Available make variables

The following variables customize various make targets. They can be defined in the application Makefile or passed through the make invocation. The following sections group the variables for how they can be used.

Basic configuration make variables

These variables define basic aspects of building an application. For example:

make build TOOLCHAIN=GCC_ARM CONFIG=CustomConfig -j8

Variable	Description
TARGET	Specifies the target board/kit (that is, BSP). For example, CY8CPROTO-062-4343W. Example usage: make build TARGET=CY8CPROTO-062-4343W
CORE	Specifies the name of the Arm® core for which a project is building (e.g. CM4). Example Usage: make build CORE=CM4 Use this variable to select compiler and linker options to build a project for a specified Arm® core.
CORE_NAME	Specifies the name of the on-chip core for which a project is building (e.g. CM7_0). Example Usage: make build CORE_NAME=CM7_0 Use this variable to select compiler and linker options to build a project for a specified on-chip core. This variable is applicable for some multi-core devices only (e.g. XMC7xxx).
APPNAME	Specifies the name of the application. For example, "AppV1" > AppV1.elf. Example usage: make build APPNAME="AppV1" This variable is used to set the name of the application artifact (programmable image). This variable may also be used when generating launch configs when invoking the eclipse target.
TOOLCHAIN	Specifies the toolchain used to build the application. For example, IAR. Example Usage: make build TOOLCHAIN=IAR Supported toolchains for this include GCC_ARM, IAR, ARM and LLVM_ARM. When setting TOOLCHAIN=IAR , you should also specify the heap type using LDFLAGS . The --advanced_heap option is required if the program uses a library that requires it.
CONFIG	Specifies the configuration option for the build [Debug Release]. Example Usage: make build CONFIG=Release The CONFIG variable is not limited to Debug/Release. It can be other values. However in those instances, the build system will not configure the optimization flags. Debug=lowest optimization, Release=highest optimization. The optimization flags are toolchain specific. If you go with your custom config, then you can manually set the optimization flag in the CFLAGS .
VERBOSE	Specifies whether the build is silent [false] or verbose [true]. Example Usage: make build VERBOSE=true Setting VERBOSE to true may help in debugging build errors/warnings. By default, it is set to false.

Advanced configuration make variables

These variables define advanced aspects of building an application.

Variable	Description
SOURCES	Specifies C/C++ and assembly files outside of application directory. Example Usage (within Makefile ): SOURCES+=path/to/file/Source1.c This can be used to include files external to the application directory. The path can be both absolute or relative to the application directory.
INCLUDES	Specifies include paths outside of the application directory. Example Usage (within Makefile ): INCLUDES+=path/to/headers These MUST NOT have -I prepended. The path can be either absolute or relative to the application directory.
DEFINES	Specifies additional defines passed to the compiler. Example Usage (within Makefile ): DEFINES+=EXAMPLE_DEFINE=0x01 These MUST NOT have -D prepended.
VFP_SELECT	Selects hard/soft ABI or full software for floating-point operations [softfp hardfp softfloat]. If not defined, this value defaults to softfp. Example Usage (within Makefile ): VFP_SELECT=hardfp
VFP_SELECT_PRECISION	Selects single-precision or double-precision operating mode for floating-point operations. If not defined, this value defaults to double-precision. Enable single-precision mode by using the "singlefp" option. Example Usage (within Makefile ): VFP_SELECT_PRECISION=singlefp
CFLAGS	Prepends additional C compiler flags. Example Usage (within Makefile ): CFLAGS+= -Werror -Wall -O2
CXXFLAGS	Prepends additional C++ compiler flags. Example Usage (within Makefile ): CXXFLAGS+= -finline-functions
ASFLAGS	Prepends additional assembler flags. Usage is similar to CFLAGS .
LDFLAGS	Prepends additional linker flags. Example Usage (within Makefile ): LDFLAGS+= -nodefaultlibs
LINKER_SCRIPT	Specifies a custom linker script location. Example Usage (within Makefile ): LINKER_SCRIPT=path/to/file/Custom_Linker1.ld This linker script overrides the default. Additional linker scripts can be added for GCC via the LDFLAGS variable as a -L option.
COMPONENTS	Adds component-specific files to the build. Example Usage (within Makefile ): COMPONENTS+=CUSTOM_CONFIGURATION Create a directory named COMPONENT_<VALUE> and place your files. Then include the corresponding make variable to have that feature library be included in the build. For example, create a directory named COMPONENT_ACCELEROMETER into auto-discovery. Then, add the following make variable to the Makefile : COMPONENT=ACCELEROMETER . If the make variable does not include the <VALUE> , then that library will not be included in the build.
DISABLE_COMPONENTS	Removes component-specific files from the build. Example Usage (within Makefile ): DISABLE_COMPONENTS=BSP_DESIGN_MODUS Include a <VALUE> to this make variable to have that feature library be excluded in the build. For example, to exclude the contents of the COMPONENT_BSP_DESIGN_MODUS directory, set DISABLE_COMPONENTS=BSP_DESIGN_MODUS .
SEARCH	List of paths to include in auto-discovery. For example, ../mtb_shared/lib1 . Example Usage (within Makefile ): SEARCH+=directory_containing_source_files The SEARCH variable can also be used by the application to include other directories to auto-discovery.
SKIP_CODE_GEN	Disables code generation from configurators when building. When set to a non-empty value, the build process will no longer run code generation from configurators.
MERGE	List of projects in the application to generate a combined hex file from. By default, building a multi-project application will generate a combined hex file from its sub-projects. This variable can be set from the application Makefile to override the set of projects to generate combined hex file from.
VCORE_ATTRS	Virtual core attribute. Currently supported values are "TRUSTZONE_SECURE" and "TRUSTZONE_NON_SECURE" which specify the core property for Arm® TrustZone.
TRUSTZONE_VENEER	The path of the veneer object file used for Arm® TrustZone. When specified for a secure project, it specifies the path of the veneer object file to generated. When specified for a non-secure project, it specifies the path of the veneer object file to include.

BSP make variables

Variable	Description
DEVICE	Device ID for the primary MCU on the target board/kit. Set by bsp.mk . The device identifier is mandatory for all board/kits.
ADDITIONAL_DEVICES	IDs for additional devices on the target board/kit. Set by bsp.mk . These include devices such as radios on the board/kit. This variable is optional.
BSP_PROGRAM_INTERFACE	Specifies the debugging and programming interface to use. The default value and valid values all depend on the BSP. Possible values include KitProg3, JLink, and FTDI. Most BSPs will only support a subset of this list.

Getlibs make variables

These variables are used with the

make getlibs

target.

Note:

When entering variables that require a path, use a Windows-style path (not Cygwin-style, like /cygdrive/c/). Also, use forward slashes. For example, "C:/MyPath/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>."

Variable	Description
MTB_USE_LOCAL_CONTENT	If set to non-empty, enable local content storage. Enable local content storage to allow use of ModusToolbox™ software without requiring internet access. Refer to the LCS Manager CLI User guide for more details.
CY_GETLIBS_PATH	Path to the intended location of libs info directory. The directory contains local libraries and metadata files about shared libraries.
CY_GETLIBS_DEPS_PATH	Path to where the library-manager stores . mtb files. Setting this path allows relocating the directory that the library-manager uses to store the .mtb files in your application. The default location is in a directory named deps.
CY_GETLIBS_SHARED_PATH	Relative path to the shared repo location. All . mtb files have the format, <URI><COMMIT><LOCATION> . If the <LOCATION> field begins with $$ASSET_REPO$$ , then the repo is deposited in the path specified by the CY_GETLIBS_SHARED_PATH variable. The default is set from the project Makefile .
CY_GETLIBS_SHARED_NAME	Directory name of the shared repo location. All . mtb files have the format, <URI><COMMIT><LOCATION> . If the <LOCATION> field begins with $$ASSET_REPO$$ , then the repo is deposited in the directory specified by the CY_GETLIBS_SHARED_NAME variable. By default, this is set from the project Makefile .

Path make variables

These variables are used to specify various paths.

Note:

When entering variables that require a path, use a Windows-style path (not Cygwin-style, like /cygdrive/c/). Also, use forward slashes. For example, "C:/MyPath/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>."

Variable	Description
CY_APP_PATH	Relative path to the top-level of application. For example, ./ Settings this path to other than ./ allows the auto-discovery mechanism to search from a root directory location that is higher than the application directory. For example, CY_APP_PATH=../../ allows auto-discovery of files from a location that is two directories above the location of the Makefile.
CY_COMPILER_GCC_ARM_DIR	Absolute path to the gcc-arm toolchain directory. Setting this path overrides the default GCC_ARM toolchain directory. It is used when the compiler is located at a non-default directory. Make uses this variable for the path to the assembler, compiler, linker, objcopy, and other toolchain binaries. For example, CY_COMPILER_GCC_ARM_DIR=C:/Program Files (x86)GNU arm Embedded Toolchain/10 2021.10 When set in the Makefile , no quotes are required.
CY_COMPILER_IAR_DIR	Absolute path to the IAR toolchain directory. Setting this path overrides the default IAR toolchain directory. It is used when the compiler is located at a non-default directory. Make uses this variable for the path to the assembler, compiler, linker, objcopy, and other toolchain binaries. For example, CY_COMPILER_IAR_DIR=C:/Program Files/IAR Systems/Embedded Workbench 9.1/arm When set in the Makefile , no quotes are required.
CY_COMPILER_ARM_DIR	Absolute path to the ARM toolchain directory. Setting this path overrides the default ARM toolchain directory. It is used when the compiler is located at a non-default directory. Make uses this variable for the path to the assembler, compiler, linker, objcopy, and other toolchain binaries. For example, CY_COMPILER_ARM_DIR=C:/Program Files/ARMCompiler6.16 When set in the Makefile , no quotes are required.
CY_COMPILER_LLVM_ARM_DIR	Absolute path to the LLVM toolchain directory. Setting this path overrides the default LLVM toolchain directory. It is used when the compiler is located at a non-default directory. Make uses this variable for the path to the assembler, compiler, linker, objcopy, and other toolchain binaries. For example, CY_COMPILER_LLVM_ARM_DIR=C:/Program Files/LLVM When set in the Makefile , no quotes are required.
CY_TOOLS_DIR	Absolute path to the tools root directory. Example Usage: make build CY_TOOLS_DIR="path/to/ModusToolbox/tools_x.y" Applications must specify the tools_<version> directory location, which contains the root Makefile and the necessary tools and scripts to build an application. Application Makefiles are configured to automatically search in the standard locations for various platforms. If the tools are not located in the standard location, you may explicitly set this.
CY_BUILD_LOCATION	Absolute path to the build output directory (default: pwd/build ). The build output directory is structured as /TARGET/CONFIG . Setting this variable allows the build artifacts to be located in the directory pointed to by this variable.
CY_PYTHON_PATH	Specifies the path to a specific Python executable. Example Usage: CY_PYTHON_PATH="path/to/python/executable/python.exe" For make targets that depend on Python, the build system looks for Python 3 in the user's PATH and uses that to invoke python. If however CY_PYTHON_PATH is defined, it will use that python executable.
MTB_JLINK_DIR	Specifies the path to the SEGGER J-Link software install directory "JLink". Example Usage: MTB_JLINK_DIR:=C:/Program Files/SEGGER/JLink Setting this path allows the make system to locate the JLink executable when calling make program. If not specified, make will default to the JLink executable in the PATH variable. When generating launch configurations for IDEs, this will override the default J-Link path.

Miscellaneous make variables

These are miscellaneous variables used for various make targets.

Note:

When entering variables that require a path, use a Windows-style path (not Cygwin-style, like /cygdrive/c/). Also, use forward slashes. For example, "C:/MyPath/ModusToolbox/tools_<version>."

Variable	Description
CY_IGNORE	Adds to the directory and file ignore list. For example, ./file1.c ./inc1 Example Usage: make build CY_IGNORE="path/to/file/ignore_file" Directories and files listed in this variable are ignored in auto-discovery. This mechanism works in combination with any existing .cyignore files in the application.
CY_IDE_PRJNAME	This variable contains the name that will be used to create the application name and support files for an IDE during application export. Use this variable to provide a custom name of an application for the IDE during application export. If CY_IDE_PRJNAME is not set on the command line, then APPNAME (which is specified in the Makefile ) is used as the default. This name can be important for some IDEs to set a correct meaningful name for the application, support files, and launch configurations in the IDE.
CY_SIMULATOR_GEN_AUTO	If set to 1, automatically generate a simulator archive (if supported by the target device). When enabled, the build make target will generate a debugging tgz archive for the Infineon online simulator as part of the post-build process.