RE: Matter Code generation questions

Maria Gilje — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 15:35:12 GMT

Hello,

[quote user=""]What is the difference between the .zap and .matter file? Do you need both? Which one do you need when?[/quote]

Here is some documentation which covers .zap and .matter files: https://project-chip.github.io/connectedhomeip-doc/zap_and_codegen/code_generation.html

[quote user=""]Is it always okay to just use west zap-generate or is it sometimes necessary to also use west zap-generate --full?[/quote]

I can see that the argument is listed as an option for west zap-generate, but it is not in our documentation for west zap-generate. I can't find any internal documentation where it is used either, so I think it is not relevant for nRF Connect SDK.

[quote user=""]Does the zap file determine which Matter version is going to be used (using the featureLevel value)?[/quote]

To my understanding, no. The Matter version is determined by the SDK version, see the full overview in the togglable table in the Matter launch documentation page. The ZAP tool also needs to be the corresponding version, but this is handled for you when using west zap-gui from a Matter sample directory within the SDK.

Best regards,

Maria