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Customize UPHY Lane Allocation

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Configure UPHY lane allocation on Jetson custom carriers.

by nvidia2.8k stars on nvidia/skills
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Updated Aug 7, 2026
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What Customize UPHY Lane Allocation does

The Customize UPHY Lane Allocation skill is designed for developers working with NVIDIA Jetson custom carriers, specifically targeting the UPHY lane configurations on Orin and Thor platforms. This skill allows users to select UPHY lane allocations and make necessary edits to the carrier's flash configuration by applying specific ODMDATA tokens. It is particularly useful for ensuring that high-speed PHY allocations are correctly set up, which is critical for the proper functioning of connected devices.

When invoked, the skill guides users through a series of steps that involve verifying the active target platform profile, accessing necessary documentation, and cross-referencing the carrier schematic. It dynamically retrieves available UPHY options and presents them in a user-friendly markdown table format. The final output includes a summary of changes made, providing clarity on the configurations applied. This approach ensures that users can make informed decisions about their UPHY configurations without hard-coded limitations.

The skill is designed for engineers and developers who are familiar with NVIDIA Jetson platforms and need to configure UPHY settings for custom hardware. It streamlines the process of lane allocation, making it easier to manage complex configurations that involve multiple controllers such as PCIe, MGBE, and USB. By automating the generation of ODMDATA tokens and ensuring that kernel-DT overlays are correctly handled, this skill reduces the potential for errors during the configuration process.

However, it is important to note that this skill should not be used for pinmux or PCIe-only edits, as its focus is solely on UPHY lane allocation. Users must ensure they have the appropriate prerequisites, including an active target-platform profile and access to the necessary documentation, before utilizing this skill. This careful approach helps prevent misconfigurations that could lead to device enumeration issues or firmware errors during boot.

When to use it

Use this skill when you need to configure UPHY lane allocations on custom Jetson carriers, especially when dealing with complex setups involving multiple controllers.

When not to use it

Avoid using this skill for pinmux or PCIe-only edits, as it is specifically tailored for UPHY lane configurations.

What you can build with it

Configuring UPHY for a New Carrier

When launching a new custom carrier project, use this skill to set the correct UPHY lane allocations from the start.

Resolving Device Enumeration Issues

If a UPHY-fed controller fails to enumerate after flashing, this skill can help reconfigure the necessary settings.

Adjusting MGBE Speeds

When needing to change the speed settings for MGBE interfaces, invoke this skill to easily manage those configurations.

How to install Customize UPHY Lane Allocation

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add nvidia/skills/jetson-customize-uphy --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 UPHY lane allocation

Purpose

Select a UPHY lane allocation on a Jetson custom carrier and edit the carrier flash-conf fork's ODMDATA="..." to apply the chosen uphyX-config-N token(s) (plus the UPHY_CONFIG="" clear required for uphy0-config-6). Kernel-DT alignment per controller is not done here — after the ODMDATA commit lands, this skill dispatches to the per-controller skills (/jetson-customize-pcie, /jetson-customize-mgbe, /jetson-customize-usb), each of which must compare the chosen allocation against the reference kernel DTB node-by-node and emit an overlay fragment only when the K-stock value disagrees with the chosen allocation. Discovery is agentic: options, lanes, and controllers come from the Adaptation Guide, carrier schematic, and Module / SoC TRM at run time — never hard-coded. Every user-visible step renders its data as a markdown table, and the final summary includes a changes-summary table.

Prerequisites

  • Active target-platform profile with reference_devkit: and custom_carrier:.
  • <source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/.git initialized (/jetson-init-source).
  • Forked carrier conf present (/jetson-derive-carrier).
  • Reachable Adaptation Guide via documents.adaptation_guide -> documents.bsp_developer_guide -> web fetch -> Step-1 prompt fallback.
  • When custom_carrier: is present, both documents.custom_carrier_schematic AND documents.custom_carrier_pinmux_xls are REQUIRED. The skill refuses to run if either is missing — routing decisions for the custom carrier cannot be guessed. Reference-devkit-only profiles (no custom_carrier: block) do not require these.

Overview

UPHY (unified PHY) is the shared high-speed PHY pool on Tegra264 (Thor) and Tegra234 (Orin). Lane allocation is selected by ODMDATA tokens (uphy0-config-N, Thor also uphy1-config-N) parsed at flash time by tegraflash_impl_t264.py::tegraflash_update_bpmp_dtb() and written into /uphy/uphy{0,1}-config of the BPMP DTB.

Output is a single atomic ODMDATA commit in <source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/ carrying the chosen uphyX-config-N token(s), the UPHY_CONFIG="" clear (for uphy0-config-6), AND every per-controller ODMDATA token derived from the chosen allocation (pcie@N_status=*, mgbeN-speed-*, USB SS per-port tokens). Sub-skills (/jetson-customize-pcie, /jetson-customize-mgbe, /jetson-customize-usb) own only the kernel-DT overlay fragments — they MUST NOT touch ODMDATA. All commits follow the batched pristine + customization pattern in ../../context/bsp-customization-workflow.md. Upstream BSP at <bsp_image.root_path>/ is never edited.

When to invoke

  • User says "configure UPHY", "uphy lane allocation", "set uphy0-config-N", "change MGBE speed", or asks to remap PCIe / MGBE / USB3 / UFS on a custom carrier.
  • A UPHY-fed controller doesn't enumerate after flash, OR cold boot dies in BL31 SError / BPMP firmware is not ready.
  • A downstream skill reports FMON fault or BPMP-DTB lane mismatch.

Procedure (summary)

Eight steps; full detail in references/procedure.md.

  1. Resolve target + docs. Refuse without active profile, custom carrier, source-tree git, or forked carrier conf. Resolve Adaptation Guide / schematic / Module Design Guide / SoC TRM.

  2. Locate "Configure the UPHY Lane" in the Adaptation Guide (PDF / HTML mirror / WebFetch). Cross-check Module Design Guide + SoC TRM.

  3. Cross-reference the carrier schematic. Cite UPHY net names (MGBE2_TX_P/N, PEX5_LN0+-, etc.). Zero matching nets = unrouted.

  4. Enumerate matching UPHY options. Surface every documented uphy0-config-N (and Thor uphy1-config-N) index.

  5. Ask the user which config (HARD GATE). Print tables first, then AskUserQuestion — one per UPHY surface, plus carrier-routing confirmation if any allocated lane is unrouted. Persist answers to the JSON sidecar (references/run-state-sidecar.md).

  6. Edit carrier flash-conf fork (atomic ODMDATA commit). This skill owns every ODMDATA token for the run. One ODMDATA="..." line, one commit, all tokens. Sub-skills MUST NOT touch ODMDATA.

    Decompile the BPMP DTB at <bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/bootloader/generic/<BPFDTB_FILE> (BPFDTB_FILE from the carrier conf) to snapshot stock state, then emit tokens in this order:

    a. UPHY surface tokens — every chosen uphyX-config-N (Thor: both surfaces, even if one equals the guide default). Order uphy0 then uphy1; separator ,. b. Per-controller tokens — one per row whose plan-state differs from BPMP-stock. Match-rows get no token (redundant tokens can drop the whole line).

    • PCIe: pcie@N_status=okay|disabled.
    • MGBE: mgbeN-speed-<rate> on allocate, mgbeN-speed-del on disable. FMON arms on the controller's own clocks regardless of UPHY allocation — missing del ⇒ BL31 SError reboot loop. Single most common post-flash failure on Thor.
    • USB SS: per-port tokens when the SoC grammar exposes them. c. UPHY_CONFIG="" clear when uphy0-config-6 is selected (BCT pinmux clear per Adaptation Guide).
  7. Build the per-controller allocation table and dispatch. Derive one row per UPHY-fed controller (PCIe / MGBE / USB SS / UFS) with {class, instance, allocated?, BPMP-stock, K-stock, routed?, Desired K state}. This table drives both (a) Step 6's ODMDATA tokens and (b) the sub-skills' overlay fragments — build it before Step 6 commits.

    Then invoke /jetson-customize-pcie, /jetson-customize-mgbe, and /jetson-customize-usb for kernel-DT overlay fragments only (no ODMDATA edits — Step 6 owns the line). Each sub-skill re-reads K-stock from <bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/kernel/dtb/tegra<soc>-*-nv.dtb and skips emission when K-stock matches Desired K state. UFS handling stays inline here (no UFS sub-skill).

    Invoke all three whenever their controller class is present on this SoC (e.g. skip MGBE on Orin). Ask the operator first; on yes, run the sub-skill inline.

  8. Summary + next-step chain. Headline, breakdown, choices table (UPHY surface | chosen config | lane summary | UPHY_CONFIG-clear), changes-summary table (file | repo | commit SHA | one-line summary covering this skill's commit + every dispatched sub-skill's commit), then drive the downstream chain (more I/O? build & promote? flash? validate?) via sequential AskUserQuestion prompts per references/procedure.md Step 8. Never substitute a printed "Next step: …" line for the prompts.

Limitations

  • Only supports Tegra234 (Orin) and Tegra264 (Thor) UPHY surfaces.
  • Does not edit pinmux, PCIe-only DT properties absent from BPMP DTB (num-lanes, pcie-mode), or upstream BSP files.
  • Does not flash, build, or promote — chain into /jetson-build-source and downstream skills.
  • Hard-coded option tables are forbidden; if no Adaptation Guide source resolves the skill refuses rather than guessing.
  • Not table-driven across releases: every run re-reads the Guide for the active BSP version.

Troubleshooting

  • Cold boot reboot loop / BL31 plat_setup.c:726 / BPMP firmware is not ready after uphy0-config-6: a later ^UPHY_CONFIG= line in the carrier conf re-overrode the clear. Comment it (see references/procedure.md Step 6).
  • wait-for-device failed at flash, BPMP DTB unchanged: an ODMDATA token had wrong shape (e.g. mgbe0-speed-0). One bad token drops the whole ODMDATA="..." line. Inspect grammar in references/procedure.md.
  • BL31 SError reboot loop after disabling an MGBE: missing mgbeN-speed-del. FMON arms on the controller's own clocks regardless of UPHY allocation.
  • Newly-routed controller doesn't enumerate: stock kernel DTB had status="disabled". Overlay must emit status="okay" (matrix row 4 in references/procedure.md).
  • Pinmap delta=0 but board still misbehaves: UPHY differential pairs are absent from pinmux .xlsm. Drive decisions off schematic net names, not the pinmap.
  • Duplicate pcie@<addr> fragments: another skill (jetson-customize-pcie) already owns that node. Scope this skill to MGBE / UFS / USB3 SS / PCIe-status-only and cite the other overlay.

References

  • references/procedure.md — full eight-step procedure.
  • references/gotchas.md — cross-cutting gotchas.
  • references/run-state-sidecar.md — JSON sidecar schema + idempotency.
  • ../../references/platform_template.yamldocuments: schema.
  • ../../context/bsp-customization-workflow.md — overlay edit protocol.
  • ../../references/bsp-customization-kernel-dtb.md — composite-overlay filename / append protocol.
  • ../jetson-derive-carrier/SKILL.md — produces the conf this skill edits.
  • ../jetson-init-source/SKILL.md — produces the two git repos this skill commits into.
  • ../jetson-generate-kb/SKILL.md — KB consulted for chip family + file locations.

Frequently asked questions about Customize UPHY Lane Allocation

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