Command reference
Every command the firmware understands, over USB serial or the Debug Console: what `help` prints, then what each one does.
What help prints
The firmware's own list, read from src/main.cpp. These work in every build, over USB serial:
info firmware, uptime, memory, Wi-Fi, app slots
tasks FreeRTOS tasks over the next second: state, priority, free stack, CPU share
net bytes each network service has read and written since boot
reboot restart
boot other restart into the other app slot (manual Rollback)
log level <0-5> ESP-IDF log level (0 none ... 5 verbose)
ls [folder] | du <path> | mkdir <path> | rm <path> | cp [-f] <from> <to> | mv [-f] <from> <to> | cancel the SD card, with the Storage App's rules
lora probe | lora status | lora rx on|off | lora preset <name> the LoRa radio, receive only
lora capture start|stop a LoRa Capture to /captures/lora (pcap, LoRaTap)
lora sweep on [from MHz] [to MHz] [step kHz] | off | dump RSSI across a band (863 870 100)
lora custom <MHz> <BW kHz> <SF> <CR 5-8> <sync hex> [preamble] e.g. 868.1 125 7 5 34 8 (LoRaWAN)
gnss quiet on|off pause the GNSS receiver while the LoRa radio listens (it costs the radio 8 dB)
gnss status | gnss restart | gnss track start|stop | gnss nmea on|off | gnss send <sentence without $ and checksum>
crash the last crash: firmware, reason, task, backtrace
coredump erase forget the core dump in flash
key <name|char> press a key: up down left right select back home del tab space, or one character
wifi status | wifi add <ssid><TAB><password>
wifi ip <ssid> dhcp | wifi ip <ssid> <address>/<prefix> [gateway] a Saved Network's IP setting
wifi dns <a> [b] | wifi dns always on|off | wifi ntp <a> [b] DNS and NTP servers
gemini get <url> fetch a Gemini page and report header, size, certificate, heap
irc start | irc stop | irc dump | irc say <buffer> <text>
install <path.ota> Update from SD
update check | list | status | install <tag> the project's releases on Gitea
sd card | sd list | cat <path> | log <text> | burst | sound on|off | short | normalA Debug Build adds these (the last ones, marked Debug Console only, exist only over Wi-Fi, where rdbg.py speaks them):
crash abort|wdt crash on purpose (to test crash reports and Safe Mode)
wifi ip ... try <seconds> | wifi ip keep a trial IP setting: back to the previous one unless kept
loop spin on|off make the main loop spin without resting, to compare load and radio noise
lora noise test [gnss|quiet] | lora noise report Sweep under one changed condition at a time (Wi-Fi goes off for a moment)
lora inject <hex> [rssi] [snr] a packet into the LoRa Scanner as if received (nothing is sent)
sd fill <folder> <count> makes that many small files there, to test a crowded folder
coredump get (Debug Console only) send the raw core dump: use scripts/rdbg.py coredump
reset (Debug Console only) restart at once, even if the main loop is stuck
get <path> | put <path> <size> <sha256> | screenshot (Debug Console only) binary, see rdbg.py
quit close the Debug Console connectionIn Safe Mode (see Crashes and Safe Mode) only a few run: help, info, tasks, net, reboot, boot other, wifi status, and anything starting with log level, crash, coredump, wifi add. Anything else answers not available in Safe Mode.
What they do
scripts/serial_log.sh [seconds] [command…] records the serial output, and can send commands to the firmware first. For example, scripts/serial_log.sh 30 short sleep:12 burst sets short screen timeouts, waits 12 s, then sends a burst of Toasts.
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
burst | Publishes 5 Notifications at once |
key up|down|left|right|select|back|home, or key <char> | Injects a key press |
sound on / sound off | Toggles the Sound setting (beep + LED) |
short / normal | Screen timeouts 5 s / 10 s, or 30 s / 60 s |
wifi add <ssid><TAB><password> | Adds a Saved Network (so credentials stay out of the repo) |
wifi ip <ssid> dhcp / wifi ip <ssid> <address>/<prefix> [gateway] | A Saved Network's IP setting: Automatic, or Fixed. Debug Builds: add try <seconds> to go back to the previous setting unless wifi ip keep follows |
wifi dns <a> [b] / wifi dns always on|off / wifi ntp <a> [b] | DNS servers (used on Fixed networks, or always), and NTP servers |
log <text> | Appends a line to a test IRC Log (/irc/dev/#test/<date>.log) |
sd card | What the SD card says it is: type, size, and its identity register (maker, name, revision, serial, date) |
sd list | Lists the files of each Storage Clean-up category |
sd fill <folder> <count> | Debug Builds: makes that many small files in a folder, to test a crowded one |
cat <path> | Prints the first ~1.2 KB of a file on the SD card |
irc start | Starts the IRC Service (normally done by opening the IRC App) |
irc stop | Stops it, as /quit does: QUIT if connected, no more retries, and the App stays disconnected until you type |
gemini get <url> | Fetches a Gemini page and prints its header, size, certificate fingerprint and heap use |
gemini trust <host> <port> <sha256> | Pins a certificate by hand (the Gemini App asks when one changes) |
irc say <buffer> <text> | Types into a Buffer, commands included (irc say 0 /join #test) |
irc dump | Prints IRC status, memory, and the last lines of each Buffer |
wifi status | Prints Wi-Fi state, network, signal, clock and free heap, then the address, gateway, DNS and NTP servers in use and where each came from |
info | Firmware, uptime, last start reason, memory, Wi-Fi, the SD card and its write faults since boot, and both app slots with their versions and OTA states |
tasks | FreeRTOS tasks over the next second: state, priority, lowest free stack, share of a core, each core's load, and how many passes the main loop made |
net | Bytes each network service has read and written since boot |
reboot / boot other | Restart, or restart into the other app slot (a manual Rollback) |
log level <0-5> | ESP-IDF log level |
ls [folder] / du <path> | Lists a folder of the SD card with sizes and dates, or counts the files and bytes under a path |
cp [-f] <from> <to> / mv [-f] <from> <to> / rm <path> / mkdir <path> / cancel | What the Storage App does, with its rules: copy (folders too), move or rename, delete (a folder with what's in it), new folder. -f replaces a file that's in the way; a tab separates paths that hold spaces; cancel stops a copy or a delete |
install <path> | Update from SD with that .ota file, as Settings → Firmware does |
update check / update list / update status / update install <tag> | The project's releases on Gitea: look at the latest, list the last ten, say what's known, or download and install one (not on a Debug Build) |
update pretend <version> / update probe <host> / update damage cut|flip <n> / update daily | Debug Builds: pretend to run another version (so a release counts as an update), see whether a server's certificate is accepted, cut or damage the next download, run the daily check again |
lora probe | Finds the radio: chip, oscillator, antenna switch, DIO1 interrupt, noise floor |
lora status | Radio settings, who's listening, packet and error counters, noise floor, task stack |
lora rx on / lora rx off | Listens and prints each packet on the console |
lora preset <name> / lora custom <MHz> <BW kHz> <SF> <CR> <sync hex> [preamble] | Receive settings: a Meshtastic preset, or anything else (lora custom 868.1 125 7 5 34 8 for LoRaWAN) |
lora capture start / lora capture stop | A LoRa Capture, as c in the App |
lora sweep on [from MHz] [to MHz] [step kHz] / lora sweep off / lora sweep dump | Sweep a band (863 870 100 by default), with a summary every 2 s (floor, strongest, peaks), or print the latest pass |
gnss quiet on / gnss quiet off | The "Pause GNSS for LoRa" setting |
gnss status / gnss restart | The receiver's state, and a restart of it |
gnss track start / gnss track stop | A Track, as r in the GNSS App (the reason is printed if it can't start) |
gnss nmea on / gnss nmea off | Prints each NMEA sentence the receiver sends, as nmea: … |
gnss send <sentence> | Sends a sentence to the receiver, without the $ and the checksum (it adds them) |
lora noise test [gnss|quiet] / lora noise report | Debug Builds: Sweep under one changed condition at a time to find what raises the noise floor (Wi-Fi goes off for a few seconds); then the result |
lora inject <hex> [rssi] [snr] | Debug Builds: a packet into the Scanner as if received (nothing is sent) |
crash | The last crash: which firmware, why, task, PC and backtrace (from the core dump in flash) |
coredump erase | Forgets the core dump |
loop spin on / loop spin off | Debug Builds: make the main loop spin without resting, to compare load and radio noise |
crash abort / crash wdt | Debug Builds: crash on purpose, or hang the main loop until the watchdog fires |
help | Lists the commands |
scripts/flash.sh stops a running serial log first, since it would hold the port.
This page is generated from src/main.cpp and README.md in the repository. To change it, change that file and run site/tools/gen_dev_docs.py.