Embedded Linux

Static analysis

Cppcheck with the MISRA C:2012 addon on SDK applications with the target's types and macros, suppressions with a reason, an exported report, and sparse and checkpatch.pl on kernel drivers.

The checkers run as separate processes on the build host (or on this computer for an SDK installed here); nothing is bundled.

State: modelled with Cppcheck 2.13.0 and its MISRA addon on a daemon in C and C++ with planted defects, configured by CMake 3.28.3 with an aarch64 GCC 13.3.0 stand-in SDK, here and over OpenSSH 9.6p1; a defect found only with the target's macros; line and inline suppressions honoured on the next run; sparse 0.6.4 through make M= C=2 on Linux 6.6.52 (an in-tree CAN driver with the tree left unchanged, another in-tree driver, an out-of-tree driver); checkpatch.pl 0.32 on a driver and a git format-patch patch; the running app. Not run with a real Yocto, Wind River or vendor SDK, with your MISRA rule texts, with Cppcheck other than 2.13.0, on a BitBake-built kernel, on Windows, against a real build server, or at realistic code-base size. MISRA C++ is not checked.

Cppcheck on an application

Configure the application once (see SDK applications) so it has compile_commands.json.
Run Analyse Application with Cppcheck..., or Analyse Current File with Cppcheck for one file. The working copy is sent first.
Cppcheck runs over the compile commands with the target compiler's predefined macros and a platform file of the target's type sizes taken from the same compiler (Cppcheck's own arm64 platform file has a 32-bit long), and the std, posix and gnu library configurations.
Findings land in Problems with severity, rule id and related locations.

Settings, all under neuralInverse.embeddedLinux.analysis.:

Setting	Meaning
`cppcheckPath`	Cppcheck on the machine where the SDK is (2.13 or later); empty for `cppcheck` on PATH
`checks`	Check groups besides errors: `warning`, `style`, `performance`, `portability`
`misra`	Runs the MISRA C:2012 addon on C files (python3 is needed where Cppcheck runs)
`misraRuleTexts`	The company's MISRA C:2012 rule texts file, from your licensed copy; none is shipped. Without it, findings name only the rule number
`suppressionsFile`	The project's suppressions file, relative to the source tree
`exclude`	Glob patterns of source files not analysed
`sparsePath`	sparse on the build host for the kernel check

Suppress a finding with a reason

On a finding, press Ctrl+. and choose Suppress ... with a Reason....
Pick where it is recorded: This Line, This File or Every File of the Application (in the project's suppressions file), or Inline Comment Above the Line in the source itself.
Enter the reason. The confirmation shows the file and the exact lines.

Cppcheck and MISRA C:2012 findings in Problems with the quick fix to suppress a rule with a reason.

The choice of where a suppression is recorded: this line, this file, every file of the application, or an inline comment.

Export the report

Export Static Analysis Report... writes Markdown (tool, version, command line, configuration, the SHA-256 of the rule texts and suppressions files, findings, suppression reasons, the MISRA compliance summary and its limits) or CSV.

Kernel drivers: sparse and checkpatch.pl

Check Kernel Driver with sparse... builds a temporary copy of a driver folder with make M= C=2 CHECK=sparse against the kernel recipe's prepared build folder and KERNEL_CC from bitbake -e virtual/kernel. Neither the source nor the build folder is written. Findings land on the driver's lines. Build the kernel once first, without rm_work.
Check Current File or Patch with checkpatch.pl runs the kernel's own script on a source file or a patch (for example one written by devtool finish); findings stand on the patch's own lines.

Agent tools

Five read-only tools read findings and run the checks; writing a suppression always asks first.

Next: Targets.

Last reviewed 17 October 2026View as Markdown