Troubleshooting

Step-by-step fixes for debug probe, SWD and flash programming errors on ARM Cortex-M targets — the same errors MCUHex reports in-app, explained in depth.

SDK & Connection

The local bridge, USB probes and getting a stable link to your board.

SDK not running

The MCUHex SDK server is not reachable.

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Connection lost

The connection to the SDK server was dropped.

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No devices found

The SDK is running but no debug probes were detected.

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No device selected

Please select a device before connecting.

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Device is busy

Another tool or debugger is connected to this device.

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Permission denied

Your OS is blocking access to the USB device.

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Probe driver mismatch

The selected probe driver does not match the connected hardware.

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Connection timed out

The device did not respond in time.

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Device disconnected

The USB device was removed during the session.

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Memory operation failed

Could not read or write to the device memory.

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Command timed out

The SDK server did not respond to a command in time.

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Connection error

An unexpected error occurred.

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Cortex-M & SWD

Target-side failures: locked debug ports, SWD faults, resets and HardFaults.

Debug port locked

The target debug port is secured (RDP or APPROTECT is active).

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SWD protocol error

A wire-level fault occurred on the SWD/JTAG interface.

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Target held in reset

The target MCU is being held in reset and cannot communicate.

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Target not halted

The target is running and memory cannot be accessed safely.

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Flash write protected

The target flash region is write-protected.

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Unsupported target

The connected MCU is not recognized by the probe driver.

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HardFault detected

The target MCU has entered a HardFault exception.

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Flash & Files

Firmware programming, verification and file selection problems.

File not found

The selected firmware file does not exist on the SDK host.

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Unsupported file format

Only .hex, .bin, .elf, and .axf firmware files are supported.

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Flash verification failed

The programmed data does not match the source file.

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Flash in progress

Another flash operation is already running.

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Probe not connected

Connect to a debug probe before flashing.

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Flash cancelled

The flash operation was cancelled.

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Target memory map unknown

PyOCD could not determine the flash region for this MCU. The target was probably auto-detected as generic Cortex-M without a memory map.

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Flash programming rejected

The flash controller rejected a page write (PGSERR). Usually this means the target is running, write-protected, or requires a full chip erase before re-programming.

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Access denied

Cannot read the requested directory.

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Invalid path

The requested path does not exist or is not a directory.

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ELF & Debug Symbols

Getting your build’s symbols into MCUHex: file formats, size limits and uploads.

Invalid file type

Only .elf and .out files are supported.

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File too large

Files must be under 50 MB.

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Parsing failed

The file could not be parsed for debug symbols.

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Parsing timed out

The server took too long to process this file.

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Upload failed

The file could not be uploaded to the server.

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Connection error

Could not reach the server.

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Sign in required

You need to sign in to upload and parse files.

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Something went wrong

An unexpected error occurred.

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