ESP32-C5 is not in the launch target list in Espressif-IDE

[Weigen Qiu]

So I have installed the latest Espressif-IDE (Version: 3.4.0 Build id: 20250506-1512)
and the latest toolchain from the ESP-IDF master branch (ESP-IDF v5.5-dev-3951-ga74725a31b).

In the ESP-IDF command line, I was able to set esp32c5 as target with --preview as argument, and build it successfully.

However, in the Espressif-IDE, esp32C5 is not listed as launch target. Is there a way to enable the preview features in Espressif-IDE?

adding a custom target in Espressif-IDE does not resolve the issue. When creating a new launch target, it requires an IDF target, which is a drop down menu with a list of IDF supported targets, and ESP32-C5 is not in the list unfortunately. IDF support of ESP32-C5 is through --preview option

[ahsrabrifat]

To use ESP32-C5 in Espressif-IDE, you will need to edit the CMakeLists.txt file manually.

[Weigen Qiu]

Do you have examples of how to edit the CMakeLists.txt ?

I assume ESP32-C5 is similar to ESp32-C6 so most of the contents can be just copied from ESp32-C6 files

[kondalkolipaka]

Hello,

Please follow the instructions below.

How to Add ESP32-C5 Target in the IDE (Manual Configuration)

To add support for the ESP32-C5 (or any other target not listed by default in the IDE), follow these steps:

⸻

Step 1: Configure Toolchain
1. Go to Preferences → C/C++ → Core Build Toolchain.
2. Under User Defined Toolchain, click on Add….
3. Select GCC and configure as follows:
• Compiler:
/Users/testuser/.espressif/tools/riscv32-esp-elf/esp-14.2.0_20241119/riscv32-esp-elf/bin/riscv32-esp-elf-gcc
• Operating System: esp32c5
• CPU Arch: riscv32
4. Click Finish.

⸻

Step 2: Configure CMake Toolchain
1. Navigate to Preferences → C/C++ → CMake.
2. Click on Add….
3. Browse and select the ESP32-C5 CMake toolchain file:
/Users/testuser/esp/master/esp-idf/tools/cmake/toolchain-esp32c5.cmake
4. Choose the corresponding toolchain entry created in Step 1.
5. Click Finish.

⸻

Step 3: Add ESP32-C5 Launch Target
1. From the IDE’s top toolbar target list, click on New Launch Target.
2. Select ESP Target.
3. Provide the following details:
• Name: esp32c5
• IDF Target: esp32c5 (you can edit or reuse an existing entry)
4. Click Finish.

⸻

Step 4: Build a Project
• Create or open a project.
• Select esp32c5 from the target list.
• Build the project.

⸻

This setup should now enable building projects for the ESP32-C5 target.
If you run into any issues, feel free to reach out.


Attaching the screenshots for reference for building with the esp32c5 with the espressif-ide v3.4.0

Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 3.11.43 PM.png (1.05 MiB) Viewed 3018 times

Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 3.12.49 PM.png (678.38 KiB) Viewed 3018 times

Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 3.13.29 PM.png (296.22 KiB) Viewed 3018 times

Screenshot 2025-06-02 at 3.09.33 PM.png (1.74 MiB) Viewed 3018 times

[Weigen Qiu]

thank you kondalkolipaka, I followed your instructions and successfully compiled the hello world example code for the esp32c5 target.
and I will try flashing and debugging later on.

your help is appreciated.

[kondalkolipaka]

Hello,

We’ve added these instructions to our official documentation in case they’re helpful to someone in the future.
https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp ... chain.html