What is bambuhelper?

BambuHelper is a hardware and firmware project that turns a small microcontroller board into a dedicated status monitor for Bambu Lab 3D printers. You build or buy a supported ESP32 board, attach a small color screen, flash it with BambuHelper's firmware, and it sits next to your printer showing a live dashboard with progress arcs, temperature gauges, fan speed, layer count, and remaining print time. The device connects to your printer over MQTT, a lightweight messaging protocol common in smart home and IoT devices, either directly over your local network using the printer's IP address and access code, or through Bambu's own cloud service using an access token, which is useful if the monitor and printer are not on the same network or if a printer only supports cloud connections. For printers in Bambu's newer H2 line, local connections need Developer Mode turned on in the printer's settings, or the monitor simply will not receive status updates. Several board options are supported, from the original ESP32-S3 Super Mini paired with a small square screen to plug and play Waveshare boards, a budget CYD all in one display board, and an ESP32-C3 variant for those wanting a cheaper build, with some boards limited to tracking one printer at a time due to memory limits. As of the newest version, setup no longer requires any development tools at all: you can flash the firmware and configure WiFi entirely from a web page in Chrome or Edge, with no separate programs needed. Beyond the core dashboard, BambuHelper adds AMS filament tray visualization, optional smart plug integration to track power use and cost per print, and animated effects for loading and print completion. The project states clearly that it only reads printer status and never sends commands, and that cloud mode stores only a temporary access token rather than an account password. The README does not mention what license the project uses.