ssutil - Simplicity Studio Utility

A unified command-line build and flash tool for Silicon Labs Simplicity Studio projects

ssutil streamlines your Silicon Labs embedded development workflow with a single script that auto-detects your project structure, build system, and provides a clean CLI interface with colored output.

✨ Features

• 🔍 Auto-detection - Automatically finds your project and bootloader directories
• 🎨 Colored output - Compiler errors in red, warnings in yellow, build status in color
• 🔄 Dual compatibility - Works seamlessly with Studio 5 (Make) and Studio 6 (CMake/Ninja)
• ⚡ Fast builds - Parallel compilation with optimal job count detection
• 🎯 Flexible modes - Build-only, flash-only, or build-and-flash
• 📝 Build logging - Automatic build.log with full output capture
• 🧹 Clean builds - One flag to clean and rebuild everything
• 🚫 No dependencies - Pure bash, works with tools bundled in Simplicity Studio

🚀 Quick Start

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/ckedmenec/ssutil.git
cd ssutil

# Copy to your Simplicity Studio solution directory
cp ssutil.sh /path/to/YourSimplicitySolution/

# Make it executable (if needed)
chmod +x ssutil.sh

# Run it!
./ssutil.sh

📦 Installation

Option 1: Manual Copy

# Download the script
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ckedmenec/ssutil/main/ssutil.sh
chmod +x ssutil.sh

# Place it in your Simplicity Studio solution directory
mv ssutil.sh /path/to/YourProject/

Option 2: Global Installation

# Install globally (requires sudo)
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ckedmenec/ssutil/main/install.sh | bash

# Now you can run from any Simplicity Studio solution directory
cd /path/to/YourProject
ssutil

💡 Usage

Basic Commands

./ssutil.sh              # Auto-detect, build and flash (default)
./ssutil.sh --help       # Show all options and examples

Build Modes

./ssutil.sh -B           # Build only (no flash)
./ssutil.sh -F           # Flash only (use existing binaries)
./ssutil.sh -c           # Clean build and flash
./ssutil.sh -B -c        # Clean build only (no flash)

Advanced Usage

# Mass erase device and flash bootloader + application
./ssutil.sh -e

# Build bootloader + application (no flash/erase)
./ssutil.sh -B -e

# Specify project manually (skip auto-detection)
./ssutil.sh --project MyProject --bootloader MyBootloader

# Disable colored output (for CI/CD or logging)
./ssutil.sh --no-color

All Options

Options:
  -e, --erase              Mass erase device and flash bootloader first
  -c, --clean              Clean build before compiling
  -B, --build-only         Build only (skip flashing and device operations)
  -F, --flash-only         Flash only (skip building, use existing binaries)
  -p, --project <name>     Specify project directory name (auto-detected if not provided)
  -b, --bootloader <name>  Specify bootloader directory name (auto-detected if not provided)
  --no-color               Disable colored output
  -h, --help               Show help message

🎯 Project Support

Simplicity Studio 5

• ✅ GNU ARM v12.2.1 toolchain
• ✅ Make-based builds
• ✅ Matter, Thread, Zigbee, Bluetooth projects
• ✅ Build directory: GNU ARM v12.2.1 - Default/

Simplicity Studio 6

• ✅ CMake + Ninja builds
• ✅ Auto-detects cmake_gcc/build structure
• ✅ Full Matter SDK support
• ✅ Automatic Ninja discovery in Silabs tools directory

🔧 How It Works

1. Auto-Detection: Scans for build directories (GNU ARM* or cmake_gcc)
2. Build System Selection: Automatically chooses Make or CMake/Ninja
3. Colored Output: Uses script command to preserve compiler colors
4. Parallel Builds: Detects CPU count and runs parallel jobs
5. Smart Flashing: Finds .s37 binaries and uses Simplicity Commander

🛠️ Requirements

• OS: macOS (tested on macOS 14.0+, should work on 11.0+)
• Tools: Simplicity Studio 5 or 6 installed
• Commander: Simplicity Commander (bundled with Studio)
• Shell: Bash 4.0+

📂 Project Structure

Your Simplicity Studio solution should look like this:

Studio 5 Structure:

YourSolution/
├── ssutil.sh
├── YourProject/
│   └── GNU ARM v12.2.1 - Default/
│       ├── makefile
│       └── *.o, *.s37
└── Matter-Bootloader/          # Optional
    └── GNU ARM v12.2.1 - Default/

Studio 6 Structure:

YourSolution/
├── ssutil.sh
├── YourProject/
│   └── cmake_gcc/
│       └── build/
│           └── base/*.s37
└── Matter-Bootloader/          # Optional
    └── cmake_gcc/build/

🎬 Example Workflow

# Day-to-day development
./ssutil.sh              # Quick build and flash

# After changing configuration or adding files
./ssutil.sh -c           # Clean build and flash

# CI/CD pipeline
./ssutil.sh -B --no-color > build.log 2>&1

# Recovering from corruption
./ssutil.sh -e           # Mass erase, rebuild bootloader, flash everything

🐛 Troubleshooting

"No project directory found"

• Make sure you're running the script from your Simplicity Studio solution directory
• Check that your project has a GNU ARM* or cmake_gcc/build directory

"Ninja: No such file or directory"

• The script will automatically find Ninja in /Users/<you>/.silabs/slt/installs/
• If not found, it falls back to cmake --build

Colors don't appear

• Colors are automatically disabled when output is piped
• Run directly in terminal: ./ssutil.sh (not ./ssutil.sh | tee)
• Use --no-color flag to explicitly disable

Build fails but GUI works

• Check build.log in your build directory for detailed errors
• Try running with -c for a clean build
• Verify Simplicity Studio can build the project

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

Reporting Bugs

• Open an issue with the bug label
• Include your OS version, Simplicity Studio version, and project type
• Attach relevant portions of build.log

Suggesting Features

• Open an issue with the enhancement label
• Describe your use case and proposed solution

Pull Requests

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Test with both SS5 and SS6 projects
4. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
5. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
6. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for the Silicon Labs embedded developer community
• Inspired by the need for faster CI/CD workflows
• Thanks to the Matter, Thread, and Zigbee communities for testing

📊 Roadmap

• Simplicity Studio 5 support
• Simplicity Studio 6 support
• Auto-detection of projects
• Colored build output
• Linux support
• Windows support (WSL/Git Bash)
• Global installation script
• Configuration file support (.ssutil.conf)
• Multiple project builds in one command

❓ FAQ

Q: Does this replace Simplicity Studio? A: No, it's a complement. Use it for faster command-line builds, CI/CD, or when you prefer terminal workflows.

Q: Will this work with my Matter/Thread/Zigbee project? A: Yes! It works with any Simplicity Studio project that uses Make or CMake.

Q: Can I use this in CI/CD? A: Absolutely! Use ./ssutil.sh -B --no-color for headless builds.

Q: Does it work on Linux/Windows? A: Currently macOS only. Linux support is planned. Windows may work via WSL (untested).

📬 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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⭐ If this tool saves you time, please consider giving it a star!

Made with ❤️ for the Silicon Labs developer community