Getting Started with S32 Design Studio AI Support and the FRDM-A-S32K312 Board
This guide explains how to set up S32 Design Studio AI Support with Claude Desktop, and then verify the setup by importing, building and flashing the Blinking LED example from Application Code Hub on the FRDM-A-S32K312 board.
Prerequisites
NXP account – free and required for all NXP downloads. You can create one when prompted in the next step.
Python 3.11 to 3.14 – download the Windows installer from Python.org. During installation, select Add python.exe to PATH. On the last page, click Disable path length limit if it is shown.
To verify the installation, open a new Command Prompt and run python --version or py --version .
NXP S32 software tools
FRDM Automotive S32K3 + S32M27 Board Installation Package - download and run the installer as administrator from Automotive Software Package Manager | NXP Semiconductors
Known Windows path-length limitation: If the installation fails because a file path is too long, rerun the installer and select a shorter installation directory, such as C:\NXP\K3
S32 Design Studio v.3.6.11 - Update the version using the S32 Design Studio Platform package available in the S32DS Extensions and Updates panel: S32 Design Studio -> Help -> S32DS Extensions and Updates -> S32 Design Studio Platform package -> Update
S32 Design Studio MCP Integration plugin v.1.0.3 - Install it from S32DS Extensions and Updates panel
S32 Design Studio AI Support - download the .pyz installer from the latest release on Releases · nxp-agentic-ai/s32-ds-ai-support, under Assets. Note the folder where it is saved.
An MCP-compatible AI agent - this guide uses Claude Desktop as example, but any MCP-compatible AI agent can be used Claude Desktop - download it from claude.com/download, install it and sign in with your Claude account.
FRDM-A-S32K312 board and a USB cable
Installation
Close Claude Desktop completely, including from the system tray (right-click the Claude icon → Close). Otherwise, the MCP registration may fail.
Open a Command Prompt in the folder containing the s32ds-agentic-ai-installer-{version}.pyz file (open the folder in File Explorer, type cmd in the address bar and press Enter)
Run the command below, replacing {version} with the version in the file name. When prompted, press Enter to accept the default install location (C:/NXP/s32ds-agentic-ai) or type another path, then press Enter again to install all components. Then, select for which agents you want the MCP Server to be configured and then the skills to be copied. Choose 1 for Claude Desktop.
For all installer options, see the README on GitHub – S32 Design Studio AI Support
python s32ds-agentic-ai-installer-{version}.pyz
The MCP servers and skills should be now installed and registered in the specified agent.
To verify in Claude Desktop, open Settings → Developer and check that the NXP S32 Design Studio MCP Server is listed without errors. To check that the skills were installed, type / in Claude Code. The installed skills should appear in the list.
If the MCP server is not listed, check the troubleshooting section.
Start prompting
Connect the board to the laptop with the USB cable, open your AI agent and send the prompt below, replacing the paths with your own. The agent imports the Blinking LED example from Application Code Hub into S32 Design Studio, builds it and flashes it to the board.
“S32 Design Studio is installed in C:\NXP\S32DS.3.6.8 and my workspace is C:\S32DS_Workspace. Import the Blinking LED example for the FRDM-A-S32K312 board from Application Code Hub, generate the configuration code, build the project and flash it to the board connected over USB.”
Troubleshooting
Known Claude Desktop limitation on Windows (MSIX)
Due to a known Claude Desktop MSIX configuration issue on Windows (community issue #26073), Claude Desktop may not detect MCP servers that were automatically registered during installation. If this occurs, manually register the MCP Gateway using the steps below:
Open Claude Desktop.
Go to Settings → Developer → Edit Config
In the existing mcpServers object, add the following s32ds-agentic-ai entry:
{
"mcpServers": {
"s32ds-agentic-ai": {
"command": "C:/NXP/s32ds-agentic-ai/run-mcp.bat",
"args": [
"nxp.mcp.gateway",
"configs/gateway.stdio.yaml"
],
"disabled": false
}
}
}
Important. If other MCP servers are already configured, add only the s32ds-agentic-ai entry inside the existing mcpServers object. Do not replace or overwrite the existing configuration. The example above assumes the default installation structure. If a different installation directory was selected, adjust the command path accordingly.
4. Save the configuration. 5. Restart Claude Desktop. 6. Go to Settings → Developer and verify that the MCP server is listed without errors.
Getting Started
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