DOCS/BKPT PROBE TOOLS
BKPT LABS · PROBE TOOLS
BKPT LABS · PROBE TOOLS
BKPT probe tools
Two native command-line tools drive a debug probe for the BKPT Labs products. They ship inside the BKPT Debug extension and BKPT Studio (resources/bins), and they are what those products spawn; nothing here needs a vendor install beyond the probe's USB driver. Both work on Windows, macOS and Linux, and both speak JSON.
| TOOL | WHAT IT IS |
|---|---|
| bkpt_probe | One-shot probe operations: list probes, identify a target, read and write memory, detect the trace hardware a core has, decode a fault, recover a wedged ST-LINK. Every verb prints one JSON object. |
| bkpt_gdbserver | A GDB remote server over an ST-LINK, a J-Link, or the BKPT#1 FPGA probe, with side channels for live memory reads, non-halting PC sampling and raw SWO while the core runs, and monitor commands for hardware trace, fault catching and ETM. |
Probes
| --PROBE | DRIVER | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
stlink | Raw USB (libusb), no ST software needed | ST-LINK/V2, V2-1, STLINK-V3 (SWO receiver on V3 and V2 firmware J13+; V3 up to 24 MHz) |
jlink | The SEGGER library (--jlink-dir points at the install when it is not on the default path) | SWO through JLINKARM_SWO_*; pass --device for a reliable attach |
vacore | Serial link to the BKPT#1 probe (--port /dev/ttyUSBn, --swclk MHZ) | The FPGA probe, ETM capture through the trace port |
--serial S pins a probe when several are attached; bkpt_probe list shows them. With two probes on one machine always pin the serial: the tools refuse to guess only when the kinds match, and a wrong pick halts the wrong board.
Versions
Both print one line with --version: bkpt_probe 1.0.0 (git 694cd2c, built 2026-08-29). The two tools are built and versioned together from the BKPT-One repository (VA_core/host).