PIOArduino - PIO Home issue

[LuisA-2024]

hi, pioarduino, I have an issue Installing pioarduino extension for VS Code.

1. Computer 1: today I installed Win 10 Pro from scratch, then viewers, and VS Code + Python, pioarduino extension
2. Computer 2: it was installed VS Code + Python + node.js + some VScode extensions included pioarduino. Due to an issue with PATH installing MinGW for C/C++ I decided to uninstall everything related to VS Code and programming, and to reinstall only VS Code + Python + pioarduino. I didn´t try MinGW this time. (When installing pioarduino it doesn´t appear the option "Rich CLI developed for Humans" as at Computer 1).
3. VS Code + python + pioarduino extension, last version all of them at both computers.
4. from PS when I run "pio --version" it responds "Platformio Core, version 6.1.18" at both computers.

The issue:
Everytime I open VS Code -> PIOArduino extension -> QUICK ACCESS -> PIO HOME, and then wherever I hit (Open, PIO Account, Inspect, Projects & Configuration, Libraries, Boards, Platforms, Devices) a PIO Home tab opens, Loading ..., the following appears at the bottom right in red:

"Error: PlatformioException: Invalid path to PIO Home Contrib
at c:\Users\Luis.vscode\extensions\pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8\node_modules\pioarduino-node-helpers\dist\index.js:1:10910
at ChildProcess.v (c:\Users\Luis.vscode\extensions\pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8\node_modules\pioarduino-node-helpers\dist\index.js:1:4541)
at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:518:28)
at ChildProcess.emit (node:domain:489:12)
at maybeClose (node:internal/child_process:1101:16)
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:304:5)..."
(I should mention that three months ago on Computer 2 I ran some codes for ESP32 using pioarduino extension, it worked well, the installation was so easy, no issues, everything was fine)

Thanks for your assistance.
Luis

[SinglWolf]

A similar problem. Clicking on the Report a problem button opens the page https://github.com/platformio/platformio-vscode-ide/issues/...

Header Start PIO Home Server

Text:

%23 Description of problem
Leave a comment...

BEFORE SUBMITTING, PLEASE SEARCH FOR DUPLICATES IN

• https://github.com/pioarduino/pioarduino-vscode-ide/issues%3Fq=is%3Aissue

%23 Configuration

VSCode: 1.103.1
PIO IDE: v1.0.8
System: Linux, 6.12.34-generic-1rosa13-x86_64, x64

%23 Exception

Error: PlatformioException: Invalid path to PIO Home Contrib

  at /home/alex/.vscode/extensions/pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8/node_modules/pioarduino-node-helpers/dist/index.js:1:10910
  at ChildProcess.v (/home/alex/.vscode/extensions/pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8/node_modules/pioarduino-node-helpers/dist/index.js:1:4541)
  at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:518:28)
  at ChildProcess.emit (node:domain:489:12)
  at maybeClose (node:internal/child_process:1101:16)
  at Socket.<anonymous> (node:internal/child_process:456:11)
  at Socket.emit (node:events:518:28)
  at Socket.emit (node:domain:489:12)
  at Pipe.<anonymous> (node:net:346:12)

[LuisA-2024]

Today actions:

1. Uninstalled pioarduino 1.0.8 + VS Code 1.103.1 + Python 3.13.7. .platformio .vscode folders deleted
2. Reinstalled VS Code 1.100.3 + Python 3.13.3 + pioarduino 1.0.6 , april 2025 versions

the issue:
Exactly the same behavior as in my report:
Everytime I open VS Code -> PIOArduino extension -> QUICK ACCESS -> PIO HOME, and then wherever I hit (Open, PIO Account, Inspect, Projects & Configuration, Libraries, Boards, Platforms, Devices) a PIO Home tab opens, Loading ..., and the Error notification at bottom right.

Running "pio --version" at Terminal PS, it responds 'PlatformIO Core version 6.1.18' (after hitting for the 1st time 'pioarduino Core CLI' at QUICK ACCESS -> Miscellaneous, otherwise Terminal PS will respond some error in red to 'pio --version')

I hope this will help

Luis

Upd: after uninstalling pioarduino, extension PlatformIO 6.1.18 installs successfully on both platforms:

1. VS Code 1.103.1 + Python 3.13.7
2. VS Code 1.100.3 + Python 3.13.3

[SinglWolf]

I switched to Windows, there are no problems. On Linux, vscode reinstalled by deleting all caches. The problem remains.

[Jason2866]

Is in folder .platformio/packages a folder contrib-piohome? If yes, are there files inside?
If the folder is not there or empty thats the reason for the problem.
Which Platform version are you using? Please try branch develop with

platform = https://github.com/pioarduino/platform-espressif32.git#develop

[dbn-b4e]

I have same problem on fresh vscode install both on mac and windows...

PS C:\Users\davidbaldwin.platformio> ls

Directory: C:\Users\davidbaldwin\.platformio

Mode LastWriteTime Length Name

---

d----- 8/22/2025 5:41 PM .cache
d----- 8/22/2025 5:41 PM penv
-a---- 8/22/2025 5:42 PM 26 appstate.json

[Jason2866]

@dbn-b4e nothing wrong so far. Open a espressif32 pioarduino Arduino project and all needed will get installed.

[dbn-b4e]

Not at all unable to do anything. Ended up install with pip3

[LuisA-2024]

hi, Jason

there is no a packages folder for pioarduino .platformio

for platformIO .platformio certainly it is

The size of .platformio folder for pioarduino is only 36.8MB, while for .platformio folder for platformIO it's 1.55GB
Everytime I deleted .platformio pioarduino folder its size was about 36MB, not close to 100MB

PlatformIO is working well at computer Luis
pioarduino presents the issue at computer MINI

Last versions:
platformIO (Core 6.1.18 Home 3.4.4) and pioarduino (1.08, PlatformIO Core, version 6.1.18)

[Jason2866]

The Platform pioarduino espressif32 is compatible to Platformio VSC plugin. If the pioarduino VSC plugin does not work and the Platformio does use the Platformio VSC plugin. BUT only one plugin only. Both can not be installed at the same time.

[LuisA-2024]

The Platform pioarduino espressif32 is compatible to Platformio VSC plugin. If the pioarduino VSC plugin does not work and the Platformio does use the Platformio VSC plugin. BUT only one plugin only. Both can not be installed at the same time.

Only one of them is installed on VS Code, notice there are two different computers

[Jason2866]

PioHome needs VSC, it is written for

[LuisA-2024]

VSCode + Python + pioarduino at computer MINI
Windows installed days ago on a clean NVME after the issue at computer Luis

VSCode + python + platformIO at computer Luis

I never tried installing both PlatformIO and pioarduino together at any computer

Since PlatformIO stopped supporting Arduino I want to use pioarduino, sorry for insisting, btw I will not use Arduino boards, but Arduino framework

[Jason2866]

You can use pioarduino Arduino with Platformio VSC IDE plugin if the pioarduino VSC IDE plugin is not working for you (and the Platformio plugin does work). But just install one plugin!

[dbn-b4e]

I have still same issue on mac, using only pioarduino extension. It starts compiling then complains after 10 tries with esptool installation then moves to compiling though and missing risc compiler. Strange thing...

[c64emulator]

Same here with fresh install of Linux Mint v22.2 & VSCode (download of deb-file and installed according to https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/linux)
VSCode says:

Version: 1.103.2
Commit: 6f17636121051a53c88d3e605c491d22af2ba755
Date: 2025-08-20T16:45:34.255Z
Electron: 37.2.3
ElectronBuildId: 12035395
Chromium: 138.0.7204.100
Node.js: 22.17.0
V8: 13.8.500258-electron.0
OS: Linux x64 6.14.0-28-generic

Issue says:

%23 Configuration

  VSCode: 1.103.2
  PIO IDE: v1.0.8
  System: Linux, 6.14.0-28-generic, x64

%23 Exception

Error: PlatformioException: Invalid path to PIO Home Contrib

  at /home/[USER]/.vscode/extensions/pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8/node_modules/pioarduino-node-helpers/dist/index.js:1:10910
  at ChildProcess.v (/home/[USER]/.vscode/extensions/pioarduino.pioarduino-ide-1.0.8/node_modules/pioarduino-node-helpers/dist/index.js:1:4541)
  at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:518:28)
  at ChildProcess.emit (node:domain:489:12)
  at maybeClose (node:internal/child_process:1101:16)
  at Socket.<anonymous> (node:internal/child_process:456:11)
  at Socket.emit (node:events:518:28)
  at Socket.emit (node:domain:489:12)
  at Pipe.<anonymous> (node:net:346:12)

The .platformio folder looks like: