September 5, 2025 Software Update

This week we have a big update for you across the FarmBot Web App and FarmBot OS! Here’s what new and improved:

Axis order

You can now control the ORDER that the three axes are operated in for each movement command. Options include:

• All at once. While this method results in the fastest movements, it can be problematic for modified FarmBots carrying heavier payloads or in high density gardens where more controlled movements are needed. Note: This has been and remains the default behavior for existing machines.
• X and Y together. This new option moves the X and Y axes together, and the Z axis either before or after to reach the target destination via the high route. This offers a nice middle-ground between safety and speed, and is the new default option for accounts created today.
• One at a time. This new option is the slowest but also the most deterministic. The FarmBot will move one axis at a time to reach the target destination via the high route.
• Safe Z. This option remains unchanged, operating like X and Y together but traveling to the Safe Height Z coordinate first.

Find the ORDER option in the [+] menu of each movement:

In addition, you can set the DEFAULT AXIS ORDER from the settings menu, which will take effect for all movements that do not have an explicitly set axis order. For existing accounts this default is set to All at once, and for new accounts created today it is set to X and Y together.

If your FarmBot is operating just fine, there is no need to make any changes. If you are experiencing movement reliability issues, consider trying one of the new settings to limit the number of axes moving simultaneously.

The default order setting will also take effect for move{} Lua commands, and you may also explicitly set the order on a per-command basis using new grouping and route keyword arguments. For example:

move{
  x=100,
  y=200,
  z=-50,
  grouping="xy,z",
  route="high"
}

3D sequence visualization (including Lua!)

You can now visualize the path in 3D that FarmBot will take when executing a sequence, including sequences with Lua! This is more complicated than it may seem on the surface, as it requires transpiling Lua code to Javascript in-browser. The result is an orange pathway in 3D, and soon greater detail indicating what FarmBot will do at each location. To visualize a sequence, click the eye icon in the sequence header (next to the RUN button).

New Lua helpers

We’ve added three new Lua helpers and updated two more to make them easier to use:

• get_generic_points({filters}) returns a table of generic points, filtered by optional parameters. Available filters include: min_radius, max_radius, min_age, max_age, color, and at_soil_level.
• get_plants({filters}) returns a table of planted plants, filtered by optional parameters. Available filters include: min_radius, max_radius, min_age, max_age, plant_stage, and openfarm_slug. By default, a plant_stage="planted" filter is applied.
• get_weeds({filters}) returns a table of active weeds, filtered by the optional parameters. Available filters include: min_radius, max_radius, min_age, max_age, plant_stage, and color. By default, a plant_stage="active" filter is applied.
• get_group(id|name) replaces the previous group(id) helper, allowing you to now lookup a group either by its id or by its name.
• sort() has been updated to now work with a table of point objects as opposed to just a table of point id’s.

See the updated developer docs for code examples of each helper!

Seeder tip Z offset

We’ve added a new SEEDER TIP Z OFFSET field to tools with “Seeder” in the name, allowing seeders with aftermarket needles of different length to be used in a consistent way with the seed containers without needing to alter sequences based on the needle length. We’ve added a default value for all accounts, but you can edit this in the tools panel if you’re already using aftermarket needles.

And of course, this value is accessible via the API and Lua as follows:

seeder_tool = get_tool({name = "Seeder"})
toast(seeder_tool.seeder_tip_z_offset)

Featured sequences refresh

We’ve updated most of our featured sequences and the sequences provided during new account creation to make use of the new AXIS ORDER and SEEDER TIP Z OFFSET settings, as well as all the new Lua helpers. The new sequences are now more dynamic and deliver more functionality in fewer lines of code. Once you have upgraded to the latest FarmBot OS, go ahead an click the UPGRADE button to get the latest version of a sequence. Here are some of the highlight changes:

• Image Bulk Deletion now accepts a number of images to be deleted.
• Water All now uses an efficient nearest neighbor sorting to travel between plants, and utilizes plant watering curves instead of a global duration.
• Circular Movement can now execute a subsequence at each point along the circle.
• Pick from Seed Tray is now joined by the new Pick from Seed Bin and Pick from Seed Trough sequences, and they all make use of seeder_tip_z_offset.

Improved demo accounts

Building upon the new 3D sequence visualization features, demo account users can now simulate running full sequences (including those with Lua) and watch the virtual FarmBot move around, mount and dismount tools, operate the peripherals, and more. This has been a long-requested feature by our educational customers to allow students access to a virtual FarmBot before being given access to a real machine.

In addition, demo account users can now also:

• Use the manual controls.
• See realtime logs and jobs tracked in the popups as though a real FarmBot was connected.
• Make use of more virtual state tracking such as which tool is currently mounted to the virtual machine.

Note that some features such as some Lua functions are still not yet supported in simulation, but let us know if there’s something specific you would like to be added. Once we reach a broad enough coverage of features we’ll add a simulation mode for non-demo accounts.

Slot coordinate setup wizard steps

Rounding out the setup wizard procedure, new users are now guided through setting up the slot coordinates for all of the conventional tool slots as well as the gantry-mounted seed trough holder locations.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an ordering issue with the Lua helper find_home("all"). Now it will execute in the order Z, Y, X as intended. Thank you @mvillion and @jsimmonds for the report and issue!
• The jobs list will now be cleared upon E-stop, preventing unfinished jobs from hanging around for a long time. If you need to see the detailed record of what didn’t finish, refer to the logs.
• Fixed an issue where some Genesis and Genesis XL v1.8 options were still hidden from view.
• Fixed an issue preventing the full OS download table from being viewable on mobile.
• Improved the styling of the jobs popup table to keep the columns a consistent width and reduce layout shift.
• Re-ordered the main nav popups to help minimize layout shift.
• Improved the stability of the 3D watering animation.
• Improved the layout of sequence controls to reduce layout shift when saving.