A Notepad++ plugin written in Delphi to directly interact with ESPHome and easily manage related projects in Windows environment.
After discovering the potential of ESPHome, I started working on several projects and immediately ran into the lack of a tool that would help me speed up the development workflow, including writing YAML code and performing related testing. Despite the power of the command line provided by both Python and ESPHome itself, I needed something that would save me from repeatedly rewriting the same commands, even if they were very simple. At first, I developed a Windows application that acted as a wrapper, but I soon realized that by relying exclusively on Notepad++ for code editing, I could create a plugin that would make interaction with ESPHome commands immediate and straightforward.
That’s how the idea for this plugin was born.
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Streamlined workflow – Designed around the ESPHome project concept, the plugin ensures a smooth, intuitive, and productive development experience.
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Project configuration dialogs – Quickly select and configure your current project with dedicated setup windows directly inside Notepad++.
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One-click ESPHome commands – Automatically generates command lines for Run, Compile, Upload, Clean, and Logs. All commands are accessible from the plugin menu or can be assigned to custom keyboard shortcuts in Notepad++.
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Smart YAML validation – Parses your project’s YAML file to check validity and detect whether it includes Online or WebServer features.
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Flexible device communication – Configure ESP device communication ports with automatic detection of active serial and network connections, making uploads and interaction effortless.
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Command customization – Personalize options for each ESPHome command and save them with your project settings.
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Advanced configuration – Control logging behavior, automatic console closing, and define custom command-line arguments for advanced workflows.
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Auto-save integration – Automatically saves your project files before executing ESPHome commands, helping you keep focus on development.
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Multi-source management – Supports a project dependency file, enabling simultaneous editing of multiple sources within the same project, with multi-file open and save to boost productivity.
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Custom Notepad++ toolbar – An integrated, customizable toolbar provides direct access to the plugin’s main commands and functions.
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Templates for ESPHome Components – A dockable window displays a customizable list of ESPHome components, allowing for quick insertion into code template blocks and accelerating development.
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Full support for Light or Dark modes - Any window, as well as the toolbar has been developed to support both Notepad++ dark and light modes.
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Extra utilities – Includes handy non-ESPHome features such as:
- Opening the official ESPHome web documentation
- Updating ESPHome to the latest version
- Launching a command prompt or file explorer directly from the project folder
The plugin does not replace ESPHome; instead, it simplifies interaction with it directly from Notepad++.
For the plugin to work, ESPHome must already be installed on your system.
As it is built for Notepad++, the editor must also be installed; version 8.0 or higher is recommended and required to enable toolbar functionality.
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Select one or more existing ESPHome projects by adding the corresponding YAML file through the "Select Project" plugin command or directly from the floating window.
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Configure the current project by setting the relevant options for ESPHome and Notepad++ using the "Configure Project" command or icon.
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Open the project file(s) in Notepad++ for development with "Open Project File" or "Open Project File & Dependencies" commands or icons.
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Develop your YAML code.
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While coding invoke "Run", "Compile", or "Upload" ESPHome commands as needed, either from the menu, the icons on the floating window or through custom keyboard shortcuts.
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Explore the additional plugin commands and features to further support your development.
(default command shortkey Alt+Shift+F9)
When the plugin is loaded, it reads from the configuration file the list of previously added ESPHome projects and identifies the active project — the one to which all remaining plugin commands will apply.
By selecting the "Select Project" command from the "Plugins → NppESPHome" menu, the following window appears. From here, you can choose the active project from the list of known projects or add a new one by clicking "Add Project" and loading the corresponding YAML file from your system.
If you wish to remove a project from the list of known projects, use the "Remove Project" button.
Select Project Window
(default command shortkey Ctrl+F10)
Once the current project has been selected, you can proceed with its configuration by defining how the plugin should interact with ESPHome and with Notepad++.
For example, you can decide the type of auto-save behavior for project files, configure how to handle console windows opened by ESPHome commands, customize the command line for each action, and much more.
Configure Project Window
These settings, defined on a per-project basis, are stored in the plugin’s configuration file.
(toggle through toolbar icon or menu command)
A compact, dockable control center:
- The top section lists your projects and dependencies, with quick access to ESPHome commands and other functionalities.
- The bottom section hosts the template browser for inserting component snippets into your code with a simple doubble click.
Floating Window
Templates are loaded from a fully customizable XML file. If the file "NppESPHome.xml" is not found in your plugin configuration folder when the plugin starts, you’ll be prompted to download a basic template from GitHub. I recommend doing so — you can then freely edit and expand it to build your own custom templates and speedup your development.
Additional template-management functions are available through the three-dot menu next to the filters in the template panel.
Plugin Menù
From the plugin menu, or through keyboard shortcuts in Notepad++, you can launch the five main ESPHome commands for the current project (Run, Compile, Upload, Logs, Clean).
Normally, when working from a Windows console, you would need to invoke the esphome.exe command line manually and provide the correct sequence of required parameters.
ESPHome Console
The plugin automatically builds the command line with all the parameters required to run ESPHome, invoking the expected command.
Stored configurations, project files, and the command itself are used to open the ESPHome console and execute the selected action.
The console (running in a Windows shell) can either remain open or close automatically, depending on the chosen settings.
In case you just want to use the plugin as-is, and don't care to compile it yourself, you can download the DLL.
The plugin DLL file must be placed in the plugins subfolder of the Notepad++ Install Folder, under the subfolder with the same name of plugin binary name without file extension, as per this guide.
Pay attention to use the DLL plugin architecture corresponding to the Notepad++ architecture in use. (x32/x64)
Moreover, remember that for the plugin to work, ESPHome must already be installed on the system.
Here you can find the ESPHome Installation Guide.
If ESPHome is not found during Notepad++ startup, the plugin will display an error message.
Settings are stored in the Notepad++ plugin settings default folder in NppESPHome.ini file.
The source (written in Delphi) is available primarily so you can build your own custom versions.
I accept pull requests for bug fixes that I can reproduce or are obvious.
Pull requests for new features or other changes are very welcome.
Start by creating an issue.
The source code is released under the MPL 2.0 license:
Copyright © 2025 Andrea Tiburzi
This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
NppESPHome plugin has been compiled with Delphi 12 and tested with the following versions but probably it works with older (and newer) versions too:
- Notepad++ 8.8.3
- ESPHome 2025.3.0
Libraries to implement Notepad++ plugin have been partially taken from NppUISpy plugin for Notepad++ ver. 1.2 and modified to make them working for the case.
The following additional 3rd party libraries are required in order to compile the source:
Those libraries must be placed in the Delphi default library search path.
The plugin is already designed with multilingual support in mind. So far, I haven’t felt the need to implement it, but it could be added in the future without major effort.