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rust-embedded/cortex-m-quickstart is archived and no longer maintained. Its repository recommends using Knurling’s app-template or following the getting-started guide for your chosen framework or hardware abstraction layer (HAL). For a new Cortex-M project, app-template provides a current starting point built around probe-rs, defmt and flip-link; you still need to choose the correct target and chip-specific memory layout.
Is cortex-m-quickstart still maintained?
No. The repository is archived and read-only. Its README says: “This repository previously contained a template for building applications for ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers, but it has been deprecated and is no longer maintained.” Treat its setup instructions as historical guidance, not as the recommended workflow for a new project.
What did the old template provide?
A bare-metal Rust application needs more than application code. It must use a no_std setup, target the chip’s processor architecture, and link code into the device’s actual Flash and RAM regions. The Embedded Rust Book explains why linker files and settings matter: the linker must place program sections in the memory available on the device.
The quickstart gathered that first-project setup into a template: Cargo metadata, Cortex-M runtime dependencies, target configuration, linker and memory conventions, examples, and a build-and-debug path. Historical instructions used cortex-m, cortex-m-rt, cortex-m-semihosting and panic-semihosting. The archived guidance identified version 0.3.4 for its template; that is a historical version, not a current release recommendation.
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What replaces it?
The archived repository points readers to Knurling’s app-template or to the setup guide for their selected framework or HAL. The template describes itself as a quick way to start a probe-rs + defmt + flip-link project. This differs from the older quickstart’s OpenOCD/GDB and semihosting-centered instructions.
| Setup concern | Archived quickstart | app-template workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Project creation | Clone the template, then edit its Cargo configuration. | Generate a project with cargo-generate. |
| Target and chip | Install and select the target matching the MCU core; add the appropriate device support. | Choose the matching thumb target and configure the real chip for probe-rs. |
| Memory layout | Provide a device-appropriate memory.x when the board support crate does not. |
The HAL may supply the memory layout; otherwise provide memory.x, which is consumed through cortex-m-rt’s link.x. |
| Panic and logging | Historical guidance includes panic-semihosting and semihosting. |
The template is organized around defmt; use its configuration and the selected HAL’s guidance. |
| Flashing and debugging | Instructions center on OpenOCD and ARM GDB. | The example uses probe-rs-based tooling; cargo-embed can build, detect a probe, upload, reset, start RTT, and start a GDB server. |
How do you start a Rust Cortex-M project?
- Install the template’s prerequisites. Install
cargo-generate,flip-linkand the requiredprobe-rstools, following the current template’s setup instructions. - Generate the project. Run
cargo generate --git https://github.com/knurling-rs/app-template --branch main --name my-app. - Choose the chip and target. Set the actual chip in
.cargo/config.toml, identify its Cortex-M core, and install the corresponding Rust target withrustup target add <target>. - Add the board’s HAL. Import the appropriate HAL so its device and memory configuration can be used. Check its instructions to determine whether it supplies the linker memory layout or requires a manual
memory.x. - Configure and run the probe workflow. Follow the project’s
probe-rsrunner configuration, then build and flash the application. Withcargo-embed, the configured workflow can also reset the device, start RTT, and launch a GDB server.
The template’s worked example uses an nRF52840 Development Kit, configures nRF52840_xxAA for probe-rs, and adds nrf52840-hal. That is an example, not a universal board configuration: verify that your chosen board and chip are supported by the HAL and compatible with your debug probe.
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Which thumb target does your Cortex-M chip need?
Select the Rust target from the processor core and floating-point support, not simply from the board’s product name.
| Processor | Rust target |
|---|---|
| Cortex-M0 or M0+ | thumbv6m-none-eabi |
| Cortex-M3 | thumbv7m-none-eabi |
| Cortex-M4 or M7 without an FPU | thumbv7em-none-eabi |
| Cortex-M4F or M7F with hardware floating point | thumbv7em-none-eabihf |
For example, once you have confirmed the processor, install its target with rustup target add thumbv7em-none-eabihf for a Cortex-M4F or M7F. Use the target that matches your chip’s core and floating-point configuration; a mismatch can make an otherwise valid project fail to compile or run correctly.
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Where does memory.x come from?
The memory map must match the actual chip or board. Some HALs or board support crates provide the required configuration; otherwise, the project needs a suitable memory.x. In app-template, cortex-m-rt’s link.x consumes that file during linking.
The Embedded Rust Book’s example specifies 256 KiB of Flash at 0x0800_0000 and 40 KiB of RAM at 0x2000_0000. Those figures are values for the book’s example device, not default Cortex-M memory sizes. Check the chip documentation and HAL instructions before using or editing a memory layout.
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How do you flash and debug embedded Rust?
The workflow depends on the template’s runner configuration, the chip and a compatible debug probe. In the current template’s probe-rs-oriented setup, cargo-embed provides an integrated path to build, detect a probe, upload and reset the program, start RTT, and open a GDB server. RTT is a way for firmware to exchange diagnostic data through a supported debug connection. For probe selection and board compatibility, use the documentation for your hardware and tools rather than assuming every probe supports every board.
The old quickstart instead documented OpenOCD with ARM GDB and included semihosting-related crates. Readers maintaining an older project can use its archived instructions as context, but should check current tool and HAL documentation before relying on those commands or dependencies.
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