ARMUP user guide

Overview#

ARMUP is a Rust toolchain installer for Cortex-M development on Windows. It downloads common tools into one root directory and can add them to the current user's Path.

Repository: https://github.com/ref42/armup

If you want a working Cortex-M environment on Windows without manually downloading, extracting, and configuring many tools, ARMUP is designed for that job.

What it installs#

The current tool list is:

The default installation root is:

D:\Embedded_Toolchain

Use --root to choose another location. A short path without spaces is easier to troubleshoot.

Quick install#

The simplest installation command is:

armup install -a --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain -j 24

The options mean:

• install: perform an installation.
• -a: install every supported tool.
• --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain: use this installation root.
• Installed tool paths are added to the current user's Path by default.
• -j 24: use more parallel downloads when the network allows it.

After installation, open a new terminal so the updated Path takes effect.

Update tools#

To update installed tools later, run:

armup update -a --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain -j 24

ARMUP checks the tools in the root, resolves the newest supported versions, and updates only what is needed. It then removes old version directories and refreshes the user's Path.

To update only selected tools:

armup update --tool probe-rs,xpack-openocd --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain

Check status#

After installation, inspect the status:

armup status --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain

Add --verbose to show executable paths and Path entries:

armup status --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain --verbose

The output lists installed versions and whether the user's Path needs an update.

Run diagnostics#

If installation or updating fails, run:

armup doctor --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain

doctor checks the installation root, temporary staging directory, network requests, version resolution, and user Path registry access.

Select specific tools#

To install only selected tools:

armup install --tool probe-rs,ninja --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain

Supported tool names are:

arm-none-eabi-gcc
clangd
cmake
ninja
probe-rs
xpack-openocd

Select versions#

By default, ARMUP installs the newest supported version. To choose from recent upstream versions interactively:

armup install -a --root D:\Embedded_Toolchain --select-versions

Note: --select-versions requires an interactive terminal. Do not use it in scripts, CI, or other non-interactive environments.

Verify after installation#

Open a new terminal and check each version:

arm-none-eabi-gcc --version
clangd --version
cmake --version
ninja --version
probe-rs --version
openocd --version

If every command prints a version, the toolchain and Path are ready. You can install the chip's Rust target and use probe-rs or OpenOCD for flashing and debugging.

Troubleshooting#

• Non-interactive mode still requires --root because the installation directory must be explicit.
• Existing terminals do not refresh after a Path change; open a new terminal to test.
• If a download fails, run armup doctor to check the network, proxy, and upstream release resolution.
• To leave the user's Path unchanged, replace --add-path with --no-add-path.
• If old versions are present, an update keeps the newest required versions and removes unused directories.
• Avoid deeply nested system paths and paths with spaces; scripts and tool invocations are less reliable there.

Closing notes#

ARMUP addresses a practical problem: setting up an embedded toolchain on Windows is often difficult because of download sources, archive layouts, environment variables, and ongoing updates. A single command makes new projects much faster to start.

Bug reports and feedback are welcome. Enjoy 😊.