Use this checklist when you want to validate against real hardware. It is optional for contributors and not part of default CI.

​
Assumptions

  • A charged VEX V5 brain connected over a data-capable USB cable.
  • Linux or macOS with @v5x/cli installed under Bun 1.3.14 or newer.
  • Permission to access the serial device, and no other app currently owns the port.
  • A disposable project or .bin artifact that can be uploaded to slot 8.
  • A terminal that supports the Kitty graphics protocol if you want to visually inspect screenshots.

​
Prepare

v5x --version
v5x devices
Confirm that devices lists the brain and any connected smart-port devices. Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable once, then run v5x devices again to verify that discovery recovers cleanly.

​
Program workflow

From a disposable PROS, vexide, or VEXcode C++ project, upload to an unused slot: 
v5x upload --slot 8 --name "v5x-smoke"
v5x programs
v5x run --slot 8 --name "v5x-smoke"
v5x programs
v5x stop
Confirm that the upload completes, programs shows the expected slot metadata, run starts the uploaded program, and stop returns the brain to an idle state.

​
Files

Inspect the files created by the upload before removing the disposable slot artifacts: 
v5x dir
v5x cat slot_8.ini
v5x rm slot_8.bin
v5x rm slot_8.ini
v5x dir
Only remove files that belong to this smoke test. Skip the rm commands when the selected slot contains a program you need to keep.

​
Key/value settings

Read the well-known settings first. Only write a value that is safe for the test brain and restore the previous value before finishing. 
v5x kv
v5x kv get robotname
v5x kv set robotname v5x-smoke
v5x kv get robotname

​
Screenshot

v5x screenshot
Confirm that the command returns a 480x272 capture. If the terminal does not render the image, treat successful command completion as the smoke result and use the troubleshooting guide for display issues.

​
Finish

  • Restore any key/value settings changed during the test.
  • Disconnect and reconnect the brain, then run v5x devices one final time.
  • Record the CLI version, operating system, brain VEXos version, and any skipped steps in the release notes or pull request.