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RPCortex is a CLI operating system for the Raspberry Pi Pico series (RP2040 / RP2350) and the ESP32-S3, written entirely in MicroPython. It turns a microcontroller into something that actually behaves like a computer — a real interactive shell with pipes and scripting, user accounts with passwords, a package manager, WiFi, over-the-air updates, a text editor, task automation, and a structured boot process with hardware checks.
It runs on hardware with 264 KB of RAM. That constraint is the point.
You flash MicroPython, copy the files, open PuTTY at 115200 baud, and reboot. POST runs — registry check, CPU test, memory verification, clock calibration, WiFi probe. You set a root password. You log in. The prompt comes up:
root@vela:~>
From there you have a shell that works. ls shows your files with sizes and timestamps. cd ~ takes you home. Up/down arrows scroll your last 50 commands. Left/right arrows move the cursor so you can edit a command mid-line. Tab completes commands and paths. You can pipe commands together (cat log | grep ERROR | wc), chain them (wifi connect && pkg update), and write scripts. You can open a file, edit it, save it. You can connect to WiFi, update the OS over the air, and install a package by name. You can overclock the CPU, benchmark it, drive GPIO pins, and check the temperature — all from the same prompt.
It's not trying to be Linux. It's a $4 microcontroller running MicroPython. But within those constraints, it behaves like a real system.
Use it as a shell environment. Browse and manage files, run scripts, edit configs. The filesystem commands cover everything standard: ls, cd, cp, mv, rm, tree, df, du. Copies and moves stream large files safely without exhausting RAM, and accept relative paths. Read several files at once with cat a.txt b.txt. Text processing with grep, find, sort, wc, and hex — and you can pipe them together (cat log | grep ERROR | sort | uniq) and chain with && / ||. The text editor opens any file over serial. ~ expands to your home directory in any argument — cd ~/docs, cp ~/config.txt /tmp/, all of it.
Automate it. Write .rps scripts with variables, if/else, and while loops, then run them with script myjob.rps. Add commands to run automatically at boot (startup add wifi connect), or on a repeating timer (task add 60 sysmon). Run startup add task run and the device boots straight into an autonomous scheduler — no terminal required. It's a standalone computer that can now do things on its own.
Talk to hardware. Drive pins straight from the prompt with the gpio package — gpio set 25 high, gpio pwm 15 50, gpio read 14, gpio adc 26. Scan for I²C sensors with i2cscan (it names common parts like SSD1306 and BME280). Do quick math with calc "3 * (4 + 2)" and base conversions with calc hex 255.
Connect to the internet. WiFi connects on any Pico W or ESP32 — and remembers your networks and passwords. wget streams files directly to flash. curl fetches APIs. runurl downloads and executes a Python file in one step. Autoconnect on boot if you want it.
Update over the air. update check tells you if a newer release is out; update online downloads and installs it over WiFi and reboots — your accounts, settings, and installed packages are preserved. No cable, no browser required. Prefer a wire? update from-file and the browser update page still work.
Install software. The package manager works like you'd expect: pkg install <name>, pkg remove <name>, pkg upgrade. Add the official repo, run pkg update, and everything in the index is a single command away. Installed commands show up in the shell immediately — no reboot. Even the built-in fetch and bench tools are packages now, so they update independently.
Install packages from your browser. The web package browser installs packages directly to a connected device over USB — no WiFi, no REPL, no reboot. Connect, click Install, done.
Manage users. Create accounts with mkacct (optionally --nopass / --admin), and modify them with usermod <user> passwd|rename|admin on|off|nopass on|off. Remove accounts with rmuser — the root and guest accounts are protected. Each user gets a home directory; every password prompt is masked. The guest account requires no password, and admin-only actions re-prompt for an admin password.
Tune the hardware. pulse set 220 overclocks to 220 MHz. pulse boot 200 sets a boot clock. bench runs the RPCMark benchmark. freeup compacts the heap when things get fragmented after heavy use.
Make it yours. settings opens an interactive panel to toggle boot overclocking, WiFi autoconnect, verbose boot, dynamic CPU clocking, SD support, and program execution. reg get/reg set writes the registry directly. Aliases (alias ll=ls -l) build your own shortcuts — and they survive reboots. watch -n 5 sysinfo keeps a live readout on screen. date set fixes the clock, and reg set System.TZ_Offset -5 keeps it in your timezone. Name the device's owner (reg set System.Owner Dash) and rename the host in your prompt (reg set System.Device_ID mypico).
Recover from trouble. If something breaks, recovery mode gives you a limited shell plus repair tools: fscheck verifies the core files are intact, diag prints a health snapshot, logdump shows the session log, regreset rebuilds a corrupt registry (keeping your accounts and WiFi), and pkgdisable quarantines a misbehaving package without removing it.
| Board | Status |
|---|---|
| Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W (RP2350 + WiFi) | Recommended |
| ESP32-S3 | Recommended |
| Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040) | Supported |
| Raspberry Pi Pico W (RP2040 + WiFi) | Supported |
| Raspberry Pi Pico 2 (RP2350) | Supported |
| ESP32 / ESP32-S2 | Supported |
Requires MicroPython v1.25 or newer. v1.28 recommended. 4 MB flash minimum.
Easiest: Use the Web Installer — flashes RPCortex directly from your browser over USB. No desktop software required (Chrome/Edge only).
Manual:
- Flash MicroPython to your board
- Copy all files from this repo to the board's filesystem
- Open a serial terminal at 115200 baud — PuTTY on Windows, minicom or screen on Linux/macOS
- Reboot —
main.pyruns automatically - Set your root password on first boot, then log in
wifi connect
pkg update
pkg install HelloWorld
update check
Smaller, faster image: a precompiled .mpy build (architecture-neutral — one image for RP2040, RP2350, and ESP32) is ~44% smaller and imports faster. Build it with python compile.py and deploy with python deploy.py --compiled (cross-platform; needs pip install mpy-cross mpremote).
- Documentation — full command reference, shell controls, registry keys, networking, and package format
- CHANGELOG — version history and release notes
- ROADMAP — what's shipped, what's next, and where ideas land
- rpc.novalabs.app — web installer, package browser, OS updater, and HTML docs
- Package Dev Guide — build and publish your own packages
- Issues — bug reports and feature requests
RPCortex is proprietary, source-available software — © 2026 dash1101 (NovaLabs), all rights reserved. The source is public so you can read it, study it, and learn from it, but it is not open source: using, copying, modifying, redistributing, or building on it requires prior written permission, and any permitted use must credit dash1101 and RPCortex. Please don't rebadge it as your own. To ask about using it, email support@novalabs.app. Full terms in LICENSE.