly from the dashboard
📋 Boards Section: Visual pinout diagrams and detailed board information for supported hardware
🔄 Enhanced Project Management: Streamlined workflow for creating, opening, and managing Pluto projects
Core Features
⚙️ Easy Access Buttons: Quick buttons at the bottom of VS Code for all common tasks
🎯 Board Selection: Choose your Pluto board type with a simple menu
🛠 Automatic Setup: Downloads and installs all required tools automatically
📥 One-Click Driver Install: Install USB drivers needed for flashing firmware
📡 Wireless Programming: Upload firmware to your Pluto drone over WiFi
📊 Progress Updates: See real-time progress when downloading tools or uploading firmware
🔧 Build & Clean: Compile your code and clean up build files with one click
🔌 Auto Device Detection: Automatically finds your Pluto when connected via USB
🔍 Smart File Finding: Automatically locates the correct firmware file to upload
🚀 Installation
Launch Visual Studio Code
Open the Extensions View (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for Pluto-IDE
Click Install
On first run, Pluto IDE will check for required dependencies:
C/C++ by Microsoft (ms-vscode.cpptools)
Teleplot by Alex Nesnes (alexnesnes.teleplot)
If these extensions are not already installed, VS Code will prompt you to install them. Pluto IDE will not function correctly without these dependencies.
⚙️ Usage Guide
Access all features through:
Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)
Status Bar Buttons at the bottom of VS Code
Commands Overview:
🏠 Open Dashboard – PlutoIDE > Open Dashboard or click on the Dashboard icon
🆕 Create New Project – Available through the dashboard interface
🧱 Build Project – PlutoIDE > Build or click on the Build icon
🧹 Clean Project – PlutoIDE > Clean or click on the Clean icon
🔌 USB Flash – PlutoIDE > USB Flash or click on the USB Flash icon
📶 WiFi Flash – PlutoIDE > WiFi Flash or click on the WiFi Flash icon
📥 Install Bootloader Driver – PlutoIDE > STM32 Install Bootloader or click on the Install STM32 Bootloader icon
🎯 Select Target – PlutoIDE > Select Target or click on the Select Target icon
📟 Monitor Pluto – PlutoIDE > Monitor or click on the Monitor icon
