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open-source microcontroller IDE

Moussa1492 
Hi everyone,

I’m building an open-source desktop IDE for microcontroller learning and prototyping, mainly focused on Arduino and STM32.

The goal is not to replace professional tools like STM32CubeIDE, PlatformIO, Keil or IAR, but to provide a simpler learning-oriented workflow for students, technicians and training centers.

Current / planned features:
- Arduino and STM32 project creation
- Build / upload workflow
- Serial monitor and serial plotter
- STM32 debug with GDB/OpenOCD
- Register / memory / stack views
- Basic SVD peripheral view
- Static analysis with cppcheck / MISRA-light
- Coverage reports
- Crash / HardFault reporting
- Power profiling demo via UART/SWO-style events
- QEMU/Renode simulation experiments

I’m looking for honest feedback:
1. Would such a tool be useful for education or training?
2. Which feature would be most valuable?
3. What would make you trust or not trust this kind of tool?
4. Would it be better as a VS Code extension, standalone IDE, or educational toolkit?
5. What pain points do you have with current embedded IDEs?

I’m not trying to promote a paid product here. I’m trying to validate whether this project should continue as an open-source educational tool or pivot toward a smaller specialized utility.

Thanks for any critical feedback.
Parents

  • You have listed some interesting features, but before diving into these, ask the simple question: "what problem am I trying to solve".

    So, if you are educational focused, what are the pain points. Explore these first before coming up with a list of features.

    It's already a crowded market, so determine the gaps between what is currently on offer and what is lacking. All products have strengths and weaknesses.

Reply

  • You have listed some interesting features, but before diving into these, ask the simple question: "what problem am I trying to solve".

    So, if you are educational focused, what are the pain points. Explore these first before coming up with a list of features.

    It's already a crowded market, so determine the gaps between what is currently on offer and what is lacking. All products have strengths and weaknesses.

Children
  • in reply to BigG

    I’m developing an open-source educational tool that helps learners understand and debug firmware, with a focus on STM32 but also covering AVR, ESP32, and other families.

    It uses AI to:
    - Explain build errors and runtime crashes in simple terms
    - Suggest code fixes and generate peripheral setup code
    - Guide debugging with register, memory, and SVD peripheral views

    Underneath, it relies on GCC, GDB, and OpenOCD — the same toolchain STM32CubeIDE uses, so the skills transfer directly.

    This is not a replacement for STM32CubeIDE. It’s a companion for students and trainees who need an intelligent, cross-platform learning environment.

    I’m looking for feedback from the STM32 community:
    - Would AI-guided debugging and error explanation help new STM32 users?
    - Is there value in a multi-MCU learning tool, or would a dedicated STM32-only tool be better?
    - What common CubeIDE stumbling blocks could AI help with?
    - How should an AI assistant handle safety-critical firmware advice?

    Not affiliated with ST. All honest thoughts welcome.

  • in reply to BigG

    You’re right. I was thinking too much in terms of features.

    The problem I’m trying to validate is whether learners get stuck when moving from Arduino to STM32 or more realistic embedded workflows: toolchains, OpenOCD/GDB, linker scripts, registers, faults, and build errors.

    Before adding features, I need to identify the real gaps in existing tools and understand what students, teachers, or technicians actually struggle with.

    Maybe the answer is not a full IDE, but a smaller learning/debugging assistant.