Documentation

ProbeCodex is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants to debug embedded systems. It connects your AI coding assistant to hardware debug probes, allowing natural language debugging of ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers.

Prerequisites

• An MCP-compatible AI assistant (Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code with MCP support, or CLI tools)
• A supported debug probe (J-Link, ST-LINK, CMSIS-DAP, etc.)
• OpenOCD or PyOCD installed on your system
• Node.js 20+ (for running the MCP server)

Quick Start

ProbeCodex uses a configuration file (.mcp.json) to store settings. Place this file in your project root directory.

Example Configuration

{
  "gdb": {
    "host": "127.0.0.1",
    "port": 3333
  },
  "elf": "./build/firmware.elf",
  "svd": "./STM32F4xx.svd",
  "telemetry": {
    "enabled": true,
    "endpoint": "https://telemetry.probecodex.com"
  },
  "rtos": {
    "type": "freertos",
    "auto_detect": true
  }
}

Configuration Options

Configure your AI assistant to use ProbeCodex MCP as an MCP server. Add the following to your MCP client configuration.

Claude Desktop (macOS)

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "probecodex": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/probecodex-mcp",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code

Edit .cursor/mcp.json or .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "probecodex": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/probecodex-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Windows Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "probecodex": {
      "command": "C:\\Program Files\\ProbeCodex\\probecodex-mcp.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Linux Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "probecodex": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/probecodex-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

ProbeCodex has built-in support for FreeRTOS task inspection, heap analysis, and queue monitoring.

Available RTOS Tools

FreeRTOS Configuration

For full RTOS debugging support, enable these options in your FreeRTOSConfig.h:

#define configUSE_TRACE_FACILITY           1
#define INCLUDE_uxTaskGetStackHighWaterMark 1
#define configQUEUE_REGISTRY_SIZE          16

RTT provides high-speed bidirectional communication with your target without affecting real-time behavior. ProbeCodex supports RTT through both J-Link and OpenOCD.

SEGGER RTT Firmware

To use RTT, you need to include the SEGGER RTT firmware in your project. Download the RTT implementation from SEGGER:

J-Link RTT

With J-Link probes, RTT is natively supported. ProbeCodex can start and read RTT output:

OpenOCD RTT

OpenOCD also supports RTT. Use these tools to configure and read RTT via OpenOCD:

rtt setup 0x20000000 0x10000 "SEGGER RTT"
rtt start
rtt server start 9090 0

Adding RTT to Your Project

Include these files from the SEGGER RTT package in your project:

RTT/
├── SEGGER_RTT.c          # RTT implementation
├── SEGGER_RTT.h          # RTT header
├── SEGGER_RTT_Conf.h     # Configuration (buffers, etc.)
└── SEGGER_RTT_printf.c   # Optional printf support

Then use RTT in your code:

#include "SEGGER_RTT.h"

// Print to RTT channel 0
SEGGER_RTT_printf(0, "Hello from RTT!\n");

// Write binary data
SEGGER_RTT_Write(0, data, sizeof(data));

The ProbeCodex Agent has a fully automated one-click installer that handles authentication, VPN setup, dependencies, and system service configuration.

Main Command

Install Options

Platform Installation

# Download and run the .pkg installer from the portal
# Double-click: probecodex-macos-arm64.pkg (or macos-x64.pkg)
# Binaries are installed to /usr/local/bin/

# One-click install (handles auth, VPN, dependencies, service)
probecodex-agent install

# Extract the archive from the portal
tar -xzf probecodex-linux-x64.tar.gz
sudo mv probecodex-linux-x64/probecodex-* /usr/local/bin/

# One-click install (handles auth, VPN, dependencies, service)
probecodex-agent install

# Download binary (PowerShell)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://droidtech.ai/downloads/probecodex-agent/latest/probecodex-agent-win-x64.exe" -OutFile "probecodex-agent.exe"

# Move to Program Files
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "C:\Program Files\ProbeCodex"
Move-Item probecodex-agent.exe "C:\Program Files\ProbeCodex\"

# One-click install (run as Administrator)
& "C:\Program Files\ProbeCodex\probecodex-agent.exe" install

# Create scheduled task
schtasks /create /tn "ProbeCodexAgent" /tr "C:\Program Files\ProbeCodex\probecodex-agent.exe start" /sc onlogon /rl highest

# Start/Stop
schtasks /run /tn "ProbeCodexAgent"
schtasks /end /tn "ProbeCodexAgent"

# Remove
schtasks /delete /tn "ProbeCodexAgent" /f

What Gets Created

VPN Requirements by License

The ProbeCodex Agent is a standalone daemon that provides three powerful automation modes: autonomous AI-powered testing, MCP server validation, and hardware device sharing over VPN.

Agent Modes

1. Autonomous Test Mode

Runs automated AI-powered tests on your embedded target. The Agent uses Claude AI to analyze register values, memory, heap usage, and other metrics to detect anomalies.

Available Test Plans

Usage

Parameters

2. MCP Test Mode

Tests the MCP server tools to ensure they're working correctly. Useful for validating your setup or after updates.

3. Device Sharing Mode

Share your local debug probes with team members over secure VPN. This allows remote developers to debug hardware they don't have physical access to.

Starting the Agent

Sharing a Device

Once the agent is running and connected to VPN, use MCP tools to share devices:

Connecting to Remote Device

Team members can connect to shared devices:

Agent CLI Commands