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Jetson Derive Carrier

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Bootstrap custom carrier boards effortlessly.

by nvidia2.8k stars on nvidia/skills
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Updated Aug 7, 2026
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Free · Opens the source repo

What Jetson Derive Carrier does

Jetson Derive Carrier is a specialized tool designed for developers working with NVIDIA Jetson platforms. It streamlines the process of customizing carrier boards by forking existing carrier files and scaffolding a Device Tree (DT) overlay from a reference development kit. This skill is particularly useful after the initial setup with jetson-init-source, and it ensures that the customization process is both efficient and organized.

The skill operates by resolving the active target based on a predefined target platform contract. It requires a specific configuration block, custom_carrier, and checks for the presence of a Git repository in the source path to ensure that the necessary files are available for modification. The tool handles the creation of template files and commits them in a structured manner, allowing developers to manage their changes effectively without staging pristine files unnecessarily.

One of the key features of Jetson Derive Carrier is its commit message preview gate, which prompts users to review and approve each commit before it is finalized. This feature enhances control over the customization process, allowing for edits or cancellations as needed. By materializing renamed forks even when there are no byte changes, the skill ensures that all modifications are tracked, providing a comprehensive overview of the carrier board's configuration.

This tool is ideal for developers and engineers who are involved in the design and customization of NVIDIA Jetson carrier boards, particularly those who require a systematic approach to managing their configurations and overlays. By automating the forking and committing process, Jetson Derive Carrier allows users to focus on the development aspects without getting bogged down by manual file management.

When to use it

Use this tool when you need to customize a carrier board after initializing the Jetson source environment.

When not to use it

Avoid this skill if you need to make module-level or kernel-DTB changes, as it is not designed for those purposes.

What you can build with it

Customizing a Carrier Board

Use Jetson Derive Carrier to fork and customize files for a new carrier board design, ensuring all changes are tracked.

Initial Setup for Jetson Projects

After running `jetson-init-source`, leverage this skill to scaffold a Device Tree overlay for your custom carrier.

Managing Configuration Changes

Utilize the commit message preview feature to review and manage configuration changes before finalizing them.

How to install Jetson Derive Carrier

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add nvidia/skills/jetson-derive-carrier --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

jetson-derive-carrier

Customize first-run gate for any customize-* skill on a custom carrier. Resolve the active target per target-platform-contract.md. Refuse if no custom_carrier: block, or if <source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/.git is missing (jetson-init-source first). Template file create/copy rows land in a single overlay-tracker commit and copy directly to the custom-carrier-renamed target path — reference-named pristine files are never staged (see Fork plan for the local rule, which overrides the standard pristine + customization split from the workflow); conf-chain discovery follows per-board conf dispatch. Kernel base DTB is not forked — carrier deltas layer as a DT overlay wired via OVERLAY_DTB_FILE.

Identifiers (from active profile): <chip> from reference_devkit.module.id via catalogue (unknown → warn, fallback tegra234); <module-id>/<module-sku> from reference_devkit.module; <carrier-id>/<carrier-sku> from reference_devkit.carrier; <custom-id>/<custom-sku>/ <custom-flash-conf> from custom_carrier. <real-conf> = readlink <bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/<reference_devkit.flash_config> (NVIDIA convention <devkit>.conf<carrier>-<module>-a<rev>.conf; warn + treat top-level as real + skip symlink-wrapper row if not a symlink).

<custom-id> is a custom carrier board token, not necessarily an NVIDIA-style pNNNN ID. Use it verbatim in dash-form filenames and DT compatible strings. When a target file family uses p-stripped numeric tokens, derive <custom-id-file-token> as NNNN only if <custom-id> matches ^p[0-9]{4}$; otherwise use <custom-id> unchanged. Do not reject custom carrier IDs merely because they do not start with p.

Instructions

The fork plan below is the instruction set: one discovery pass, then a row-by-row fork of the per-board fileset, gated by the commit-message preview before each git commit.

Fork plan

Every git commit produced by this skill — in the overlay tracker (Linux_for_Tegra/) or the hardware/ source repo — runs through the commit message preview gate. Surface the staged file list + proposed message to the operator and require accept / edit / cancel before each git commit; on cancel leave the index staged for manual resolution.

Materialize renamed forks even when bytes do not change. For every accepted fork-plan row, create and track the custom-carrier target path; do not skip a missing target because the fork is only a rename/copy or is byte-identical to the reference. This includes BCT forks such as pinmux, GPIO/GPIOINT, padvoltage/PMC, misc, and MB2 misc. Skip only when the Acceptance column allows it, the source is an explicit warn-and-skip miss, or the expected target path is already tracked; in the last case, report it as already derived and do not create an empty commit.

Template file create/copy rows squash into one overlay-tracker commit, and reference-named pristine files are never staged. All rows that materialize a new (template-derived) file in the overlay tracker — board flash-conf, flash-conf symlink, MB1 BCT (pinmux, GPIO/GPIOINT, padvoltage/PMC, misc), MB2 BCT (misc), BPMP DTB (when opted in), nvpmodel, nvfancontrol — copy directly from <bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/<rel>/<reference-name> to <source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/<rel>/<custom-name> with any content edits applied before staging. The reference-named (<carrier-id>-<carrier-sku>-keyed) filename is never staged or committed in the overlay tracker — only the custom-carrier-renamed file is tracked. This overrides the standard pristine + customization split from commit batching. All such rows land in a single overlay-tracker commit that adds: (i) the custom-carrier-named files at their target paths with content already applied, (ii) the flash-conf symlink, and (iii) the targeted flash-conf content rewrites inside the renamed flash-conf for PINMUX_CONFIG / GPIO_CONFIG / GPIOINT_CONFIG / PMC_CONFIG / MISC_CONFIG / MB2_BCT (plus BPFDTB_FILE when BPMP DTB is opted in). Rows that edit existing upstream files instead of creating templates — the nvpower.sh patch — and the overlay wire-up (OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+= append to the just-created flash-conf fork, treated as a temporally distinct phase per commit batching) remain separate commits per their own rows. The DT overlay skeleton commits in bsp_sources/hardware/, not the overlay tracker, so it is unaffected. The commit message preview gate fires once on the squashed commit; warn-and-skipped rows do not contribute, and if every row in the bundle is already tracked the commit is omitted entirely.

Discovery (single batched pass)

Run one discovery pass; do not interleave with staging. Do not truncate listings — every candidate filename in each scanned directory must be visible to the matcher. head, tail, | head -N, | tail -N, and any other row-limiting filter are out of bounds for this step; use ls -1 / find unclipped, or grep on the full output. Truncating risks false warn-and-skip calls when the matching file sits past the cutoff. Capture:

  • Flash-conf vars: DTB_FILE / TBCDTB_FILE / BPFDTB_FILE / PINMUX_CONFIG / PMC_CONFIG / GPIO_CONFIG / GPIOINT_CONFIG. DTB_FILE / TBCDTB_FILE are captured for reference only so the overlay wire-up can derive <dtb-stem> for the overlay filename — they are never rewritten by this skill.
  • BCT .dts at bootloader/generic/BCT/; .dtsi siblings live one level up at bootloader/ — NOT alongside.
  • nvpmodel: nvpmodel_<module-id>_<module-sku>*.conf. nvfancontrol: nvfancontrol_<module-id>_<module-sku>_<carrier-id>_<carrier-sku>.conf.
  • nvpower.sh anchors for (a)–(d): <carrier-id> cvb branch, <module-id>-<module-sku> SKU elif, tegra<chip> nvpmodel cascade, tegra<chip> nvfancontrol cascade.
File / categoryDiscoveryAcceptanceFork rule
Board flash conf<real-conf>AlwaysFilename sub <carrier-id>-<carrier-sku><custom-id>-<custom-sku>. Content sub is targeted, not blanket: rewrite RHS only for vars whose file this skill forks — PINMUX_CONFIG, PMC_CONFIG, GPIO_CONFIG / GPIOINT_CONFIG, MISC_CONFIG, MB2_BCT. Other carrier-keyed vars (DTB_FILE, TBCDTB_FILE, SCR_CONFIG, PMIC_CONFIG, DEVICEPROD_CONFIG, PROD_CONFIG, MINRATCHET_CONFIG, UPHY_CONFIG, dynamic OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+=) MUST stay at reference values — their files aren't forked here and a blanket sed would point them at nonexistent files. DTB_FILE / TBCDTB_FILE specifically: base DTB is not forked; the overlay row appends a new OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+= line instead. BPFDTB_FILE: opt-in extra commit. Never touch <chip>, <module-id>, xxxx.
Flash-conf symlinkUnconditionalAlways (skip if <real-conf> not a symlink)New symlink <custom-flash-conf> → flash-conf fork
MB1 BCT pinmuxPINMUX_CONFIG + #include follow ¶AlwaysRename rule †
MB1 BCT GPIOGPIO_CONFIG/GPIOINT_CONFIG + #include follow ¶AlwaysRename rule †
MB1 BCT padvoltagePMC_CONFIG + #include follow ¶AlwaysRename rule †
MB1 BCT miscMISC_CONFIG + #include follow ¶AlwaysRename rule †
MB2 BCT miscMB2_BCT + #include follow ¶AlwaysRename rule †
Kernel DTB + source DTS(reference only — see header)Never forkedBase DTB stays at reference. No pristine binary copy in the overlay tracker; no source DTS fork in bsp_sources/hardware/. Carrier deltas live entirely in the DT overlay (next row).
DT overlay skeleton (NEW)UnconditionalAlwaysCreate <source.root_path>/hardware/nvidia/<chip>/nv-public/overlay/<chip>-<custom-id>-<custom-sku>+<module-id>-<module-sku>.dts (skeleton ‡); commit in hardware/, push to origin
Per-dir Makefile registration<source.root_path>/bsp_sources/hardware/nvidia/<chip>/nv-public/overlay/MakefileAlwaysAppend dtbo-y += <chip>-<custom-id>-<custom-sku>+<module-id>-<module-sku>.dtbo after the last literal-named dtbo-y += entry (BEFORE the $(addprefix $(makefile-path)/,$(dtbo-y)) prefix block — inserting after dtbo-y += $(old-dtbo) silently drops the .dtbo). Same position-sensitive idiom and snippet as the composite slot's Makefile patch in ../jetson-build-source/references/composite-registration.md#makefile-patch-idempotent-position-sensitive. Commit in hardware/. Without this row, nvidia-dtbs never produces the .dtbo referenced by the next row's OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+= line and flash.sh aborts mid-flash on the missing file.
Overlay wire-upUnconditionalAlwaysAppend OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+=",<chip>-<custom-id>-<custom-sku>+<module-id>-<module-sku>.dtbo" to flash-conf fork (extra commit)
nvpmodel configrootfs/etc/nvpmodel/nvpmodel_<module-id-num>_<module-sku>.confAlwaysFilename: append _<custom-id-file-token>_<custom-sku>
nvfancontrol configrootfs/etc/nvpower/nvfancontrol/nvfancontrol_<module-id-num>_<module-sku>_<carrier-id-num>_<carrier-sku>.confAlwaysFilename: substitute carrier portion (append _<custom-id-file-token>_<custom-sku> if source is module-keyed only)
nvpower.sh patchrootfs/etc/systemd/nvpower.shAlwaysPristine + single customization commit with 4 insertions: (a) cvb cascade elif [[ "${machine}" =~ "<custom-id>" ]]; then cvb="<custom-id-file-token>" before reference; (b) inside module-SKU branch set machine="<module-id>-<module-sku>-<custom-id>-<custom-sku>"; (c) nvpmodel cascade branch for composite machine key → conf_file= nvpmodel fork; (d) cvb-keyed nvfancontrol cascade branch → conf_file= nvfancontrol fork
BPMP DTBprebuilt at bootloader/generic/<BPFDTB_FILE> (alt naming: no p prefix, xxxx SKU)Opt-in y/N, default N — module-level, usually shared with referenceFork binary: pristine + filename sub -<carrier-id-num>--<custom-id-file-token>- (content unchanged). Extra commit on flash-conf fork rewriting BPFDTB_FILE to the renamed binary.

#include follow. Scan each captured .dts for #include "..." directives anywhere in the file (NVIDIA BSPs put them inside BCT node bodies); carrier-keyed includes join the fork list. Stop at one level.

Rename rule. Carrier-keyed source (e.g. …-p3834-xxxx-p4071-0000.dts) → filename sub <carrier-id>-<carrier-sku><custom-id>-<custom-sku>; rewrite the flash-conf variable (e.g. PINMUX_CONFIG) to the renamed filename in the same customization commit. Module portion is preserved verbatim from pristine — if pristine has p3834-xxxx, fork keeps p3834-xxxx; if pristine has p3834-0008, fork keeps p3834-0008. Never pin module-SKU on your own. Same rule for any other xxxx wildcard in the carrier-SKU position when pristine uses it (e.g. p4071-xxxxp1234-xxxx). Module-keyed source (e.g. …-p3767-dp-a03.dtsi) → append _<custom-id-file-token>_<custom-sku> (underscore-form) or -<custom-id>-<custom-sku> (dash-form) plus an extra commit on flash-conf fork rewriting the variable (e.g. PINMUX_CONFIG) to the suffixed name. Content never substituted by default; prompt if content holds a literal carrier-id-sku self-reference.

Overlay skeleton. DT plugin overlay (/plugin/;) with one fragment@0 at target-path = "/"; inside __overlay__ set model = "<custom_carrier.name> carrier board" and compatible = "nvidia,<custom-id>-<custom-sku>+<module-id>-<module-sku>", "nvidia,<chip>". nvpower.sh machine narrowing reads compatible.

Edit verification

Re-grep after every sed / patch. sed silently no-ops on miss; exit code 0 proves nothing. Multi-line replacements: use Python str.replace(old, new), not multi-line sed (brittle to whitespace drift, silent no-ops). Refuse to commit on verification miss.

Summary. Print forks per repo (count + commit SHAs), BPMP-DTB decision, warn-and-skipped rows (mandatory source file missing on this BSP — don't fail the run), overlay path written.

Examples

Trigger phrases the operator might use:

derive custom carrier
bootstrap custom carrier
fork carrier board from reference devkit

Minimal custom_carrier: block in the active profile that the skill expects to find:

custom_carrier:
  id: p1234            # any token; need not be NVIDIA pNNNN style
  sku: 0000
  flash_config: p1234.conf
  name: Acme Custom Carrier

Purpose

Customize the per-board fileset for a new carrier board so downstream customize-* skills, nvpower.sh, and the boot chain land on the custom carrier instead of the reference devkit. Base DTB stays at the reference; carrier deltas live in a DT overlay so a re-derive against a new reference BSP only needs to re-run this skill.

Prerequisites

  • Active profile resolved per target-platform-contract.md with a custom_carrier: block (id, sku, flash-conf, friendly name).
  • source.root_path/Linux_for_Tegra/.git initialized — run /jetson-init-source first; this skill refuses if the overlay tracker is missing.
  • bsp_image.root_path populated by /jetson-init-image so the reference flash-conf symlink can be resolved.
  • reference_devkit: populated (module + carrier) so the rename rule has carrier-id/sku tokens to substitute away from.

Limitations

  • Kernel base DTB and its source DTS are not forked — carrier deltas must layer through the DT overlay wired via OVERLAY_DTB_FILE.
  • BPMP DTB fork is opt-in (default OFF). Most carrier swaps share the reference BPMP DTB; only opt in when board power/clock topology diverges.
  • Flash-conf content substitution is targeted, not blanket. Vars whose files this skill does not fork (DTB_FILE, TBCDTB_FILE, SCR_CONFIG, PMIC_CONFIG, DEVICEPROD_CONFIG, PROD_CONFIG, MINRATCHET_CONFIG, UPHY_CONFIG, dynamic OVERLAY_DTB_FILE+=) stay at reference values — rewriting them would point at files that do not exist.
  • Custom-carrier IDs need not follow NVIDIA pNNNN style; the p-stripped numeric token is derived only when the ID matches ^p[0-9]{4}$.
  • Does not customize module-level files. Use the relevant jetson-customize-* skill for pinmux, clocks, fan curves, nvpmodel, PCIe, UPHY, USB, MGBE, or camera deltas.

Troubleshooting

  • Refuses with "no custom_carrier: block" — declare the block in the active profile before re-running; the skill will not infer it.
  • Refuses with ".git missing in Linux_for_Tegra/" — overlay tracker not initialized. Run /jetson-init-source first.
  • "<real-conf> not a symlink" — NVIDIA convention is a <devkit>.conf symlink to <carrier>-<module>-a<rev>.conf; if the top-level is the real conf, the skill warns, treats it as real, and skips the symlink-wrapper row. Not an error.
  • sed reported success but the edit is missingsed silently no-ops on miss. The skill re-greps after every patch and refuses to commit on verification miss; for multi-line replacements switch to Python str.replace.
  • "chip: unknown" / fallback to tegra234 — module ID is not in the catalogue; update the catalogue rather than override in the profile.
  • Commit message preview prompt blocks the run — expected gate per commit-batching; accept, edit, or cancel. On cancel the index is left staged for manual resolution.
  • A mandatory source file is missing on this BSP — the row is recorded as warn-and-skipped in the summary; the rest of the run still completes.

Frequently asked questions about Jetson Derive Carrier

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