# Raft CLI (command-line interface)
> Note: installation is with 'cargo install raftcli' and not as listed in the sidebar [see installation section below](#installation)
Raft is an opinionated framework for developing embedded apps for the Espressif ESP32 family - see [further information on Raft](https://github.com/robdobsn/RaftCore)
This command-line application is used to scaffold, build, flash and monitor raft apps.
- [Raft CLI (command-line interface)](#raft-cli-command-line-interface)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Linux/WSL prerequisites](#linuxwsl-prerequisites)
- [Build using Docker](#build-using-docker)
- [Build using ESP IDF](#build-using-esp-idf)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [cargo install fails on Linux/WSL (libudev-sys / pkg-config)](#cargo-install-fails-on-linuxwsl-libudev-sys--pkg-config)
- [Creating a new raft app](#creating-a-new-raft-app)
- [Building a raft app](#building-a-raft-app)
- [Build and flash firmware to a development board](#build-and-flash-firmware-to-a-development-board)
- [Monitoring a serial port](#monitoring-a-serial-port)
- [Listing serial ports](#listing-serial-ports)
- [Fetching local development libraries](#fetching-local-development-libraries)
- [Flash firmware to a development board (without rebuilding)](#flash-firmware-to-a-development-board-without-rebuilding)
- [Run esptool directly](#run-esptool-directly)
- [OTA (Over-the-air) Update Firmware (using WiFi/Ethernet connection)](#ota-over-the-air-update-firmware-using-wifiethernet-connection)
- [Remote Debug Console](#remote-debug-console)
- [Persistent Settings](#persistent-settings)
- [Build from source](#build-from-source)
- [Scaffolding Questions](#scaffolding-questions)
- [Template App Details](#template-app-details)
- [Appendix: Finding local Git changes](#appendix-finding-local-git-changes)
## Installation
Installation using the online service crates.io (raftcli is an application written in the Rust programming language) is by far the easiest option but the program can also be built from source code if you need to.
Firstly install Rust (since you are here I assume you are interested in embedded development and Rust may be in your future in any case :) follow these steps to [install rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install)
### Linux/WSL prerequisites
On Linux (including WSL), install these system packages **before** running `cargo install raftcli`:
```sh
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y pkg-config libudev-dev
```
Why this is needed: `raftcli` depends on `serialport`, which on Linux uses `libudev` via `pkg-config` at build time.
Then install the app with:
```
cargo install raftcli
```
If you are using a Linux OS and see an install failure like:
- `failed to run custom build command for libudev-sys`
- `The pkg-config command could not be found`
see the [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting) section below for exact recovery steps.
There are some addition things you'll need to have on your system to support building and flashing raft apps:
### Build using Docker
The default option for building a raft app is to use [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) so please go ahead and install that if you don't have it already.
The other thing you'll need in this scenario is a way to flash the ESP32 family chip. The simplest way to install this is using python's pip package. Make sure python and pip are installed first (you can type `python3 -m pip --version` or `python -m pip --version` if you are on Windows). If pip isn't installed then [install python and pip](https://www.python.org/downloads/). Install the esptool with:
```
python3 -m pip install esptool
```
> Note: you may need to use python instead of python3 on Windows.
### Build using ESP IDF
Alternatively you can [install the Espressif ESP IDF](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/esp32/get-started/index.html). Make sure all of the requirements are installed correctly as I find the Espressif installation docs to be a bit unclear. Also, if installing an ESP IDF from the [releases page on github](https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases), ensure that you install the tools by changing to the ESP IDF folder and running ./install.sh or similar commands on different OSs - see [install-scripts](https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/esp32/api-guides/tools/idf-tools.html#install-scripts).
You will also need to make sure you run the raft command line interface program in a shell with the IDF environment installed. You can do this on linux/mac using a command like `. ~/esp/esp-idf-v6.0/export.sh` or similar based on where the esp idf got installed and what version it is. Another option, and one that works on Windows, is use the [Espressif VS Code extension](https://github.com/espressif/vscode-esp-idf-extension) which handles the shell environment for you. Otherwise, on Windows and depending on how you installed the ESP IDF, you may need to use a shortcut that runs the ESP IDF shell.
In this case use the `--no-docker` option, i.e. `raft run --no-docker` or `raft build --no-docker` to disable the use of Docker.
## Troubleshooting
### cargo install fails on Linux/WSL (libudev-sys / pkg-config)
If `cargo install raftcli` fails with errors such as:
- `failed to run custom build command for libudev-sys`
- `The pkg-config command could not be found`
install the required system packages and retry:
```sh
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y pkg-config libudev-dev
cargo install raftcli
```
Equivalent packages on other distributions:
- Fedora/RHEL: `sudo dnf install pkgconf-pkg-config systemd-devel`
- Arch: `sudo pacman -S pkgconf systemd`
- Alpine: `sudo apk add pkgconfig eudev-dev`
## Creating a new raft app
```
$ raft new .
OR
$ raft n .
```
This creates a new raft app in the current folder.
You will be asked a series of questions including the name of your app, target chip, etc. For details on the questions and what they mean, [refer to the Scaffolding Questions section below](#scaffolding-questions)
If you want to scaffold your app in a different folder then replace the . in the above command line to your choice of folder. Note that the app will be created directly in that folder (not in a sub folder) so if you want your app to be in a folder called ./dev/MyRustApp then you must specify this full path.
On completion you will have a folder structure like this:
```
├───components
│ └───MainSysMod
├───main
└───systypes
├───Common
│ ├───FSImage
│ └───WebUI
└───RaftSys
```
Additional options are available ...
```
Create a new raft app
Usage: raft new [OPTIONS] [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-c, --clean Clean the target folder
-h, --help Print help
```
## Building a raft app
To build an existing raft app use:
```
raft build
OR
raft b
```
This will build the raft app in the current folder using Docker (unless you are in a prompt with the ESP IDF already sourced in which case ESP IDF will be used natively). If your raft app has multiple SysTypes then you can define which SysType to build using the -s option.
If you don't want to use Docker for the build then you can use the no-docker option (see below) and, in this case, you will need to ensure that a correctly installed ESP IDF (Espressif's development environment) is present on the system. You can ask RaftCLI to find a local ESP IDF matching the Dockerfile version using the -i option, or override the ESP IDF folder using the -e option.
To perform a clean build use the -c option.
```
Build a raft app
Usage: raft build [OPTIONS] [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-s, --sys-type <SYS_TYPE> System type to build
-c, --clean Clean the target folder
-n, --clean-only Clean only
--docker Use docker for build
--no-docker Do not use docker for build
-i, --idf-local-build Find and use local ESP IDF matching Dockerfile version
-e, --esp-idf-path <ESP_IDF_PATH> Full path to ESP IDF folder for local build (when not using docker)
-h, --help Print help
```
## Build and flash firmware to a development board
To build and flash a development board, use:
```
raft run
OR
raft r
```
This will first build the firmware (and all of the build options are availble as above), then it will flash the firmare to the Espressif processor and then start a serial monitor.
If the serial port is not specified (with the -p option) then the most likely suitable serial port will be tried. You can also specify baud rate for flashing using -f option. This program generally uses the espressif esptool to do the actual work of flashing. If you need to specify the full path to this tool then use the -t option.
Once the flashing process is complete the monitoring function will be started to view the output from the serial port. The options for this are described below and can be used both run and monitor commands.
To exit the serial monitor press ESC
```
Build, flash and monitor a raft app
Usage: raft run [OPTIONS] [APP_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APP_FOLDER]
Options:
-s, --sys-type <SYS_TYPE> System type to build
-c, --clean Clean the target folder
--docker Use docker for build
--no-docker Do not use docker for build
-i, --idf-local-build Find and use local ESP IDF matching Dockerfile version
-e, --esp-idf-path <ESP_IDF_PATH> Full path to ESP IDF folder for local build (when not using docker)
-p, --port <PORT> Serial port
-o, --ip-addr <IP_ADDR> IP address or hostname for OTA flashing
-b, --monitor-baud <MONITOR_BAUD> Monitor baud rate
-r, --no-reconnect Disable serial port reconnection when monitoring
-n, --native-serial-port Native serial port when in WSL
-f, --flash-baud <FLASH_BAUD> Flash baud rate
-t, --flash-tool <FLASH_TOOL> Flash tool (e.g. esptool)
-l, --log Log serial data to file
-g, --log-folder <LOG_FOLDER> Folder for log files [default: ./logs]
-v, --vid <VID> Vendor ID
--no-fs Skip flashing the file system image
--fs Flash the file system image (overrides saved --no-fs)
--rx-timestamps <MODE> Prefix received lines with wall-clock time: 'first' (on first byte) or 'eol' (on newline)
--agent-stream Stream serial data to stdout without terminal UI for automation
-h, --help Print help
```
## Monitoring a serial port
```
raft monitor
OR
raft m
```
This starts the serial monitor, displaying serial output received from the device and sending keyboard commands to the device. If a serial port isn't specified (with the -p option) then the most likely suitable port will be used. To specify the baud rate for monitoring use -b.
When in the serial monitor up-arrow and down-arrow show prior command history (as when using bash linux shell).
Logging of received serial data can be enabled using the -l option. This is very useful when debugging as it automatically names log files with their start date and time and provides a record of test runs when developing firmware. The folder ./logs is generally used for log files but this can be changed using the -g option.
The -r option is used to suppress automatic reconnection of serial ports during serial monitoring. Normally the serial monitor remains running even if a development board is disconnected. This makes development easier as it is often necessary to reset or disconnect a development board and having to restart the serial monitor each time is a nuissance. But if required the -r option can be specified which will disable reconnection.
The -n option is only relevant when using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The normal behaviour when using WSL is that flashing and serial monitoring are done with Windows versions of the raftcli software. This is because WSL (specifically WSL2) doesn't have support for USB serial ports to be shared with the host operating system. Specifying -n causes raftcli to use Linux to access the serial port. This will only work if you are using something like [USBIPD](https://github.com/dorssel/usbipd-win).
```
Monitor a serial port
Usage: raft monitor [OPTIONS] [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-p, --port <PORT> Serial port
-b, --monitor-baud <MONITOR_BAUD> Baud rate
-r, --no-reconnect Disable serial port reconnection when monitoring
-n, --native-serial-port Native serial port when in WSL
-l, --log Log serial data to file
-g, --log-folder <LOG_FOLDER> Folder for log files [default: ./logs]
-v, --vid <VID> Vendor ID
--rx-timestamps <MODE> Prefix received lines with wall-clock time: 'first' (on first byte) or 'eol' (on newline)
--agent-stream Stream serial data to stdout without terminal UI for automation
-h, --help Print help
```
To exit the serial monitor press ESC
For automated testing or AI-agent workflows, use `--agent-stream`. This keeps regular monitor behaviour unchanged, but disables the interactive terminal UI and writes serial data directly to stdout. Status and reconnect messages are written to stderr.
## Listing serial ports
To list available serial ports use:
```
raft ports
OR
raft p
```
Manage serial ports
```
Usage: raft ports [OPTIONS]
Options:
-p, --port <PORT> Port pattern
-v, --vid <VID> Vendor ID
-d, --pid <PID> Product ID
--manufacturer <MANUFACTURER> Manufacturer
--serial <SERIAL> Serial number
--product <PRODUCT> Product name
-i, --index <INDEX> Index
-D, --debug Debug mode
--preferred-vids <PREFERRED_VIDS> Preferred VIDs (comma separated list)
-n, --native-serial-port Native serial port when in WSL
-h, --help Print help
```
When using WSL, the ports command automatically delegates to the Windows version (raft.exe) to access USB serial ports unless the -n flag is specified.
## Fetching local development libraries
Raft projects can use local library checkouts from a `raftdevlibs` folder in the project root. This is useful when developing or debugging Raft libraries locally, because the Raft build system will use `raftdevlibs/<LibraryName>` instead of fetching that library during the build.
To fetch the standard Raft libraries into the current project, use:
```
raft libs
OR
raft l
```
By default this fetches `RaftCore`, `RaftSysMods`, `RaftI2C` and `RaftWebServer` from the `robdobsn` GitHub account, checks out `main`, and stores them in `./raftdevlibs`.
```
Fetch local Raft development libraries
Usage: raft libs [OPTIONS] [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
--account <ACCOUNT> GitHub account or organisation [default: robdobsn]
--libs <LIB>... Libraries to fetch
--branch <BRANCH> Git branch, tag or commit to checkout [default: main]
--dest <DEST_DIR> Destination directory (default: <app-folder>/raftdevlibs)
--force Update existing repositories even when they have uncommitted changes
-h, --help Print help
```
Existing repositories are updated with `git fetch --all --tags`, checkout of the requested branch/tag/commit, and a fast-forward pull for branch refs. If an existing checkout has uncommitted changes, the command stops before updating it unless `--force` is specified.
## Flash firmware to a development board (without rebuilding)
To flash firmware, use:
```
raft flash
OR
raft f
```
This will flash the firmare to the Espressif processor.
If the serial port is not specified (with the -p option) then the most likely suitable serial port will be tried. You can also specify baud rate for flashing using -f option. This program generally uses the espressif esptool to do the actual work of flashing. If you need to specify the full path to this tool then use the -t option.
By default, all partitions are flashed including the file system image. Use the --no-fs option to skip flashing the file system image - this is useful during iterative firmware development when the file system contents haven't changed. Use --fs to explicitly re-enable file system flashing if --no-fs was previously saved (see [Persistent Settings](#persistent-settings) below).
```
Flash firmware to the device
Usage: raft flash [OPTIONS] [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-s, --sys-type <SYS_TYPE> System type to flash
-p, --port <PORT> Serial port
-n, --native-serial-port Native serial port when in WSL
-f, --flash-baud <FLASH_BAUD> Flash baud rate
-t, --flash-tool <FLASH_TOOL> Flash tool (e.g. esptool)
-v, --vid <VID> Vendor ID
--no-fs Skip flashing the file system image
--fs Flash the file system image (overrides saved --no-fs)
-h, --help Print help
```
## Run esptool directly
You can run esptool directly through raftcli, which is useful for diagnostics and accessing esptool features directly:
```
raft esptool <esptool-arguments>
OR
raft e <esptool-arguments>
```
For example:
```
raft esptool version
raft esptool --port COM8 chip_id
raft esptool --port COM8 flash_id
```
This command automatically detects and uses esptool whether it's installed as a standalone executable or as a Python module (via `pip install esptool`). In WSL, it delegates to the Windows version unless the -n flag is specified.
```
Run esptool directly with arguments
Usage: raft esptool [OPTIONS] [ARGS]...
Arguments:
[ARGS]...
Options:
-n, --native-serial-port Native serial port when in WSL
-h, --help Print help
```
## OTA (Over-the-air) Update Firmware (using WiFi/Ethernet connection)
To use OTA updates the device must be connected to a WiFi or Ethernet network and the IP address (or hostname) of the device must be known.
```
raft ota <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME>
OR
raft o <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME>
```
A connection (TCP) is made to the device and the standard HTTP POST protocol with form data is used to send the new firmware to the device. If required the -c option can be used which forces the use of the curl application to send the data - otherwise sending is done using the rust TcpStream mechanism which also permits rate and progress information to be shown.
Only the main binary of the application is written. The file-system and other partitions on the device including non-volatile storage are not affected by this operation.
```
Over-the-air update
Usage: raft ota [OPTIONS] <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME> [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
<IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME> IP address or hostname for OTA
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-p, --ip-port <IP_PORT> IP Port
-s, --sys-type <SYS_TYPE> System type to ota update
-c, --use-curl Use curl for OTA
-h, --help Print help
```
## Remote Debug Console
To connect to a device over WiFi (or Ethernet) for interactive debugging and log monitoring:
```
raft debug <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME>
OR
raft d <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME>
```
This opens a bidirectional TCP connection to the device's debug server. Log output from the device is displayed in real-time and commands can be typed and sent to the device. The connection auto-reconnects if it drops, retrying every 5 seconds.
The device must be running a TCP debug server (e.g. the Raft SerialConsole module) on the specified port.
As with the serial monitor, up-arrow and down-arrow cycle through command history, and logging to file can be enabled with the -l option.
To exit the remote debug console press ESC or Ctrl+C.
```
Start remote debug console
Usage: raft debug [OPTIONS] <IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME> [APPLICATION_FOLDER]
Arguments:
<IP_ADDRESS_OR_HOSTNAME> Device address for debugging (hostname or IP)
[APPLICATION_FOLDER] Path to the application folder
Options:
-p, --port <PORT> Port for debugging [default: 8080]
-l, --log Log debug console data to file
-g, --log-folder <LOG_FOLDER> Folder for log files [default: ./logs]
-h, --help Print help
```
## Persistent Settings
Several command-line settings are automatically saved to `build/raft.info` when explicitly specified and reused on subsequent runs. This means you only need to specify options like the serial port or flash baud rate once - they will be remembered for future invocations.
| Setting | Saved by | Example |
| -- | -- | -- |
| `-p` serial port | `flash`, `run`, `monitor` | `raft flash -p COM8` |
| `-b` monitor baud rate | `run`, `monitor` | `raft monitor -b 921600` |
| `-f` flash baud rate | `flash`, `run` | `raft flash -f 2000000` |
| `-v` vendor ID | `flash`, `run`, `monitor` | `raft flash -v 0x10c4` |
| `--no-fs` / `--fs` | `flash`, `run` | `raft flash --no-fs` |
To override a saved setting, simply specify the option again on the command line. The new value will replace the previously saved one. For example, if `--no-fs` was previously used and saved, use `--fs` to re-enable file system flashing.
Build-related settings (system type, build method, ESP IDF path) are also saved automatically after a successful build.
### Build from source
If you want to build this app from source code then firstly [install rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install)
Clone the repo:
```
git clone https://github.com/robdobsn/RaftCLI
cd RaftCLI
cargo install --path .
```
This will build and install the app into the binary executables folder that cargo uses.
## Scaffolding Questions
The following questions are asked to complete the scaffolding from template files:
| Question | Explanation |
| -- | -- |
| Project Name | name for your project |
| Target Chip | e.g. esp32, esp32s3 or esp32c3 |
| SysType | the name of the main SysType (or system type) - SysTypes, for instance, allow a project to target different hardware - set the name for the main SysType that you want to create here - additional SysTypes are added manually |
| ESP IDF Version | the version of the ESP IDF to use to build the app - defaults to 6.0 |
| Create User SysMod | Select true to create a SysMod for the main part of your application's code - SysMods are a key concept in raft apps as they allow user code to be managed like an Arduino app with setup() and loop() functions |
| User SysMod Class | If you answered true above then you will be asked for the name you want to give to your app's main SysMod |
| User SysMod Name | A SysMod can be given a different name from its class - so either enter the same name used for the Class here or give it a different name |
| Raft Core git tag | RaftCore is the core element of the raft framework. Specify which version of RaftCore to use here. The default will be the latest version - which is called main |
| Use RaftSysMods | RaftSysMods are building blocks that help build a raft application. For instance WiFi, MQTT, etc. Select true to enable these in your application |
| RaftSysMods git tag | The git tag of the RaftSysMods to use - defaults to main which is the latest version |
| Use RaftWebServer | Select true to enable the raft Web Server |
| RaftWebServer git tag | Git tag of the RaftWebServer - main is the latest version |
## Template App Details
New raft apps are "scaffolded" using template information in the raft_templates folder.
The handlebars templating library is used to fill in the gaps in the templates based on the answers to questions asked when running "raft new".
In addition to generating source code, build files are generated for various build scenarios including:
* building natively on linux
* building using docker on mac, linux and windows
The best way to build a raft application depends on your OS and requirements. I primarily use a Windows machine with Ubuntu in WSL (google this if you are not familiar with running linux with the Windows Subsystem for Linux). I find this is the best combination of speed and convenience and the Makefile generated by this app works well in that scenario when run from a WSL prompt.
## Appendix: Finding local Git changes
When using `raftdevlibs`, local Raft library checkouts can accumulate changes inside individual projects. The helper script `scripts/find_git_changes.py` scans a folder tree for Git repositories and prints only the repository folders that contain local changes.
From a workspace folder containing multiple projects, run:
```sh
python3 raft/RaftCLI/scripts/find_git_changes.py .
```
The default output is intentionally one folder per line, for example:
```text
raft/RaftI2C/TestWebUI/raftdevlibs/RaftCore
raft/RaftI2C/TestWebUI/raftdevlibs/RaftWebServer
```
Useful options:
| Option | Use |
| -- | -- |
| `--absolute` | Print absolute paths instead of paths relative to the scan root |
| `--fail-on-changes` | Exit with status `1` when changed repositories are found |
| `--show-errors` | Show Git errors for folders that look like repositories but cannot be checked |
By default, Git errors from broken or generated repository markers are suppressed so the output remains a clean list of changed folders.