Hello,
I am working with S32K144 using S32 Design Studio 3.4.
While debugging my user-created application, I encountered a PE Micro Connection Assistant error (as shown in the attached image). The error appears during debug launch, even though the project builds.
After investigation, I noticed the following:
In the DIO_Toggled_S32K144 example, under
MCAL → Port Configuration → PortConfigSet → PortContainer → UntouchedPortPin,
the following pins are enabled by default:
EXTAL (pin 39)
XTAL (pin 38)
RESET_B (pin 5)
JTAG_TCK (pin 68)
JTAG_TDI (pin 69)
JTAG_TDO (pin 10)
JTAG_TMS (pin 4)
This example debugs correctly without any issue.


In my new user application, I enabled only the RED LED pin in Dio and Port configuration, but I did not enable the above UntouchedPortPin entries.


After flashing and starting debug, the PE Micro Connection Assistant error occurs, and the debugger cannot connect to the target.

Based on this, I suspect the issue is related to missing configuration of debug-related pins (JTAG, RESET, XTAL/EXTAL).
Could you please clarify:
Are the JTAG, RESET_B, and XTAL/EXTAL pins mandatory to be enabled under UntouchedPortPin for proper PE Micro debugging?
Is not enabling these pins the root cause of the PE Micro Connection Assistant error?
For user-created applications, is it recommended to always copy the UntouchedPortPin configuration from NXP example projects?
What is the correct and recommended way to resolve this issue and avoid debugger connection failures?
Is there any official checklist or guideline for Port/Dio configuration when creating a project from scratch?
Any guidance on the correct port configuration and debug-safe pin setup would be very helpful.
Thank you for your support.