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Toolchains

The Zephyr Software Development Kit (SDK) provides toolchains for supported architectures. Zephyr Workbench allows you to:

  • Import full or minimal Zephyr SDKs
  • Register a locally installed SDK
  • Add IAR ARM toolchains

To get started, click on Toolchains > Import Toolchain in the sidebar.

Import Toolchain

Source Location Options​

You can choose from the following source locations when adding a toolchain:

Official SDK​

  • Download the SDK from official servers.
  • Select full or minimal installation.
  • Choose the version and architectures.
  • Specify the destination folder.

Remote Archive​

  • Provide a URL pointing to a Zephyr SDK archive.
  • Set the destination directory where it should be extracted.

Local Folder​

  • Register an SDK already installed on your system.

IAR ARM Toolchain Support​

Zephyr Workbench supports importing the IAR ARM Toolchain, which requires additional input fields:

  • Zephyr SDK Path: A path to an already installed Zephyr SDK on your host system.
  • Token: A license token required for IAR tool usage.
tip

The Download binaries link opens the Zephyr IAR GitHub Releases page in your browser.

Zephyr IAR Toolchain Import

note

The Zephyr SDK is still necessary even if the IAR ARM Toolchain is used for building Zephyr applications. This is because tools such as the Device Tree Compiler (DTC), QEMU, and GNU utilities like the preprocessor and objcopy are still required in the build process. The Zephyr SDK provides these components.

Steps:​

  1. Open the Add Toolchain panel.
  2. Select IAR ARM Toolchain as the source.
  3. Select the Zephyr SDK, Token, and IAR Toolchain folder location.
  4. Click Import.

Supported Toolchains​

The Zephyr SDK includes support for the following architectures:

  • aarch64-zephyr-elf
  • arc64-zephyr-elf
  • arc-zephyr-elf
  • arm-zephyr-eabi
  • microblazeel-zephyr-elf
  • mips-zephyr-elf
  • nios2-zephyr-elf
  • riscv64-zephyr-elf
  • sparc-zephyr-elf
  • x86_64-zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-dc233c_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-espressif_esp32(_s2/_s3)_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-intel_ace15_mtpm_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-intel_tgl_adsp_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-mtk_mt8195_adsp_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-nxp_(imx/imx8m/ulp/rt500/rt600)_adsp_zephyr-elf
  • xtensa-sample_controller_zephyr-elf

Manage Toolchains​

Once imported, toolchains are listed in the TOOLCHAINS panel in the sidebar. They are registered globally in VS Code and are accessible across all projects.

Manage Toolchains

Available actions:

  • Add Toolchain: Register another SDK or toolchain.
  • Remove Toolchain: Unregister it without deleting files.
  • Delete Toolchain: Permanently remove its files from disk.
tip

When an IAR ARM Toolchain is expanded in the list, the associated Zephyr SDK it relies on is also displayed for clarity.

note

Toolchains are shared across all applications and workspaces within Zephyr Workbench.