# openthread / cli — Host
Runs a full OpenThread CLI (`ot ...`) on the host. The co-processor is the 802.15.4 **Radio Co-Processor (RCP)**: the host drives the RCP lifecycle over ESP-Hosted (RPC) and exchanges 802.15.4 (spinel) traffic over a **dedicated UART**. Adapted from `esp-idf/examples/openthread/ot_cli`.
## Supported Platforms and Transports
### Supported Coprocessors
OpenThread uses an 802.15.4 radio co-processor (RCP).
| Coprocessor | ESP32-C6 | ESP32-H2 | ESP32-H4 | ESP32-C5 |
| :---------: | :------: | :------: | :------: | :------: |
| Support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
### Supported Host Devices
| Host Device | ESP32-P4 | ESP32-H2 | Other MCUs | Linux |
| :---------: | :------: | :------: | :--------: | :---: |
| Support | Yes | Yes | [Yes](https://github.com/espressif/esp-hosted/blob/master/docs/getting-started-mcu.md) | [Yes](https://github.com/espressif/esp-hosted/blob/master/docs/getting-started-linux.md) |
### Supported Connection buses
| Connection bus | SDIO | SPI Full-Duplex | SPI Half-Duplex | UART |
| :------------- | :--: | :-------------: | :-------------: | :--: |
| Linux host | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| MCU host | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Select the transport (must match the co-processor) and configure the OpenThread RCP UART link:
```bash
cd examples/openthread/cli/esp_host
idf.py set-target esp32p4
idf.py menuconfig
```
```text
Component config
└── ESP-Hosted
└── Configure host
└── Host transport
├── Communication bus (co-processor <== bus ==> host)
│ ├── ( ) SPI Full Duplex
│ ├── (X) SDIO <── default (match the co-processor)
│ ├── ( ) SPI Half Duplex
│ └── ( ) UART
└── SDIO Configuration ← slot, bus width, GPIOs (defaults OK)
```
```text
Component config
└── ESP-Hosted
└── Configure host
└── Features
└── [*] OpenThread (RCP control)
├── [*] Auto-initialize OpenThread feature at boot
└── OpenThread RCP transport (host side)
├── (X) Dedicated UART <── default
├── ( ) ESP-Hosted transport (not supported yet)
├── (1) UART port
├── (11) Host TX pin (to RCP RX)
├── (10) Host RX pin (from RCP TX)
└── (460800) Baud rate
```
The host dependency config is **pre-set in `esp_host/sdkconfig.defaults`** (`sdkconfig.defaults.esp32p4` for the PSRAM part) — do not remove:
```text
CONFIG_ESP_HOSTED_HOST_FEAT_OPENTHREAD=y # host OpenThread feature
CONFIG_ESP_HOSTED_HOST_FEAT_RPC_EXT_V2=y # required RPC ext-v2
CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_ENABLED=y
CONFIG_SPIRAM=y # REQUIRED — host won't start without PSRAM
CONFIG_OPENTHREAD_RX_ON_WHEN_IDLE=n # keep in sync with RCP coexistence
```
Then flash and monitor:
```bash
idf.py -p <host_usb_serial_port> flash monitor
```
<!-- generated from ../README.md — edit that file, not this one -->
To create a project from this example, run:
idf.py create-project-from-example "espressif/esp_hosted=3.0.2:openthread/cli/esp_host"