Software Ecosystem

Discover compatible development environments, frameworks, libraries, and integrations to get started with development and bring your XIAO projects to life.

Act one

Official software

Connect devices, reuse your development workflow and turn prototypes into working products with software built for XIAO.

01Smart home integration

Home Assistant Discovery

Turn a XIAO into a smart sensor or a home-control terminal, using the Arduino or PlatformIO workflow you already know.

Why it matters

A custom device needs to expose its readings and controls to Home Assistant before it can take part in your home's automations.

What it brings

A Home Assistant integration paired with Arduino libraries handles discovery and two-way communication. Supported XIAO boards can report sensors, receive commands and read existing smart-device states over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Home Assistant integration
Arduino / PlatformIO
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth

How to use it

Install the integration through HACS in Home Assistant.
Add the library in Arduino IDE or PlatformIO and adapt a sensor or control example.
Connect the board and use its entities in dashboards and automations; ready-made examples also have a web flasher.

What it can do

Sensor reporting
Two-way control
Device state access
Automatic discovery

BoardsXIAO ESP32-C3 · XIAO ESP32-C5 · XIAO ESP32-C6 · XIAO ESP32-S3 · XIAO nRF52840

View project Try web flasher

02One platform across chips

XIAO Zephyr Assistant

Develop XIAO boards from different chip families on one software platform, with a shared workflow inside VS Code.

Why it matters

Switching chip vendors often means learning another SDK and rebuilding the same peripheral setup. That work slows down hardware choices and project reuse.

What it brings

The VS Code extension brings XIAO boards, Grove examples and support status into a Zephyr-based workspace. Browse hardware, create a project, then build, flash and monitor it through one interface. Available features follow each board's support status.

VS Code extension
Zephyr RTOS
Cross-chip development

How to use it

Follow the repository setup for the VS Code extension and Zephyr tools.
Select a XIAO and a supported example, then create your project.
Build, flash and monitor in VS Code; reuse the workflow when changing boards.

What it can do

Shared development workflow
Grove examples
Board support status
Project reuse

BoardsXIAO SAMD21 · XIAO nRF52840 · XIAO nRF54L15 · XIAO MG24 · XIAO RP2040 · XIAO RP2350 · XIAO ESP32-C3 · XIAO ESP32-S3 · XIAO ESP32-C6 · XIAO RA4M1

Explore XIAO Zephyr

03One graphics library

Seeed GFX2

Build interfaces for Seeed MCU display products with a common graphics library, from color screens to e-paper.

Why it matters

Different display controllers and board wiring can turn a simple interface into a hardware-porting task.

What it brings

Seeed GFX2 provides product configurations and display drivers behind the Seeed_GFX API. Arduino and PlatformIO projects can draw text, images and controls while the library handles the supported display hardware.

Arduino / PlatformIO
LCD / OLED / E-paper

How to use it

Install Seeed GFX2 and select your supported product configuration.
Start with a graphics, image or e-paper example.
Build your display interface using the shared drawing API.

What it can do

Text and graphics
Bitmap images
Sprites
E-paper refresh

BoardsXIAO display add-ons · Wio Terminal · reTerminal E Series · SenseCAP display products

Explore Seeed GFX2

04Ready-to-use smart-home gadgets

XIAO ESPHome Projects

Bring XIAO-based smart-home gadgets to life with product drivers, example configurations and firmware.

Why it matters

A finished gadget needs matching drivers, pin settings and device behavior before it becomes useful in Home Assistant.

What it brings

This repository collects ESPHome configurations and components for XIAO-based products, including soil monitors, IoT buttons, energy meters, radar sensors and relays. Start with the product's maintained configuration or install available firmware through the gadget installer.

ESPHome
Product firmware
Home Assistant

How to use it

Find the configuration that matches your gadget and hardware revision.
Use the web installer where available, or build the ESPHome configuration.
Connect the device to Home Assistant and tailor its automations.

What it can do

Product drivers
Example configurations
Firmware installation
Home automations

BoardsXIAO ESP32-based gadgets

Browse firmware projects Open gadget installer

05Python on XIAO

MicroPython for XIAO

Explore hardware with Python: try a command, read a sensor and change your program without rebuilding a C++ application.

Why it matters

Python hardware projects need firmware and examples that match the board, not just a generic interpreter.

What it brings

Seeed's MicroPython board repository brings together firmware, drivers and examples for supported XIAO families. Its board helpers and interactive Python workflow make it easier to test peripherals and develop small connected projects. Support varies by board and firmware build.

MicroPython
Thonny / REPL

How to use it

Download the firmware for your exact board from the releases.
Flash it using the board's instructions and connect through Thonny.
Try the Python console, then adapt a driver or example for your project.

What it can do

Interactive Python
Board firmware
Drivers and examples
Rapid prototyping

BoardsXIAO ESP32 Series · XIAO nRF52840 · XIAO nRF54L15 · XIAO nRF54LM20A · XIAO MG24 · XIAO RA4M1

Explore MicroPython Download firmware

06No-code edge AI

SenseCraft AI

Turn a XIAO camera into an AI-powered device that recognizes objects locally, without building the entire AI toolchain yourself.

Why it matters

Moving from an idea to on-device recognition requires a suitable model, deployment tools and a way to inspect results.

What it brings

SenseCraft AI combines model selection, no-code training and device deployment in one platform. Use a ready-made model or train your own, deploy it to XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense and inspect live recognition results.

Edge AI
No-code platform

How to use it

Choose a model, or train one for your detection or classification task.
Deploy the model to XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense.
Preview recognition results and refine your application.

What it can do

Object detection
Image classification
No-code training
Live preview

BoardsXIAO ESP32-S3 Sense

Open SenseCraft AI Getting started

Act two

Built by the community

Find community-supported tools for your next XIAO project — from writing code and connecting devices to building applications.

Choose a language, development environment or operating system, then design and simulate your hardware.

11 boards

PlatformIO

the most loved IDE solution for Microsoft Visual Studio Code.

12 boards

MicroPython

a full implementation of the Python 3 programming language that runs directly on embedded hardware.

7 boards

CircuitPython

a programming language designed to simplify experimenting and learning to code on low-cost microcontroller boards.

1 board

Embedded Swift

a scalable language, great for writing desktop and mobile apps, server backends, and system software, running on microcontrollers

5 boards

Rust

a language empowering everyone to build reliable and efficient software.

6 boards

TinyGo

a Go compiler intended for use in small places such as microcontrollers, WebAssembly (wasm/wasi), and command-line tools.

6 boards

MicroBlocks

a blocks programming language for physical computing inspired by Scratch.

11 boards

Zephyr

a scalable real-time operating system (RTOS) supporting multiple hardware architectures, optimized for resource constrained devices, and built with security in mind.

2 boards

FreeRTOS

real-time operating system for microcontrollers and small microprocessors.

8 boards

Apache NuttX RTOS

a real-time operating system (RTOS) with an emphasis on standards compliance and small footprint

8 boards

Fritzing

an electronics design and prototyping platform for makers, hobbyists, and educators.

9 boards

FluxAI

a Better Way to Build professional PCBs with an AI Copilot.

3 boards

Wokwi

World's most advanced ESP32 Simulator.