CanMV for Visual Studio Code

This repository contains the CanMV for Visual Studio Code extension and its native backend for CanMV K230 development. The extension lets you connect to a board, run MicroPython scripts, preview camera frames, manage files on the device, and use an integrated board terminal from Visual Studio Code.

The extension package README lives at extension/README.md. Visual Studio Code uses that file when building the VSIX/Marketplace package from extension/package.json. This root README is for repository-level setup and development.

Repository Layout

Path	Purpose
extension/	Visual Studio Code extension source, package metadata, webviews, resources, and packaged backend binaries.
extension/src/	TypeScript extension code.
extension/webview/	Preview, Threshold Editor, and terminal webview HTML.
native/go/	Native Go backend used by the extension to communicate with the board.
scripts/	Repository-level build, staging, and packaging helpers.
manifest.json	Release metadata for firmware, backend, and extension versions.

Features

• CanMV K230 board connection, auto-detection, and legacy/v2 protocol support.
• Active Python script execution and script stop control.
• Live camera/framebuffer preview with FPS, histogram hover readouts, pixel picking, ROI histogram sampling, image capture, video recording, rotation, and virtual touch support.
• Threshold Editor for grayscale/LAB threshold tuning, Frame Buffer image loading, tuple copy, and selected tuple apply.
• Device filesystem browsing, upload/download, rename/delete, and remote Python file editing.
• Integrated CanMV Terminal for board output, REPL input, Ctrl-C interrupt, and log export.
• Automatic K230 MicroPython stub configuration for Pylance.
• Bundled native backend binaries for Linux, Windows, and macOS package targets.

Requirements

• Visual Studio Code 1.90.0 or newer.
• Node.js/npm for extension development.
• Go for backend development and packaging.
• A CanMV K230 board connected over USB for runtime testing.

Build From Source

Install extension dependencies and compile TypeScript:

cd extension
npm install
npm run compile

Build and stage the backend for your current platform:

./scripts/stage-current-backend.sh

Package a VSIX with backend binaries for all supported platforms:

./scripts/package.sh

The packaged VSIX is written to release/.

Development Workflow

1. Open this repository in Visual Studio Code.
2. Run npm install in extension/.
3. Run ./scripts/stage-current-backend.sh from the repository root.
4. Start the extension host from Visual Studio Code using the extension launch configuration.
5. Connect a CanMV K230 board and run CanMV: Connect Board.

For backend-only work:

cd native/go
go build ./cmd/canmv-backend

Documentation

• Extension user guide: extension/README.md
• Changelog: extension/CHANGELOG.md
• Package metadata: extension/package.json

Troubleshooting

• If the extension cannot find the backend, run ./scripts/stage-current-backend.sh or install a platform-specific extension package.
• If TypeScript output looks stale, run npm run compile from extension/.
• If the board is not detected, check the USB cable, board power, and serial permissions.
• Use the CanMV Output channel in Visual Studio Code for backend, connection, preview, stubs, and file-transfer diagnostics.