⚡ ArduinoFlash
The all-in-one Arduino development extension for VS Code.
Compile, upload, and monitor your Arduino sketches without ever leaving the editor.
Publisher: NahiidIslam
What is ArduinoFlash?
ArduinoFlash brings a complete Arduino development workflow directly inside VS Code — powered by the official Arduino CLI.
Install the extension and open any .ino file. That's it.
The extension automatically downloads arduino-cli, installs all board cores, and presents you with a dedicated side panel with every control you need: board selector, port selector, compile, upload, and serial monitor — all in one place with zero manual setup.
✨ Features
🔧 Zero-Configuration Setup
- Fully automatic first-run: downloads
arduino-cli and installs all board cores silently in the background
- No terminal commands needed — works on Windows, Linux, and macOS out of the box
- If
arduino-cli is already installed on your system, it uses yours — no duplicate downloads
📋 Smart Side Panel
- Opens automatically beside your sketch every time you open a
.ino file
- Displays the currently selected board and port with live status indicators
- One-click access to Compile, Upload, and Serial Monitor
- Buttons are intelligently disabled until prerequisites (board / port) are met
🎛️ Board & Port Management
- QuickPick dropdown for all supported boards with FQBN details
- Auto-detects all connected serial ports on Windows (
COM), Linux (/dev/tty), and macOS (/dev/cu)
- Selections are persisted across workspace reloads — set once, remembered forever
⚙️ Compile & Upload
- Streams real-time
arduino-cli output to a dedicated ArduinoFlash Output Channel
- Upload pipeline: compiles first, then flashes — stops immediately on compile failure
- Clear, actionable error messages when something goes wrong
📡 Built-in Serial Monitor
- Full-featured Webview Serial Monitor inside VS Code
- Baud rate selector:
9600 · 38400 · 57600 · 115200
- Live output with auto-scroll and a monospace display
- Send data to your board from the input box (press Enter or click Send)
- Clear and Connect / Disconnect toggles
- Serial port is automatically disconnected when the panel is closed
📊 Persistent Status Bar
- Five always-visible buttons in the VS Code status bar (bottom-left)
- Shows the active board name and selected port at a glance
- Updates instantly after every board or port change
🚀 Getting Started
1. Install the extension
Search for ArduinoFlash in the VS Code Extensions Marketplace and click Install.
2. Open a sketch
Open any .ino file. The ArduinoFlash side panel appears automatically beside your code.
3. Wait for first-time setup
A notification appears:
"ArduinoFlash: First-time setup — Downloading arduino-cli…"
This runs once and takes 1–3 minutes depending on your connection.
When you see "Ready! ✔" you're good to go.
4. Select your board
Click Select Board in the side panel or the status bar → choose your target board.
5. Select your port
Connect your board via USB, then click Select Port → choose the correct port.
6. Compile & Upload
- Click ▶ Compile to verify your sketch.
- Click ⬆ Upload to compile and flash in one step.
7. Open the Serial Monitor
Click ⬛ Serial Monitor → select a baud rate → click Connect.
🔌 Supported Boards
| Board |
FQBN |
Core |
| Arduino Uno |
arduino:avr:uno |
arduino:avr |
| ESP32 DevKit V1 |
esp32:esp32:esp32 |
esp32:esp32 |
| ESP8266 NodeMCU |
esp8266:esp8266:nodemcuv2 |
esp8266:esp8266 |
⚙️ Automatic Setup — How It Works
When the extension activates for the first time it performs these steps silently in the background:
| Step |
Action |
| 1 |
Checks whether arduino-cli is already on your system PATH |
| 2 |
If not found — downloads the correct binary for your OS and architecture from the official GitHub releases |
| 3 |
Stores it in VS Code's private extension storage (no admin rights needed) |
| 4 |
Runs arduino-cli core update-index with ESP32 and ESP8266 board manager URLs |
| 5 |
Installs arduino:avr, esp32:esp32, and esp8266:esp8266 cores |
| 6 |
Marks setup as complete — this never runs again unless you request it |
Something went wrong? Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run
ArduinoFlash: Run Setup Again to retry from scratch.
🖥️ Status Bar
⎡ ⬡ Arduino Uno ⎤ ⎡ ⬡ /dev/ttyUSB0 ⎤ ⎡ ▶ Compile ⎤ ⎡ ⬆ Upload ⎤ ⎡ ⬛ Monitor ⎤
All items appear on the left side of the status bar and stay visible at all times.
📟 Serial Monitor
| Feature |
Details |
| Baud rates |
9600, 38400, 57600, 115200 |
| Display |
Monospace font, dark background, auto-scroll |
| Send |
Type in the input box and press Enter or click Send |
| Clear |
Wipes the output area instantly |
| Connect / Disconnect |
Toggle button to open or close the serial port |
| Auto-disconnect |
Port closes automatically when the panel is closed |
📋 Commands
Access all commands from the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P):
| Command |
Description |
ArduinoFlash: Select Board |
Choose target board from a list |
ArduinoFlash: Select Port |
Choose serial port from detected devices |
ArduinoFlash: Compile Sketch |
Compile the active sketch |
ArduinoFlash: Upload Sketch |
Compile and upload to the connected board |
ArduinoFlash: Open Serial Monitor |
Open the built-in Serial Monitor |
ArduinoFlash: Run Setup Again |
Re-run the automatic CLI + cores setup |
📁 Project Structure
arduinoflash/
├── src/
│ ├── extension.ts # Activation & command registration
│ ├── autoSetup.ts # Auto-download arduino-cli + install board cores
│ ├── inoPanel.ts # Side panel webview (board, port, actions)
│ ├── boardManager.ts # Board list & QuickPick
│ ├── portManager.ts # Serial port detection & QuickPick
│ ├── arduinoCLI.ts # arduino-cli compile / upload runner
│ ├── serialMonitor.ts # Serial Monitor webview
│ └── statusBar.ts # Status bar items
├── images/
│ └── logo.png
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
└── README.md
📄 License
MIT © NahiidIslam
