ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Install ESP-IDF

Table of Contents

WS004EN - This article is part of a series.

Part 1: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Introduction

Part 2: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Hardware: The ESP32-C5 and ESP-SensairShuttle

Part 3: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Bosch Sensortec sensors

Part 4: This Article

Part 5: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Download and flash the gesture recognition example

Part 6: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Assignment 1: Collect and prepare gesture data

Part 7: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Assignment 2: Train and evaluate the model

Part 8: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Assignment 3: Convert and embed the model

Part 9: ESP-TFLite-Micro workshop - Assignment 4: Deploy and test on-device inference

Install ESP-IDF
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If ESP-IDF v6.1 is already installed and activated on your computer, you can skip the installation steps on this page. Run idf.py --version to confirm the active version before continuing.

Use the ESP-IDF Installation Manager (EIM) to install and manage ESP-IDF. EIM is available as a command-line tool and a desktop application from the EIM download page.

Graphical setup with VS Code
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If you are not familiar with command-line tools, use the official ESP-IDF extension for Visual Studio Code:

Install Visual Studio Code.
Open Extensions from the Activity Bar.
Search for ESP-IDF, select the extension published by Espressif Systems, and click Install.
Open the Command Palette with View → Command Palette.
Run ESP-IDF: Open ESP-IDF Installation Manager.
Follow the graphical installer and select ESP-IDF v6.1.
When installation finishes, let the extension use the newly installed ESP-IDF tools.

Commands written as ESP-IDF: ... in this workshop are VS Code commands. Open the Command Palette, type the command name, and select it; you do not need to type them in a terminal.

To inspect the configured environment, run ESP-IDF: Doctor Command from the Command Palette and confirm that it reports ESP-IDF v6.1. After completing this graphical setup, skip the terminal installation commands below and continue to the gesture recognition example.

Command-line setup
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You can also install EIM from a terminal:

CLI — install with Homebrew:

brew tap espressif/eim
brew install eim

GUI — install the desktop application with Homebrew:

brew tap espressif/eim
brew install --cask eim-gui

CLI — install through the Espressif APT repository:

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://dl.espressif.com/dl/eim/apt/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/espressif.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install eim-cli

GUI — install the full package, which includes the CLI:

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://dl.espressif.com/dl/eim/apt/ stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/espressif.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install eim

CLI — open Windows Terminal with a PowerShell or Command Prompt profile and run:

winget install Espressif.EIM-CLI

GUI — download the Windows installer and run the setup wizard:

Download EIM for Windows

Install the ESP-IDF version used in this workshop:

eim install v6.1

For a guided setup, run:

eim wizard

For a detailed walkthrough, see the ESP-IDF Preliminary Setup Workshop.

Check the installed versions:

eim list

If more than one version is installed, select ESP-IDF v6.1:

eim select v6.1

Run the activation command printed by EIM. For the default installation path, use:

source ~/.espressif/tools/activate_idf_v6.1.sh

source ~/.espressif/tools/activate_idf_v6.1.sh

PowerShell:

. $HOME\.espressif\tools\activate_idf_v6.1.ps1

Command Prompt:

%USERPROFILE%\.espressif\tools\activate_idf_v6.1.bat

Verify the active version:

idf.py --version

The command should report ESP-IDF v6.1.

Next step
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Download and flash the gesture recognition example

Back to workshop home