build

name	build
description	Configure and build ArduPilot firmware. Use when the user asks to compile, build, or configure for a board/vehicle.
argument-hint	<vehicle> [--board <board>]
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	Bash(./waf *), Read

Build ArduPilot Firmware

Build the requested vehicle/target. Parse $ARGUMENTS for the vehicle and optional board.

Argument parsing

Common patterns:

• /build copter — build ArduCopter for current board config
• /build plane --board sitl — configure for SITL then build Plane
• /build copter --board CubeOrange — configure and build for CubeOrange
• /build sitl — shorthand for configure sitl + build the last vehicle
• /build check — build and run changed unit tests
• /build --board sitl --debug copter — debug build

Workflow

Step 1: Configure (if board specified or not yet configured)

./waf configure --board <board>

Add --debug if requested.

Skip if no board specified and waf is already configured (check if build/ exists for current board).

Step 2: Build

Map vehicle names to waf targets:

Argument	Command
copter	./waf copter
plane	./waf plane
rover	./waf rover
sub	./waf sub
heli	./waf heli
tracker	./waf antennatracker
blimp	./waf blimp
periph	./waf AP_Periph
check	./waf check
check-all	./waf check-all
tests	./waf tests
clean	./waf clean

For specific targets:

./waf --targets bin/arducopter
./waf --targets tests/test_math

Step 3: Report results

• Report success/failure
• Show binary size if successful
• Show first few errors if build fails
• Suggest fixes for common errors (missing dependencies, wrong board, etc.)

Common issues

• "The project was not configured" — need to run ./waf configure --board <board> first
• Flash overflow — binary too large for target board, need to disable features
• Missing submodules — run git submodule update --init --recursive