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Setup

Install the tools you need for the binding(s) and deployment target(s) you'll work with. Most setup is lazy — the build system fetches the ARM toolchain, Renode, and Zig automatically when first needed. You only have to install host-level prerequisites up front.

Always required

Tool Minimum version Notes
Python 3 3.9+ Required for the ove CLI and Kconfig
python3-venv — Required to create the .venv environment
CMake 3.20+ Used by Zephyr and NuttX build systems
Git — Source checkout and RTOS source downloads
A native C/C++ compiler gcc or clang Builds the POSIX backend, the C and C++ bindings, and the framework's own tooling

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install python3 python3-venv cmake git build-essential

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install python3 cmake git gcc gcc-c++

Language toolchains

oveRTOS ships first-class bindings for four languages. Install the toolchain for the binding(s) you're authoring in. The build system invokes each lazily — you can work in C++ without installing Rust or Zig.

C / C++

Already covered above (gcc or clang). No further setup.

Rust (≥ 1.85)

Required when authoring in Rust. Install via rustup:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
rustup target add thumbv7em-none-eabihf   # for ARM embedded targets

The pinned toolchain version is recorded in rust-toolchain.toml; rustup picks it up automatically on first invocation.

Zig (≥ 0.16.0)

Required when authoring in Zig. Two options:

  • Let the build system fetch it (recommended for first-time setup):
make ensure-toolchain-zig

The pinned Zig lands under output/toolchains/zig-*/ and the build system uses it transparently.

Deployment-target toolchains

For embedded deployment targets (stm32f746g-discovery, qemu-mps2-an500) you need a cross-compiler. The default automatic download fetches arm-gnu-toolchain-15.2.rel1-x86_64-arm-none-eabi — no manual install needed.

To install a system toolchain instead:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install gcc-arm-none-eabi

# Or download directly from developer.arm.com
# https://developer.arm.com/downloads/-/arm-gnu-toolchain-downloads

Then point the build system at it via Kconfig (Toolchain menu).

QEMU (for emulated targets)

Required when the selected board is qemu-mps2-an500:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install qemu-system-arm

# Fedora
sudo dnf install qemu-system-arm

Not needed for POSIX or hardware-flash workflows.

OpenOCD (for hardware flashing)

Required only to flash the STM32F746G-Discovery (make flash):

sudo apt install openocd

Setting up the ove CLI

The build system runs through the ove CLI tool, which is installed into a local Python virtual environment. Run:

make setup

This will:

  1. Check that python3 and the venv module are available
  2. Create .venv/ in the project root
  3. Install all Python dependencies from config/requirements.txt
  4. Install the ove CLI from config/ove-cli/ in editable mode

After setup, the ove command is available at .venv/bin/ove and is used automatically by every make target.

Manual setup (alternative)

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/pip install -r config/requirements.txt
.venv/bin/pip install -e config/ove-cli

Re-running setup

To force a clean reinstall of the virtual environment:

make setup

The setup target removes the existing stamp file and recreates the environment from scratch.

Verify your environment

After setup, run:

make doctor

It probes every required and optional tool and reports green / yellow / red. See Doctor for what each check means.