Secfest2026BadgeCode/autoflasher

rp2040-autoflash

Automatically flash any number of RP2040 boards the moment they're plugged in holding BOOTSEL. Drop a .uf2 into a folder, connect a board, and it gets programmed — no host software, no button-mashing, no per-board commands.

Multiple boards connected at the same time are flashed in parallel, each isolated from the others.

How it works

1. A udev rule matches the RP2040's BOOTSEL USB IDs (2e8a:0003) when it appears as a block device.
2. udev hands the event off to a systemd template service (rp2040-flash@sdX.service) so the work runs asynchronously and udev doesn't time out. Each connected board gets its own service instance.
3. The service runs a bash script that mounts the BOOTSEL drive, copies the UF2 from the firmware directory, and cleans up. The RP2040 reboots itself the moment the UF2 finishes writing.

Requirements

• Linux with systemd and udev (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Raspberry Pi OS, etc.)
• mount, vfat filesystem support (standard on every desktop distro)
• root access for installation

Files

File	Destination
99-rp2040-flash.rules	/etc/udev/rules.d/
rp2040-flash@.service	/etc/systemd/system/
flash-rp2040.sh	/usr/local/bin/

Installation

sudo install -m 755 flash-rp2040.sh        /usr/local/bin/flash-rp2040.sh
sudo install -m 644 99-rp2040-flash.rules  /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo install -m 644 rp2040-flash@.service  /etc/systemd/system/

sudo mkdir -p /opt/rp2040-firmware

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

Usage

1. Place a UF2 file in /opt/rp2040-firmware/.
   • If a file named firmware.uf2 exists, it is used.
   • Otherwise, the most recently modified *.uf2 in the directory is used.
2. Connect an RP2040 while holding BOOTSEL (or with BOOTSEL already engaged).
3. The board flashes and reboots automatically — typically within a second or two of being detected.
4. Repeat with as many boards as your USB ports/hubs can supply. They flash independently and in parallel.

Updating the firmware

Just replace the file:

sudo cp new-build.uf2 /opt/rp2040-firmware/firmware.uf2

No service restart or udev reload is needed — the script reads the directory on every flash.

Configuration

Firmware directory

Edit rp2040-flash@.service and change:

Environment=RP2040_FIRMWARE_DIR=/opt/rp2040-firmware

Then reload:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Supporting RP2350

The default rule matches ID_MODEL_ID==0003 (RP2040). To also match RP2350, edit 99-rp2040-flash.rules and replace the model match with:

ENV{ID_MODEL_ID}=="0003|000f"

…or add a second rule line for 000f.

Avoiding desktop auto-mount races

If you run a desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, etc.) that auto-mounts removable storage, it may grab the BOOTSEL drive before the script does. Add this to the udev rule to suppress that:

ENV{UDISKS_IGNORE}="1"

Monitoring

Live tail of all flash activity:

journalctl -t 'rp2040-flash*' -f

Or the dedicated log file:

tail -f /var/log/rp2040-flash.log

Status of a specific in-flight flash (replace sdb):

systemctl status 'rp2040-flash@sdb.service'

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I plug in a board. Check that the board enumerates as 2e8a:0003:

lsusb | grep 2e8a

If the VID/PID is correct but no service starts, verify the rule loaded:

udevadm monitor --udev --subsystem-match=block

then plug the board in. You should see an add event and a SYSTEMD_WANTS=rp2040-flash@... property.

The service starts but flashing fails. Look at the log:

tail -n 50 /var/log/rp2040-flash.log

Common causes: the firmware directory is empty, the .uf2 is corrupt, or the desktop auto-mounter grabbed the drive first (see configuration above).

cp / sync errors in the log. These are usually harmless. The RP2040 disconnects from USB the instant the UF2 has been written, so the kernel sees an unclean unmount even though the flash succeeded. The "Flash sequence finished" line is what matters.

Board flashes but doesn't run my code. That's a firmware problem, not a flashing problem — the same UF2 dropped manually onto the BOOTSEL drive will fail in the same way. Verify the build.

Uninstallation

sudo rm /etc/udev/rules.d/99-rp2040-flash.rules
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/rp2040-flash@.service
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/flash-rp2040.sh
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo systemctl daemon-reload