Cross-platform GUI wrapper for SDK upgrade_tool (macOS / Linux / Windows) — feedback welcome

[hiifong]

Hi,

I'm sharing a small open-source project and would appreciate the community's perspective.

Background

Rockchip-related flashing tools fall into a few categories:

1. Official RKDevTool (GUI) — graphical workflow, but essentially Windows-only. It drives the SDK upgrade_tool under the hood.
2. SDK upgrade_tool (CLI) — the command-line tool shipped with the Rockchip SDK (macOS / Linux / Windows). Same command set as the Windows GUI, but no official cross-platform GUI is provided for it.
3. Official open-source rkdeveloptool — command-line only (no GUI), for Linux and macOS.

I often work on macOS and Linux. Flashing firmware purely from the command line was inconvenient for my day-to-day workflow. I wanted a desktop GUI similar to the official Windows RKDevTool.

I chose to wrap SDK upgrade_tool (not rkdeveloptool itself) because it matches the Windows tool's commands and workflow. That led me to build an unofficial, fully open-source cross-platform GUI wrapper.

What I built

RKDevTool is an unofficial, community desktop app that wraps the SDK upgrade_tool CLI (subprocess invocation, live logs, device polling):

• Repository: https://github.com/hiifong/rkdevtool
• Releases: https://github.com/hiifong/rkdevtool/releases
• Platforms: macOS (.dmg), Linux (.deb / AppImage), Windows (.exe)
• Source: the GUI is fully open source
• Development: parts of the implementation were AI-assisted; the project is maintained by me in the open

It automates common upgrade_tool operations, for example:

• Download / flash partition images (DI, WL, UL, DB)
• Firmware upgrade with update.img (UF)
• Advanced actions (chip info, erase, reboot, storage switch, serial log export, etc.)
• Real-time log output with in-place progress updates
• Multi-device selection when several boards are connected

On Linux, .deb installs can ship a udev rule for Rockchip USB devices (VID 2207) so flashing does not require sudo, similar in spirit to 99-rk-rockusb.rules in this repository.

Disclaimer

This is a third-party community project. upgrade_tool binaries come from the Rockchip SDK and are subject to the SDK's license terms. Release installers may bundle platform upgrade_tool binaries for convenience; I am open to switching to a "bring your own binary from the SDK" model if that is preferred.

Questions for the community

I want to make sure this approach is reasonable and respectful:

1. Would a complementary third-party GUI around upgrade_tool be useful to others here, alongside CLI workflows such as rkdeveloptool?
2. Any concerns about redistributing SDK upgrade_tool binaries in release installers vs. asking users to supply them from the SDK?
3. Is there anything I should change in naming or documentation to avoid implying official endorsement?

I am not claiming official status. Feedback on any of the above is very welcome.

Thanks for maintaining rkdeveloptool and for any guidance.