So apparently in 2026, creating a basic embedded C project now requires… a login.
Tried spinning up a project in STM32CubeIDE and got a nice “half-built” result:
- Project created ✔
- Code generation :cross_mark:
- Explanation :cross_mark:
Turns out the IDE now needs to quietly download the HAL/CMSIS packages, which in turn requires a myST account login… but:
- It doesn’t tell you that
- It doesn’t prompt you (on Linux at least)
- It just silently fails and leaves you debugging yourself
So you end up thinking:
“Did I misconfigure the clock? The linker script? The .ioc?”
Nope. You just weren’t logged into a website.
Nothing says robust embedded tooling like a hidden cloud dependency for generating main.c.
Bonus points for the UX where the “login” option is buried under:
Help → STM32Cube Updates → Connection to myST
Because obviously that’s the first place you look when your GPIO project won’t build.
Anyway—manual firmware download and local install fixes it. Once you discover the secret handshake.
Progress :thumbs_up:
