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Note: The extension is currently under development.

This is the official Visual Studio Code extension for Raspberry Pi Pico development. This extension equips you with a suite of tools designed to streamline your Pico projects using Visual Studio Code and the officialPico SDK.

For comprehensive setup instructions, refer to theGetting Started guide PDF.

If you have any issues while installing, please check out theTroubleshooting section.

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• Project Generator: Easily create and configure new projects with support for advanced Pico features like I2C and PIO. The generator targets the Ninja build system and allows customization during project creation.
• Quick Project Setup: Initiate new Pico projects directly from the Explorer view, when no workspace is open.
• MicroPython Support: Create and develop MicroPython-based Pico projects with support provided through theMicroPico extension.

• Automatic CMake Configuration: Automatically configures CMake when loading a project.
• Version Switching: Seamlessly switch between different versions of the Pico SDK and tools.
• No Manual Setup Required: Automatically handles environment variables, toolchain, SDK, and tool management.
• Includes an Uninstaller: Easily remove the extension along with all automatically installed tools and SDKs.

• One-Click Compilation and Debugging: Automatically configure OpenOCD, Ninja, and CMake, allowing you to compile and debug with a single click.

• Offline Documentation: Conveniently access Pico SDK documentation directly within the editor, even when offline.

• Version Switching: Seamlessly switch between different versions of the Pico SDK and tools.

• No Manual Setup Required: The extension handles environment variables, toolchain, SDK, and tool management for you.

• One-Click Compilation: Compile projects directly from the status bar with your selected SDK and tools.

• Offline Documentation: Access Pico SDK documentation offline.

• Quick Project Setup: Quickly create new Pico projects from the Explorer view when no workspace is open.

• MicroPython Support: Create MicroPython-based Pico projects with support provided through the MicroPico extension.

Supported Platforms: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit), Windows 10/11 (x86_64), macOS Sonoma (14.0) and newer, Linux x64 and arm64

• Visual Studio Code v1.92.1 or later

No additional requirements are needed.

To meet the requirements for macOS, run the following command in Terminal to install necessary tools:

xcode-select --install

This command installs all of the necessary tools, including but not limited to:

• Git 2.28 or later (ensure it's in your PATH)
• Tar (ensure it's in your PATH)

• Python 3.9 or later (ensure it’s in your PATH or set in settings)
• Git 2.28 or later (ensure it’s in your PATH)
• Tar (ensure it’s in your PATH)
• [Optional] gdb-multiarch for debugging (x86_64 only)
• [Optional] udev rules installed to useOpenOCD andpicotool withoutsudo, for debugging and loading
• For[Ubuntu 22.04], installlibftdi1-2 andlibhidapi-hidraw0 packages to use OpenOCD

This extension provides the following settings:

• raspberry-pi-pico.cmakePath: Specify a custom path for CMake.
• raspberry-pi-pico.python3Path: Specify a custom path for Python 3(machine scoped).
• raspberry-pi-pico.ninjaPath: Specify a custom path for Ninja.
• raspberry-pi-pico.gitPath: Specify a custom path for Git.
• raspberry-pi-pico.cmakeAutoConfigure: Enable/Disable automatic CMake configuration when project is opened
• raspberry-pi-pico.useCmakeTools: Enable/Disable the CMake Tools Extension Integration (see below)
• raspberry-pi-pico.githubToken: Provide a GitHub personal access token (classic) with thepublic_repo scope. This token is used to check for available versions of the Pico SDK and other tools. Without it, the extension uses the unauthenticated GitHub API, which has a lower rate limit and may lead to restricted functionality if the limit is exceeded. The unauthenticated rate limit is per public IP address, so a token is more necessary if your IP is shared with many users.

For more complex projects, such as those with multiple executables or when the project name is defined as a variable, this extension can integrate with the CMake Tools extension to enhance CMake parsing. You can enable the CMake Tools Extension integration during project generation, using the checkbox at the bottom of the page. To enable it for an existing project, just re-import the project with the option selected. Alternatively, to manually enable it, adjust the following settings in yoursettings.json:

• raspberry-pi-pico.cmakeAutoConfigure: Set fromtrue tofalse.
• raspberry-pi-pico.useCmakeTools: Set fromfalse totrue.

For optimal functionality, consider enabling:

• cmake.configureOnEdit: true
• cmake.automaticReconfigure: true
• cmake.configureOnOpen: true

When prompted, select thePico kit in CMake Tools, and set your build and launch targets accordingly. Use CMake Tools for compilation, but continue using this extension for debugging, as CMake Tools debugging is not compatible with Pico.

If you work with multiple microcontroller toolchains, consider installing this extension into aVS Code Profile to avoid conflicts with other toolchains. Follow these steps:

1. Download the sample profile fromhere.
2. Open Command Palette withCtrl+Shift+P (orCmd+Shift+P on macOS) and selectProfiles: Import Profile.
3. Import the downloaded file to install the extension in a dedicated Pico profile.
4. This setup helps isolate the Pico extension from other extensions, reducing the risk of conflicts.

If you're having issues with installation, this is usually due to a download failure. To retry downloading everything, you can:

• Clear all setting for the extension (Ctrl+Shift+P ->Preferences: Open Settings (UI) -> Search forraspberry-pi-pico and reset everything to default)
• Uninstall the SDK (Ctrl+Shift+P ->Raspberry Pi Pico: Uninstall Pico SDK)
• Uninstall the extension, close & reopen VS Code, then reinstall the extension

Also make sure you've deleted any previous SDK installations (eg Pico setup for Windows, or a manual installation you've done), as those can conflict with this extension.

If you're still unable to get it working, thenfile a bug report andfill out all the fields so we can figure out the problem.

• Custom Paths: Custom paths for Ninja, Python3, and Git are not stored inCMakeLists.txt like SDK and Toolchain paths. You need to build and configure projects through the extension to use these custom paths.

If you encounter issues retrieving available Pico SDK versions, it may be due to GitHub API rate limits. To resolve this, create a personal access token (classic PAT) with thepublic_repo scope and set it in the global (User) extension settings to increase your rate limit.

For advanced users who want to build the extension.vsix file, follow these steps:

1. Install nodejs (Instructions Windows)
2. Update npm:npm install -g npm
3. Install VSCE globally:npm install -g @vscode/vsce
4. Runnpm ci in the project directory to install dependencies.
5. Build the extension with:vsce package

This will generate a.vsix file, which you can install in VS Code usingcode --install-extension path-to.vsix or via the GUI:Extensions > three dots > Install from VSIX.