Chipsmith can now load an existing Zynq field-programmable gate array (FPGA) bitstream over Secure Shell without a Chipsmith project beside it. An engineer can point the command at a remote Linux board and a .bit file, and the board's FPGA manager loads that image directly.
Previously, the command first expected a project manifest even when the bitstream already contained everything the Zynq needed. The new path checks that no manifest exists, identifies the image type, and sends ordinary Zynq files to the remote loader. It still refuses the same shortcut for DE25-Nano core images because those must be checked against the project's processor-system input and output configuration; loading a mismatched core can wedge the device manager.
This split makes a built image easier to test on a shared board without copying its whole source tree or build environment. It also keeps the project requirement where the image alone cannot carry enough compatibility information, which is the right boundary for a deployment command.