STM32CubeIDE on Linux (Wayland, 4K HiDPI) – Blurry UI with X11, but CubeMX fails under Wayland

[angelosn]

Hello STM community,

I'm experiencing a UI/UX issue with STM32CubeIDE on my Linux system and would appreciate any insight or workarounds.

My setup:

• Distro: Arch Linux

• KDE Plasma: 6.4.3

• KDE Frameworks: 6.16.0

• Qt Version: 6.9.1

• Kernel: 6.12.39-1-lts (64-bit)

• Graphics Platform: Wayland

• Monitor: 4K with 150% scaling

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X

• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6600

• Memory: 16 GiB

• Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS PRO

I installed STM32CubeIDE 1.19.0 using the official generic Linux installer.

To improve compatibility, I’m using a launcher script (stm32cubeide_wayland) like this:

#!/bin/bash
basedir=$(dirname "$BASH_SOURCE")
export GDK_BACKEND=x11 
export WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1
"$basedir"/stm32cubeide "$@"

This runs CubeIDE under X11, which allows STM32 project creation (CubeMX launches correctly), but the interface is blurry and not crisp on my HiDPI 4K screen.

If I instead use:

export GDK_BACKEND=wayland

...the UI becomes sharp and scales properly (as expected), but CubeMX fails to launch when trying to create a new project (no MCU or board selection dialog ever appears).

 My temporary workaround:

1. Launch with X11 to create a project and edit the .ioc file..

2. Close STM32CubeIDE.

3. Re-launch with Wayland to enjoy crisp UI.

---

My questions:

• Is this a known issue on Wayland in general, or specific to Arch Linux?

• Is there any official fix or workaround for HiDPI support that doesn't break CubeMX functionality?

• Does STM plan to offer native Wayland support or improved Qt scaling in the future?

Thanks in advance to anyone who has suggestions or experience with this setup!

[TDK]

This is a QT issue, not something ST-specific. STM32CubeIDE is just a re-skinned Eclipse. Look for solutions on the web for x11 + eclipse.

I recommend using the standalone STM32CubeMX to generate projects. It is more responsive and seems to solve your issues.