Turn your Arduino UNO into an interactive shell — no recompiling needed.
ArduinOS is a Linux-like operating environment for the Arduino UNO. A Python-powered terminal on your PC communicates with the Arduino over Serial, giving you a live shell to control GPIO, read sensors, manage a virtual filesystem, and even execute multi-command scripts — all without touching the Arduino ID
Demo
- Arduino UNO R3 (ATmega328P)
- Python 3.7+
- USB cable
git clone https://github.com/chirrenthen/arduinOS.git
cd arduinOSmacOS / Linux:
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install pyserial readlineWindows:
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat
pip install pyserial pyreadline3- Open
arduino/arduino.inoin the Arduino IDE - Select Board:
Arduino UNO - Select the correct Port
- Click Upload
macOS / Linux
cd ArduinOS
source .venv/bin/activate
python main.pyWindows
cd ArduinOS
.venv\Scripts\activate.bat
python main.pyArduinOS will automatically detect your Arduino's serial port and connect. If multiple ports are found, you'll be prompted to choose one.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto port detection | Automatically finds and connects to your Arduino |
| Tab completion | Press Tab to complete any Arduino or terminal command |
| Command history | Use ↑ / ↓ arrows; history saved to ~/.arduinos_history |
| Macro engine | Save and replay multi-command sequences |
| Built-in editor | Write scripts directly in the terminal with !edit |
| File sync | Sync your local workspace folder to the Arduino with !sync |
| Animated UI | Gradient banner, spinner, progress bar, matrix rain |
| Background reader | Serial output appears without interrupting your typing |
!help Show terminal help
!clear Clear screen
!exit / !q Exit ArduinOS
!ports List available serial ports
!disconnect Disconnect from Arduino
!reconnect Reconnect to Arduino
!edit <file> Open terminal editor to write a script
!upload <file> Upload a local file to Arduino filesystem
!download <file> Download a file from Arduino to your PC
!sync Sync entire workspace folder to Arduino
!ls List files in local workspace
!macro List all saved macros
!macro <name> Run a saved macro
!macro <n> = <cmd> Save a new macro
!anim Matrix rain animation
All commands are sent live over Serial — no recompiling needed.
# GPIO
pinmode 13 output # Set pin mode (INPUT, OUTPUT, INPUT_PULLUP, PWM)
write 13 HIGH # Digital write (HIGH, LOW, ON, OFF, 1, 0)
gpio 13 on # Shorthand GPIO control
gpio 13 toggle # Toggle pin state
read # Read all digital pins
read 7 # Read specific pin
# Analog
aread # Read all analog pins (A0-A5) with voltage
aread A2 # Read specific analog pin
# PWM
pwm 9 128 # PWM output on pin 9 (0-255)
# Tone
tone 8 440 1000 # Play 440Hz on pin 8 for 1000ms
notone 8 # Stop tone on pin 8sensor # Read all analog inputs with bar graph
scope A0 100 # Mini oscilloscope — 100 samples from A0
monitor A0 500 10 # Live monitor A0 every 500ms for 10 seconds# Run inline multi-command scripts
eval "gpio 13 on; delay 500; gpio 13 off"
# Loop a command
for 10 "gpio 13 toggle; delay 200"
# Write a script to the filesystem and run it
writefile blink.sh "gpio 13 on;delay 500;gpio 13 off;delay 500"
run blink.sh
# Delay
delay 1000 # Wait 1000msls # List files in current directory
pwd # Print working directory
cd home # Change directory
cd .. # Go up one level
mkdir myproject # Create directory
touch notes.txt # Create empty file
writefile notes.txt hello # Write content to file
cat notes.txt # Read file content
rm notes.txt # Delete fileThe filesystem lives in RAM — 8 files/directories max, 24 bytes per file. All data is lost on reboot. For persistence, use
!upload/!downloadto sync with your PC.
disco 5 30 # LED light show (cycles, speed)
morse LED SOS # Morse code output on any pin
wave # Draw wave ASCII art
neofetch # System info with ASCII arthelp # Full command reference
sysinfo / neofetch # System info (CPU, RAM, uptime, files)
uptime # Time since boot
dmesg # Kernel message log
free # Free RAM and file slots
reboot # Soft reset Arduino
whoami # Prints: root
uname # OS and platform info
clear # Clear screen and show logoMacros let you save and replay sequences of commands from the Python terminal.
# Save a macro
!macro blink = eval "gpio 13 on; delay 300; gpio 13 off; delay 300"
# Run it anytime
!macro blink
# List all macros
!macroMacros are saved to ~/.arduinos_macros.json and persist across sessions.
ArduinOS creates a local workspace folder at ~/arduinos_workspace/. You can write scripts there and sync them to the Arduino:
# In your terminal
!edit blink.sh # Write a script
!upload blink.sh # Upload to Arduino
# On the Arduino
run blink.sh # Execute itNo ports found
Make sure the USB cable supports data (not charge-only) and the Arduino driver is installed. On Linux you may need to add yourself to the dialout group: sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
Garbled output / no response
Ensure the baud rate is set to 9600 in both terminal.py and the Serial Monitor if you test there.
readline error on Windows
Install pyreadline3: pip install pyreadline3
Arduino not auto-detected
Run !ports to see available ports and select manually when prompted.
Pull requests are welcome! If you find a bug or have a feature idea, open an issue.
I sincerely thank @PPPDUD and @Arc1011 — some of the command implementations in this project are based on their work in KernelUNO.
Built with ❤️ for the Arduino community