ComChan (Communication Channel)

A Blazingly Fast Serial Monitor for Embedded Systems and Serial Communication

Installation

Choose your preferred installation method:

From crates.io

[!NOTE] The easiest way to install ComChan is via cargo install

# Install from source
cargo install comchan

Verify the installation:

comchan --version

From AUR

For Arch Linux users, ComChan is available in the AUR (thanks to orhun!):

# Using yay
yay -S comchan

# Using paru
paru -S comchan

From source

Build from source for the latest development version:

You can do either of the following

cargo install --git https://github.com/Vaishnav-Sabari-Girish/ComChan.git

OR

# Clone from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/Vaishnav-Sabari-Girish/ComChan.git

# Build and run
cd ComChan
cargo run --release -- --version

CLI Usage

Blazingly Fast Minimal Serial Monitor with Plotting

Usage: comchan [OPTIONS]

Options:
      --completions <COMPLETIONS>     Generate Shell completions [possible values: bash, zsh, fish, elvish, power-shell, nu]
  -p, --port <PORT>                   Serial port to connect to
  -r, --baud <BAUD>                   Baud Rate of the Serial Monitor
  -d, --data-bits <DATA_BITS>         
  -s, --stop-bits <STOP_BITS>         
      --parity <PARITY>               
      --flow-control <FLOW_CONTROL>   
  -t, --timeout <TIMEOUT_MS>          
      --reset-delay <RESET_DELAY_MS>  
  -l, --log <LOG_FILE>                Log Serial data into a file
      --list-ports                    List all available ports
      --auto                          Auto-detect USB serial port
  -v, --verbose                       
      --plot                          Launch the serial plotter
      --plot-points <PLOT_POINTS>     
  -c, --config <CONFIG_FILE>          Path to config file
      --generate-config               
      --zephyr                        Enables Zephyr Shell mode
      --export-limit <EXPORT_LIMIT>   Max points to keep in memory for export per sensor
      --plot-title <PLOT_TITLE>       Set the plot title for the exported SVG file
      --simulate                      Simulate Serial Data with no need for hardware (Use for testing ComChan)
  -h, --help                          Print help
  -V, --version                       Print version

---

Common Commands

Basic Serial Monitor

Monitor serial output from your device:

comchan -p <port> -r <baud_rate>
# OR
comchan --port <port> --baud <baud_rate>

Example:

comchan -p /dev/ttyUSB0 -r 9600

Verbose Mode

Get detailed information about the serial connection (now uses local timestamps):

comchan -p <port> -r <baud_rate> -v

Log Mode

Save serial output to a log file:

comchan -p <port> -r <baud_rate> -l <log_file_name>

📄 View example log file

Serial Plotter

Visualize sensor data in real-time, with optional SVG exports:

comchan --port <port> --baud <baud_rate> --plot

Want to export the plot?

comchan -r 115200 --plot    # In the Serial plotter window press CTRL+S

Add a title and memory limit (Both are optional):

comchan -r 115200 --plot --plot-title "Plot Title" --export-limit 5000

Automatically Detect Serial Ports

Let ComChan find your serial device automatically:

# With default baud rate (9600)
comchan --auto

# With custom baud rate
comchan --auto --baud <baud_rate>

Generate Shell Completions

Generate autocomplete scripts for your favorite shell (bash, zsh, fish, elvish, power-shell, or nu):

comchan --completions zsh > ~/.zshrc
comchan --completions nu > ~/.config/nushell/comchan-completions.nu

Simulate Mode

Want to test ComChan or the Plotter without a physical microcontroller plugged in? Use simulate mode to generate mock sensor data!

comchan --simulate --plot

Zephyr Shell Mode

If you are working with Zephyr RTOS, enable the dedicated Zephyr shell mode for a better interactive experience:

comchan --auto --zephyr

Use a Configuration File

You can use a configuration file instead of command-line flags:

# Generate default configuration file
comchan --generate-config

This creates a config file at ~/.config/comchan/comchan.toml (or %APPDATA%\comchan\comchan.toml on Windows).

Example Configuration:

# ComChan Configuration File

port = "auto"
baud = 9600
data_bits = 8
stop_bits = 1
parity = "none"
flow_control = "none"
timeout_ms = 500
reset_delay_ms = 1000
verbose = false
plot = false
plot_points = 100
zephyr = false
export_limit = 1000000
plot_title = "Sensor Data"
simulate = false

---

Features

Current Features ✅

• Read & Write Serial Data - Monitor incoming data and send commands to your device.
• Auto-Recovery & Graceful Exit - Automatically detects broken pipes and safely shuts down or reconnects when hardware is unplugged/replugged.
• Terminal-Based Serial Plotter - Visualize multiple sensor values in real-time with automatic legends using the --plot flag.
• Export Plot to SVG - Save your visualized serial data as an SVG image, complete with custom plot titles and memory-safe export limits.
• Hardware Simulation - Test ComChan functionalities and plotting without needing physical hardware connected (--simulate).
• Zephyr Shell Support - Dedicated mode for cleanly interacting with Zephyr RTOS shells.
• Shell Completions - Native tab-autocomplete support for Bash, Zsh, Fish, Elvish, PowerShell, and Nushell.
• Auto-Detect Serial Ports - Automatically find connected serial devices (--auto).
• Configuration Files - Use .toml files instead of typing out long command-line flags every time.
• Basic Logging & Local Timestamps - Save serial output to log files with accurate local time tracking.
• Control Codes - Send CTRL+L to clear the screen and nudge the device to redraw prompts natively.

Stargazers over time (Graph)

🧠 (mostly) Brain made

This project was NOT vibe-coded BUT AI is still involved in some parts of it.

• Generating test code: Because it's something I always skip so I would rather have some AI generated tests than none at all.
• Micro-improvements: I have used AI as an advisor to improve some bits of code here and there. Big refactors or new features are done by my hand though.

Made with ❤️ by the ComChan Community

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