crosspad-mcp

Talk to your CrossPad. Let Claude do the toolchain.

crosspad-mcp is an MCP server that teaches Claude Code (or any MCP client) how to develop for the CrossPad pad controller. You say "flash the new build and check that it boots"; it runs the ESP-IDF build, asks you to confirm the flash, opens the console, runs the smoke scenario and tells you what happened — with the hardware traps already built in, so you don't have to remember which serial port reboots the board when you open it.

What you can do with it

Every card is a real prompt. The tools named underneath are what runs — you never have to call them yourself.

Quick start

claude mcp add crosspad -- npx -y crosspad-mcp-server

Restart Claude Code, then ask:

is my CrossPad connected, and is the toolchain set up?

That runs crosspad_doctor. Every failed check comes with a fix. The server assumes your repos live side by side under ~/GIT/ — if they don't, set the paths once.

Installing the bundled crosspad skill gives Claude the ecosystem map, the per-role guides and the hardware traps up front:

/plugin marketplace add CrossPad/crosspad-mcp
/plugin install crosspad@crosspad

How it is organised

Only the core toolset is visible when the server starts, so the tool list stays small. Claude enables the others as the conversation needs them — or you start the server with --toolsets device,sim.

flowchart LR
    core["core · always on<br/>devices · doctor · snapshot<br/>build · flash · repo status · tasks"]
    sim["sim<br/>PC simulator: run, screenshot,<br/>input, MIDI, settings, tests"]
    device["device<br/>the board over USB: console,<br/>CDC verbs, UI driving, USB mode"]
    hil["hil<br/>scenarios, pad stimulus,<br/>audio capture + analysis, BLE"]
    code["code<br/>symbols, interfaces,<br/>docs search"]
    git["git<br/>submodule drift,<br/>update, commit"]
    apps["apps<br/>crosspad-apps registry"]
    trace["trace<br/>SWD live variables"]
    core --> sim & device & code & git & apps
    device --> hil
    core --> trace

Anything that writes to a device or your host is tiered. Flashing, DFU and SWD writes come back as confirmation required first; --read-only removes every writing tool from the list entirely. Long operations (builds, flashes, scenarios) run as tasks you can check on, wait for or cancel.

Who is it for

• You build and drive CrossPad firmware — mostly the simulator, sometimes the board. Start with the user guide.
• You work on the firmware itself — flash, console, HIL scenarios, crash diagnosis, SWD. Read the firmware developer guide and HIL testing.
• You want to extend this server — the contributor guide and the Development section.

Going deeper

• Usage reference — every install path, every tool and toolset, resources and prompts, configuration, HTTP transport, the v10 migration table.
• FAQ — the questions that cost people an afternoon.
• CHANGELOG

License

MIT — part of the CrossPad project.