xous-core/tools-bao

Baochip Tools CLI

Baochip Tools CLI is a unified command-line tool for managing, building, flashing, and debugging Baochip-based embedded systems. It provides a suite of utilities to streamline development, deployment, and diagnostics for both firmware and hardware.

This tool is designed to be use by used by the VS Code extension at https://github.com/baochip/bao-vscode-ext but can also be used alone.

Features

• Serial Port Management: List and monitor available serial ports.
• Flashing: Copy UF2 firmware images to a mounted boot drive.
• Artifact Listing: List available UF2 images for flashing.
• Environment Diagnostics: Check Python and serial environment health.

Installation

This CLI is designed to be run from the tools-bao directory:

python tools-bao/bao.py <command> [options]

Requirements

Python 3.7+

Before using, please install the requirements:

python -m pip install --force-reinstall -r tools-bao/requirements.txt

Commands Overview

ports

List all available serial ports on your system.

Usage:

python tools-bao/bao.py ports

monitor

Open a serial monitor to interact with a device.

Options:

• -p, --port (required): Serial port (e.g., COM5, /dev/ttyUSB0)
• -b, --baud: Baud rate (default: 1000000)
• --raw: Send keystrokes immediately (raw mode)
• --crlf: Use CRLF as TX line ending (default LF)
• --no-echo: Do not locally echo typed input
• --save <file>: Append output to a file

Defaults (PuTTY-style):

• --raw enabled
• --no-echo enabled
• --crlf enabled

Usage:

# Typical usage
python tools-bao/bao.py monitor -p COM8

# Line mode with local echo
python tools-bao/bao.py monitor -p /dev/ttyUSB0 --no-raw --echo

# Save session output to a file
python tools-bao/bao.py monitor -p COM8 --save log.txt

flash

Copy one or more UF2 files to a mounted boot drive.

Options:

• --dest (required): Mount path of the UF2 boot drive (e.g., D:\)
• files: One or more UF2 files to copy

Usage:

python tools-bao/bao.py flash --dest D:\ loader.uf2 xous.uf2

artifacts

List available UF2 images for flashing. Can output as JSON for scripting.

Options:

• --json: Output in JSON format

Usage:

python tools-bao/bao.py artifacts --json

doctor

Check your Python environment and serial port setup for common issues.

Usage:

python tools-bao/bao.py doctor

Global Options

• --version: Show CLI version and exit.
• -v, --verbose: Enable verbose output (debug logging and tracebacks).