| name | flash-corne |
| description | Download the latest GitHub Actions firmware and flash the Corne keyboard halves over UF2 (nice!nano v2). Use when the user wants to update, flash, or reflash their Corne / ZMK firmware on macOS. |
Flash Corne firmware
Automates fetching the latest CI firmware and copying it onto the nice!nano Corne halves. The only manual step is putting each half into bootloader mode — the host cannot trigger that remotely (a running ZMK board is just a USB HID device).
Helper script: .claude/skills/flash-corne/flash.sh (run via bash).
Procedure
-
Download the latest firmware
Run bash .claude/skills/flash-corne/flash.sh download. Report the build (title + commit) it found so the user knows it's current.
-
Decide which halves to flash
- Keymap / behavior / combo /
.conf changes → usually only the left (central) half needs reflashing.
- ZMK version bumps or split-config changes → flash both.
- If unsure, ask. Default to left only for keymap edits.
-
Flash each half, one at a time
For each half:
- Tell the user: "Put the half into bootloader now — NAV layer + top outer corner (left corner = left half, right corner = right half), or double-tap the reset button."
- Run
bash .claude/skills/flash-corne/flash.sh flash <half> with run_in_background: true — the script polls with sleep, which is blocked when run in the foreground via the Bash tool. Read the task output file when it completes.
- Report success/failure.
-
Verify (optional)
ioreg -p IOUSB -l | grep '"USB Product Name" = "Corne"' confirms the half rebooted back into ZMK firmware (so it isn't bricked / still stuck in the bootloader).
Wiping BLE bonds (settings_reset)
Use this only when a profile slot is stuck — it advertises, the host sees it, and pairing fails every time no matter how often BT_CLR is pressed. That means Zephyr still holds a bond ZMK no longer tracks, and no in-keymap clear can reach it.
flash.sh flash reset writes the settings_reset firmware, which erases the settings partition on whichever half it lands on. The full cycle:
flash.sh flash reset on the left half, then again on the right half.flash.sh flash left and flash.sh flash right to put the normal firmware back.- Re-pair every host. All profiles are empty now, and the halves re-bond to each other on their own.
While settings_reset is loaded the screen is dark and the radio is dead — the shield forces ZMK_BLE=n and ZMK_DISPLAY=n. That is expected, not a failed flash. Never stop after step 1.
Notes
- macOS
cp prints could not copy extended attributes ... Device not configured — this is normal; only metadata fails, the firmware payload transfers fine. The script treats NICENANO unmounting as the success signal.
- Only the USB-connected half can enter the bootloader. To do both halves, flash one, then plug USB into / bootloader the other.
- Bootloader keys live on the NAV layer top outer corners (added to
config/corne.keymap): left pinky-top = left half, right pinky-top = right half. They only work after the keymap that defines them has itself been flashed once.
- Repo override: set
CORNE_REPO if the GitHub repo isn't mseok/zmk-config. Branch override: CORNE_BRANCH (default main) — needed to flash a build from a feature branch before it is merged. Wait override: WAIT_SECS.
- Direct use (no agent): the user can also just run
bash .claude/skills/flash-corne/flash.sh both in a terminal and press the bootloader combo when prompted.
