A native GTK4 + C editor that brings classic robot bricks back to life, in one window:
- NQC for the RCX, Scout, CyberMaster and Spybotics (compiled and sent by
nqc) - NXC for the NXT (compiled by
nbc; the app uploads and starts the program over USB with libusb)
Write a program, press F5, and it compiles, downloads and runs on the brick. Works on Linux (Omarchy theme followed live) and macOS on Apple Silicon, with no vendor driver. The interface is available in English and Spanish(selector in the top bar).
- macOS-style interface: sidebar with Bricks and Tools, light and dark look, one program at a time
- Syntax highlighting, error line highlighted in the editor
- Compile / Run / Download from the top bar, console below
- Device chip: shows whether an NXT or an RCX tower is connected
- RCX tools: tower port detection, firmware sheet with a real progress bar, datalog, IR range, auto-shutoff
- NXT Explorer: files, battery and firmware over USB
- Remote (RCX): the buttons of the LEGO IR remote (messages, motors A/B/C, programs P1-P5, stop, sound), sent with
nqc. The motor buttons run the motor while held, like the real remote. The installers patch nqc at build time so it does not wait for a reply the RCX never sends to remote commands (needed for the motor to keep running). Tested on a Mac mini M4 with an RCX 2.0.
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| macOS, Apple Silicon | Confirmed on a Mac mini M4 (RCX and NXT). |
| Linux Mint | Tested by COPERNICON (Eurobricks) with the RCX and the USB tower. NXT not tested yet. |
| Fedora | App built and run by COPERNICON. The tower could not be tested there (USB permissions). |
| Ubuntu / Debian | Should work like Mint (same apt packages). Not tested yet. |
| Arch / Omarchy | Confirmed with RCX and NXT. |
The Scout, CyberMaster and Spybotics targets are in the menu but have not been tested on real bricks yet. Feedback is welcome.
Needs Homebrew and the Xcode Command Line Tools. No drivers and no sudo.
bash macos/install-mac.sh
It builds nqc, nbc and the app into ~/.local/brickcode and creates ~/Applications/BrickCode Studio.app. The RCX needs its firmware once: gear button → Brick utilities → pick~/.local/brickcode/share/firmware/firm0328.lgo (the installer copies it there) → Send firmware (keep the RCX 10-20 cm from the tower, about 3-5 minutes).
Steps by COPERNICON (Eurobricks). First plug in the tower and check that the laptop recognises it:
sudo dmesg --follow
Somewhere in the output you should see "registered new interface driver legousbtower". Then:
sudo apt install nqc # RCX / Scout compiler
sudo apt install libusb-1.0-0-dev # libusb
sudo apt install libgtk-4-dev # GTK4
git clone https://github.com/JimBolanos/brickcode-studio.git
cd brickcode-studio/brickcode-studio
make # no sudo needed
sudo make install
In the app, set Tower port to usb (the Detect button does it). A good guide to installing NQC on Linux:https://brickbot.github.io/nqc/PLATFORM-Linux.html
nbc, the compiler for the NXT, is not in the apt repositories. bash linux/install-debian.sh builds nqc, nbc and the app into ~/.local/brickcode (not tested yet). For the NXT you also need the udev rule nbc-git/70-nxt.rules.
First confirmed by COPERNICON (Eurobricks). The app only needs GTK4 and libusb:
sudo dnf install gcc make pkgconf-pkg-config gtk4-devel libusb1-devel
git clone https://github.com/JimBolanos/brickcode-studio.git
cd brickcode-studio/brickcode-studio
make
sudo make install
make needs no sudo, only make install does. To compile programs you also need nqc (RCX/Scout) and nbc(NXT), which Fedora does not package. bash linux/install-fedora.sh installs all the dependencies, builds nqc, nbc and the app into ~/.local/brickcode, and offers the udev rule so the NXT works without root. Unplug and replug the NXT afterwards.
For the RCX tower your user needs access to the device (group dialout or plugdev, depending on the distro); log out and in after adding it.
Same steps as Linux Mint (Mint is based on Ubuntu). Not tested yet; please report what you find.
cd nbc-git && makepkg -si # NXC compiler + udev rules for the NXT
cd ../brickcode-studio && makepkg -si
For NQC also install nqc (AUR).
Install the GTK4 and libusb-1.0 development packages, then cd brickcode-studio && make && sudo make install.
The RCX needs a firmware once. firm0328.lgo and firm0309.lgo are included in the firmware/ folder of this repo, and the installers copy them to ~/.local/brickcode/share/firmware/. Descriptions of all firmware files are in the nqc repository: https://github.com/jverne/nqc/tree/master/firmware
firm0328.lgois the RCX 2.0 firmware (target RCX2, the default).firm0332.lgois the newest LEGO one and also works.firm0309.lgois the original RCX 1.0 firmware (target RCX).
The target menu in BrickCode Studio shows the matching firmware file next to each name.
Open the Brick utilities in the drawer and use Test tools (checks that nqc and nbc are found) and Test brick / Test NXT (asks the brick for its version or battery, so you know the USB link works).
Firmware fails with !!!! and firmware transfer failed (-3). The ! marks are nqc retries and -3 means the RCX did not answer. Keep the RCX close to the tower and still, check the batteries, unplug and plug the tower again, and retry. This failed once on a Mac mini M4 with a freshly reset RCX and worked on a later try, so the cause is not fully known. If it keeps failing, load the firmware once with another tool or computer; BrickCode Studio works with it afterwards.
On Linux the RCX tower port must be usb (not /dev/usb/legousbtower0); the Detect button sets it for you. If you get a permission error, add your user to the group that owns the tower (dialout or plugdev, depending on the distro) and log in again.
See the examples folder: forward_and_back.nqc, counter_to_display.nqc, button_to_light.nqc (RCX) and scout_button_light.nqc (Scout); forward_and_back.nxc and touch_sensor_motor.nxc (NXT). Thanks to Copernicon for the touch-sensor and Scout examples.
BrickCode Studio es un editor nativo para programar ladrillos clásicos: NQC (RCX, Scout) y NXC (NXT). Escribe el programa, pulsa F5 y se compila, se descarga y se ejecuta en el ladrillo. La interfaz está en inglés y español (selector en la barra superior). La instalación es la misma de arriba.
Hi, I'm Jim Bolaños. I build and program LEGO robots as a hobby (RCX, Scout, NXT and Powered Up hubs) and I write about them on my blog. I made BrickCode Studio so these classic bricks can keep running on modern computers: one editor, no old drivers, on Linux and macOS. If you find a bug or have an idea, open an issue here or find me at github.com/JimBolanos. My builds are on Rebrickable.
Hola, soy Jim Bolaños. Programo robots de LEGO como pasatiempo (RCX, Scout, NXT y hubs Powered Up) y escribo sobre ellos en mi blog. Creé BrickCode Studio para que estos ladrillos clásicos sigan funcionando en computadoras modernas: un solo editor, sin drivers viejos, en Linux y macOS. Si encuentras un error o tienes una idea, abre un issue aquí o búscame en github.com/JimBolanos. Mis creaciones están en Rebrickable.
Thanks to COPERNICON from the Eurobricks forum for providing feedback and installing BrickCode Studio on Fedora Linux.
Gracias a COPERNICON del foro Eurobricks por dar su opinión e instalar BrickCode Studio en Fedora Linux.
- nbc is built compile-only; sending the program to the NXT is done by the app itself.
- Settings are stored in
~/.config/brickcode-studio/settings.ini.
BrickCode Studio is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the LEGO Group. LEGO and MINDSTORMS are trademarks of the LEGO Group. nqc (Mozilla Public License) and nbc (GPL) are separate programs by their authors.
MIT License - © 2026 Jim Bolaños · github.com/JimBolanos
