topic Remote LinkServer launch config in MCX Microcontrollers

Remote LinkServer launch config

raimbowgeddon — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:45:41 GMT

Hello everybody,

Im developing a Zephyr application without MCUXpresso IDE, i wrote a launch configuration in my launch.json file to connect to a remote LinkServer instance connected to a FRDM_MCXN957 board, this currently works flawlessly.

The issue at hand is that now im developing the application to be booted by MCUBoot, and thus it should be flashed as a signed image at a specific flash offset (being 0x14000 by how i defined the partitions), it seems like the configuration is loading the .elf directly, so there's no informations on the signing and MCUBoot doesnt recognize any image in the slots, failing to boot.

I tried modifying the launch configuration adding a step where it flashes in memory the correct signed image after connecting and loading symbols, but its currently not yielding any effect, here is the config:

{ "type": "cppdbg", "name": "Remote NXP", "request": "launch", "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}", "MIMode": "gdb", "program": "${workspaceFolder}/build/frdm_mcxn947_for_bootloader/zephyr/zephyr.elf", "miDebuggerPath": "/home/fez/zephyr-sdk-0.17.4/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin/arm-zephyr-eabi-gdb", "miDebuggerServerAddress": "192.168.1.70:3333", "stopAtEntry": true, "setupCommands": [ {"text": "set remotetimeout 600"}, {"text": "set debug-file-directory"}, {"text": "set non-stop off"} ], "postRemoteConnectCommands": [ { "text": "load" }, { "text": "flash MCXN947 load ${workspaceFolder}/build/frdm_mcxn947_for_bootloader/zephyr/zephyr.signed.bin -a 0x14000" }, { "text": "monitor reset" } ], },

If i manualy flash with LinkServer with the same command in a terminal and then reset the board with the dedicated button the application is correctly booted and run, so the image itself is fine

I've been battling with this issue for the last few days with no success, so any help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance

Re: Remote LinkServer launch config

Harry_Zhang — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:23:19 GMT

Hi @raimbowgeddon

I think the load of GDB will directly write ELF (excluding MCUboot header/TLV) into flash, causing the MCUboot header starting with Slot0 to be cleared or incorrect, and therefore unable to start.

I think you can try burning MCUboot and the signed app image into LinkServer first, and then only attach ELF (load symbol) when debugging, without writing flash.

How to debug a signed Zephyr application with MCUboot: ELF file missing header data · zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr · Discussion #88918 · GitHub

Harry

Re: Remote LinkServer launch config

raimbowgeddon — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 19:58:43 GMT

@Harry_Zhang
Hello Harry, thank you so much for replying
I see where you are coming from, which i already tried and rest assured it works fine.
Regardless, i would still want to be able to flash both the bootloader and the application, so that i have more flexibility in debugging and switching from build presets targeting a standalone image and an image booted by the bootloader, i managed to achieve this by switching to the MCUXpresso integrated IDE as it seems to have a more understandable debug configurations, and this is what i've come up with:

{ "type": "mcuxpresso-debug", "name": "Remote Bootloader", "request": "launch", "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}", "executable": { "elf": "${workspaceFolder}/build/frdm_mcxn947_for_bootloader/zephyr/zephyr.elf", "binary": { "path": "${workspaceFolder}/build/frdm_mcxn947_for_bootloader/zephyr/zephyr.signed.bin", "address": 81920 } }, "extraLoadFiles": [ "${workspaceFolder}/bootloader/zephyr_dbg_swapAndEnc.elf" ], "extraSymbolFiles": [ "${workspaceFolder}/build/frdm_mcxn947_for_bootloader/zephyr/zephyr.elf" ], "gdbServerTargetRemote": "192.168.1.70:3333", "executableLoadTypePriority": "bin", "stopAtSymbol": "main", "probeSerialNumber": "ONFT5WRYQ4BEZ", "isAttach": false, "skipBuildBeforeDebug": true, "gdbServerConfigs": { "linkserver": { }, "segger": {}, "pemicro": {} }, "showDevDebugOutput": "none", "probeType": "LinkServer", },

This achieves exactly what im looking for, then i tried to use this same configuration inside of the original project which isnt contained inside of the MCUExpresso ide extension, but when pressing Run, VSCode seems to get stuck and doesnt show any signs of life, so i guess the extension is doing something that is needed in the background prior to executing this process, do you have any knowledge on what it might be? VSCode outside of the MCUXpresso extension recognizes the debug configuration of type "mcuxpresso-debug", its just when i try to run it that it freezes

Re: Remote LinkServer launch config

Harry_Zhang — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 01:59:31 GMT

Hi @raimbowgeddon

I need to test it and I will reply to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your understanding.

Harry