Tool guides
Flash for VS Code
Flash inside your existing editor, with project context, chat and Flash Monitor.
For firmware engineers who want to keep their VS Code setup and still see the board.
- Your editor, unchanged. Extensions, themes and key bindings stay. Flash adds a view, a chat and a monitor.
- The board next to the code. Open the schematic and PCB in the Flash Hardware Viewer, with layers, search and the BOM.
- Flash Monitor. Build and flash, then the debugger, serial, MQTT and Bluetooth LE, in one panel.
Find your way around
- Flash viewStart, Project & Peripherals and History, from the Flash icon in the activity bar.
- EditorYour code, and the Flash Hardware Viewer for .kicad_sch and .kicad_pcb files.
- Flash chatThe agent, in the secondary side bar.
- Flash MonitorBuild & Flash, serial and the debugger, in the panel.
See it in action
Get started
Follow the Quickstart to install Flash for VS Code, make a change and check it on your board. The instructions are already set to Flash for VS Code.
Open the Quickstart for Flash for VS Code →Commands
Flash: Open ChatTalk to the agentFlash: Select Interaction ModeNormal, Plan, Teach or DebugFlash: Build FirmwareBuild the projectFlash: Flash FirmwareProgram the boardFlash: Open MonitorDebugger, serial, MQTT and BLEFlash: Open SchematicsThe design in the Hardware ViewerFlash: Explain SelectionAsk about the selected codeFlash: Review ChangesReview the agent’s editsOpen the Command Palette with ⇧⌘P, or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux, and type Flash.
Good to know
AI and plans. Free, Pro and Max use Flash-managed Claude or Codex, with no provider set-up. Studio and Enterprise use their configured AI connection.
Conversations. Open Sessions from the chat toolbar or History in the Flash sidebar. Back to chat returns to the conversation without losing its draft.
Limits. Flash is a workspace extension. In SSH, WSL and Dev Containers its tools run on that host; local USB devices are not automatically forwarded. Browser-only vscode.dev is not supported.