MCUHex for VS Code — flash & read live STM32 variables

Stop firing up STM32CubeIDE just to peek at one variable. MCUHex flashes your firmware and reads live MCU variables over SWD — in hex or decimal, with waveform capture. This extension is your on-ramp: open the dashboard for your own firmware, or try the interactive demo inside VS Code. No heavy IDE, no multi-gigabyte toolchain. Built for ARM Cortex-M / STM32.

🚀 Use your own firmware in the MCUHex dashboard — create a project, upload your .elf, and monitor live variables.

▶️ Watch the 60-second walkthrough — or open the MCUHex panel in the sidebar and try the demo, embedded right in VS Code.

Why MCUHex

• ⚡ Read live values, no printf — click any global to read it in hex or decimal while your firmware runs, or capture it to a waveform chart.
• 🪶 No heavy IDE — a tiny extension plus a small local bridge. No CubeIDE, no Keil, no toolchain install.
• 🔌 Your probe just works — ST-Link, J-Link or DAPLink over SWD.
• 🔒 Private by default — the extension collects zero telemetry, and you can try it with no account.

How it works

1. Install the extension — it opens the MCUHex panel with two clear paths: use your own firmware on the web, or try the local demo.
2. Try the demo in VS Code — explore MCUHex's live variable monitor with no hardware required. The local SDK is downloaded and started only when you choose the demo.
3. Open the dashboard for your own board — create/select a project, upload your .elf, plug in an SWD probe (ST-Link / J-Link / DAPLink), flash your firmware, and read your variables. The web app talks to the same local SDK.

The SDK ships for macOS (Apple Silicon) and Windows (x64). Open VSX/Linux or remote-editor users can still open the web dashboard, but the local SDK demo does not run on Linux hosts yet.

Try it before you wire anything up

Open the MCUHex panel in the sidebar for an interactive demo — no board required. When you're ready for your own firmware, you're one click from the full web app.

Unlock the full board on the web

The sidebar is your on-ramp; the heavy lifting lives in the web app. Point MCUHex at your firmware and sign in to unlock:

• 📄 Your .elf, parsed — every global resolved to a name, no manual addresses
• 🔎 Symbol search across your whole firmware
• 🌳 Array & matrix / struct drill-down
• 📈 Waveform capture & charts
• 💾 Saved projects with history

→ Start with your own firmware on the web

Commands

• MCUHex: Open — reveal the MCUHex panel
• MCUHex: Start / Retry SDK — (re)download and launch the local SDK
• MCUHex: Open MCUHex Dashboard (Web) — open the dashboard onboarding flow

Privacy

This extension collects no telemetry. The link to the web app carries passive utm_source / utm_medium marketing tags only — no personal data, no tracking from the extension itself.