ota-update

name	ota-update
description	Compile and OTA flash ESP32 firmware over WiFi. Use when the user says "OTA", "OTA update", "OTA flash", "wireless update", or wants to update the ESP32 without USB.

OTA Update ESP32

Compile firmware and flash it to the ESP32 over WiFi (no USB required).

Platform Detection

uname -s

• Darwin → macOS flow
• MINGW/MSYS/CYGWIN → Windows/Git Bash flow

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macOS Steps

1. Compile and OTA flash

export PATH=~/bin:$PATH && bash build.sh ota

This compiles the firmware and uploads via espota.py to overhead-tracker.local:3232.

To target a specific IP instead of mDNS:

export PATH=~/bin:$PATH && OVERHEAD_TRACKER_IP=<IP> bash build.sh ota

Prerequisites (already installed)

• arduino-cli at ~/bin/arduino-cli
• python symlink at ~/bin/python (espota.py needs python, macOS only has python3)
• ESP32 core 3.3.7 at ~/Library/Arduino15/packages/esp32

If arduino-cli is missing, install it:

mkdir -p ~/bin && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arduino/arduino-cli/master/install.sh | BINDIR=~/bin sh

If python symlink is missing:

ln -sf $(which python3) ~/bin/python

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Windows (Git Bash) Steps

1. Compile and OTA flash

cd /c/Users/maxim/localized-air-traffic-tracker && ./build.sh ota

To target a specific IP:

cd /c/Users/maxim/localized-air-traffic-tracker && OVERHEAD_TRACKER_IP=<IP> ./build.sh ota

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Troubleshooting

• "espota not found" → The ESP32 core may be missing or at a different path. Check find ~/Library/Arduino15/packages/esp32 -name "espota.py" (macOS) or set ESPOTA env var.
• "No response from device" → ESP32 may not be on the network. Verify it's connected to WiFi and reachable: ping overhead-tracker.local
• "env: python: No such file or directory" → espota.py needs python in PATH. Run: ln -sf $(which python3) ~/bin/python

Report summary

Tell the user:

• Compilation result (flash size / RAM usage)
• OTA result (success/fail)
• If failed, suggest checking network connectivity to the ESP32