Arduino CLI for VSCode

A lightweight VSCode extension for Arduino development based on Arduino CLI, providing a complete Arduino development experience.

📖 中文文档

✨ Features

Project-Based Development

All library dependencies and build output files are stored within the project directory, not scattered across arduino15 or other user directories.

🔧 Core Features

• Build & Upload - One-click compile and upload Arduino projects
• Board Management - Support for Arduino, ESP32, ESP8266, STM32, and more
• Library Management - Search, install, and uninstall Arduino libraries
• IntelliSense - Auto-generate C++ IntelliSense configuration

📦 Sidebar Panels

• Boards & Ports - View connected devices and available ports
• Board Manager - Manage board platforms
• Library Manager - Manage installed libraries

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Mac users: Use Cmd instead of Ctrl

📥 Installation

Prerequisites

1. Install Arduino CLI

   Download and install from Arduino CLI official website.

   Windows (using winget):

   winget install ArduinoSA.ArduinoCLI
   

   macOS (using Homebrew):

   brew install arduino-cli
   

   Linux:

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arduino/arduino-cli/master/install.sh | sh
   

2. Initialize Arduino CLI

   arduino-cli config init
   arduino-cli core update-index
   

🚀 Quick Start

1. Initialize Project

1. Open a folder as workspace
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open command palette
3. Run Arduino: Initialize Project
4. Enter project name, .ino file will be created automatically

2. Select Board and Port

1. Click the Arduino icon in the sidebar
2. Select board and port in the Boards & Ports panel
3. Or use commands Arduino: Select Board and Arduino: Select Port

3. Build and Upload

• Click the ▶️ button in the top-right corner of the editor, or
• Use shortcuts Ctrl+Alt+B to build, Ctrl+Alt+U to upload

4. Serial Monitor

• Use Ctrl+Alt+M to open serial monitor (WebView mode by default)
• Supports baud rate switching, line ending settings, timestamp display
• Two modes available: WebView (GUI) and Terminal

⚙️ Configuration

Search arduino in VS Code settings to view all configuration options.

Basic Configuration

Build Configuration

Serial Configuration

Third-Party Boards

Add third-party board index URLs in arduino.boardManager.additionalUrls:

{
  "arduino.boardManager.additionalUrls": [
    "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json",
    "https://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json"
  ]
}

Common URLs:

• ESP32: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
• ESP8266: https://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
• STM32: https://github.com/stm32duino/BoardManagerFiles/raw/main/package_stmicroelectronics_index.json

📋 Command List

Press Ctrl+Shift+P to open command palette, type Arduino to see all commands:

Project Management

Build & Upload

Board Management

Library Management

Serial Monitor

CLI Configuration

📁 Project Structure

When using this extension, your project will have the following structure:

my-project/
├── my-project.ino          # Arduino main program
├── .arduino/
│   ├── config.json         # Project configuration (board, port, etc.)
│   └── build/              # Build output directory
└── .vscode/
    └── c_cpp_properties.json  # IntelliSense configuration (auto-generated)

Project Configuration File

.arduino/config.json stores board and port configuration:

{
  "board": "esp32:esp32:esp32",
  "port": "COM3",
  "boardOptions": {
    "FlashFreq": "80",
    "UploadSpeed": "921600"
  }
}

🔧 Troubleshooting

CLI Not Found

Arduino CLI not configured or path invalid

Solution:

1. Run Arduino: Auto Detect CLI for auto-detection
2. Or run Arduino: Configure CLI Path to configure manually

Board Not Recognized

Solution:

1. Run Arduino: Update Board Index to update index
2. Ensure third-party board URLs are added
3. Run Arduino: Install Board Platform to install the platform

Build Failed

Solution:

1. Check if the correct board is selected
2. Run Arduino: Install Missing Libraries to install missing libraries
3. Check output panel for detailed error messages

Upload Failed

Solution:

1. Ensure correct port is selected
2. Close other programs using the serial port (including serial monitor)
3. Check USB connection and drivers

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details