New to Claude Skills? Learn how to install them →

Cnvidia on GitHub

Customize PCIe

OfficialFree

Configure PCIe controllers on Jetson devices with precision.

by nvidia2.8k stars on nvidia/skills
1 views
Updated Aug 7, 2026
Get this skill

Free · Opens the source repo

What Customize PCIe does

The Customize PCIe skill provides developers with the capability to enable or disable PCIe controllers on NVIDIA Jetson devices, specifically the Thor and Orin architectures. This skill operates by utilizing ODMDATA and kernel-DT overlays, allowing for fine-tuned control over PCIe settings such as lane allocation and link speed. It is designed for users who need to customize the PCIe configuration for their specific hardware setups, ensuring that each controller's runtime behavior aligns with their project requirements.

The skill is agentic in nature, meaning it dynamically discovers the necessary configurations at runtime rather than relying on static tables. This approach ensures that the skill can adapt to various hardware setups without the need for predefined configurations. Users can invoke the skill through simple commands related to PCIe configuration, making it accessible even for those who may not be deeply familiar with the underlying hardware.

To utilize this skill effectively, users must have a valid development environment set up, including specific profiles and prerequisite documents. The skill ensures that the configuration process is thorough, requiring verification of each controller's settings against the provided schematics and documentation. This attention to detail helps prevent issues such as link timeouts or incorrect lane widths during operation.

Overall, the Customize PCIe skill is an essential tool for developers working with Jetson devices who require precise control over their PCIe configurations. By following the outlined procedures, users can ensure their custom carrier setups function as intended, optimizing performance and reliability in their applications.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to configure PCIe controllers after flashing a custom carrier or when a specific PCIe slot does not enumerate correctly.

When not to use it

This skill is not suitable for general-purpose PCIe configuration outside of the Jetson ecosystem or for situations requiring endpoint mode configuration without the appropriate overrides.

What you can build with it

Setting Up Custom Carrier

When deploying a custom carrier for a Jetson device, this skill helps configure the PCIe settings to match the hardware design.

Troubleshooting PCIe Enumeration Issues

If a PCIe slot fails to enumerate after flashing, this skill can assist in diagnosing and fixing the configuration.

Adapting to Hardware Changes

When changing the PCIe lane allocation or link speed due to a new hardware design, this skill facilitates the necessary adjustments.

How to install Customize PCIe

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add nvidia/skills/jetson-customize-pcie --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by nvidia

Customize PCIe (per-controller status / lanes / speed)

Overview

PCIe on Tegra264 (Thor, pcie@C0..C5) and Tegra234 (Orin, pcie@C0..C10) is split across multiple controllers that share the UPHY lane pool with USB3 / MGBE / UFS. Each controller's runtime behavior is determined by two surfaces, both required:

SurfaceTargetAuthoritative for
ODMDATA pcie@N_status=… (+ pcie@N_max-link-speed, pcie@N_pcie-mode, pcie@N_clk-scheme, pcie-cN-endpoint-enable)/pcie/pcie@N in BPMP DTBUPHY lane power, refclk gating, controller-side power rails
Kernel-DT overlay on &pcieN/bus@0/pcie@<addr> in kernel DTBKernel probe, lane width, link speed, RC/EP mode

Skipping the kernel overlay on a disable lets the kernel probe a powered-down PHY (link timeouts in dmesg). Skipping the ODMDATA token on a disable leaves BPMP holding the PHY hot.

Agentic, not table-driven — no controller table, no questions.json. Every controller, lane width, schematic-routed receptacle, and authoritative DT node address is discovered at runtime from the docs + DTB + carrier pinmap.

The output is a kernel-DT overlay commit only. Per-controller fragment@N blocks are appended to the composite custom overlay .dts per ../../references/bsp-customization-kernel-dtb.md and committed to the bsp_sources/ hardware repo. /jetson-build-source compiles the composite to .dtbo and owns its Makefile + flash-conf registration.

This skill MUST NOT edit ODMDATA="...". All ODMDATA tokens (pcie@N_status=…, pcie@N_max-link-speed, pcie@N_pcie-mode, pcie@N_clk-scheme, pcie-cN-endpoint-enable, plus the uphyX-config-N surface tokens and UPHY_CONFIG="" clear) are emitted by /jetson-customize-uphy in a single atomic commit on the carrier flash-conf fork. The allocation table this skill consumes from the UPHY sidecar already tells the operator which controllers are okay / disabled / per-lane sized; this skill only translates that table into kernel-DT overlay fragments and verifies that the overlay agrees with the ODMDATA already committed by customize-uphy (consistency check in Step 8 — disagreement is reported, not silently fixed).

When to invoke

  • The user says "configure PCIe", "enable PCIe controller", "set PCIe num-lanes", "change PCIe link speed", or asks to flip a pcie@N_status token.
  • A specific PCIe slot or M.2 receptacle doesn't enumerate after flash, OR the link trains at the wrong width / speed.
  • jetson-customize-uphy ran and re-allocated lanes across PCIe controllers (e.g. switched from uphy0-config-7 to uphy0-config-6 enabling PCIe C3); the per-controller side now needs to be brought up.
  • jetson-customize-mgbe reports the QSFP path is wired but the kernel doesn't probe its PCIe-side companion (rare; XFI configurations).

Prerequisites:

  • Active profile with reference_devkit: + custom_carrier: blocks.
  • <source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/.git exists (/jetson-init-source).
  • /jetson-derive-carrier has run — carrier flash-conf fork is in the overlay tracker.
  • /jetson-customize-uphy has run — its JSON sidecar at <workspace>/target-platform/<profile-stem>.jetson-customize-uphy.json drives the per-controller enable decision.
  • Source-of-truth docs registered or supplied at prompt: Adaptation Guide, Module Design Guide, SoC TRM.
  • When custom_carrier: is present, both documents.custom_carrier_schematic AND documents.custom_carrier_pinmux_xls are REQUIRED. Refuse the run if either is missing — routing on a custom carrier cannot be guessed. Reference-devkit-only profiles skip this check.
  • dtc on PATH.

Procedure (summary)

Full step-by-step walkthrough lives in references/procedure.md. High-level flow:

  1. Resolve active target + open source-of-truth documents (incl. <carrier-pinmap>, <ref-dtb>, <uphy-state>). Refuse if <uphy-state> is missing.
  2. Diff PCIe topology — devkit vs custom carrier — by decompiling <ref-dtb> and grepping the schematic for PEX<N>_* net labels.
  3. AskUserQuestion (multiSelect) — which controllers to customize.
  4. Per-controller verification: pinmap + schematic + pin_verifier.py for PE<N>_CLKREQ_L, PE<N>_RST_L, optional PE<N>_WAKE_L.
  5. Auto-derive per-controller plan (enable from <uphy-state>, lanes / speed from Adaptation Guide, mode hard-pinned to "rc") → mandatory confirm-or-customize gate.
  6. Append per-controller fragment@N blocks (marker /* custom-bsp: pcie:pcie@<addr> */) to the composite custom overlay .dts in bsp_sources/. Pre-flight dtc + fdtoverlay. Commit via the workflow's preview gate. Do not edit ODMDATA/jetson-customize-uphy already emitted pcie@N_status=…, pcie@N_max-link-speed, pcie@N_pcie-mode, pcie@N_clk-scheme, and pcie-cN-endpoint-enable in its single atomic ODMDATA commit. This skill only translates the per-controller plan into kernel-DT overlay fragments.
  7. (Step folded into Step 6 — overlay-only emission.)
  8. Cross-check ODMDATA vs overlay consistency. On a contradictory row, stop and ask the user how to recover the two commits. Never run git reset --hard autonomously.
  9. Write run-state JSON sidecar at <workspace>/target-platform/<profile-stem>.jetson-customize-pcie.json
    • summary, then drive the downstream next-step chain via sequential AskUserQuestion prompts per references/procedure.md Step 9. Never substitute a printed "Next step: …" line for the prompts.

Limitations

  • Mode hard-pinned to RC. Endpoint mode is only emitted when the operator passes mode_override="ep" in Step 5c.
  • enable is derived, not asked. UPHY-allocated controllers are mandatorily okay; non-allocated are mandatorily disabled.
  • No upstream BSP edits. Output lands in Linux_for_Tegra/ + bsp_sources/ only.
  • Pre-flight overlay merge is a sanity check, not the production build. /jetson-build-source is authoritative.
  • Flash-conf overlay registration is out of scope. Owned by /jetson-build-source Step 5.0a.

Troubleshooting

  • <uphy-state> missing → run /jetson-customize-uphy first.
  • Slot doesn't enumerate after flash → check dmesg | grep pcie; re-verify ODMDATA pcie@<N>_status=okay and the overlay fragment agree (Step 8 table in references/procedure.md).
  • Link trains at wrong width → confirm UPHY config in <uphy-state> allocates the expected lane count; the kernel fragment's num-lanes must match.
  • compatible mismatch → fix the composite root, not the fragment. UEFI plugin-manager silently skips on mismatch.
  • Contradictory ODMDATA-vs-overlay row → ask the user; do not auto-git reset --hard. See gotchas.
  • Common pitfalls — see references/gotchas.md (RC pinning, node- address sourcing, stock-disabled controllers, intra-file handoff with jetson-customize-uphy).

References

Frequently asked questions about Customize PCIe

Similar skills