---
id: peakrdl-cli
version: "1.5.0"
license: LGPLv3
license_treatment: copyleft
maintenance: active
---

# peakrdl-cli — Command-line tool for control/status register automation and code generation.

License: copyleft · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 101.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

PeakRDL is a register automation toolchain that reads SystemRDL register descriptions and generates multiple artifacts: synthesizable SystemVerilog RTL blocks, C register abstraction headers for firmware, HTML documentation, and UVM register models. It also supports importing and exporting IP-XACT XML, making it a bridge between register specification formats. The tool is centered on SystemRDL 2.0 but can work with other CSR specifications.

For hardware and firmware teams, PeakRDL eliminates manual register definition and code generation by automating the flow from a single source-of-truth register description to both hardware (Verilog) and software (C) artifacts. It's designed for FPGA and ASIC projects where register consistency between RTL and firmware is critical. The package includes extensibility through plugins, allowing teams to add custom generators for their specific workflows.

Use it for:

- Generate matching Verilog RTL and C headers from a single SystemRDL register specification to keep hardware and firmware in sync
- Convert between SystemRDL and IP-XACT formats for integration with existing design flows and tools
- Create automated HTML documentation of register maps for design reviews and firmware integration
- Build UVM register models for testbench verification from the same register description
- Extend the tool with custom code generators via plugins for project-specific register handling

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

PeakRDL is a command-line tool that generates register abstraction code and documentation from SystemRDL register descriptions, producing synthesizable SystemVerilog RTL, C headers, HTML docs, and UVM models.

Yes. PeakRDL is production-stable, actively maintained, has low install friction, and solves a real problem in hardware-firmware co-design by automating register code generation from a single source. The copyleft license is a consideration only if you plan to modify and redistribute the tool itself. For teams working with SystemRDL or IP-XACT, it's a worthwhile addition to the build toolchain.

## Install

pip install peakrdl-cli
uv add peakrdl-cli
poetry add peakrdl-cli

## Installing peakrdl-cli

Before you install: Low friction install with only two runtime dependencies (systemrdl-compiler and tomli). The package is actively maintained with recent commits and has been in production-stable status since its first release.

License in practice: Licensed under LGPLv3 (copyleft). Any derivative work or modification must be distributed under the same license; proprietary use of modified versions requires compliance with copyleft obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install peakrdl-cli

peakrdl generate -o output/ register_spec.rdl

Requires Python 3.7 or later. SystemRDL input files must be valid SystemRDL 2.0 format.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the tool's plugin system is documented well enough for custom extensions
- Performance characteristics when processing large register specifications
- Completeness of IP-XACT import/export support relative to the standard

## Package facts

- License: LGPLv3 (copyleft)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 101.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

register code generator, systemrdl compiler, csr automation tool, verilog rtl generation, register abstraction layer, hardware register toolchain, ip-xact converter, hardware-design, code-generation, register-automation

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