# jetson-promote-image

Copies overlay files and build artifacts into the staged BSP image so it is ready for flashing. It does not build or flash anything itself.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1100 installs · ★ 3735
- Author: Jetson Team
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/NVIDIA/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/jetson-promote-image

## What it does

This skill handles one leg of the Deploy chain: filling `bsp_image` with everything Customize and Build produced. Two channels feed it. The first is the git repo at `<source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/`, whose tracked files cover edits that need no build, such as `nvfancontrol.conf` or BPMP DTB changes. The second is `.build-manifest.yaml`, written by `jetson-build-source`, which lists the rebuilt `Image`, in-tree and out-of-tree `.ko` modules and NVIDIA DTBs. Copies are compared byte by byte, so identical destinations are skipped and a re-run after a failed `cp` picks up where it stopped. If both channels name the same destination, the manifest version wins over the older overlay copy.

Writes to `kernel/Image` or anything under `rootfs/lib/modules/` trigger an initramfs rebuild through `tools/l4t_update_initrd.sh`. Skip that and the bootloader loads the old kernel.

Set up beforehand: an active target profile with both `source:` and `bsp_image:` resolved, the source `Linux_for_Tegra` initialized as a git repo with a clean tree, an extracted BSP tarball with `apply_binaries.sh` already run, plus `git`, `yq`, `cmp` and `sudo` on the host for `rootfs/*` writes. Uncommitted overlay changes or kernel-side repos left dirty since the last build cause a refusal — the point is to keep stale artifacts out of the image.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill jetson-promote-image -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/jetson-promote-image/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill jetson-promote-image -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill jetson-promote-image -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install NVIDIA/skills jetson-promote-image
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill jetson-promote-image -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/NVIDIA/skills --path skills/jetson-promote-image
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill jetson-promote-image -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/NVIDIA/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- move overlay edits into the staged BSP image
- deliver a rebuilt kernel and its .ko modules into bsp_image
- rebuild the initramfs after the kernel Image changes
- refresh bsp_image without starting a flash
- confirm build outputs are current before copying

## Example prompts
- Promote the overlay and build artifacts into bsp_image
- Run the promote step for the active target profile
- Update bsp_image and refresh the initramfs if the kernel changed

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: f61b5eca53572089.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE f61b5eca53572089
```text
---
name: jetson-promote-image
description: >-
  Use to promote overlay files and built artifacts into the staged
  BSP image. Do NOT use to flash or build. Triggers: promote bsp
  image.
version: 0.0.1
license: "Apache-2.0"
metadata:
  data-classification: public
  author: "Jetson Team"
  team: pts
  tags:
    - bsp
    - promote
    - deploy
  domain: meta
---

# Promote BSP Image

## Purpose

Stage every Customize-* and Build output into `bsp_image` so it is
ready for `/jetson-flash-image`. This is the **promote leg of
Deploy** — it copies files, never flashes and never builds.

## Prerequisites

- Active target-platform profile with both `source:` and `bsp_image:`
  resolved (run `/jetson-init-source` and `/jetson-init-image` first).
- `<source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/` initialized as a git repo
  (overlay tracker) with a clean working tree.
- `<bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/` extracted from a BSP
  tarball + `apply_binaries.sh` already run.
- `git`, `yq`, `cmp`, and `sudo` (for `rootfs/*` destinations) on
  the host.
- `<source.root_path>/.build-manifest.yaml` + `.build-state.yaml`
  from `/jetson-build-source` (required when kernel-side repos
  have customize-* commits).

## Overview

This is the **promote leg of Deploy** — see
[`../../context/bsp-customization-workflow.md`](../../context/bsp-customization-workflow.md)
for the pipeline view. The two channels this skill walks are:

| Channel | Source | Carrier | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Overlay tracker** | `<source.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/` (git repo at HEAD) | Customize-* outputs that don't require a build (e.g. `nvfancontrol.conf`, `nvpmodel.conf`, BPMP DTB hand-edits) | Customize `customize-*` skills commit here |
| **Build manifest** | `<source.root_path>/.build-manifest.yaml` | Rebuilt kernel `Image`, in-tree `.ko`, OOT `.ko`, NVIDIA DTBs | Build [`jetson-build-source`](../jetson-build-source/SKILL.md) writes here |

The skill computes the union of files to copy and writes each into
`<bsp_image.root_path>/Linux_for_Tegra/` with diff-aware
skip-if-identical logic. When the copy pass touches the kernel
`Image` or anything under `rootfs/lib/modules/`, it also rebuilds
the initramfs via NVIDIA's `tools/l4t_update_initrd.sh` so the
freshly promoted kernel + modules ship in the initrd the
bootloader actually loads. After it returns, `bsp_image` carries
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE f61b5eca53572089

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the f61b5eca53572089 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2369 of 20046 bytes. © Jetson Team · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/NVIDIA/skills/tree/HEAD/skills/jetson-promote-image/SKILL.md

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