Nx2elf

1. Overview nx2elf is a command-line tool (part of NXP’s MCUXpresso IDE / SDK toolchain) used to convert NXP-specific executable formats (like .nx or .axf ) into standard ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) files.

→ Rebuild original binary with -g and disable -s flag during conversion. 9. Quick Reference Card # Basic conversion nx2elf app.nx app.elf Verbose (see what sections are created) nx2elf app.nx app.elf -v Strip debug symbols (smaller file, no source debug) nx2elf app.nx app.elf -s Overwrite existing nx2elf app.nx app.elf -o 10. Conclusion nx2elf is a simple but essential bridge between NXP’s proprietary build outputs and the open-source ELF ecosystem. Use it whenever you need to debug, analyze, or post-process NXP firmware with standard GNU tools.

Enable debugging, post-linking analysis, and interoperability with standard GNU toolchain tools ( objdump , readelf , gdb ) that expect ELF format. 2. When is nx2elf needed? | Input format | Description | Why convert to ELF? | |--------------|-------------|----------------------| | .nx (NXP executable) | Proprietary format used by some NXP linkers / IDEs | ELF is required for open-source debuggers (OpenOCD, pyOCD, JLink) | | .axf (ARM Compiler output) | ARM’s proprietary format (from ARMCC) | Convert to ELF for use with GNU debugger or objdump | | .out (generic) | May be in NXP-specific extended COFF | Standard ELF tools cannot parse it directly | 3. Typical Usage Syntax nx2elf <input_file.nx> <output_file.elf> [options] Common options: | Option | Effect | |--------|--------| | -v | Verbose output (shows sections, symbols) | | -s | Strip debug symbols (reduces ELF size) | | -o | Overwrite output file if exists | | -b | Set base address (rarely needed – auto-detected) |

Missing section headers in output → Try nx2elf without -s to keep all sections.