Welcome to OpenOCD

OpenOCD provides on-chip programming and debugging support with a layered architecture of JTAG interface and TAP support including:

• (X)SVF playback to facilitate automated boundary scan and FPGA/CPLD programming;
• debug target support (e.g. ARM, MIPS): single-stepping, breakpoints/watchpoints, gprof profiling, etc;
• flash chip drivers (e.g. CFI, NAND, internal flash);
• embedded Tcl interpreter for easy scripting.

Several network interfaces are available for interacting with OpenOCD: telnet, Tcl, and GDB. The GDB server enables OpenOCD to function as a "remote target" for source-level debugging of embedded systems using the GNU GDB program (and the others who talk GDB protocol, e.g. IDA Pro).

This README file contains an overview of the following topics:

• quickstart instructions,
• how to find and build more OpenOCD documentation,
• list of the supported hardware,
• the installation and build process,
• packaging tips.

Quickstart for the impatient

If you have a popular board then just start OpenOCD with its config, e.g.:

openocd -f board/stm32f4discovery.cfg

If you are connecting a particular adapter with some specific target, you need to source both the jtag interface and the target configs, e.g.:

openocd -f interface/ftdi/jtagkey2.cfg -c "transport select jtag" \
        -f target/ti/calypso.cfg

openocd -f interface/stlink.cfg -c "transport select swd" \
        -f target/stm32l0.cfg

After OpenOCD startup, connect GDB with

(gdb) target extended-remote localhost:3333

Installing OpenOCD

The easiest way to install OpenOCD is through your operating system's package manager.

• Debian / Ubuntu

  sudo apt install openocd
  

• Fedora

  sudo dnf install openocd
  

• macOS (via Homebrew)

  brew install open-ocd
  

• Windows (via MSYS2)

  pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-openocd
  

These packages are often more stable than the bleeding-edge Git mainline, where active development happens. "Packagers" create binary releases of OpenOCD after the developers publish new source code releases. Older OpenOCD versions are not suitable for diagnosing issues in the current release. Users should stay in touch with their distribution maintainers or interface vendors to ensure that appropriate updates are provided regularly.

If you use one of these binary packages, you must contact the Packager for support or for newer binary versions. The OpenOCD developers do not provide direct support for packaged binaries.

A Note to OpenOCD Packagers

You are a PACKAGER of OpenOCD if you:

• Sell dongles and include pre-built binaries;
• Supply tools or IDEs (a development solution integrating OpenOCD);
• Build packages (e.g. RPM or DEB files for a GNU/Linux distribution).

As a PACKAGER, you will experience first reports of most issues. When you fix those problems for your users, your solution may help prevent hundreds (if not thousands) of other questions from other users.

If something does not work for you, please work to inform the OpenOCD developers know how to improve the system or documentation to avoid future problems, and follow-up to help us ensure the issue will be fully resolved in our future releases.

That said, the OpenOCD developers would also like you to follow a few suggestions:

• Send patches, including config files, upstream, participate in the discussions;
• Enable all the options OpenOCD supports, even those unrelated to your particular hardware;
• Use "ftdi" interface adapter driver for the FTDI-based devices.

OpenOCD Documentation

In addition to the in-tree documentation, the latest manuals may be viewed online at the following URLs:

• OpenOCD User's Guide: http://openocd.org/doc/html/index.html

• OpenOCD Developer's Manual: http://openocd.org/doc/doxygen/html/index.html

These reflect the latest development versions, so the following section introduces how to build the complete documentation from the package.

For more information, refer to these documents or contact the developers by subscribing to the OpenOCD developer mailing list: [email protected]

Building the OpenOCD Documentation

By default the OpenOCD build process prepares documentation in the "Info format" and installs it the standard way, so that info openocd can access it.

Additionally, the OpenOCD User's Guide can be produced in the following different formats:

If PDFVIEWER is set, this creates and views the PDF User Guide.

make pdf && ${PDFVIEWER} doc/openocd.pdf

If HTMLVIEWER is set, this creates and views the HTML User Guide.

make html && ${HTMLVIEWER} doc/openocd.html/index.html

The OpenOCD Developer Manual contains information about the internal architecture and other details about the code:

Note: make sure doxygen is installed, type doxygen --version

make doxygen && ${HTMLVIEWER} doxygen/index.html

Supported hardware

JTAG adapters

AM335x, ARM-JTAG-EW, ARM-USB-OCD, ARM-USB-TINY, AT91RM9200, axm0432, BCM2835, Bus Blaster, Buspirate, Cadence DPI, Cadence vdebug, Chameleon, CMSIS-DAP, Cortino, Cypress KitProg, DENX, Digilent JTAG-SMT2, DLC 5, DLP-USB1232H, embedded projects, Espressif USB JTAG Programmer, eStick, FlashLINK, FlossJTAG, Flyswatter, Flyswatter2, FTDI FT232R, Gateworks, Hoegl, ICDI, ICEBear, J-Link, JTAG VPI, JTAGkey, JTAGkey2, JTAG-lock-pick, KT-Link, Linux GPIOD, Lisa/L, LPC1768-Stick, Mellanox rshim, MiniModule, NGX, Nuvoton Nu-Link, Nu-Link2, NXHX, NXP IMX GPIO, OOCDLink, Opendous, OpenJTAG, Openmoko, OpenRD, OSBDM, Presto, Redbee, Remote Bitbang, RLink, SheevaPlug devkit, Stellaris evkits, ST-LINK (SWO tracing supported), STM32-PerformanceStick, STR9-comStick, sysfsgpio, Tigard, TI XDS110, TUMPA, Turtelizer, ULINK, USB-A9260, USB-Blaster, USB-JTAG, USBprog, VPACLink, VSLLink, Wiggler, XDS100v2, Xilinx XVC/PCIe, Xverve.

Debug targets

ARM: AArch64, ARM11, ARM7, ARM9, Cortex-A/R (v7-A/R), Cortex-M (ARMv{6/7/8}-M), FA526, Feroceon/Dragonite, XScale. ARCv2, AVR32, DSP563xx, DSP5680xx, EnSilica eSi-RISC, EJTAG (MIPS32, MIPS64), ESP32, ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3, Intel Quark, LS102x-SAP, RISC-V, ST STM8, Xtensa.

Flash drivers

ADUC702x, AT91SAM, AT91SAM9 (NAND), ATH79, ATmega128RFA1, Atmel SAM, AVR, CFI, DSP5680xx, EFM32, EM357, eSi-RISC, eSi-TSMC, EZR32HG, FM3, FM4, Freedom E SPI, GD32, i.MX31, Kinetis, LPC8xx/LPC1xxx/LPC2xxx/LPC541xx, LPC2900, LPC3180, LPC32xx, LPCSPIFI, Marvell QSPI, MAX32, Milandr, MXC, NIIET, nRF51, nRF52 , NuMicro, NUC910, Nuvoton NPCX, onsemi RSL10, Orion/Kirkwood, PIC32mx, PSoC4/5LP/6, Raspberry RP2040, Renesas RPC HF and SH QSPI, S3C24xx, S3C6400, SiM3x, SiFive Freedom E, Stellaris, ST BlueNRG, STM32, STM32 QUAD/OCTO-SPI for Flash/FRAM/EEPROM, STMSMI, STR7x, STR9x, SWM050, TI CC13xx, TI CC26xx, TI CC32xx, TI MSP432, Winner Micro w600, Xilinx XCF, XMC1xxx, XMC4xxx.

Building OpenOCD

The INSTALL file contains generic instructions for running configure and compiling the OpenOCD source code. That file is provided by default for all GNU autotools packages. If you are not familiar with the GNU autotools, then you should read those instructions first.

Note: if the INSTALL file is not present, it means you are using the source code from a development branch, not from an OpenOCD release. In this case, follow the instructions 'Compiling OpenOCD' below and the file will be created by the first command ./bootstrap.

The remainder of this document tries to provide some instructions for those looking for a quick-install.

OpenOCD Dependencies