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Description
Describe the problem
I have been experiencing an intermittent issue with the board list --watch
command while using version 1.1.1 of the CLI on macOS. Occasionally, the command does not detect any serial ports, resulting in missing watch events via gRPC.
To reproduce
- Open a Terminal on macOS.
- Run the command:
board list --watch
- Monitor the output for the detection of the serial ports.
- Press Ctrl+C to terminate the watch process.
- Repeat from 2.) until you hit the bug.
./arduino-cli board list --watch
Port Type Event Board Name FQBN Core
The OS can detect the serial ports with ls /dev/tty.*
at the same time while the watch process runs.
Proof 👇

Expected behavior
The board list --watch
command should consistently detect the serial ports and trigger appropriate board list watch events.
Arduino CLI version
arduino-cli Version: 1.1.1 Commit: fa6eafc Date: 2024-11-22T09:31:36Z
Operating system
macOS
Operating system version
11.7.10
Additional context
- I initially suspected a potential bug in my code via grpc, but I could reproduce it from a shell.
- I have never noticed this defect before 1.1.1.
Issue checklist
- I searched for previous reports in the issue trackerI verified the problem still occurs when using the nightly buildMy report contains all necessary details
Activity
[-]`board list --watch` fails to detect the built-in Bluetooth port on macOS[/-][+]`board list --watch` fails to detect anything port on macOS[/+][-]`board list --watch` fails to detect anything port on macOS[/-][+]`board list --watch` fails to detect any serial ports on macOS[/+][-]`board list --watch` fails to detect any serial ports on macOS[/-][+]`board list --watch` occasionally fails to detect any serial ports on macOS[/+]cmaglie commentedon Jan 21, 2025
I tried to reproduce it on my Mac, I've launched the CLI a hundred times, and never failed :-/.
Can I ask you to bisect and find the wrong commit?
Is your Mac x86 or arm?
dankeboy36 commentedon Jan 21, 2025
Thank you for investigating the issue.
I encountered the bug on an Intel Mac, but I will check if I can reproduce it on a Mac with an ARM chip.
Sure. It's not my highest priority at the moment, but when I can reproduce it, I will update the thread.
Also, IDE users have experienced the same problem on Linux: arduino/arduino-ide#2600.